Tony Silva, Parrot Expert Extraordinaire

What An Opportunity

We live in very unique and interesting times that afford us quite a bit. Ours is an era in which things come in two days on Amazon, information doubles and triples all the time, and exotic parrots from around the world are readily available at your favorite bird store – everything is at your fingertips. Including experts.

Tony’s Parrot Farm

A couple of weeks ago my daughter my husband and I went to visit Tony Silva. He must be the original Amazon because he is the Parrot Man. We showed up as strangers meeting in person for the first time to spend some time with him, his parrot farm and to learn more about parrots, a passion of mine. Tony was dressed in work clothes and sweating from having been working outside on his parrot cages: a dedicated, down to earth man. I say that Tony is the original Amazon because, like the online company, his customer service is cutting edge, and he doesn’t have customers! He just gives help: he has taken time to reply to me on Facebook, someone he doesn’t know- he answers questions, signed my copy of his book and hosted us at his house. Even my world-renowned vet says that it’s amazing the way he shares his wisdom. As much as I would like to be special, he helps me just like he helps anyone else.

It’s taken me a while to write this blog because digesting everything that I saw and everything that we talked about has been quite a bit to chew on. For example, I guessed that Tony would have some amazing parrots that I had never seen before; I wasn’t let down. He had amazing parrots and many of them. His Major Mitchel cockatoos were stunning, their pink and peach crowns impressed me so much so that I think I need to print a picture of them for my wall.

Parrot Nutrition Wisdom

Now I pride myself on being pretty nutrition savvy, but Tony knows foods as they pertain to parrots as well as he knows all 402 parrot species, most of which he has bred.

“Oatmeal?” I ask.

“Empty carbs,” he answers without blinking. I’m a little thrown. I consider oatmeal ‘healthy’ for humans and most healthy things for humans, such as kale and broccoli, are also highly beneficial for parrots. I may have to research oatmeal and see whether or not it is benefiting me.

“Peppers? I know they are a fruit, but I’ve heard they are good for them,” I pose.

‘Only hot peppers. They have capsaicin, the sweet pepper do not. The capsaicin is anti-bacterial…’

He’s so right: “Capsaicin and gingerol analogues inhibit the growth of efflux-multidrug resistant bacteria and R-plasmids conjugal transfer.” (Source https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31022566) Next I’m going to have to ask him about feeding ginger, which has the gingerol, to my parrots.

Tony On Fruit For Parrots

Fruit & Seeds

One of the most frequent questions I receive on my https://www.facebook.com/ParrotBliss/ page is whether or not people can give their parrot fruit as a treat – I can also tell that one of the biggest quandaries is on seeds, but people don’t always ask about how to transition their parrot off of seeds or about whether they are part of a healthy diet.

I cringe when I see bags of sunflower seeds for sale at parrot stores because, unless these are sprouted, the lack of nutrition in a seed-only or seed-heavy diet is huge. It is a life-shortening sentence and a recipe for an unhealthy life, especially for larger species like Amazon parrots who are prone to fatty liver disease.

My Flock’s Diet

I like to learn about and research parrots and anything pertaining to them. So, fruits and seeds are not a parrot of my flock’s diet coming from me. My husband and daughter are the ones that give these as treats and training rewards. In limited amounts I’m ok with these, but I thought I’d take the opportunity to ask THE expert, the Parrot Man, Tony about giving fruits to parrots.

Why Ask Tony?

Before I post the video I took and tell you what he said, let me frame his expertise for you. In life, I’ve learned that I don’t know everything and can’t, so I look for experts who have done the research and I listen to what they have to say. I digest what they share and, this way, I tend to be savvy about topics that are important to me such as parrots and diet (for humans and parrots).

Tony has developed himself as an expert, arguably the world’s parrot expert, over the last 40 plus years. He shared a video on Facebook/Instagram in which he’s promoting his new book, Macaws (available here http://www.psittaculture.eu/product/macaws-macaws-in-field-and-aviary-by-tony-silva-book-english-2019/?fbclid=IwAR3RM8m31VPsjAbnEUTmCqDm0HrOKx2n-MrdnBS5M_T2-RXezESkv9hZ8KU In the video he tells a story about when he was young and would cut out of school to take grapes to a local pet store that had macaw parrots. He says that the owner explained that macaws only mate while flying in the air.

Really? Wow! Did we used to believe such make-believe myths about unknown species. Yeah, I think so.

Tony has bred all the Macaw species save one and where others can’t breed difficult species, Tony can and does. He has researched parrots in the wild all over the world and has studied them meticulously. Everywhere I go people speak highly of his character and parrot-knowledge and wisdom.

Yes, his perspective should influence parrot diets everywhere, if you want a happy, healthy parrot.

Apples Ok?

I love an argument based on observation because it is clear of bias. Tony’s study of wild parrots provides hard evidence of a parrot’s natural diet.

Simply put, he says, parrots eat green, un-ripe fruit in the wild. Apples, he said, were more bitter when we were kids because they are now grown to be sweet, or more sell-able. In the wild, parrots avoid larger animals, like monkeys, who eat ripe fruits, so parrots naturally eat green: green vegetables and green fruits.

Ripe fruits, as you know, are high in fructose, or fruit-sugar, which a parrot’s digestive system is not built for.

A parrot’s diet, Tony says, should consist of 60% pellets and 40% vegetables. This 40% should also include some vegetables high in Beta Carotene, like sweet potatoes, carrots or pumpkin. He also stressed the importance of not making their vegetables into chop, because it is prime breeding grounds for bacteria.

Not an issue for me, chop doesn’t look appealing to me, so I assume it isn’t for my parrots either. I cut kale and their vegetables with a knife and serve them up!

