In Fall 1997, at only 2 years old, a cockatoo of mine was diagnosed with a kidney density. I began to research food and nutrition with a renewed interest that I have had since the 1960’s and 70’s. In my research and through my flock and others’ flocks, I have focused not only on nutrition but on the medicinal value of food. Living with parrots, whether they are completely well or are those that have health and nutritional illnesses and/or deficiencies inspires me to continue to research and learn more about the healing properties of food. I also developed a strong interest in herbs after chatting and consulting with the late Alicia McWatters. Alicia not only helped my parrots and me, but she was a teacher for me and so many others. This column is dedicated to her memory and to the parrots that have the gift to be one of nature’s most sublime teachers if I only remember to listen, look and learn.

 

I hope that you and your flock enjoy the information, photographs, and new grocery lists presented here and that you’ll share your comments and stories with us. Welcome to the first edition of our monthly BIO-Food Nutrition Column.

 

—       Shauna Roberts

 

If you have questions or comments for Shauna, please email her at shauna@thegabrielfoundation.org.  Thanks for reading.

 

 

How To Feed Parrots More Naturally and Healthy

 

What’s All The Crop About?

 

It’s still dark.  The sun is about to make its morning appearance, but hasn’t arrived quite yet. A rustling is heard high in a tree, then a muffled squawk is heard and another. What almost appear to be shadows charge gracefully out in flight as the sun appears on the horizon. These silhouettes are parrots leaving the roosting tree or nesting cavity early in the morning making way to the foraging grounds.  These foraging areas are possibly 2 miles or more away. Once they arrive they eat. Depending on the species or the location, they will depart.  Certain species go to another place to forage in the morning and later that day. After foraging for a few hours, they will settle into the trees for several hours during the late morning and early afternoon. At this time, they will nap, rest, preen, allopreen, and engage in games or tricks with one another.  The parrots chatter away telling what might appear to be stories. Then, during the late afternoon, they return to foraging in the trees or on the ground.  They fill their crops before heading back to where they will once again, rest for the night.

 

How can we incorporate this type of schedule into a captive parrot’s daily routine? We can emulate this natural schedule by feeding twice a day, morning and late afternoon and no more. The question has been asked if parrots should have a lunch, or if  they should have food in their cages at all times, or given a snack before bedtime?  2 meals a day may be optimal. The reason isn’t as simple as replicating a wild feeding routine.  For a parrot’s body to work in a healthy way, the parrot needs to be fed twice a day.  The reason that this feeding schedule works so well is because  parrots are equipped with a crop. 

 

Parrots are built for amazing efficiency and the crop is part of that adaptation. The crop is a sac like, esophageal enlargement that is part of the digestion tract.  The crop softens and lubricates food. The primary function of the crop is for food storage. Parrots need this food storage daily in the wild, whether or not there is a plentiful food supply. We can over feed captive parrots, but we must be careful to never underfeed them either! Parrots are built to have a small amount of food entering their stomachs at all times.  The crop is what enables them to eat large meals ( at foraging times) twice a day.  They do not need to be eating around the clock to keep up with caloric needs. The crop works by holding the food and letting small amounts of food pass into the stomach at all times. If captive parrots constantly have food in front of them, they may eat too much resulting in obesity. They also are not using their crop as it is intended or designed to work.

 

Foraging in Captivity

 

No wild parrot ever has its breakfast or dinner put in front of it all chopped and ready to eat. There can be an abundance of food available to them.   That food needs to not only be found by the parrot, but cracked, peeled or opened all while keeping an eye out for predators. Food in the wild not only fills the need for hunger, but finding food is also an active daily process. Parrots in captivity require challenges in order to better satisfy their intellectual and physical needs. Providing daily foraging activities can be a step closer to having happier captive companions. Here are some ideas. Be sure to take fresh foods out of the cage before they spoil.

 

Foraging Ideas

 

Hang fresh veggies and fruits from skewers

 

Weave fresh veggies and fruits through cage bars

 

Fill up those hanging cage toys with chunks of veggies and/or fruit along with some toys

 

If your flock interacts well, try feeding them occasionally with a large communal platter (they will socialize as well as eat, sometimes taking several hours to eat what they might consume in only minutes when by themselves)

 

Wrap food bowls like a package. Do this with paper or perhaps a large collard leaf. To start you may need to poke a hole in the center of the wrapping to get them started, or even tear it, showing some parrots what to do.

 

Offer whole foods, such as a whole baby beet with top, baby carrot with green tops, green garlic with tops etc

 

Fill a bowl up with toys and then drizzle seed over the top so that the seeds hide in the bowl. 

 

Wrap seed or other hard foods up with clean white paper (NEVER use recycled paper for parrots)

 

Hide nuts or seeds in between rope strands

 

Make a foraging tree as suggested by Scott Echols DVM , Dipl ABVP at the AAV conference 2004. A foraging tree is a playstand that has several foods bowls, each holding a small amount of food only, at varying heights. You can also hang food from the stand with small ropes or string so the parrot needs to pull food up. You can use puzzle toys to hide food or empty wooden vessels found at craft stores. You can increase your parrots foraging skills as it learns.

 

Drill holes in a piece of wood, it can be a block or a 2x6 that is around 8” long for a large parrot. Into those holes, pound some sort of nuts such as pine nuts.

 

Cover the cage grate with paper, then hide food in towel folds placed on the cage bottom.

 

Hide food in brown lunch sacks, then hang with string or give as food toys.

 

Hide food in stainless steel buckets or sew a cotton bag.

 

Ideas seem to be endless, be creative and most importantly have fun!

 

 

 

Past Articles:

 

June 2004 Coconut  http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/HTML/Shaunacoconut.htm

 

July 2004  Banana News  http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/HTML/bananas.htm