Illustrated Articles
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Birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Poor nutrition is a common reason for many health problems in birds. Lovebirds are vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding, and other nutrition-related problems. Seeds are highly palatable and preferred by birds, but nutritionally they are incomplete. The recommended diet for lovebirds is pelleted food formulated for birds and should ideally represent approximately 75%-80% of the bird's diet.
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Macaws are vulnerable to nutrition-related problems such as high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, stroke, vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding. Pellets are the ideal diet and should ideally represent approximately 75%-80% of the bird's diet.
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Mynah birds eat a variety of foods and have relatively short digestive tracts when compared with other parrots. Mynah birds are naturally omnivorous, eating a variety of fruits, insects, larvae, amphibians, lizards, small snakes, eggs, baby birds, and baby rodents. Mynah birds are very sensitive to iron levels in their food, therefore, they should be offered a pelleted food that is low in iron.
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Pigeons and doves are a diverse group of birds, but they share some clinically significant anatomy and physiology, including a large, bilobed crop or ingluvies, and crop milk production. Poor nutrition is a common reason for many health problems in birds. Bone structure, feather condition, and health of the liver, heart, and kidneys all depend on how well your birds are fed, so it is essential you know their proper diet.
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Wild Quaker parrots eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, berries and vegetation such as leaf buds and blossoms. Some eat insects and their larva. They also like to raid farmers' crops. Like other birds, Quaker parrots need to eat a balanced diet to stay healthy. Quaker parrots are prone to obesity and high cholesterol issues.
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Senegal parrots consume a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, and some vegetation in the wild. Occasionally, wild Senegal parrots will feed on grain crops. As with all other animals, Senegal parrots need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Pellets are the ideal base diet for most pet birds.
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It is suggested that a selection of various fruits and vegetables be fed to your bird every day. A good source of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, fresh produce should comprise no more than 20%-40% of the diet. Bright yellow, red, and orange vegetables and fruits all contain a great deal of vitamin A, which is a critical nutrient in a birds' diet.
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Hand-raised babies usually make better pets, as they have been completely socialized with humans. Hand-feeding is a job best left for the experienced bird breeder or aviculturist. If you are considering hand-feeding a baby bird, you should contact your local bird breeder or avian veterinarian for help. This article provides general guidelines and best practices.
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Feathers insulate to maintain a bird's body temperature and protect birds from the elements and play an important role in aerodynamics and flying. Feathers need to be removed or fall out to stimulate new feather growth. A bird needs to molt each year to get rid of old or damaged feathers. A pet bird's exposure to varied daily light cycles may lead to an irregular or incomplete molt that may be longer or shorter than a normal molt.
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Obesity is a major problem in older birds on seed-based diets and can contribute to diseases such as arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis (fat deposits in major arteries), and fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). Unlike their wild counterparts, pet birds are not given as much opportunity for daily exercise. Pet birds often burn off very few calories in their daily lives. Switching a bird from an all-seed diet to a more suitable diet consisting mainly of pellets, with smaller amounts of fresh vegetables and fruit, will decrease its overall daily intake of calories.