Lasting Impressions

He’s remarkable. I wish he was an app because I always have questions popping up in my mind. Blueberries? I’ve heard they are good for parrots. Ragged feathers, does it mean anything? Darker-than-normal feathers? Little 3 inch pumpkins they sell for halloween? Because my parrots had fun playing with these, but shall I get more for them? Seeds for small species, should I rotate parakeet and canary seed-offerings? There’s a new question every day!

I often refer to my copy of Psittaculture: A Manual for the Care and Breeding of Parrots by Tony – as my bird-bible (available at https://www.psittaculture.eu/product/psittaculture-a-manual-for-the-care-and-breeding-of-parrots/) because it has every species in it and is thick, hard to lug to Starbucks, but I do anyway. I’m a writer- and the current trend of writing short books suits my style. In this age though, how often do you find a complete book with a full breadth of information? You find it from the man who helped breed the almost extinct Spix macaw, The Parrot Man, the one who has been Director at Parque Lorro, a zoo in Spain with the greatest collection of parrots.

Calcium Is More Important For Your Parrot Than You Might Guess

Parrots & Calcium

Me? I thought of calcium as something that kids need to drink to have strong bones and something older people need to keep those bones strong!

Parrots have hollow bones, part of keeping them lightweight. I never thought much about parrots needing calcium and I was surprised to find that they need it for several reasons!

Bones, Feathers, Blood Clotting & Egg-Laying

Meet their need for CALCIUM!

I’m always touched at how sweet parrots are to each other: they feed each other, they preen each other and they cuddle!

Unless they are biting another’s toes! And making them bleed. Parrots are notorious for not having a lot of blood and can bleed out easily. The ability to clott is a must!

“As for minerals, calcium is the most important for birds. Calcium is needed for strong bone formation, blood clotting, feather growth, and healthy eggs. Birds canreceive calcium through supplements, cuttlebone, and mineral blocks.”

Source: https://www.greatcompanions.com/product/important-vitamins-and-minerals-for-pet-birds/

“To absorb calcium, vitamin D3 is needed, which can be acquired through sunlight naturally, or in pellets as a supplement. Let your parrot enjoy some safe time outdoors or provide access to a full spectrum light. Light filtered through window panes is not full spectrum.”

Source: https://www.phoenixlanding.org/nutrition.html

EGGS

Based on my research the best way for a parrot to absorb calcium is to provide calcium itself, like sprinkling baked egg shells on their food. Supplement vitamins are great, but egg shells are CALCIUM and parrots benefit greatly. I sprinkle these daily on my flock’s breakfast (fresh foods, mostly veggies) and they disappear…

I eat eggs every morning – they are an inexpensive food that has everything the body needs except vitamin C. When I’m low on egg shells for my parrots, I keep my egg’s shells, wash them out and then bake them around 100 degrees for 20 minutes. I don’t let them get tan/brown, just dry, dry. They take on a crisp crack when I break them in my hand. I place them in my mortar and grind a little with the pestal until they look like confetti. I like to either make the calcium a powder, if I am baking cookies for them, or I like for it to be large enough for them to ‘bite,’ which they do!

Of course, if I have mating parrots, I add a dish and provide additional calcium for the hen to feed on, and she does!

Can Conures Eat Fruit?

Don’t Just Feed Your Parrot, Maximize Their Mood & Health

I receive questions on a proper conure diet often, including can you feed your conure fruit-

Conure diet – yes, you can feed your conure fruit. However, the strongest diets for conures are made up of 60-70% pellets and the rest vegetables, especially the beta-carotene veggies, such as carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin – as per my favorite expert, #TonySilva

This is because in nature conures don’t get the access to fruit – larger animals, such as monkeys, or larger birds, such as macaws – are the ones that get the fruits.

Conures, like many – or all – parrots, need the beta-carotene. My parrots receive vegetables daily, including carrots and a sweet potato once or twice a week (right now, looking to refine my parrot’s diet again).

My recommendation is that you reserve fruit and seeds for “special times” when they are with you and/or doing training.

Smart Parrot Keepers Control Biting In Creative Ways

A lot of people have issues with their parrots biting them. Of course, training can help with this; another easy thing is to be sure NOT to give them an unhealthy diet (which can make them cranky if they aren’t feeling well) and NOT to put fruit and seeds in their cage (medium-size parrots – smaller parrots like parrotlets, budgies, love birds require seeds as approximately half their diet).

Effortlessly create a strong and positive association to yourself by being with your parrot when they receive fruite/seeds. This way it is not a part of their regular diet and it’s a “treat.” Now being with you is a treat too. Of course, they may not want to go back in their cage then, may just want to be with you!

Pellets?

I’ve gone back and forth on pellets and I’ve consulted Zupreem to ask about their parrot pellets, I’ve asked my vets (including my father, a university veterinary professor) and experts- and they all agree:

Feed your parrot 60-70% pellets!

I’ve heard that pellets were created for chickens and that they are formulated by avian experts for parrots – and, you know how it is on the net, you can hear contradictory information, it doesn’t even require a lot of searching! So, I study my experts/vets and learn about how wise and how invested they are in the well-being of parrots. Then I know who to listen to. For example, my vet, Dr. Susan Clubb, breeds parrots so her advice is SOUND! My other favorite expert, Tony Silva, has dedicated his life to parrots and knows more about them inside and out than probably almost anyone else. He knows them from a scientific and experiential angle.

When I acquire a new parrot they don’t always have the same sheen as my flock. Given a couple of months and our diet of fresh foods (veggies mostly, grains, and minimal fruit/seeds) and colorless pellets, my flock always looks great. Their feathers grow beautifully and I enjoy happy, blissful parrots.

An Unweaned Macaw

What Do You Do If Your New Baby Parrot Isn’t Eating?

