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Unintentionally, tradition has created a number of factors that promote poor nutrition with pet and aviary birds. So strongly have
some of these ideas become established that it is difficult for some to believe that the "old ways are not necessarily the best ways."
There are 5 primary factors that contribute to most of the nutritional problems that we see.
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VEGETARIAN TYPE DIETS:
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Tradition has suggested that pet birds always eat a seed diet. Unfortunately, seeds are a poor source of protein.
Also low in protein are grains, fruits, greens and vegetables. These foods are also deficient in many of the essential amino acids (muscle's "building blocks"). For these reasons an all vegetarian diet can be hazardous to your bird's health.
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UNBALANCED DIETS:
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Unfortunately many birdseed diets have not been scientifically formulated and are not truly "balanced". Birds
eating these foods often run the risk of malnutrition and a shortened life span
Commercial bird seed diets are usually not "complete" diets or may offer good nutrition only if every
component of the mix is eaten.
Homemade seed diets often have been concocted with the best intentions and ingredients, but without training in the specific needs of the avian pet. Malnutrition can
result.
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FREE CHOICE FEEDING:
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Placing a variety of food in the dish and letting birds eat free choice is a common error made by the well-intentioned
bird owner. Birds have neither the instinct nor the intelligence to pick a balanced diet from a smorgasbord of choices.
PICKY EATERS arise both from certain
hereditary factors and from acquired habits. These birds can become locked into eating a narrow selection of foods. They will approach their food dish as if more concerned about what not to eat rather than what they should eat. Picking and pecking, spilling out, sorting through and finally selecting a food makes up their daily routine. This highly undesirable habit fosters malnutrition in addition to wasting food.
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CONTINUOUS CONFINEMENT IN SMALL CAGES:
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A bird's nutritional status can be indirectly affected by continuous caging. They can develop an avoidance behavior pattern in which the
bird shuns anything that is not familiar. Because of this the bird rejects anything new or different. It continues to eat only the limited foods that it is used to, thus perpetuating the malnutrition.
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FAST METABOLIC RATE:
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Although pet and aviary birds spend many hours in their cages one would think that there exercise is limited and thus
their nutritional requirements reduced.
However, a bird has a very high internal metabolism even if it is not flying all over the place. A healthy bird burns up a lot of energy, more than any other animal. The old saying about people "eating like a bird" is a misconception. Birds eat more for their body weight than the elephant does!! Because of this birds need to be fed more food and a different type of diet than other animals. They require relatively large volumes of high calorie, highly digestible food.
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Birds need the same 4 food groups that people require for a balance diet.
1. GRAINS
are complex carbohydrates that primarily function to provide energy. Seeds are simple carbohydrates and less beneficial to the bird.
2. FRUITS & VEGETABLES
supply vitamins missing in the grains. Vitamins A, D3, B12, E and K are especially important. Birds get almost no nutrition from celery, iceberg lettuce, corn, apple or banana. Fruits and vegetables should not exceed 15% of the bird's total diet.
3. PROTEIN
sources are meats (chicken, beef and fish), eggs, nuts, beans and peas. These foods provide many of the essential fatty acids not found in grains. However, animal protein should be kept to a minimum to avoid causing kidney disease (do not exceed 10% of the total diet).
4. DAIRY PRODUCTS
are important sources of calcium but birds cannot digest milk well, so it should be avoided. Yogurt is an good alternative. Leafy, green vegetable also are a good source of calcium, as are oyster shell, egg shells, bone and mineral blocks.
Vitamin D3 is also very important to the health and well being of birds. Fish oils and sunlight are the primary sources here. Sunlight
filtered through normal window glass is not the answer, nor is exposure to direct sunshine. The best approach is to allow two 15-minute exposures to sun with the pet under a covered patio.
Minimize the feeding of
thick-hulled seeds (like sunflower seeds and peanuts) since birds can become "hooked" on them and refuse other, more nutritional food items. Keep this in mind as you select a commercial bird food that may
be mostly fatty sunflower seeds.
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