How Do I Get My Parrot Off A Seed-based Diet?

Seed Me, Seymore!

Ok, that is funny if you are familiar with “Little Shop of Horrors” – if not, it’s a great movie/play; a musical comedy that I love.

Parrots Can Be Very Stubborn, Especially About Seeds!

They will look at you definitely and shroud you with guilt because you are withholding their seeds, starving them! Squawk!

They are demanding!

However, seeds are like a drug. They are addicting to parrots, especially sunflower seeds, and they lack the true nutrition a parrot requires.

Worse still, seeds inhibit the absorption of calcium!
I would -incorrectly- say that “A parrot is calcium converted!”

You would then say, “What?!”

I’m glad you asked-

Calcium Makes A Feather & A Fid

Parrots use calcium not only for their beak, feathers and bones (did you know that their feathers require calcium? I was surprised to learn that – and they have a lot of feathers! Plus, their bones are -special, if you ask me- because they are hollow or what-not, to facilitate flight. Parrots are amazing, don’t you agree?)-

– Believe it or not, parrots also rely on calcium to run EVERY system in their body. Frankly, I don’t really know what that means, but I get the idea. I found this when I was researching and then asked my mentor, Tony Silva, to confirm this fact. He said it was correct. I really should have asked him what that really means –

But, I get it: calcium is imperative for a parrot.

Seeds, therefore, should be given to a parrot in moderation so that their bodies have a chance to eat and take advantage of the calcium – to benefit their ability to function well.

I like to say that you should become a Pez-seed dispenser, the only source of seeds as a treat or for training. This limits their seeds and makes you *special*! Yes, you become the one and only place where they get their favorite treat! Now YOU have another desirable attribute that will add to their interest and love for you!

A Seed-based Diet Causes Calcium Deficiency

I understand, from one of my avian vets, that without the proper nutrition – meaning on a seed or seed-mix diet – parrots (she was specifically talking about Amazons, but it applies to many) can develop very weak and brittle bones (to the point to where she can hardly handle patients that come to her in this condition for fear of breaking their bones) and their beaks and nails can show improper growth. Parrots are beautiful; a lack of calcium sounds like it deforms them on the inside (bone issues) and the outside (beak and nail issues, probably feathers too).

Keep your parrot beautiful! Change their diet 🦜.

So, HOW DO YOU GET YOUR PARROT OFF A SEEDED DIET?

It’s not easy, but it can be simple.

First, realize that you are at the ‘top of the pecking order.’ Your parrot doesn’t have the upper hand, even though their stubborn and demanding ways try to convince you otherwise.

Monitor & Trick’m!

Begin by placing pellets in your parrot’s cage. Pellets and water – in my book – should always be available to your parrot.

Make sure that you are giving them fresh foods every morning: vegetables mostly. Find the veggies your 🦜 likes to eat. Stubborn eaters often eat things like carrots or sweet potato because they are sweet. These offer your parrot beta carotene, which parrots also have a high need for, so it’s find to use these as a temporary crutch.

Once you find something healthy you can get your parrot to eat, then you can offer no seeds or very few. This way you know that your parrot is getting food and not starving. They will eat their pellets once they are hungry.

I’ve brought many parrots into my home – some were babies and some were adults. They ALL eat pellets. It can be done: this includes my stubborn Yellow-naped Amazon, Lorenza. I adopted her as an adult not knowing that she had (I think) FLD, or Fatty Liver Disease. The vet never called it FLD because technically, it seems, part of the liver needs to be biopsied to determine the label “FLD.” In any case, my vet said that the first time I brought Lorenza to her, Lorenza’s markers were so high they didn’t register on the scale. Lorenza had so much bile, which is measured in the bloodwork) that my vet though she was at death’s door. Fortunately, my vet didn’t tell me so at the time. I had already switched Lorenza to a pelleted diet with no seeds – which can be dangerous. You do have to make sure that you are motioning or tricking your parrot into eating something if you completely remove their seeds. I wasn’t even giving her seeds as treats!

I found something that Lorenza liked eating, scrambled eggs. I limited how many she could have because eggs can be too high in cholesterol for parrots. I chose eggs because she liked them and because the research I’d done said that eggs are good for healing a -human- liver. So, it may not apply to a parrot’s liver, but I needed something, so I tried this. I spent a lot of time with Lorenza, which I think encouraged her and made her want to eat; she wanted to spend time with me.