Last month we got Kailani, a Catalina macaw. She was supposed to be 6 months old and weaned- so I decided to get her – she would be perfect to tame and make a part of our family or make her family-friendly and desirable.

It is a good thing I brought her home – we quickly noticed that she wasn’t eating – she wasn’t weaned. She didn’t seem to know how to eat, how to hold her food or anything! She didn’t even seem all that hungry, a stage that parrots go through when they are getting ready to wean and they lose their ‘baby fat’. In a home that didn’t know what to look for or didn’t have the habit of weighing a new parrot on a gram scale every day, she could have lost too much weight (since they hide it by fluffing their feathers) and she could have gotten in trouble.

I posted on my Facebook page (FB/ParrotBliss) and several people replied that macaws take a while to wean, up to another month or so – which helped to hear. The vet had looked at her feet (because one toe is pointed the wrong way, but said the toe is ok) and said that it sounded like I would need to do some hand-feeding, but didn’t mention for how long or anything- so my FB fans gave me a better idea of what to expect!

I strongly believe in fulfilling needs – if a baby is hungry, human or animal, it should be fed. Letting any creature go hungry does not teach it to eat, it only teaches it that no one is caring/helping. I do my best not to over-feed. There are guidelines for how much a baby parrot should be fed and when they are weaning, the amount decreases because their crop (where they hold their food- not a stomach, more like an esophagus-pouch) shrinks. So I do my best to just fill their crop. Incredibly, I am finding that my baby Amazons and Kailani seem to have signals triggered when I feed them because after they get formula, they all go and eat some on their own!

Truth be told, Kailani is still taking formula. However, it is less that in had been and she is feeding herself – and the floor – every day. The floor has gained more weight than she has, but they are both progressing well. We’re on-course now because she has learned to eat, is starting to eat more and more for herself and now it is just a matter or time and providing the loving support that will help her transition well. Patience is important with parrots- and the bigger the pscittacine (scientific name for the parrot family), the longer their development takes. People mistakenly think that developing faster is better. However, the opposite is true: developmental stages that gain as much as possible translate to healthier, more balanced, more intelligent and happier results. It means more work for the keeper…. but the time put in when a parrot -or child- is young is like putting money in the stock market and then earning dividens for ever after.

Parrotlet Babies: Weaning Parrots

🦜 I was looking for a current pic of the parrotlet babies- This pic is 6 days old, so they look different now!

They change sooo fast!

Parrotlet 🦜 babies start getting their feathers at about 2 weeks, fledge at around 6 weeks, and wean at about the same time (meaning they eat on their own). Ours have weaned earlier, which was why Lizza got to take her babies home already (the green and blue babies in the pic). She’s re-named them: Mr Green Jeans (MGJ) (the green one) and Levi (blue one). She got the two most colorful, handsome boys! She also got some instructions on offering them a little baby food because it’s fun to give them a little and bond, plus MGJ was still hand-feeding some.

My experience with hand-feeding is that all of my babies wean. Some say this is a concern, you want to make sure they wean – but I don’t know any adult parrots who still need to be hand-fed. If they are provided with the love, caring, clean environment, social environment and food needed, they all become strong, happy and healthy birds that eat on their own.

The trick is to provide the what they need. The correct amount of food/formula, the correct mixture, temperature and frequency for the babies. Then they outgrow the need (humans are like this too – I’ve worked with helping people for nearly 20 years as a spiritual/personal developmental guide and helped them improve their lives or heal from their issues).

Extending to another person or animal is very healing and fulfilling. It grows a bond, of course, and creates another vibrant being in the world. I love it! I also love seeing it in my parrots: look at how they all huddle together and keep each other warm. They also feed each other – they may think that there is a bigger bird there to feed them, but they are open and giving. One for all and all for the feathers.

I hand-feed and wean every one of these babies myself. If you would like one, our available Pacific parrotlets are here.

The Wonders of an Orange-winged Amazon

This is Julien – He is an 🦜 Orange-winged amazon and he is LOUD! In case you were wondering if an amazon is the right bird for you. You ought to know that it should be expected that they call to the jungle twice a day, in the morning and evening, no doubt calling to their flock! The fact that their flock is right before their eyes does not deter these announcers!

We adopted Julien from an exotic bird store. He literally spoke to my husband – saying “Hello” and answering my husband’s question, ‘How are you?,’ by responding “Fine, how are you?” He also extended his foot to be picked up! I now recognize this spark of connectivity as a bird choosing his owner. He was really asking my husband to take him home.

So, we brought him home. I hoped that he and Lorenza, my Yellow-naped amazon, would hit it off and be friends-

Unfortunately, he wasn’t handled too much because he talks and signs, when he chooses to, but otherwise spends his time alone. My husband is usually the only one who is allowed to approach and pet him, though sometimes he lets me too. When my husband tries to get him to step up, which he wanted to do in the bird store, Julien always answer a clear no! Beak’s up and open – that’s a warning. No means no!

Julien’s timid, cowering every time we come near him. Unless, of course, we have dry papaya (which we get from one of our local exotic bird store), a walnut (vet said these help break down fat) or some scrambled egg! Then he cautiously approaches!

