NEVER feed your parrots

Avocado:
No one knows why avocado is fatally venomous to parrots. One theory is that toxins in the pit leach out into the body material after the crop is selected. Though some parrots have been observed eating avocados from trees in the untamed, numerous parrot professionals accept as true that the practice of consuming mud from mud licks assists to neutralize the venom, thus enabling them to endure. not ever, ever feed your bird avocado. This includes guacamole!

sweets:
There are enzymes in chocolate that are mortal to birds. The caffeine in sweets can be toxic as well. Which brings us to...

Coffee:
Even de-caffeinated coffee should be bypassed. And not ever feed your birds coffee beans either!

Onions, Garlic and other Alliums:
professionals argue about if it is protected to feed psittacines raw vs. prepared food onions. But onions and other alliums (like chives and leeks) furthermore contain substances that can harshly damage your bird. While you probably don’t need to panic if your parrot sneaks a beak-full of ratatouille that has some garlic and onions in it, it’s likely not a good idea to risk assisting any members of the allium family to your bird.

A exact note about Garlic:
Many persons believe that a very small amount of garlic can be beneficial to your bird. However, at a certain issue, too much garlic can be dangerous. Because birds are relatively little creatures, the line between healthful and toxic is far too narrow to take a chance. As a general rule, we recommend bypassing garlic solely.

Raw Potato:
Raw potatoes are venomous to birds. numerous parrots love ovenovenovenbaked or mashed potatoes -- just make certain they’ve chilled down sufficient not to set alight your bird’s tongue or crop! Even a single french pan-cooked one time in a while as a treat is okay. But not ever feed potatoes raw.

Cheese:
Birds are not mammals and do not doctor when young. Their schemes cannot handle most milk goods. dairy cheese won’t be digested and may turn rancid and origin diseases. There are couple of things poorer than observing your vet while s/he cuts into out glops of old, disgusting cheese from your bird’s crop. Yogurt, on the other hand, can be very wholesome for birds – just make certain it’s genuine yogurt and not one of those sugary concoctions with tons of sweeteners and chemicals. persons furthermore often ask us about feeding ice elite. While we absolutely don’t suggest it, we don’t believe there’s any thing incorrect with giving your parrot a tiny bit – perhaps a half teaspoon, counting on the dimensions of the bird – one time every so often. (Make sure it’s not sweets though!)

Canned Vegetables:
nearly all canned vegetables comprise far too much sodium for birds. As little as one assisting can origin kidney impairment. Even a “low sodium” emblem can be unsafe so, don’t risk it. Frozen vegetables are much healthier for your bird. Just ascertain the label to make certain no saline or preservatives have been added. If you wholeheartedly should use canned vegetables, rinse them repeatedly with coolinginging running water to eliminate as much of the salt as likely.

Sunflower kernels:
probably one of the lowest culprits leading to parrot death. That’s right. Death. numerous pre-packaged parrot foods comprise large allowances of sunflower kernels and peanuts because they are cheap filler. Parrots can easily become addicted to sunflower kernels and will end up denying to consume any thing else. Sunflower (or “Polly seeds” as they are occasionally called) have nearly NO nutritional worth and are the leading origin of Fatty Liver Disease in favourite birds. Some species, such as Amazons, Cockatoos, Cockatiels, Parakeets and Caiques, are especially susceptible.

apple fruit & Pear kernels, Peach Pits:
whereas they gaze very small, these seeds may comprise sufficient deadly venom to murder your bird. Let your bird relish the crop but make certain to remove the kernels and pits first.

Olives:
While there’s nothing truly wrong with olives in and of themselves, the types that are available in shopping centres usually contain far too much salt and oil for most birds to handle. In some cases, the excess sodium and fat can origin instant and fatal kidney or liver impairment. Don’t take a chance.

