The main cause of any number of parrot problems stems from poor nutrition. A poor diet can drastically reduce a parrot's life span. Some of these birds can live to be over 60 years old. But a bad diet can force to live of pain and misery with health problems including liver disease, respiratory problems, feather and skin disorders and other issues.
Tap water is not all that great either. It can contain all kinds of harmful chemicals depending on where you live. It might not be all that good for you either. Use bottled or filtered water. Make sure your parrot's water dish is clean. Refresh the water at least twice a day - in the morning and afternoon are good times. Clean it any time you see it getting cloudy or otherwise dirty.
For food, remember that a diet exclusively made up of seed is not the best for your parrot. In the wild, parrots eat whatever is available during any given season. This results in them getting a natural variety of foods in their diet. Parrots need a mixture of fresh leafy greens and fruits as well as seed.
Neither seed nor widely available pellet food has enough vitamin A for your bird. As a result, vitamin A deficiency has become quite common. To combat this you need to feed them plenty of leafy greens, green vegetables and fruits.
Pellet food has become very popular over the years. Undoubtedly that's because of the claims made by the manufacturers about how easy it is to give your parrot a balanced diet. Just give them these nutritional pellets. Well, be a little skeptical. It just isn't that easy. In fact there is some evidence that suggests a long term diet of only pellet food can cause other problems.
The best way to go is a cooked food base diet that is supplemented with seed or pellet food. Most owners would agree this is more work but, the benefits in terms of your bird's health outweigh the extra effort required. This diet is comprised of cooked beans, brown or whole-grain rice, quinoa, amaranth, couscous and other grains. As always check with your veterinarian for the specific needs of your bird.
Tap water is not all that great either. It can contain all kinds of harmful chemicals depending on where you live. It might not be all that good for you either. Use bottled or filtered water. Make sure your parrot's water dish is clean. Refresh the water at least twice a day - in the morning and afternoon are good times. Clean it any time you see it getting cloudy or otherwise dirty.
For food, remember that a diet exclusively made up of seed is not the best for your parrot. In the wild, parrots eat whatever is available during any given season. This results in them getting a natural variety of foods in their diet. Parrots need a mixture of fresh leafy greens and fruits as well as seed.
Neither seed nor widely available pellet food has enough vitamin A for your bird. As a result, vitamin A deficiency has become quite common. To combat this you need to feed them plenty of leafy greens, green vegetables and fruits.
Pellet food has become very popular over the years. Undoubtedly that's because of the claims made by the manufacturers about how easy it is to give your parrot a balanced diet. Just give them these nutritional pellets. Well, be a little skeptical. It just isn't that easy. In fact there is some evidence that suggests a long term diet of only pellet food can cause other problems.
The best way to go is a cooked food base diet that is supplemented with seed or pellet food. Most owners would agree this is more work but, the benefits in terms of your bird's health outweigh the extra effort required. This diet is comprised of cooked beans, brown or whole-grain rice, quinoa, amaranth, couscous and other grains. As always check with your veterinarian for the specific needs of your bird.
About the Author:
Matt Carver is an author and parrot enthusiast. Learn more about what makes up a good parrot diet and many other parrot care tips by downloading a copy of his latest book on Parrot Care.
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