The next time we went to the vet for blood work (a year later), Lorenza’s levels were normal, to my vet’s surprise. Lorenza is a stubborn eater. She almost eats pellets only now. She still has a bite or two of scrambled egg in the mornings because it gives me something to put her prescribed calcium and glucosamine supplement on to get her to eat these. The avian veterinarian prescribed these because Lorenza’s X-ray shows weak bones and clogged arteries – from having been fed a seed-based diet. We are trying to provide her, therefore, with extra calcium and bone/joint support.

Be Persistent

It has taken Lorenza a couple years to start to eat other things, like carrots. Be persistent. Your parrot will come around and eat other foods including fresh foods and certainly pellets.

I researched as many pellets as I could to choose what brand I’d give my flock. I was disappointed to find that they all put sugar in their pellets – there may be one or two exceptions. I contacted the brand I chose and asked why they put sugar in there and they told me that it is done to get parrots to eat the pellets.

Well, it’s worth it. I still don’t like that there is sugar in the pellets and a couple other things, but I like the results. A few weeks after I’d bring a parrot home, their feathers would often start to take on a nicer sheen, which I attributed to diet. Experts tell me that the incidents of parrot illness have decreased drastically since pellets were introduced.

That’s good enough for me. Keeping my parrots healthy is a top priority, so pellets work.

Transition Off The Seed Diet

So, give your parrot something he or she likes in the morning; be sure to do some training or treat-giving so that you deliver some seeds, if you think you need to. Watch your parrot and either weigh them or feel for their breast bone to make sure that they don’t get thin. If need be, do provide some pellets, but weight the amount you give them or measure it and cut back a little each week.

Your parrot is stubborn like a young child who wants desert and not dinner, but, like that child, they will eat dinner when you insist.

Feed Me Seeds! About My Picture

Just so that you know, the picture of my baby Parrotlet parrots is just them squawking for food, which is what they always do when the see ‘mom.’ I try to keep a baby from the previous clutch to be a big sister to the current clutch because she then teaches them how to feed themselves, so the fresh food in their is for her. I just thought that it was a great picture for making it look like they are rejecting the food and demanding seeds! Truth is, the oldest Parrotlet baby was starting to nibble on the fresh veggies.

It goes without saying, the earlier you start a parrot on fresh foods and pellets, the more readily they take to them. I have another Amazon, Urusuls, a Mexican Red-headed Amazon, who I raised and who LOVES his fresh veggies and readily eats his pellets. Of course, should seeds or nuts cross his path… he does not pass them up! So, I have to keep them far away from him!

Note: Some Parrots Require Seeds In Their Diet

You should note, generally speaking medium and large-sized parrots do not require seeds in their diet, nor should seeds be a part of their regular diet, but they can be a treat.

There are large parrots, like Macaws and African Greys, who require nuts for additional fat in their diet. For these parrots either nuts need to be provided or their food (pellets or fresh foods) can be sprayed with oils (generally speaking, Macaws benefit from coconut and olive oils – but no red palm oil. African Greys benefit from coconut, olive and red palm oil — and either can do some of other nut-oils.

Small parrots, like Parrotlets, Budies and Cockatiels, require some seeds in their diet. In their natural habitats, they would have access to more of these and rely on them.

Please be sure to research the appropriate diet for your parrot and go over it with your avian veterinarian to make sure that you are providing the intended healthy diet for your fid.

Have a questions about parrots?
As the author of “The Parrot Bliss Bond,” I love and welcome questions about having a parrot and creating one of the best experiences of your life!

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What Should I feed My Pet Parrot?

What Do Experts Say You Should Feed Your Parrot?

What Do Parrot-pet Stores Feed Parrots?

And What Information Will You Find Online?

One problem with online information is that it is often contradictory, but fortunately, most-all I read these days seems to agree: You should feed your parrot pellets.

My -late- father, who was a veterinarian professor, told me that big companies spend more money than I could imagine on research to create a great pet-pellet! It makes sense, after all, the brand to deliver the healthiest pet will be the most purchased! This explains the fact that avian veterinarians have told me that, ever since pellets, the number of sick parrots to see them has decreased dramatically. For about 30 years pellets have helped keep parrots healthier – your parrot should be healthy too!