He’s also a terrible eater! We’re working on getting him to eat more… at first, it didn’t look like we was transitioning well off of seeds and onto pellets. Is he eating? Did you see if any of the pellets have disappeared out of his bowl? It’s been a couple days…

Whew! He made it! Didn’t want him to starve. We watched carefully. We always try to weigh our birds so that we can note significant weight changes, that we otherwise can’t see or feel. We also monitor their droppings and look for other signs to know what issues may need addressing. We suspect that Julien may have been fed a seed diet, certainly this is what birds are fed in bird shops 😞, so we suspect that he may be in danger of having FLD (Fatty Liver Disease) and that he may have low levels of calcium. Eating a seed-only diet, or a pellet and seed mix means that parrots often only eat the seeds. Ironic, the bird store is trying to save money, but they end up wasting a lot of uneaten food…

A seed-only diet certainly does not offer any kind of balanced diet. In the wild, parrots would eat what they can find and what is in season. A natural mix of foods comes easy this way. In captivity they should be provided with a variety of fresh foods, which I define as greens, veggies, (limited) fruits, nuts and some protein (like eggs). Being lactose intolerant, they should have little to no dairy. Unfortunately, that means that you shouldn’t share your pizza with your parrot! 🍕

Even though he’s a bit grouchy and cranky, Julien has a very sweet side. He’ll talk and sometimes sing in a sweet, melodious voice – as though he’s whispering a poem or singing us a love song. The look in his eyes is soulful, as though he is happy to be with us and wants more. He’s longing to enjoy his life, if only he could come out of his shell. At other times he starts repeating the word Tiko or Kiko – could be Rico… and I can’t help but wonder if Tiko used to be his name… Sometimes I call him Julien-Tiko.

🥕 Then he screams in the evening – Ahhh! We try not to react, as our ears start to ring. Reacting, yelling at him or banging on his cage would only scar him further. This is actually the best time to occupy his beak with anything healthy that he may like.

He wants to be loved, like so many emotionally scared parrots, but he is afraid and doesn’t know how. Little by little, we’ll get him eating well and feeling more comfortable. Takes time and patience! In the meantime, we try to make him comfortable, give him the space to begin to understand that he is safe and well taken care of.

Why Do African Grey Parrots Pluck Their Feathers?

Zeus, My African Grey, The (Chest)-Featherless King of the Gods

Meet Zeus, who loves to meow, before or after I say, “What sound does a kitty make?”

Yes, Zeus is a plucker. I adopted him this way, so I don’t know his history, what he was fed or how long he’s plucked. What I do know is that plucking is common in African Grey (AG) parrots. In an attempt to help Zeus, I’ve researched- and I’m finding that feather plucking in any parrot comes down to 3 basic causes: 1) medical reasons, 2) psychological reasons or 3) environmental causes. In English, 1) causes only the avian vet will find/address, 2) they are unhappy/emotionally imbalanced or 3) their food/cage is missing something.

So Your AG Plucks – What To Do?

Since Tony Silva says in his book (Psittaculture) that 50% of parrots that pluck do so as a result of psychological or environmental causes, the first thing to do is double check your AG’s environment:

🥗 DIET
One significant cause of any health problem for any parrot is a poor diet. In the wild, parrots will eat up to 100 different things in a year (as per Psittaculture). Hopefully you know that feeding your parrot a seed-based diet is terrible for them – and can cause several deficiencies; a pellet diet is better, but it is 1 flavor. They are accustomed to hundreds. And micro-nutrients do not live in pellets, so vegetables are a must for a healthy diet. A lack of calcium can occur in AGs, and can cause the feather plucking.
NO SMOKE🚬 🚫
Make sure there is no one smoking in the home -and- that smoker’s hands aren’t in proximity of your AG. Yes, it stays on your hand and apparently affects’m.
NO SCENT💨
Make sure no scents are present in your home: no scented candles, air fresheners… parrots are very sensitive to scents. They are accustomed to the cleanest air high up in trees or flying in the sky.
🏡CAGE COMFORT
Check their happiness state in their cage. A lot of people think it is inhumane to keep a parrot caged all of the time – but it depends on the parrot. Some WANT to be in the comfort of their own safe space. Their home is clean, has fresh food, water and entertainment (hopefully!) Who wouldn’t want that? Others want to explore and want OUT of their cage during the day. If your AG wants out, then you may need to asses his/her cage/home. Make sure your AG has something to stimulate and entertain his/her super-intelligent mind. AGs are as smart as apes – they can use tools, they are multilingual and they can figure out puzzles. A bored parrot, especially an AG, with nothing to chew, nothing to watch or do can turn to their own feathers. Parrots need wood to destroy. I’ve seen videos of them digging in dirt, they can be active! I believe they are nature’s gardeners, preening wood, leaves… It keeps them engaged and entertained. It’s not easy, because you can’t give them a wood that is too hard to chew. Or one that is poisonous. Or has pesticides. I also wouldn’t do one with mold.
So, they constantly need new toys, training (engagement) …. If your AG is plucking, up your game in your offerings and see if that helps.
🎵A CALM ENVIRONMENT
One of the greatest things about AGs, in my opinion, is that they sing, whistle and engage you – but they don’t scream all day long. They are calm and pensive parrots. Make sure they aren’t near loud birds, like Macaws or Conures. See that there is no construction close by or a dog barking at them. Eliminate anything that might be making them feel nervous or uneasy. I always give all of my parrots a nesting box or a ‘hidden space,’ like a cozy, for them to sleep in or get away in. Like us, sometimes they want a little peace and quiet in their bedroom, undisturbed. I even try to cover some of the entrance to their box so that they feel they have privacy.
💛 Love
Don’t forget, parrots are emotionally intelligent and extremely social. This means that they require social companionship; they require a bonded pair. In my flock, I have very few single parrots. I like for our parrots to always have at least one housemate, another parrot they can bond with, or several. If you have just one AG, he or she may not have enough of your time and attention to be in balance. It is almost impossible for us, as humans, to be with them all of the time; it is even hard for us to spend several hours a day with our parrots. Experts say that an AG keeper should spend 3, 4 or more hours a day with their parrot! Consider a mate. Sometimes this alone will stop the plucking.
🌧️ OFFER RAIN
Another common cause – a lack of rain in their cage! Parrots can get dry skin, which can lead to medical issues, but can also just make them itchy and cause them to pluck out their feathers. Offer mist. Parrots love water, so place a bowl at the bottom of their cage they can bathe in – and, yes, it will make a mess for you to clean- or mist them, offering them a shower at least 3 times a week, preferably daily.

