Wild Parrots |
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Pet Parrots |
Wild Parrots
- Fly 2 to 3 miles between feeding sites
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Pet Parrots
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Wild Parrots
- Forage 4 to 6 hours per day
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Pet Parrots
- Pelleted diets can provide all of the caloric needs of a bird in less than 1 hour
- Seeds contain even greater caloric density and seed-based diets tend to cause obesity and malnutrition
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Wild Parrots
- Spend time with each food item
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Pet Parrots
- Pelleted diets are nutritionally more complete, but relatively uninteresting
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Wild Parrots
- Feed on greater than 60 plant species including fruits, blossoms, leaves, seeds, and nuts
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Pet Parrots tend to become:
- Picky eaters
- Seed junkies
- Fearful or phobic of new foods
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Wild Parrots
- Nutritional status and longevity unknown
- Obesity rarely observed
- Rarely appear bored
- Feather damaging behaviors rarely observed
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Problems Seen in Pet Parrots
- Obesity
- Boredom
- Feather damaging behaviors
- Other problem behaviors
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Images |
Rationale |
Let your bird do the shredding. |
Fresh Vegetables are Great Food
- Lots of variety to choose from
- Good source of vitamins and minerals
- Good source of dietary fiber
- Low fat
- Relatively easy to get
Generally, if you can eat it fresh, so can your birds. Exceptions:
- NO AVOCADO. Avocadoes are toxic to birds.
- Probably best to avoid raw onions
- Pits from cherries, plums, and apple seeds (I know these are not vegetables, but the tip still holds) contain
cyanide-like compounds
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Bird-shredded vegetables at the bottom of the cage |
Rationale
- Increases the amount of time your pet parrot is kept occupied
- Tip: You do not need to chop your bird's vegetables into bite size pieces. Let your bird do the work.
- Provides a protective effect against boredom
- Provides a protective effect against feather damaging behaviors
- Provides a protective effect against "problem" behaviors
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Foraging toys
- Designed to challenge birds to "work" for their "treats"
- Stimulates the bird's brain
- You can view more objects like this at www.thebirdbrain.com
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Or you can try this!
- Make your own piñata
- Wrap treats in balls of paper
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Cooked beans and grains are also interesting and nutritious food for birds |
Or you can try this!
- Set up feeding stations in different parts of their environment
- Play "hide and seek" with treats
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Got other ideas to share?
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