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About Rev. Dr. S.August Abbott
Expertise
Certified Avian Specialist; Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council member; Own animal rescue org; National Wildlife habitat #66378; bird care, nutrition & behavior consultant; International Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants Associate; National Wildlife Federation Leaders Club member; published bird care, info and behavior articles and guides. Ongoing education in exotic bird behavior and nutrition I can answer behavioral, nutritional, environmental, characteristic/personality questions as well as general health and health care. No animal emergency can ever be addressed on the internet. We cannot see your animal, perform an examination, provide necessary care or medication. Please value your companion for the priceless, living creature they are; not for what you might have paid for them.

Experience
Certified Avian Specialist. For more than 30 years I've worked with veterinarians, protective facilities, nature centers, preserves and on my own in providing care and education with regard to multiple animal species, including raptors (hawks, kestrals, owls, etc) and marsupials. In recent years I've focused on parrots, usually rescued from abusive or less than ideal situations and helping educate owners as to proper care. Expert in behavior studies and modification of problem behavior.

Organizations
4AnimalCare is the organization I run as an animal ministry; World Wildlife Association, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, National Wildlife Federation Leaders Club and more

Publications
Bird Talk Magazine articles about rescued and problem macaws.

Education/Credentials
Doctorate, Ordained Minister

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Birds > Parrots > pet parrot

Parrots - pet parrot

Expert: Rev. Dr. S.August Abbott - 11/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: worried that our parrot has eye infection.It is a bank holiday where I am and was checking internet and read your reply to someone whose problem seemed similar.Our bird seems to look tired and enjoys us rubbing his eyes.No discharge,just wanted some reassurance.

ANSWER: Help me out here ok - the more info you can offer, the better.

Age, environment, exactly what you're seeing him (or her?) do, any sneezing or discharge from anywhere?

What kind of food?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Chico is 5yrs old,have noticed the odd sneeze,no discharge but the way he enjoys my rubbing them makes me wonder if they are itchy.We buy a good standard parrot food mix,which has been his staple diet all is life,obviously moving up with his age.We have had him since he was three and a half months old.He also enjoys fresh fruit and vegetables.We are careful with the amount sunflower seeds he has and makesure he has no chocolate or cabbage which we read are bad for parrots.

Answer
We can approach this from the two most likely angles of concern: Nutrition and sleep.

So much information is flooding the net these days about what to feed a companion bird, whether a budgie/parakeet, cockatiel or marvelous macaw, it’s sometimes difficult to wade through the junk science, old wives tales, well meaning owner advice or just plain dangerous suggestions.

The vitamins from pet stores can sometimes cause more problems than they solve. I really wish they weren’t allowed to sell them (or the supposed antibiotics or sprays or mite protectors).

It’s generally recommended that most of today’s companion birds have a predominantly pelleted diet.   Pellets have been continually updated since being introduced to the market years ago and today’s formulas are better than ever.

Supplementing this diet with fresh foods every day is ideal and many owners find they can re-introduce seeds - in limited amounts (perhaps once or twice a week) without the bird refusing the pellets overall.

Whole grains, dark leafy vegetables, fruits and legumes. Include the colors orange, yellow , green, plus reds too! Think sweet potatoes/yams, squash, melons, oranges, peas, chard, beets and others.

Brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat couscous and natural, whole grain pastas are great choices.

Limit fats, especially the kind from animals. Good fats are most plant fats like soy, olive and canola oils. No fried anything

Another thing you can try is all natural, human baby food.   Stick to the orange colors.

They can be mixed with tiny pasta or rice, whole grain bread or toast - remember, be more creative than the bird is stubborn.

As odd as it sounds, birds don’t need much, if any vitamin C. It is a water soluable vitamin which means it passes out of the body after the body takes what it needs and C is available in a wide variety of both fresh and processed foods given to birds.

Vitamin A/Beta Carotene, on the other hand, is frequently found to be deficient in birds. This is a fat soluble vitamin which means it gets stored in the fat cells of the body, so it’s possible to overdose on it. With our companion birds though, too little is the situation most often encountered.

The symptoms a bird will show when deficient are increased allergic reactions, respiratory/sinus infections, reproductive problems, skin and feather disorders, even cysts and tumors, as well as various intestinal complications.

Vitamin A is most ideally received from natural foods like sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, squash and other dark colored vegetables. If your bird doesn’t care for fresh vegetables, a ½ teaspoon of natural baby food (human baby food) of any of these vegetables. Again, it must be all natural and nothing but the vegetable with water sufficient for processing.

http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/articles/art_021.htm   Nutritional Overview

Also www.4AnimalCare.org/birds for details that include three homemade recipes you can also eat along with your bird.

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Let's try the nutritional modification along with perhaps some more sound sleep time.

A typical day in the life of your bird would be rising at daybreak, vocalizing with the rest of the nearby flock, sort of making sure everyone is still there and learning the sound of each other’s voices again; then they’d head off for a day of exploring, foraging for a variety of foods, socializing, reinforcing their territory and pretty much staying busy.

As the day comes to an end and the sun goes down, everyone returns to their night perch, a place to roost that has proven safe since they made it through the night before.

I like to work with a bird’s instinctive behaviors, especially when it encourages their sense of safety and confidence.

Establishing a separate "sleep cage" is a good idea. A smaller cage with just the basics: A soft perch (I use rope perches for sleep cages), a food and water bowl and a 'snuggly'.   The snuggly can be an old, clean, thick sock tied through the bars at the side or hanging from the center-top. It's just something for the bird to snuggle up to and give them the feeling of roosting near a flock mate.

In any case, covering a cage at night is a good idea. Leave about 1/2 of the front door uncovered so the bird can see out and have a sense of security.

It's important to regulate these sleep hours carefully. If you normally start your day at 8 a.m., then covering your bird at 8 p.m. (as early as 6 p.m. during winter months) is what you should aim for.

Don't be late though - when you start your day, uncovering the bird is the first thing you need to do.

Keeping the noise level down while the bird is sleeping (or in their sleep cage) is important too.

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