Why Should Sunflower Seeds Be Given Like A Pez-sunflower Dispenser?

Unfortunately, seeds inhibit a parrot’s ability to absorb calcium, a mineral that is vital to their health. Parrots use calcium in their feathers, bones, beak and in every system of their bodies. That’s amazing!

Parrots have special, light-weight bones so that they can fly. They also rely on calcium to help them keep their beaks and nails healthy and in good condition. I’ve heard stories from veterinarians and people of parrots with weak, brittle bones and curly

nails that get hooked on their cages – causing injuries. Clearly, calcium is a must.

Fat Is Good For Some Parrots, Does Yours Need Nuts?

It’s important to research your parrot’s dietary requirements. Some parrots are prone to fat issues, like Amazons and Quakers, and they should not eat a lot of fats. Others, like African Greys and Macaws, require additional nuts in their diet.

And then some smaller parrots need the extra energy that some seeds in their diet require (their diet should be 30% fresh foods; 70% split so that less than half of that 70% is seeds and the other half is pellets.

In the photo our Harlequin Macaw is enjoying a peanut butter fork! Instead of adding the fat to her formula, we give it to her on a spoon or fork, which she loves and fulfills her fat requirement.

Interestingly, Sunflowers Don’t Grow In Parrot Habitats

I lived in Colorado and New Mexico for a while: the Mile-High City and the high desert both had beautiful sunflowers as large as my head growing wild in the fields or on the side of the road. An enchanting sight to see, but one that had no parrots.

In the wild parrots only find some seeds during the winter or spring. Seeds begin to sprout, making them less fatty and far more nutritious. Parrots never have access to seeds all year and they never eat just a seed or seed-mix diet.

I also don’t find seed-mixed diets to be beneficial. Why not? Well, every species of parrot really has unique dietary needs. Smaller parrots, like Budgys, Parrotlets and Lovebirds, require more seeds in their diet because they burn a lot more energy. Nevertheless, when I added a seed mix to my Parrotlet parrot’s diet according to my avian

veterinarian, my Parrotlets seemed endlessly hungry. I felt like I was refilling their food more often and they seemed dissatisfied. When I asked my veterinarian about this, she asked if I was feeding a mix with sunflower seeds – and said not to. She said to use a Budgy mix, which would not have sunflower seeds.

She was right. After that, things got better. My Parrotlets calmed down their eating. They looked satisfied and ate less! This showed me that a seed mix with sunflower seeds was costing me more money and not satiating my parrot’s hunger!

Unfortunately, a lot of parrot-pet stores also feed their parrots seed mixes. I suspect they do so because a sunflower-seed mix is less expensive and because they don’t want to deal with their inventory not eating, so instead they offer them something irresistible.

It’s not to say that sunflower seeds are evil; it’s to say that you should become a human sunflower-pez dispenser! If you are the only source of those yummy sunflower seeds, your parrot will be healthier and see you in a new, yummy and more loving light!

70% Pellets

Your parrot should eat about 70% pellets and about 30% fresh foods. In the photo, Parrotlet parrot babies are being introduced to eating fresh foods, which they readily take to!

Snacks and special treats would be extra. We use only natural-colored pellets. I can’t find benefit in feeding my parrots pellets that change their coloring. I imagine that it must color all their insides, so I avoid food coloring for my family and parrots. Besides, I don’t find that my parrots mind, they eat the natural-colored pellets with no problem.

Fresh foods for your parrot include things like broccoli, carrots, and other green vegetables.

Fruits Are Nature’s Sugar!

And that’s why I love fruit. It’s sweet. Nutritionists will argue that humans should limit the amount of fruit they eat because fruits have fructose, which is natural sugar. While I don’t think fructose is nearly as detrimental as refined sugars, I agree. There are species of parrots who can get fat off fruit!

Parrots have not adapted to eat ripe fruit because bigger animals, like monkeys, tend to chase them away from these. Instead parrots that eat fruit choose bitter, unripe fruits that lack the colors of a ripe fruit and are hard and green.

People are accustomed to thinking that fruits and vegetables are good for their parrots – and probably themselves- but that’s not quite so.

Orange Is The New Beta!