TAKE’M TO THE VET

I’m not a fan of taking my parrots to the vet every time they sneeze because the stress of going to the vet could be worse than my trying to help my parrots at home. However, if your African Grey or Cockatoo (or any other parrot) is plucking out it’s feathers, the cause may be something that only your avian veterinarian can identify and treat. Work with your veterinarian to try to improve the issue. So, here are some causes (as per my research) and then some corrections you or you and your avian vet can look to try:

HARI’s (Hagen Aviacultural Research Institue) checklist:

Diet evaluation and details of your AG’s history (health, lifestyle, behavior, feather condition, etc.) is the primary objective to explore
Possible compromised feather structure could trigger the damaging behavior
Preening education and skill level
Obesity can trigger feather damaging behavior
Health of the feet: Sore feet due to arthritis, pododermatitis, etc. may make it difficult to preen efficiently
Parasites: May cause disease and discomfort, pruritus.
Toxins: Water, cage metal, and toy quality should be taken into consideration as these can also lead to feather damaging behaviorGenetic predispositions
Nutritional deficiencies
Feather hygiene, frequent misting or bathing is imperative
Environmental factors such as indoor heating (dry skin), cigarette smoke, cooking oils, etc.
Viral diseases
Hormones should be monitored and managed

The question to ask: Is the feather-damaging behavior self-induced or from another source?

As per Tony Silva in “Psittaculture,” 50% of plucking parrots (not just AGs) show no discernible medical cause.

Psychological issues include things like boredom, anxiety/stress, jealousy, frustration, exaggerated preening, lack or loss of a mate, inability to adapt to a new cage. It is believed that the most common causes of plucking are diet or a lack of bathing/humidity.

For African Greys a low blood calcium level can be the dietary lack, coupled with cage boredom. In general AG’s are prone to a vitamin A deficiency, so if you have AG’s be sure to give them a lot of calcium and orange veggies, like carrots or sweet potatoes. Calcium can be easy – take your breakfast eggshells, wash them and then bake them for 20 minutes at 200 degrees (so that they are clean of any bacteria). They will be dry and ‘crispy’ – break them up (I have a mortar and pestal for this) and place them in a separate bowl in your cage or sprinkle them on their morning veggies.

What Are We Doing For Zeus?

Truth is AGs need lots of vitamin A and calcium. So, I’m going to try to SHOVE carrots and eggshells down his throat! Just kidding, but seriously, I am going to try to make some birdie-bread with carrots and/or sweet potato and finely-ground eggshells in them.

I also plan to up my game – even tho I haven’t had him for a long time, and I am guessing he’s been plucking his feathers for some time, I am going to increase the toys in his cage. Since Zeus’s chest is naked but the rest of him is not, I’m guessing he doesn’t have a medical issue. And, Hera is on eggs, so a trip to the vet is out of the question right now. The most likely cause is psychological, dietary or sanitary. He’s bored, needs vitamin A and needs daily misting – or all of the above.

Zeus is amazing! At night he says “Night-night!” and he dances when I sing to him or play music. He also clicks along to music – so he needs engagement. He likes my husband and nipped at me… so I’m cautious. Still, I’ll plan on trying to spend more time with him when I don’t feel it will take away from Hera’s safety.

One of the challenges with Zeus is that I won’t know what is working, if his feathers improve, for a long time, since their feathers don’t always grow out right away. Until this improves, I will take comfort in thinking that, if I improve his diet and engagement, missing feathers doesn’t have to compromise him in any way; I don’t see that he is vulnerable. Note: there is no smoke, scents or other threats of any kind in the house, so these I’ve already taken off my list. If it is just a habit at this point, there may be nothing I can do.

Wish Zeus, the King of the Parrot-Gods (at least in his mind) luck!

Kalyn

Author, The Parrot Bliss Bond, available on Amazon Books & Kindle

Join Us on FB at https://www.facebook.com/ParrotBliss/
Or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFYH9z5cP9XXOta6m1KNRA

Research sources:https://hari.ca/parrots-with-feather-damaging-behavior/
Tony Silva, Psittaculture, A Manual for the Care and Breeding of Parrots

Fatty Liver Disease In My Yellow-Naped Amazon

This is Lorenza, my Yellow-naped Amazon. I adopted her in the fall of 2018 – we had never had such a big parrot, so we didn’t know what to expect with her behavior. She never stretched her wings and other than grousing, she never made “Amazon” sounds. Still, her poops, by our accounts from searching online, were off – her urine was colored. In the month we had her, she seemed to be less lethargic and her plumage started looking better. We weren’t able to weigh her initially, which we like to do with new birds, because we weren’t comfortable enough to try to get her on the scale. So, we weren’t sure, but felt she looked thinner.

A month later we took her to the vet – where she was diagnosed with FLD (Fatty Liver Disease). The vet prescribed milk thistle and a calcium supplement (because FLD often causes a lack of calcium).

I suspect that Lorenza did lose weight her first moth because I gave her a seed-free diet, which was probably a drastic change for her body. I’ve learned since that parrots are supposed to be weened off a seed diet so that you give them less seeds every day and slowly transition them. I’m lucky that Lorenza got through this period- I don’t know what can happen if a parrot isn’t transitioned, but parrots can be creatures of habit and stubborn – I wonder if some just won’t eat if they aren’t given seeds.