Unsafe Foods For Parrots

Blue throated macaw

There are always so many questions about the foods which are, or are not, appropriate in a parrot’s diet. I apologize for repeating this so many times in my posts, but I firmly believe that diet is the most important part of our parrot’s daily care. Everything else you try to accomplish for your bird is lost on an energy-less, ill-feeling bird if you fail in this one area. Without good health, a parrot’s life is, at best, not all it can be, and at worst, a tragedy waiting to happen.
The list of should/can feed items is very long. Fresh fruits and veggies should be the biggest part of the daily diet. Grains (cooked and raw) and legumes (only cooked or sprouted), pastas, nuts and pellets should also be worked into the diet regularly.
More important is the list of foods that are dangerous. It is a short list, but it is imperative that we be aware of those things which are hazardous to our birds.

Camelot macaws

It is incorrect to assume that parrots innately know which foods are dangerous for them. In fact, a parrot learns these things from their parents and flockmates in the wild. Most of our birds have not had that advantage. Even our wild caught birds are being fed a captive bird diet and the foods that we give them are not the same as those they would have been exposed to in their native lands. So any of their acquired wild knowledge, should they retain it, is irrelevant.
To keep things simple, I will address only the foods that are known to be toxic, foods to be avoided (even though many of these are debated), and the parts of acceptable foods that should be removed when you serve them.
Following is the list of foods you must NEVER let your bird eat or drink:

• Avocado – The pit and skin are the most toxic parts of the avocado, but even the flesh can kill a bird within minutes. I know of a few instances where this happened to birds after being fed guacamole by their unaware owners.
• Chocolate – Contains the compound theobromine, which speeds up the metabolism. The darker chocolates containing a higher percentage of cacao, which are also the more pricey chocolates, are the most dangerous. Chocolate toxicity can be fatal.
• Raw honey – This contains fairly high levels of botulism and should not be fed to birds or infants. Used pasteurized honey instead.
• Caffeine – This speeds up the metabolism in an animal with already high metabolic rates. It can bring on cardiac distress and death.
• Alcohol – Alcohol depresses the organ system and can be fatal, even in small amounts.
• Salt/Sugar – Sodium (salt) is a necessity in all living creatures. However, too much salt can bring on dehydration and kidney dysfunction. The different foods we eat contains both salts and sugars naturally. It is unnecessary and unsafe to add these ingredients to our bird’s foods.

Congo african grey

The following is a list of those foods which are considered questionable, and, as I mentioned above, many are debated. I, personally, choose to include some of these foods in my own bird’s diets because I have always offered them and have had no problems with them.  I will give you the pros and cons of each, and let you make your choice:

• Dairy products - Birds are lactose intolerant. This is fact. However, birds do love cheese, and when given in small amounts infrequently, most do not have a problem digesting it. My cockatiels have played “bobbing for Cheerios” in my cereal bowl since I’ve had them.
• Peanuts/peanut butter – Peanuts can contain aflotoxins, a carcinogenic substance, as can tree nuts, grains, cereals and corn. Peanut shells can also harbor fungus, I am more concerned about this factor, so I buy raw peanuts and bake them myself.  Commercial peanut butters have a lower contamination of aflotoxins than do the more natural brands. This is one of the few instances where over-processing is a good thing.  I should also point out that there are rare occasions of peanut allergies in birds. Just like similar allergies in humans, this is only discovered once it has been eaten.
• Onion – Onions can bring on digestive discomforts in both birds and humans, especially when eaten raw. Excessive amounts can also cause anemia. I do use onion in my cooking which I often share with my birds. I steam some vegetables with chopped onion for flavoring and pick out the onion bits before giving it to them. I also use onion powder for flavoring, which is generally considered by all to be safe.
• Garlic – Over indulgence in garlic can cause anemia. Like onion, I use frequently it in my cooking. There are so many health benefits to garlic that I don’t even know where to begin. I will continue to give it to my birds, forever, both raw and cooked. It is an amazing food, but it must be a food that is given in moderation.
• Mushrooms – Mushrooms are a fungus. Some species have toxicity, some more than others. While birds do seem to enjoy the texture, they are worthless nutritionally. I don’t feed them to my birds because there are no benefits to balance out any potential risks.
• Fruit seeds and pits – The seeds and pits from certain fruits: apples, pears, peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines and plums contain low levels of a cyanide-like compound and if eaten in quantity can be fatal to your bird. Your bird should never have access to these seeds or pits. However, the seeds from the following are safe: grapes, citrus fruits, squashes, pumpkins, tomatoes, melons, pomegranate, mango and berry seeds.
• Cabbage – Cabbage and leafy greens contain oxalic acids which interferes with calcium absorption in the meals that follow. However, kale, for instance, is one of the most nutrient rich foods we can offer to our birds. Unless your bird is producing eggs or molting, both of which require a strong calcium supply in the body, or has a known calcium deficiency for other reasons, these foods should be a big part of the diet. Why some people single out cabbage as an unsuitable food is beyond me.
• Rhubarb – Raw rhubarb has very high levels of oxalic acid, especially in the leaves. It is said that once cooked, it drops to an acceptable level making it a safe food. Other sources say that the levels do not drop acceptably. Because rhubarb is in such debate, and I do not feel I can make an informed decision, I have dropped it off of my “safe” list.
• Asparagus -  Asparagus has been said to cause severe digestive upsets in some birds and humans. I have never seen this in my own birds, a couple of whom just love it. Because the word severe unnerves me, I now only feed it 2 or 3 times a year, still, though, without any problems.
• Eggplant – It is also said that eggplant, due to the solanin it contains, can cause stomach upsets, although I am unaware of any instances of this happening. Most site have eggplant of the safe list. My birds aren’t crazy about it, cooked or raw, and get it occasionally in my effort to vary their diets.