Beta carotene is also a crucial ingredient for a healthy parrot. I guess this is because parrots tend to have good eyesight. It means that carrots, sweet potatoes and fresh fruits, like papaya or mango (not dried out, it concentrates the fructose) are great as treats or as the orange part of your parrot’s morning greens!

A healthy parrot is a more loving parrot. Your parrot’s good mood and his ability to love you have a lot to do with what you feed her. Yes, I’m saying that feeding your parrot the right foods will make them love you more! Love is caring, after all, and a healthy parrot is more cared for. They are more able to feel and experience your love and to reciprocate it. Top it all off by being a sunflower-pez dispenser and you’ll be enjoying a blissful bond with your fid (feathered kid)!

Have a questions about parrots?
As the author of “The Parrot Bliss Bond,” I love and welcome questions about having a parrot and creating one of the best experiences of your life!

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Enrichment Featuring Tony Silva

A Project Parrot Care Video on Enrichment Featuring Tony Silva

Enrichment-

The dictionary definition is “the action of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something.”

However, when it comes to parrots, enrichment is something that fulfills a need for them that allows their well-being. Here’s a good way to think about it:

I lost our original budgie and her mate- which made us blue. So, we went to one of our favorite restaurants on the beach for breakfast. We walked along the water, felt the sun kissing our skin, smelled the fresh ocean air, delighted our taste buds and felt the cool ocean water on our feet.

It enriched my soul.

In captivity parrots miss out some essential communing with their environment. Being in a cage certainly doesn’t compare to flying free, seeing plants all around them and eating, biting and nesting in them. Parrots in the wild rely on plants and trees for every aspect of their lives: food, a home, a place to live and make a family.

Enrichment, “You Have To Get Creative”

In the video you’ll see Tony Silva talking about enrichment and showing you some enrichment at his farm (which I call the Silva Parrot Center).

Tony tells me that parrots need to be fed an appropriate diet, and yet, a parrot that has enrichment or access to some natural plant-life, will do better than a parrot that is fed a perfect diet but is kept in a cage with no enrichment?

Why is that?

Enrichment offers more than food or something to entertain their beaks; it can provide benefits like bark, which naturally binds to any toxins they may have eaten. Enrichment can offer something natural that a parrot is meant to use to grind their beak down or use to make a nest. In other words, enrichment enhances the quality of a parrot’s life, but it also provides necessary materials parrots require for their physical, emotional and psychological well-being.

What’s That? A Parrots Have A Psychological Need For Enrichment?

Yes, yes they do. As much as you might need to cut loose and have fun or blow off some steam, or even just go for a walk or a run, parrots need to exercise too. Along with literal fresh air, enrichment provides them a breath of emotional and psychological fresh air.

You and I need more than just food and shelter to enjoy well-being and your parrot does too.

Clip Or Pick Enrichment

If you are fortunate enough to have a fruit tree (please research to make sure that your enrichment offering is non-toxic to parrots) or a palms, then you’ve got your enrichment. Trim your tree, pick a fruit, nut or flower and place these in, on or around your parrot’s cage.

Or, if you don’t have much around, pick something up at the grocery store. No, it’s not quite the same, but you can easily plan your dinner’s vegetables and give a little to your parrot. Pick a piece of your broccoli head, some carrots or a coconut from your grocery store to offer your parrot. The floral department there might even have pussy willows, which parrots love and are a great enrichment offering.

Keep your parrot happy, healthy and blissful; enrich their beaks and souls by offering enrichment a couple times a week.

Have a questions about parrots?
As the author of “The Parrot Bliss Bond,” I love and welcome questions about having a parrot and creating one of the best experiences of your life!

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What To Consider If You Are Thinking About Getting A Parrot

Consider The Smartest Animal

All creatures are unique no matter what. But parrots solve problems, use tools – basic markers for high intelligence – AND they can speak

Perhaps you’ve had a cat, dog or hamster- parrots are different! There are some things you should take into account if you are thinking about getting a parrot as a pet.

Parrots Have Needs

Parrots are intelligent! My Mexican Amazon saw us using our utensils at the table, so he picked up my spoon and brought it closer to his mouth to eat my quinoa!