Lorenza wanted to be with me. Amazon parrots are often one-person birds, meaning that they choose the person they bond to; everyone else is ignored or sometimes attacked! She wanted to be with me, so I think her will got her through this period – which included adjusting to a new home and adjusting to a new pellet-based diet.

In the video you can see that Lorenza is acting more like a normal parrot. She’s walking around, chewing on a cat scratcher and looking to see what other trouble she can create!

I am still stingy with seeds when it comes to Lorenza since I can see, by her poops, that her liver has not fully recovered. The vet gave me the impression that this is a permanent diagnosis, but I’ve heard people say that the liver can heal itself and recover from FLD. Some probably depends on how damaged the liver was before a diet correction.

Unfortunately, most exotic bird stores feed their parrots a pellet and seed mix, as do a lot of people. Parrots sift through and choose what they want to eat, ignoring the pellets and choosing only the fatty seeds. Some parrots are more prone to FLD than others, like Amazons and Quakers. A baby parrot that is fed a mix is unlikely to have liver damage, but it can be challenging to transition them to pellets and vegetables because they are already accustomed to seeds. Every expert I’ve run into personally and online has said that vegetables are a must for parrots because these offer phytonutrients, which only come from vegetables. I am not a nutritionist, but I understand that a human or parrot body absorbs phytonutrients from vegetables- which some nutritionists say is not the same as taking vitamin supplements. Simply put, vegetables are a must for health.

I still have a hard time getting Lorenza to eat greens! They say parrots are social eaters, if you eat it, they are more likely too. Yeah, sometimes, but not much. Best option is to start a parrot on a healthy diet. If not, as in my case, correct their diet and maintain a proper diet. This way FLD is a condition that can be lived worked with and your parrot can be a happy and pretty-healthy fid!

Giving Tink, Our Green Cheek Conure, CBD Oil

🍶A Special Needs Gift: Tink

We know people in the parrot world, and one gave us a 🦜 Green Cheek Conure (GCC) because he couldn’t sell her. He explained that she probably had been learning to fly and hit a wall, causing some neurological damage. The affect is that she has a hard time controlling her feet, so she often falls in her cage. She can’t perch, and her modified cage has no perch, but she climbs the walls. She likes to go up as high as she can, as do all parrots, so we gave her a wired-platform she could rest on. She also started having seizures – which were hard to watch. I didn’t know if she was dying… she would turn her head — or maybe it was involuntary — and cause her body to flip over. She was unstable, to say the least. She also began fluttering her wings uncontrollably, even though she seems to know that she can’t fly. Bottom line, she has seizures and can’t control her body well.

Socializing A Special Needs Counure

One of the most important things any parrot owner needs to know is that they are highly social animals; in nature, depending on the species, they all live in flocks of 4 or 5 up to hundreds (maybe more). Even though they pick their bonded mate, they still rely on and are a part of a flock. It gives them their security and a place to belong. Umbrella cockatoos, for example, are so compassionate and flock-oriented, that they will not abandon a dying member, but rather stay with it until it is gone.

If you spend time with your parrot, you can easily give them a buddy, because they are accustomed to spending 24/7 with flock mates, or at least their bonded mate. So, what to do with Tink? Because conures don’t seem to share the compassion. We tried having her spend time with a new baby GCC, Markle, which was great– at first. Putting new parrots together always requires a watchful eye until you are certain that they will get along. People often put them in cages side by side first, so that they can safely get to know each other.

You can see that we only put these two together in our presence.

At first it was so sweet: Tink was preening Markley, which means that she was helping remove the shafts from her new feathers. It’s a grooming, loving thing that they do for one another.

Unfortunately, the next time we put them together, Markle started biting at Tink. Now this is tricky, you want to watch that no harm is done but you also want to allow any natural ‘pecking order’ that is being established. It’s a bird-peck-bird world with these guys!

Another attempt to put them together a couple of days gave us similar results. In any case, Markle’s mate has been picked out, because of her coloring. So, she’s not Tink’s ultimate bond, and we just didn’t see bonding happening anyway.

How Do You Handle A Problem Parrot?

Parrots are amazing. My mom went to a new doctor, said she was snow-birding down here in Florida to be close to us– and she mentioned we have parrots. The doctor gave her a funny look, saying, ‘But, they aren’t good pets. They don’t cuddle.”

“You’d be surprised!” my mom answered, raising her eyebrows. “They do. Maybe more than cats!”

Parrots are highly intelligent, which you probably know. That can be amazing, allow you to develop an amazing bond with them– and it also seems to mean that they can have complex issues as well. Like Tink.

I’ve heard of parrots that scream or bite a lot; or parrots that pluck their feathers. You don’t hear much about other pets being nervous, depressed or anxious- but, unfortunately, it’s not uncommon with parrots. They require specialized 🥝 diets, specific minimum size cages, wooden perches that vary in size (the list goes on), — and — a lot of time and attention.

Anxiety and feather-plucking are bad enough, but what to do in a situation like Tink’s? In nature, she’d probably wound’t have survived one day. How do I help her, keep her happy and healthy — and from flipping violently?

Then my husband found CBD Oil

We started to research and have been finding that CBD oil has many benefits and could help Tink. CBD, cannabidiol is derived from the cannabis plant but lacks THC, the psychoactive component. Among other benefits, CBD seems to have neuroprotective properties, meaning that it helps the signaling systems in the brain, which help reduce seizures.

Sure enough, since Tink is young, we guess that she’s less than six months old, she seems to be doing well with the oil so far. Her seizures have greatly minimized and she seems “More aware and more conure-like. She sounds more like a conure,” my conure-crazed daughter said. I agree, Tink seems to be able to hold herself better, she is falling a lot less in her cage and she’s no longer freaking me out by turning her head 180 degrees, followed by a body flip-seizure!