Rgubarb photo by www.chicagoist.com

This list will be ever changing as we learn more about our avian companions, and it will never be complete as new considerations come to light. Most owners fall into two categories: those who will serve certain foods because their experience is that their birds have shown tolerance, and those who refuse because they don’t wish to take the risk. Of the foods listed above, I have never known, or heard of, any bird suffering more than mild stomach upset following consumption. It is up to the individual to determine how well their bird’s tolerate certain aspects of their diet. However, I suspect that a bird would simply, in the future, refuse a food that caused distress.
Moderation is the best way to avoid diet problems. We should do our best to vary our bird’s diets. In doing this, not only do we make eating a more enriching experience for them, but it helps us see that they are getting all that their bodies require nutritionally. In a widely varied diet, all of the foods you offer are given in moderation automatically because there is so much to choose from.

Poisonous Foods For Parrot

Do you know that there are several poisonous foods for parrot that you must avoid?

Chocolate

Chocolate is toxic to birds. It is digested differently in birds than in humans, and the resulting digested products are toxic. Bitter, brown bread and dark chocolate is more toxic than chocolate milk. Chocolate in any form should not be given to the birds. Chocolate toxicosis symptoms such as disorientation, hyperactivity, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, seizures, dark colored droppings and death.

Avocados

Several types of avocados are poisonous to birds. Skin, meat or the seed maybe contain toxins, so it is best to not feed avocados at all.

Caffeine

Caffeine is also are poisonous to birds. Therefore do not give products containing caffeine to birds (including coffee, tea and soft drinks).

Salt

The excessive consumption of salt (sodium chloride) can cause thirst, increased water consumption, increased urination, depression, nervous excitement, tremors, incoordination and death.

Onion

Onions can be toxic to dogs and cats, and even the onion toxicosis is not well documented in birds, probably best to avoid eating onions for birds. In mammals, the onion can cause Heinz-body hemolytic anemia, which causes red blood cells rupture. Birds red blood cells contain a nucleus, and this may provide some protection against cell rupture. But avoid giving onions in birds. A small amount of garlic used in cooking may not be harmful, but keep in mind that there may be a problem that may occur.

Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages can cause loss of control and death. Do not give products containing ethanol (alcohol) for birds.

Fruit seed

Some fruit seed can be poisonous to birds. Apple seeds contain cyanide. So, remove the seeds before giving it to your bird. Cherries, plums, apricots and peaches are safe to be given to the birds, but the seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides. Nuts should not be given to the birds, but if ingested, digestion time is faster than the digestive tract of birds and their stomachs types can protect birds from poisoning.

Hopefully this article can help you to know about some poisonous foods for parrot.