I was just thinking about the fact that my cats are (cuddly and sweet) strictly indoor cats. We walk our dog, but none of our pets have ever required sunshine before. Similar to reptiles, parrots MUST have sunshine daily or a UV full-spectrum light – which should be close to their cage but can burn their cornea! Ah! How do you give them light close to their cage and not hurt their eyes? Sigh! I’ll let you know if I figure it out. In the meantime, I’m putting them outside for at least an hour or so at least twice a week. Their feathers MUST have this sun shine – it is vital to their health. Talk about high maintenance… but there’s more!

Can you imagine taking care of a parrot- with a big hookbeak that can seriously injure you – who is like a toddler? A hookbill-macaw or Cockatoo toddler who will never grow past the toddler stage!

Parrots Are Naturally Loud

Did I say loud? Make that VERY loud. I can’t think of another pet that compares. The noise level and screech does depend on the parrot’s species and size. Small Parrotlets aren’t bad, they are at the bottom of the “Parrot Sound Level’ scale; Macaws and Cocktoos, on the other hand, can burst the sound chart!

What parrots make good apartment parrots? Check out this vid:

Parrots Need Special Diets

In addition to their pellets (as parrots become ill when fed a seed or seed-mix diet), parrots need fresh foods daily (vegetables, green leaves and veggies with beta carotene mostly)-

Parrots Are Messy & Poop Anywhere

Yes, parrots can be trained to poop in a certain place, and they prefer not to get their ‘space’ dirty, but unless you take the time to train them, their food and poop (and their parrot dust/feathers) can make a tidy home a messy home!

Parrots Are Amazing

Yes, they take time, attention – just like a young child – and great care/cleaning, but they are also amazing! Few other pets will talk to you, “Hi Ursulus,” says one Amazon and “Night, night, night!” says the African Grey when it’s dark out, hang out ON your shoulder and share your meals at the table with a spoon in hand!

Have a questions about parrots?
As the author of “The Parrot Bliss Bond,” I love and welcome questions about having a parrot and creating one of the best experiences of your life!

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Parrot Cages Vary, But Their Perches Are All The Same!

Every cage I have ever gotten (and I’ve gotten several sizes and shapes! always comes with food bowls and a perch. And every perch is always perfectly cylindrical plastic or wood- and it shouldn’t be.

Note: this is originally was a live video on FB at https://www.facebook.com/ParrotBliss/videos/234978487579342/ – join the flock at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pbflock/

Parrot Feet Are Special!

Your parrot, whether a Budgie or a Macaw, should get to flex their feet! Parrots have amazing zygodactyl feet which allow them to use their feet as a hand and hold their food!

Those feet should get to stretch and move around, like they would in nature! The relief of taking your shoes off and rubbing them at the end of your day is what your parrot wants to feel too!

A natural wooden perch will shift and change in diameter, just like a tree branch. As a matter of fact, tree branches are great perches in your parrot’s cage! They are soft, giving and allow your parrot’s foot to naturally move and flex, plus they allow your parrot to bite at wood and bark, which is very natural to them – so much so that when I finished my video, I offered Kami, my Harlequin Macaw, the branch and she started biting away at it, so I snapped a picture for my title slide!

Bark is good for your parrot – it is a natural food that they eat (along with clay or dirt) to bind lectins, or plant poisons, they have eaten, so that they poison doesn’t affect them! Yes, this is what you see when you see the photos of Amazons and Macaws on cliff-sides biting away at the dirt!

CHECK FOR TOXICITY & CLEANLINESS

I’ve heard that some people wash and even bake the branches they give their parrots- probably not a bad idea.

Check to see that the plant type is not toxic to parrots (you can search online); also look at the branch. Check that there is no black mold or anything else that holds plant illness and that could be hazardous to your parrot. I often cut the branches down to fit the diameter of a cage; I either drill a hole into the ends so that I can then place a zip tie through the hole/bars to secure the branch or do something like this so that the perch is as steady as I can get it for my parrot. Some times I just cut the branch at an angle to wedge it between the two sides.

Your parrot should be able to bite and enjoy their perch. Such perches are a type of enrichment and help provide your parrot with a more natural and health-promoting environment for them.

Have a questions about parrots?
As the author of “The Parrot Bliss Bond,” I love and welcome questions about having a parrot and creating one of the best experiences of your life!

BOOK
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Fruit: Evil Or Parrot-Safe?

A question on giving fruit to your parrot came up.