Next I plan on trying the CBD with an African Grey who I adopted and who is plucked or has been plucked and an Orange-winged Amazon that is anxious.

CBD- Yes!

Like so many people, I strongly believe in more natural-based medicine. I also believe that food is our best medicine, and I like that help oil provides omega oils, which are needed to balance the ‘bad’ oils we eat. Same for parrots, seeds provide them with too many ‘bad’ oils, which can greatly affect their health.

In doing research for Tink, I was surprised to learn that seizures are common in parrots:

Seizures are reasonably common in birds and often observed in Amazon parrots, African grey parrots, budgies, canaries, finches and lovebirds. A seizure may result from any disorder in the brain that causes spontaneous electrical discharge in the nervous system. This electrical discharge causes a variety of involuntary body responses or alterations in behavior. A seizure is also referred to as a fit or convulsion.

Source

No doubt a proper diet can help minimize health problems, but they still occur. I have also learned that head trauma is a cause for neurological problems in birds — although it seems obvious, logical.

In our family, we love parrots, so we are developed a CBD oil formulated for parrots because of Tink. We call it Tink’s CBD Oil. It feel so good to see her doing better, not swaying like she had been, and to see her get a sparkle in her eye! We want to be able to help other bird owners who’s bird may be having similar problems or having difficulties adjusting to a new home, going to the vet or plucking.

Happiness is having a happy parrot!

Hand-Feeding Parrots – 101!

The Joys & Jolts Of Hand-Feeding: Let’s Get The 101 Lesson

Frankly, I’ve been successful hand-feeding, but I’m always looking to improve. I also notice little things, like our GCC who cries out between feedings. I checked her, and sure-enough, two hours after being fed, her crop was empty.

Baby, what did you do with the food? Your crop was so engorged, what the *** happened?

Seriously, it’s all good, but now I know. Need to give her a little PB (no J) – or fat. Ahhhh… that’ll do it!

Feeding babies can be tricky. Each bird is DIFFERENT, so just as you think you have figured out how to feed… But it is also THE COOLEST when they fly to you and coo as you feed them!

Where did I learn this? it’s hard to find good info — and I’ve searched and looked. Or maybe there are sooooo many parrots 🦜 that there has been a LOT for me to learn (402 psittaciformes, or parrot species) in the world.

Thank goodness for Tony’s posts! From FB:

Hand-rearing: Some simple basics by Tony Silva

Source: Tony Silva’s FB Page (with some highlights/edits by me, to make it easier for me to find key elements to refer back to)

The breeding season has started. For some it is early; for others it is late. This is evident by the number of messages that I receive each week discussing issues that are being faced by individuals hand-rearing young parrots. This quest for information is the subject of this article.
Hand-rearing is a rewarding, challenging, time consuming and frustrating affair. No one can ever claim that they never face issues in hand-rearing, but it is possible to significantly diminish the problems if some very basic provisos are followed. On the other hand, if the breeder attempts to cut corners, the flow of problems will be incessant. They breeder can then expect a continuous chain of events that will severely affect the health of the chicks being reared.

So how can a hand-rearer achieve greater success and reduce the presence of problems? The answer consists of two words: hygiene and providing a proper diet

Hygiene encompasses keeping the chicks on a clean substrate, keeping the brooder immaculately clean, thoroughly washing the feeding instruments and then disinfecting them and continuously applying a disinfection policy—wiping surfaces down continuously, reducing dust, washing hands and then disinfecting them and reducing the contact the young have with outsiders.

Proper diet means understanding the importance of the appropriate water:solids ratio and the dietary needs of the young, feeding the young according to a strict schedule, feeding the formula at the proper temperature and insuring that the formula is made fresh each time. I must state that I do not recommend attempting to mix various ingredients to produce a formula in order to economize. When I get messages regarding this subject, my ire escalates and my response is short and to the point: If you cannot purchase one of the countless formulas available on the market worldwide why did you venture into breeding? The commercial formulations are not optimum, but they produce results far better than someone wanting to rear young on mashed banana and oatmeal cereal, which are woefully deficient in minerals and calcium.

Points mentioned above in greater detail:

Newly hatched chicks have an undeveloped immune system. This makes them especially vulnerable to infection. This is why strict hygiene is important. This is also why chicks that are incubator hatched should be kept separate from those removed from the nest, which have often been fed by the parents and have a different bacterial platform. Ideally incubator hatched and parent started chicks should be kept in separate rooms, but if this is not possible use separate incubators and always feed the parent started chicks last.

INCUBATOR: USE SHAVINGS & CHANGE 3 TIMES/DAY

With incubator hatched chicks, I start them on tissue but quickly transfer them to shavings, which are absorbent and prevents them from sitting on their feces. In over 40 years of hand-rearing I have only ever experienced a handful of chicks that have swallowed the shavings. I have such a low incidence of this because I keep the chicks satiated; they are never—and note that the word never is stressed—allowed to empty during the day. When breeders tell me that they must allow the chicks to empty before the next feeding to avoid crop stasis, I always state that the problem is one related to management and not digestion. In the wild and in the nest the chicks are kept fed at all times. I follow this dictum. Visitors to my home, who have entered the nursery invariably make a comment as to how quiet it is. This is because the chicks are kept fed; they do not have to frantically vocalize or move to capture my attention to let me know that they are hungry. This is also why beak deformities are so few in the young I produce; macaws will pump insatiably, even the edge of the tub they are held in, when hungry and this is one of the causes of a deviated upper mandible.

When chicks are allowed to empty between feedings, they must often be kept singly, or they will grasp and pump each other, this in an attempt to obtain a feed. In the process they often damage the tender bill. Raising the chicks alone is unnatural and often produces behavioral issues that become evident much later in life.

