My mom and dad have had numerous birds. They have had canaries, a cockatiel, two parrots and a blue and gold macaw and as a result, I have been able to watch what they do and the wonderful success they have had with these birds. Cisco, the cockatiel is twenty-seven and a half years old. Bird experts claim that the maximum lifespan of a cockatiel is twenty-five years, but that most die before their tenth birthday.
Pet birds can be great companions but you need to provide proper nutrition in order to keep your bird healthy. An all seed diet should not be fed to your pet bird because seeds lack all of the vitamins and other nutrients that are essential to keep your bird healthy.
An all seed diet could end up making your bird sick. Lack of essential vitamins and nutrients is one of the most common nutritional problems seen in pet birds. Birds need a variety of quality foods to stay healthy just like you do.
Feeding a variety of foods is the best way to ensure that your bird has the greatest chance of consuming all of the proper nutrients. You should also consider supplying vitamin and mineral drops in your bird’s water.
If you are currently feeding an all seed diet you need to gradually reduce the amount you are feeding and gradually introduce other foods to your bird’s diet over the course of several weeks. If at any time your bird has not eaten for a few days, you should take it to see a veterinarian. Because of their high metabolism, birds cannot go very long without food or they will become ill. Also, if your bird starts to vomit or has diarrhea, that is another sign of problems and you should seek a veterinarian’s help as soon as possible.
Great things to feed your pet bird include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Also provide egg pellets, which are available in the bird area of your local pet store, as a protein source for your bird. As a treat, in addition to the treat seeds, get dried fruits from the pet store. Coconut, mango, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are great dried fruits. Cooked frozen peas, carrots and corn will provide some of the needed nutrients (note-it is best to remove the skin from these vegetables after they have been cooked as the skin is hard for the bird to digest properly). Fresh celery, broccoli, apples, oranges, nectarines, grapes, etc. (with the skin removed) can also be supplied on a rotating basis every second day. In this way your bird will get a balanced diet and provide you with years of enjoyment.
Be sure to always provide a clean source of water for your bird. Proper sanitation is also another must to keep your bird healthy. By cleaning the food and water bowls every time you refill them, (at least once a week for the food bowl and every second day for the water bowl) you will keep disease away. Bacteria can easily build up on food and water bowls causing your bird to get sick.
Three things that you should never give your bird are parsley, avocado and chocolate. These items are extremely toxic to your bird and should be avoided.
Some people suggest that the simplest way to provide complete nutrition for your bird is with pellet food. Mom and dad have never had a bird that would eat pellets, so they had to use the seeds, vegetables, fruits and drops mentioned above. A large number of veterinarians recommend bird pellets so be sure to try them. Maybe your bird will like them. Before picking one, read the label carefully and be sure that it is one that contains a complete and balanced diet. Like all things nowadays, some don’t have everything that is needed.
If your bird does eat bird pellets, just remember that it could become bored with a pellet diet, so be sure to supplement the pellet diet with fresh fruit, vegetables and seeds and don’t forget to put the supplemental drops in the water. Speaking of water, don’t forget to give your bird a bird bath and change the water in it and wash it out every second day just like you do with his drinking water container because if he is anything like the birds in our house, he will drink his bath water too.
By providing some variety in your bird’s diet you can keep him healthy and happy. Providing a complete and balanced diet for your bird is easy if you follow the basic suggestions above.
Until next time,
Teia
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