We do NOT make fruit a part of our parrot’s regular diet because we don’t have access to unripe fruit. When we get green bananas at the grocery store, we do offer these. I also fry plantains in coconut oil for African Greys and Macaws, but no one else.

Re-posting my comment:

The purpose of my page is to share the love of parrots and to help people take the best care possible so that their parrots are healthy and happy.

In the Wild, What Do Parrots Eat To Stay Healthy?

Field work means, to me, going to parrot’s habitats and observing their natural behaviors to understand how to best meet their needs. I haven’t done this, I look to the research that has.

In the wild, parrots are found eating green fruit. This is because larger animals, like monkeys, don’t allow them to eat the beautiful, ripe and sweet fruits.

I don’t believe that fruit will damage your parrot, but a heavy-fruit diet gives them far too much natural sugar, which they aren’t accustomed to.

We DO give these as treats occasionally and sparingly.

What Do Parrot Experts Give Their Parrots?

BirdTricks (on YouTube) talks about having given their Gala a fruit-heavy diet, which made their parrot sick.

Parrot cookbooks focus on vegetables, grains and pellets –

There is a lot of information available and a key is knowing what information to believe and what information is going to lead you astray. Your parrot’s health is probably super-important, so research and make the best choices you can.

For whatever you take my word for, my weighted research clearly shows that ripe fruit has more natural sugar. Like a seed-based diet, too much sweet fruit will create issues in your parrot’s health, especially certain species that are prone to fatty liver disease.

Again, research for yourself, please. Do not take my word or anyone else’s because you have to make the choice and the decision for your parrot and they you get to enjoy a healthy, happy parrot or you have to deal with a grumpy, sick parrot. It is your responsibility. I do the best I know for my parrots and share this.

—

By Kalyn
Author, The Parrot Bliss Bond, available on Amazon Books & Kindle
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Are You Holding Your Parrot Through The Corono Pandemic?

Can Your Parrot Get The Corona Virus?

Ok, so you are ‘social distancing,’ which means you are staying home with your parrot. The last pandemic was, as I understand, about 100 years ago with the Spanish flu, but they didn’t have microscopes, hand sanitize or the awareness of how disease is spread the way we do.

Still, what about your parrot? I’ve seen a lot of people online say that they are also parrot-distancing!

But, To Hold Or Not To Hold Your Parrot, That Is The Question!

The official word from medicine: Dr Clubb (my avian veterinarian) says no, “Mammals like us (and bats, civets and camels) get mostly alpha and beta coronaviruses. SARS, MERS and COVID-19 are beta coronaviruses. ” (source: https://www.facebook.com/pg/rainforestclinic/posts/?ref=page_internal)

This means that is highly unlikely that you have to worry about you and your parrot infecting each other. Instead, your parrot may provide the social hole that has been created! It is a well-known fact that petting a pet and spending time with them has positive affects on your health, your well being and even your longevity. If anything, you should spend more time with your parrot because that is likely to make you both healthier and happier in these Corona times-

Be Sure You Have What You Need For Your Parrot

In case things get crazier, you may want to make sure you have plenty of supplies for your parrots. I’ve been trying to make sure I have pellets, parakeet mix and paper for their cages. I’m also thinking about getting toys for them – which mostly come from China and aren’t being shipped now (I don’t think). If you don’t have toys and if they get in short supply, it may be time to start to do training and create some DIY toys!

Train Good Behavior In You Both

This is a great time to start or increase your training. You and your parrot will benefit from adding structured training activities to the day. It will keep your parrot or parrots happier and more in-tune with you and it will entertain them. If you have a yard with parrot-safe flowers or branches, this will be a good time to garden and bring these in for your parrot. Natural foliage helps maintain their beaks and it de-stresses larger parrots – I suspect smaller ones too. Keeps them balanced physically and emotionally.

The huge advantage to increasing your training at this time is that it will benefit you both. When people have a routine, they tend to do better. If you are suddenly working from home it may be lonely; you may miss the social interaction. Creating a daily plan and schedule can shift this for you. Parrot-training sessions should only be 5 to 7 minutes (roughly speaking). this means you can schedule breaks for yourself during the day that provide you with a ‘social’ time (with your parrot) and provide your parrot with engagement.

Tony Silva Presents Diets For Parrots in Captivity

What Are The Right Foods For Your Parrot?