KEEP BABIES TOGETHER BY NEST: By rearing chicks together they display a natural behavior and can learn from opening their eyes that contact is pleasurable—they seek warmth from each other, often play preen or mouth each other´s feet. I have observed these same behaviors in nests in which I have placed a video camera.

To maintain the level of hygiene, we change the bedding three times daily; the soiled shavings are used as ground cover for the trees in the yard. The chicks are transferred to clean tubs and the used tubs are washed in soapy water first and then in a disinfectant solution. This means of cleaning must be understood, as most disinfectant lose their properties in the presence of organic matter. By neutralizing the organics, the disinfectant can play its role. We use this same principal of cleaning for all instruments used for feeding, the nursery walls and floor, feeding surfaces and brooders. This task is performed daily.

The disinfected tubs are allowed to dry (INCUBATOR) in the sun, which provides ever additional disinfection.

Parrot-Baby FORMULA

Keep It Clean

Because all commercial formulas contain some fat, the tools used for feeding chicks will need to be washed with soap and water to eliminate the greasy residue. Syringes are soaked in soapy water. They are scrubbed with a baby bottle brush. Alternately hot soapy water can be drawn into the syringe, which is then vigorously agitated. All feeding tools are rinsed well with copious amounts of water and then they are allowed to air dry.

Feeding syringes are assigned to specific brooders. They are kept in plastic cups that bear a number that corresponds to a brooder. This deters cross contamination. The formula, once made, is poured into the respective plastic cup and from there the chicks are fed.

Chicks tend to be kept in the same group as they move from brooder to brooder and then into tubs. Daily the brooders they are housed in are cleaned thoroughly and then wiped with a disinfectant.
Visitors are not normally allowed to enter the hand-rearing rooms, but if they are they must wear a smock, sandals that we provide and they are not allowed to touch or handle the chicks. This is important because diseases such as polyomavirus and psittacine beak and feather disease can easily be transported and transmitted to the chicks through contact.

Add FAT

Commercial formulas are the best product for feeding chicks. They are not excellent, but they are good. I state this because all formulations are based on poultry science and do not take into account the different needs of the different parrot species. What the breeder can do is to incorporate other ingredients to make these formulas much more suitable. These include pureed vegetables for Eclectus Parrots, fat in the form of nut butters for macaws, conures, amazons and African Greys Psittacus erithacus and fruits and vegetables for lories. We always have on hand steamed carrot, broccoli and sweet potatoes that is liquefied and poured into ice cube trays. This facilities their use when needed. Fruit is always cut fresh. I prefer tropical fruits over temperate fruits, which are less nutritious. The tropical fruits we use are papaya, guava and mango. Papaya is the staple but the others are also employed if in season.

HOW MUCH: For fat, we employ natural peanut butter that does not contain hydrogenated fat or sugar. We boost the fat in the formula for all species, but especially for those requiring fat. This means that 250 ml of formula contains a teaspoon of peanut butter for the non fat requiring species and a tablespoon for species requiring fat. I started this decades ago after having examined the crop contents of many wild chicks, which are invariably fed by their parents the foods with the highest fat content. The fat satiates hunger and deters the desperate agitation seen in hungry chicks.

BROODER & FORMULA TEMP:

Areas of important and not related to hygiene and diet are brooder and formula temperature. Newly hatched chicks cannot thermoregulate. They must therefore be kept warm. We start at 32-33 (91 DEGREES FARENHEIGHT) degrees Celcius and slowly drop this as the chicks feather. Unless they are kept sufficiently warmed, the chicks will become listless or hyperactive as they move incessantly to try and warm themselves, injuring the toes and wing tips in the process. Chicks that are cold also display a slow digestion.

Formula temperature is also important, as cool food will be rejected; hot food on the other hand may cause severe burning to the tender crop walls. We feed formula at 40 deg Celsius (104 FARENHEIGHT) . We heat the water in the microwave with the peanut butter or pureed vegetables (fruit are added afterwards) and vigorously stir this before adding the powdered formula. This is then stirred again until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and all hot spots have been eliminated. This also gives the microwave heated water the opportunity to reach its temperature (which invariably increases after microwaving) and thus prevent burned crops.

If you have issues with a chick not digesting

Please do not utilize tonics (which are not intended for birds and often contain high amounts of iron and occasionally arsenic and lead). You can use tea, cumin water (produced by boiling a spoonful of cumin seeds in 500 ml of water) or what I refer to as papaya cream, which is made by adding the seeds and some of the flesh of a ripe papaya to a blender, liquidizing this with some Pedialyte (an oral electrolyte solution) and then passing this through a fine colander to remove any large seed particles. This is warmed and fed to the chicks.

The unused portion should be refrigerated, where it will set like jelly. Once warmed it reverts to a liquid. This works far better in starting crop motility than any other product I have used. Once digestion has resumed, you can slowly start incorporating formula into the papaya cream.
When crop stasis occurs, it is important to consider the cause: bacteria, fungus or the ingestion of the substrate on which the chick are maintained. These are management issues that must be addressed along with stimulating the crop back into movement.

If you adhere to strict hygiene and feed a good diet, hand-rearing will be a pleasing experience that will teach you much about neonatal development.

Finally, if you enjoy aviculture, please Do NOT support the World Parrot Trust. They are a menace to bird keeping and aviculture. I ask you to spread the word to others who may be unaware of this. This is why the STOP the World Parrot Trust logo appears on my page. Harrison´s Bird Foods and formula have spoken up negatively against hand-reared. Do not use their products. There are also far better formulations available that in my opinion yield superior results. We as a community need to support organizations and manufacturers that support aviculture. It is time to stand up and defend our hobby. Without our money these business and organizations would not exist.