Female Eclectus Parrot, The Polyandry Bird

Eclectus parrotis known as one of the members of the parrot family that hast the most intelligent. Whether because of smart, female parrots parrot also showed unusual behavior for parrots among others. Most parrots are monogamous, but the female eclectus parrot is polyandrous.

The eclectus parrot has several other names in various regions in Indonesia. Sumba society, for example, call it by name or kaka kaka moro wandala. Buru Island resident named karea birds, while in Membramo known as sopies and in Bacan called Ubu. This parrot is also can be found in Papua New Guinea and Australia. The behavior of this parrot has several times been the object of research scientists. In addition to polyandry, the female parrot also been studied have a bad temper when in difficult conditions.

Researchers at the Australian National University  observe the behavior of the eclectus parrot in Cape York, Queensland. This study revealed that the female parent in difficult conditions could kill her male child. This mean that the female eclectus parrot will only take care of the female child only. This is the only species of parrot that kills their offspring by sex. But no one has known why the mother has a gender preference given when they had to kill their own child.

Actually, the  temperament of the female parent who like to kill the male children was caused by nest inadequacy in accommodating the children. The habit is also commonly occur in the wild, when the female parent having trouble finding the holes of trees that can be used as a nest egg-laying, incubating eggs at a time and place for their children.

Pair of eclectus parrot usually find tree holes that are about 25 feet or more from the ground. If the position of the nest is too low, it is feared will fall prey to predators such as snakes and lizards. This is where you can actually see the intelligence of this parrot. But sometimes they do not always get the location of the nest as they wish, so they forced to occupy a nest which is not ideal. This makes the female parent anxiety and worry, thus reducing the comfort in the nest.

In some cases, the stressed or anxious female parent are often break the eggs, even kill her own child, including female parrots. However, the eclectus parrot always make the male child as a victim. Usually, the mother will produce a pair of eggs, and if all of them had hatched normally with different sexes (male and female). In that study also revealed, the female child is more easily treated than the male. In addition, female child is also grow faster than male.

Therefore, it is suspected that the female parrot parent more manly sacrifice the male child, because it is more difficult to treat than the female and also grow faster. Well, this is also shows how intellegence this beautiful bird. But why the male child must be sacrificed? This have something to do with the female parent who concern to the predatory animals. If the female parrent take care of the male child for too long, she will always feel threatened. Many possibilities that make female parrot populations in the wild more than male birds.

The main food of the eclectus parrot is fruit and some kind of flowers. Their favorite fruits are pomegranate and papaya. However, if you are interested to captive this bird, you can also provide some kind of fruit such as mango, guava, banana, melon, grapes, oranges, pears and apples.

Hopefully this article can help you to know more and captivating the eclectus parrot at home.

The Unique And Endangered Ecletus Parrot

There are many kind of parrot, and one of them is the eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus). This bird is a protected species. Is this birds could be bred and traded? It could be, as long as you get permission from the government or licensing body in certain areas. Most birds that bred is the protected bird, but had received official permission from the government or licensing body. If you are interested in breeding the eclectus parrot, then you have to know a lot about this bird first.

Eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) is a species of parrots that intelligent (as we know, almost all parrots are intelligent). But different from the lovebird who tend to be monogamous, the male and female eclectus parrot does not have a regular partner. Female birds, though it had a partner, it is possible to look for a new partner. Similarly, the male birds who already have a partner.

Another unique thing of this bird is that the mother often kills their male child if it appears certain conditions or trigger factors.

Eclectus parrot has nine subspecies which is scattered in lowland forests, coconut groves and savannah that are in the Moluccas, Bali, Papua, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Despite its status in the IUCN Red List set to the Least Concern / LC, in fact, the eclectus parrot populations in the wild are running low, mainly due to the rampant poaching and habitat destruction. Therefore, eclectus parrot is in the list of protected birds in all around the world.

Breeding the eclectus parrot is one way to prevent the extinction of this endangered species. Some people have tried to breed this bird, for example such as the Mega Bird and Orchid Farm in Indonesia, in the city of Bogor.

Hopefully this article can help you to know more about the eclectus parrot.