A Common Question: Can I Feed My Parrot Apples?

Did you know that there are over 350 species of parrots? Each species has different dietary needs. There is some commonality in diets between parrot families, like Amazons, Macaws and Cockatoos. However, there are significant differences that are important when it comes to giving your parrot the right fats or few fats, seeds, nuts fruits…

In this presentation World-Renowned Expert Tony Silva talks about parrots in the wild and applies this to your parrot. He also talks about fruit and will change your mind about giving your parrot an apple or a sunflower seed.

Learn About

The key role parrots play in their environment
Seeds that parrots are meant to eat
How parrots avoid competition for food
What some of the foods parrots eat taste like (because Tony has tried them and tells you!)
See amazing photos of parrots in the wild from Tony’s presentation
Papaya, apples, green bananas…

🧰 Make Your Parrot A 🦜 Perch

A Perch – AKA, A Parrot Playground 🦜

🌴 How about some fun for your parrot?

I made this perch for my Catalina Macaw, Kailani; I wanted her to have a place to “hang out” that wasn’t quite as big as her cage, giving everyone in the family room more space.

What The Perch Has

The perch has 5 ‘branches.’ If you start with the branch that Kailani is on now, this is the “Enrichment Branch” meaning that it has a PVC “T” at the end. That means that I can place a small tree branch or a flower stem in here for her to play with or eat – a non-toxic plant.

Next, above her, the “Toy Branch” is made to hold a toy, which shows in the photo. This branch is not parallel to the branch she is on, so that she can step up from one branch to the other. In the middle there is a small, thicker branch. It is the highest point for her, “The High Branch.” To the right of that is another, longer thick branch on the right. This “Thick Branch” offers her another place to perch that has more twine on it and gives her feet a larger place to be, if she likes. Finally, the lower, right-hand branch will be the “Food Branch.” I am in the process of seeing if I can get the PVC to make cup-holders for her food and water.

My goal is for Kailani to have a full-service place to be with us, be happy, be out of her cage — and have space for her future macaw-companion.

🧰 Materials Used

All of my materials came from the home-improvement store with the exception of the umbrella stand.

Materials:

1 1/2″ PVC pipe

1″ PVC pipe

Jute & Natural Rope

PVC pieces:

3 Elbows (2 are 1″, 1 is 1 1/2″)
2 of 1 1/2″ Cross piece (connects 4 pipes)
1 of 1″ “T” piece (left on the side to hold enrichment)
PVC Cement (PVC glue)
1 of 1″ cap

Power Tools Used: Saw and Drill

The Method To My Un-calculated Madness

I didn’t make a diagram ahead of time because I knew what I wanted to include (a place for food, a place for a toy, a place for enrichment) I couldn’t guess the sizing because I had to get the pipe and “feel” how high I wanted the ‘tree’ and how wide I wanted the branches. Some of the plan was pragmatic according to what would or would not work. That is why I haven’t finished the food dishes yet, I’ve got my base working, but I need to go back (for a 4th time!) to the hardware store and get my pieces/see how it will work out.

So, I started by running back and forward between the parts I’d laid out and the garage, where I was cutting. I put the perch together (without glue) to make everything work and fit.

Once I was happy with the design, I drilled holes in the pipes that were meant for Kailani to stand on. I drilled two holes, one at each end, so that I could tie the rope on the pipe and then wrap it, and tie the other end off. I’ve seen videos where people rough up the PVC pipe to have more of a natural wood feel, and they smooth it too, ensuring there are no sharp or rough edges left. However, I those tools are beyond me 🤭 and this was (I am guessing) faster and easier.

I chose PVC over wood because I can easily clean and disinfect the PVC. Of course, the rope may be harder to get clean. I plan on taking it outside, hosing it down and then spraying a disinfectant on the rope. I like the rope because I find that my parrots like biting it, plus my renowned veterinarian, Dr Susan Clubb, recommended rope perches for their feet. She has told me that cement or metal perches can be hard on a parrot’s ‘palm’ (not that their feet have palms, but I mean that palm-like skin on their feet). My Amazon’s feet are scared (I adopted her this way), which is what brought the conversation up, and Dr Clubb says that this skin of theirs does not grow back. So, rope it is!

