Pet Habitat South Africa

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10 Jul 2017

Why Seed Diets Are Harmful To Parrots?

Posted By : Guest

Many pet parrots in South Africa are not fed a nutritionally balanced diet and this is mostly due to a lack of understanding by owners. The biggest problem is providing poor-quality seed-based diets. Yes, seeds do make up a large part of wild parrots' diet. However, not all seeds are the same, and those available in the pet trade are often woefully deficient in nutritional value compared with seeds from plants growing in the wild. Many pet shop bought seeds are often old and contaminated with fungal toxins and moulds.

Parrots tend to select one seed type and, before long, they will eat only that. The classic example is sunflower seeds. Many birds that have eaten a diet of exclusively sunflower seeds for years will suffer from malnutrition internally, but from outside they may appear to be okay. Pet owners should think of parrots like they do children - if you offer a child one plate of sweets and another of broccoli, they most likely would never touch the broccoli.

Also never feed peanuts to your parrots because they are often contaminated with aflatoxin, a fungal toxin. Aflatoxin is carcinogenic and causes liver damage in birds and other animals. It is often in the shell as well as in the peanut itself. Roasting peanuts reduces aflatoxin but does not eliminate it entirely.

Some of the health issues associated with inappropriate seed feeding is obesity and vitamin deficiency, which can lead to more serious issues. Add to this the sedentary lifestyle of most parrots in urban captivity, and you have the perfect recipe for obesity. Some species, such as Amazon parrots, are prone to becoming obese.

A lot of non-supplemented seed diets are vitamin A deficient. Vitamin A is important in the formation of the cellular lining of the respiratory system, and the gastrointestinal, urogenital and integumental systems. A deficiency leads to abnormal cellular formation in these areas, often presenting as tissue proliferations, infections and abscesses.

Other deficiencies include those of vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin D and calcium are inextricably linked, and a deficiency in vitamin D reduces the ability to absorb calcium, which can result in bone and muscle problems, and seizures. African grey parrots are especially prone to this.

There can also be an iodine deficiency, which is common in budgies, and this leads to thyroid problems. If the bird is more than a year or two old and is on a non-supplemented, seed-based diet, there is a fairly high chance there is already a deficiency.

Poor nutrition is easy to avoid if the bird is young, but transitioning an older parrot to a better diet can be challenging. If you suddenly switch their old diet for a new one, they will leave it and not eat. It is best to introduce new food gradually. If there is another bird that is eating the better diet, place the cages side-by-side so it can be seen eating the new food.

In terms of a recommended diet, it is best to feed the bird a pellet diet. These pellet diets are similar in appearance to dog and cat food kibble. Each pellet contains the full nutritional requirement. Pellets can be bought from some vets and reputable bird/pet stores.

Not all pellet diets are created equal; we recommend Roudybush pellets. Roudybush provides your bird with the best possible nutrition without the added cost or hassle of supplements. Also because Roudybush is a pelleted diet it is 100% edible. You will not be paying for the inedible hulls (shells) of seeds which make up 2070% of most seed mixes, you will have less mess under the bird cage because there are no hulls, there is no risk of feeding seeds that have been contaminated in fields or in storage, and there are no variations in the nutrient composition or quality of the pellets as you often find in seeds.

Seeds can be offered in small amounts, but it must be human-grade, organic varieties. Sprouting seeds are also a good way to ensure the seeds are still alive and providing the best nutritional value.