FOODS & OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

FOODS & OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Foods & Drinks

This is a list of some of the foods eaten by all, or at least most, of our parrots. There may be a few things which I have left off, but will add these as they come to mind. The list was fed at the start with Percy, Lucy and Shayne, but still applies today, although we now find obtaining the tropical fruits a lot more difficult, being in UK. They can also be very expensive, depending on the time of year. If some spellings are incorrect, please forgive me for this.

Fruits - Guava, paw-paw (including the pips) (also known as papaya), pomegranates, mango, peach, pear, apples (both red and green), granadilla (also known as passion fruit), cape gooseberries (also known as physalis), Chinese gooseberries (also known as Kiwi fruit), oranges (including most citrus fruits), various melons (including the pips), apricots, prickly pear, nectarines, plums, banana, figs, cherries, strawberries. DEFINITELY NO AVOCADO PEAR as this is POISONOUS. The Capes, especially, just love pomegranates, and always go for these first. The dried variety of all fruits is also acceptable, provided it is free of preservatives, etc.

Vegetables - Raw or cooked, but preferred raw. Beans, peas (preferably in their shells) (try to avoid these cooked as they give them the runs), carrots, beetroot, celery, cabbage (especially the white hard centres), lettuce, tomatoes (when in the mood), potato (preferably the skins) (not cooked as it usually gets stuck in their crops and causes discomfort), broccoli, cauliflower, cress.

Nuts - Shelled or still in their shells, but mostly preferred in their shells. DEFINITELY NOT SALTED. Peanuts (also called ground nuts or monkey nuts) (always ensure that these are fresh as they could contain aflotoxins), pecans, brazils, almonds, cashew nuts (processed), pine nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, pistachio nuts, cob nuts, macadamia nuts. Our birds just love taking the shells off, and then eating the contents.

Seeds - Sunflower (white, black and striped), safflower, rape seed, niger seed, millet (all types and colours), oats, groats, barley, paddy rice, hemp seed (only small amounts from time to time), buckwheat, linseed, pumpkin seeds, maize (also called sweet corn) (both dried and fresh on the cob), sorghum. We mix all of these together in what we consider to be balanced quantities in all the seed bowls, so that the birds will not have the option to gorge themselves on one particular type.

Other - Dandelions, especially when in flower, and including the root. Chillies (dried). Fresh peppers (green, orange and red). Fresh green grass seeds. Sprouting pulses. Cuttle fish. Mineral blocks. Iodine blocks. Dried banana. Dried fruits (including raisins, sultanas, apricots, figs, etc.) Coconut (both fresh and dried), parrot pellets in small quantities (as our birds are not all that keen on them).

Drinks - CLEAN FRESH WATER EVERY DAY. More often if it is necessary. They love to drink cold fresh water, first thing in the morning especially. NO COFFEE, NO CHOCOLATE, NO ALCOHOL. (ALL DANGEROUS)

Bathing - We have separate large dishes / bowls in each cage for bathing, as they all enjoy this daily. This includes both summer and winter, but more often in summer obviously. The water should be changed every day, as it becomes dirty very quickly. Don't get upset if everything in the vicinity has a bath too, including people who get too close!

Spritzing is also enjoyed by most of the birds, on a daily basis if possible, and is done early in the morning. This obviously is not done when the day is cold. We do this in addition to their own bathing routines as it helps keep their feathers in good shape and helps keep the dander problem in check. Some of them really get excited and hold their wings out to take the best advantage of this.

Housing & accommodation

Every evening after their quality and flying time, all the birds are put to bed in their cages and covered over for the night. They each have their own special covers and these are regularly washed and dried. They vary in colour, but are all fairly neutral, so nobody gets upset. Try to use a neutral powder and fabric softener for washing as the perfume can be dangerous to the birds breathing systems.

Covering them every night always settles them down and they are usually very quiet for the rest of the night, despite goings on in nearby rooms. You get the odd comment, especially from the African Greys, and sometimes the Blue Headed Pionus', but the others are always silent once covered.

We also find that they understand that the cover means that it is time to go to sleep. This is especially important here in the UK in summer time, as the sun only starts to set after 10:00pm (22:00 GMT) and comes up very early in the morning.

The measurements, makes and details of our birds homes (cages) are as follows:

Cheeky & Sweety Kings Cage - USA Manufacture. White paint frame and bars. On wheels, with play-stand on top. Wheel height to base of cage - 26.5" (67.5cm) from floor to base of cage. 0.75" (20mm) bar spacing. Size - 23.75" x 23.75" x 32.25" (60cm x 60cm x 82cm)

Emerald & Ruby Ferplast - Italian Manufacture. Brown paint frame and Gold bars. On wheels, with fixed top. Wheel height to base of cage - 12" (30cm) from floor to base of cage. 1" (25mm) bar spacing. Size - 33.5" x 21.25" x 50" (85cm x 54cm x 127cm)

Mercury & Venus Unknown make - Zimbabwe Manufacture. Chromium on stainless steel frame and bars. Free standing cage. 1" (25mm) bar spacing. Size - 18" x 18" x 26" (46cm x 46cm x 66cm)