Finally, once I was happy with everything and the perches had their rope, I glued all the pieces together and, although it dries fast, I let it sit out in the fresh air for a while before letting my feathered monkey-parrot on! Kailani is young, so she took to it right away, whereas Venus, my African Grey, is thinking about. Typical parrot, she’ll need to adjust and then I’m sure she’ll love it!

Timeline

Another great thing about this project is that I already had the umbrella stands, so that made it easy. I made two perches, one for my African Grey – her perch’s tree ‘trunk’ is also 1 1/2″ PVC, but her branches are 3/4″ since she has smaller feet. All together, the two perches have taken me 2 days. Both perches are basically the same and they both still need the food bowls, but since I think I have that figured out, I don’t think finishing these will take more than a couple hours.

If you want to see my video ‘tour’ on the perches, watch this:

How to Tell If a Parrot Is Male or Female

What Gender Is Your Parrot?

Monophonic parrots are parrots that physically look the same, you can’t tell the gender difference by looking at them.

Dimorphic parrots are parrots that display their gender difference in their plumage.

DNA Your Monomorphic Parrot

Finding out what gender your monophonic parrot is can be easy, though I was confused until I did it. In this video you’ll see where to take feather samples from on your parrot and you can see how we have one person hold Milo, our Indian Ringneck (note: Indian Ringnecks are dimorphic, we just had Milo close by and she volunteered to be in the video! An Indian Ringneck who is a year or two old will show their gender in the neck: males have a beautiful ring, female hens have no ring).

Of course, if a sexually dimorphic parrot is young, you may want to DNA the parrot to find out if it is the gender you are after. You may not want to wait until all his/her feathers grow or until he/she matures. Cockatiels, for example, don’t show their gender (in their tail feathers) until they are around 8 months. So, DNA-ing a dimorphic parrot may be to your advantage too.

Pulling Feathers To DNA Test

It is important to note that you must pull the feathers from your parrot; generally samples require 4 to 6 feathers. Pulled feathers have DNA at the follicle, which is what is tested. A feather that has fallen out on its own won’t have the DNA needed. Make sure to pull. It is said that pulling a couple feathers doesn’t hurt your parrot (I don’t know if that’s true or not) and it seems less intrusive. Consider using tweezers to pull the feathers because you want to pull the shaft (the middle ‘trunk’ if that helps). Pulling the barbs doesn’t always work, sometimes it just separates the barbs from the rest of that feather. Tweezers allow you to get a strong hold on the shaft and quickly/easily pull the feather out, minimizing how long and how many times you have to pull.

Another method is to use blood — 🧛 You can also cut a nail high enough to get your parrot to bleed. I’m not a vampire, I don’t seek my parrot’s blood 😉, so…

I prefer pulling feathers because cutting a nail to get the parrot to bleed doesn’t sit right with me. An open wound in a human always opens you up to possible infection. I know it is unlikely to happen to your parrot, but as of now, I think pulling is easier on your bird. I don’t know why, but cutting a nail is common, it is the way most pet shops seems to get a sample. That leads me to believe that cutting can’t be all that bad…

Why Would You Want To Know Your Parrot’s Gender?

Mature female parrots can lay eggs, even when they have no male companion. Without a male, the eggs will be infertile. As you can imagine, laying eggs can be hard on a hen and sometimes they can run into difficulties.

If your parrot is exhibiting signs of illness, it is good to know whether or not you have a hen. Hens can become egg-bound and this can be serious enough to lead to their death. For this reason it is good to know whether being egg-bound is a possible cause of illness.

Another benefit to knowing whether your parrot is male or female is that you’ll know where you cannot pet them. The back of a mature hen should be off limits and the vent area on a male should be as well. These areas are reserved for their mates and can sexually stimulate them. A sexually frustrated and hormonal parrot can be difficult to deal with. To avoid being bitten or having your parrot bliss bond broken do to a drastic change in your parrot’s personality, avoid exacerbating hormonal issues by knowing where not to touch your parrot.

Surgical Sexing

There is a third way of finding out your parrot’s gender which requires a minor surgery. Avian veterinarians can perform surgical sexing, a procedure in which they make a small cut to look in at your parrot’s reproductive organs to document their gender. I understand this is done infrequently since it is a surgery, which always has some risk, and sending a blood or feather sample to be tested is a fraction of the cost.

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