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Been A While...

Talk about bird illnesses and other bird health related issues. Seeds, pellets, fruits, vegetables and more. Discuss what to feed your birds and in what quantity. Share your recipe ideas.

Been A While...

Postby EmberSanja » Mon Aug 26, 2019 9:32 am

Most of you won't remember me because it's been so long LOL.

I've continued my birdie journey offline and figured it's time to update my arsenal of information. Last I was around, chop/gloop was the best for the morning and you would end the day with a pellet or (preferably sprouted) seed dinner. Supplements were not advised because it may put the birds over the top for nutrients, which puts extra pressure on their organs to process it, or it builds up and causes toxicity.

Has anything changed with new research?
Bad/Good veggies/fruits I should look out for?
How often is too often for feeding fruits these days?
Are supplements "in" now?

Let me know anything and everything you think would be useful. I'm very willing to learn and nothing is wrong with hearing what I may already know.

Thanks, all!
EmberSanja
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 47
Location: WI
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Indian Ringneck, Budgies
Flight: Yes

Re: Been A While...

Postby Pajarita » Mon Aug 26, 2019 10:33 am

Welcome back!

Gloop or chop are still in but, for most companion species, gloop is better than chop. I don't believe that one can overfeed fruits to birds... I've never limited their fruit intake and they have all been super healthy for years and years. I think the 'don't feed too much fruit' was one of those things put out by pellet manufacturers (I could be wrong on this and my opinion could be colored by the fact that I had an argument with Dr. Harrison -the one that makes the pellets- on this) without any real basis on anything because, going by my observations of wild parrots, they all eat as much fruit as they can (well, except for tiels and budgies).

As to which are good and which are bad... the bad ones are still the same (avocado and spinach, never), collard greens, beet greens or any other one that is high in oxalic acid seldom, lots of blues, purples, yellows and oranges... that kind of thing. Personally, I like to give them as much variety as I can and a different 'good' one each day of the week while others are always seasonal (like pommegranates, for example).

Supplements and how often they are given depend on the species and the diet. Because, if you feed pellets for dinner, you should not give them an extra multivitamin/mineral supplement unless we are talking laying hens during breeding season which should get extra calcium and vit D3. Also, if you have an ekkie (which should never be fed pellets), you have to be careful about the amount and frequency you feed the multivitamin/mineral because ekkies do better on a poor diet. I don't have ekkies and I don't feed pellets so I give my birds a daily dose (as per the instructions) twice a week during the cold weather months and three times during the warm weather months (I will switch to twice a week after the equinox in September as well as the 'winter diet').

Let me know if there is anything I might have missed.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Been A While...

Postby EmberSanja » Mon Aug 26, 2019 5:47 pm

Thanks for the info! Happy to hear from you as you've been around a long while and I always see you posting and talking about research.

A more specific question for you would be about light schedules.
Is it better to do 12 hours light 12 dark or follow the solar schedule? I tend to stick to the solar schedule so far, but I’m open to change.
How does each light schedule effect breeding season?
EmberSanja
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 47
Location: WI
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Indian Ringneck, Budgies
Flight: Yes

Re: Been A While...

Postby Pajarita » Tue Aug 27, 2019 11:30 am

Unfortunately for the birds (and the owners), the 12L/12D light schedule is still around but it doesn't work for one simple reason - namely, that at 12 hours of light, all the tropical, semi-tropical and temperate zone long-day breeders produce sexual hormones! And that is what we do NOT want! A bird that is producing sexual hormones month after month, year after year - something that never happens in nature and that is terribly unhealthy for birds (because it means that the endocrine system is screwed up - which, in turn, means that the immune system is compromised) PLUS you end up with a bird that is sexually frustrated and in physical discomfort -even chronic pain from overgrown gonads. Needless to say, a bird that is ''at the edge' in terms of 'nerves' (sexual frustration) and physically uncomfortable is not a bird in a good mood so most birds that scream, bite, pluck and even self-mutilate are birds that are overly hormonal from the wrong light schedule, the poor things!

The only way for a bird to be healthy is for it to follow the solar schedule - but do not forget the exposure to dawn and dusk because, without it, the bird's body is not getting the right trigger to turn on or off their internal clock.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Been A While...

Postby Pajarita » Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:58 am

Yes, red mites burrow into wood, and that's why homemade cages made out of it are not good. But then, of course, chicken coops are almost always made out of wood...
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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