Tobias & Tabatha Castel Dome Top Cage - UK Manufacture. Dark Grey powder-coat paint. On wheels. Wheel height to base of cage - 15" (38cm) from floor to base of cage. 1.25" (30mm) bar spacing. Size - 36" x 28" x 66" (91cm x 71cm x 160cm)

Sun & Moon Ferplast - Italian Manufacture. Brown paint frame and Gold bars. On wheels, with opening top and perch. Wheel height to base of cage - 12" (30cm) from floor to base of cage. 1" (25mm) bar spacing. Size - 33.5" x 21.25" x 50" (85cm x 54cm x 127cm)

Flash & Thunder Premier Sydney - UK Manufacture. Light Grey powder-coat paint. On wheels, with opening top and perch. Wheel height to base of cage - 13" (33cm) from floor to base of cage. 0.75" (20mm) bar spacing. Size - 27" x 24" x 67" (69cm x 61cm x 170cm)

Jacque & Rogue Essegi - Italian Manufacture. Brown paint frame and Gold bars. On wheels, with opening top and perch. Wheel height to base of cage - 21.25" (54cm) from floor to base of cage. 1" (25mm) bar spacing. Size - 33.5" x 21.25" x 37" (85cm x 54cm x 94cm)

Bluey & (Huey) Duey Kings Cage - USA Manufacture. Dark Grey powder-coat paint. On wheels, with opening top. Wheel height to base of cage - 13" (33cm) from floor to base of cage. 1" (25mm) bar spacing. Size - 27.25" x 23.5" x 67" (69cm x 60cm x 140cm)

Sunny (Bunny) & Honey Unknown make - UK Manufacture. Chrome frame and bars. Free standing circular cage. 0.5" (12mm) bar spacing. Size - 15.75" diameter x 25" height (40cm x 63.5cm)

Luci-Too Essegi - Italian Manufacture. White paint frame and bars. On wheels, with opening top and perch. Wheel height to base of cage - 21" (53.5cm) from floor to base of cage. 1" (25mm) bar spacing. Size - 21.25" x 21.25" x 37" (54cm x 54cm x 94cm)

Magic & (Trix) Lady F O P - Italian Manufacture. White paint frame and bars. Free standing cage. 0.75" (20mm) bar spacing. Size - 17" x 23" x 25" (43cm x 58cm x 63.5cm)

Mystery & Genie F O P - Italian Manufacture. White paint frame and bars. Free standing cage. 0.75" (20mm) bar spacing. Size - 17" x 23" x 25" (43cm x 58cm x 63.5cm)

Storm & Sparky Unknown make - Zimbabwe Manufacture. Chromium on stainless steel frame and bars. Free standing cage. 1" (25mm) bar spacing. Size - 18" x 18" x 26" (46cm x 46cm x 66cm)

Rock (& Pebbles) Unknown make - UK Manufacture. Chromium on stainless steel frame and bars. Free standing cage. 0.5" (12mm) bar spacing. Size - 17" x 23" x 25" (43cm x 58cm x 63.5cm)

We would love to house them all in outside aviaries, but the small yards in UK, together with high theft rate from outside aviaries, and, finally the cold winters, have caused us to keep everyone indoors. They do of course get their cages taken out of doors on good days, taking precautions against overheating from lack of shade being paramount in summer though. We feel that natural sunlight is a must, even if it is only for short durations.

Bird-safe woods for perches

When in Africa we always used Guava tree branches for perch material, but UK is too cold to grow Guava trees, so we have had to rely on being able to get untreated poles from wherever we could get them. We used to live in a lovely location on a 69 acre estate, so were always able to get wood, but the property was sold and we had to move, so have lost that source. We have now found a very reliable source from Select Garden & Pets in Westerham, Kent, UK, who we buy all our seed and other bits from too. Their prices are always very reasonable and they get their stocks from RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) sites. You can also look at a site for a further list of woods using the link below. Clicking your mouse on this link will automatically open it in a separate window for you. http://www.upatsix.com/faq/safewood.htm I have included the link without first obtaining permission but am sure that Upatsix will welcome a pointer to their site.

Please always ensure that you thoroughly clean and disinfect all wood before letting your birds loose on it, even if it has come from your own trees. The reason for this is to remove any possibility of cross infection from wild birds and their droppings, fungi, or such like.

Veterinary Services

It is always essential to find a suitable avian vet at the outset and register with their practice. You can then have your new bird checked out and set up a record for them before anything should go wrong. In that way, you are confident in the knowledge that someone is at hand when needed.

We have found a very good vet that we use and he is very thorough and caring with the birds. I would recommend Andreas Brieger at SAEAVC to anyone needing services in the Kent area. His surgery is situated close to Safari Select, who sell parrots and other wild birds. He can be contacted by email on andreas@saeavc.com or by visiting him at the address below:

Sevenoaks Avian & Exotic Animal Veterinary Centre, Warren Farm, Main Road, Sundridge, Kent, TN14 6EE

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