General Parrot Health Care

What should owners do to maintain their parrots good health? 

a) Feed a high quality diet- 
Giving your parrot a diet consisting of a balanced fresh raw diet made up of varied fruits, vegetables and sprouts (additional nuts, seeds, pellets ** based on personal choice) on a daily basis.
 (*Please refer to below posts https://eclectusparrotlife.blogspot.com.au/2017/08/parrot-chop-for-this-week.html for ideas on parrot chop)

b) Keep the parrots living environment clean- 
Daily bowl cleaning in hot water (if available) with washing up detergent is recommending for all bowls including water bowls. Making sure all food and other particles are removed. Utilising a dishwasher may be a preference for some parrot owners, but be careful of drying agents and always wash off any excess soap that may have accumulated during the process.

Daily cleaning of the base of the cage including the grate should be cleaned throughly with water, scrubber and detergent. The base materials (such as newspaper, printing paper or newspaper kitty litter) should be removed and replaced daily to reduce pathogen build up. Newspaper provides an easy to remove surface, and one paper can last several days if not a week for one parrot making it very affordable. Newspaper kitty litter may only need to be replaced twice to three times a week, but it can be very costly over time.

Perches should be free of faeces, mould and food build up. They may need to be cleaned a few times per week or just once depending on how much build up there is. Avoiding placing perches over each other where faeces will land onto the perch below can help reduce the amount of cleaning. Natural perches should be replaced every 3-6 months or their surface sanding back and cleaned (soapy water and sun dried). Natural perches are free, and utilising the old perches for sizing can make the process very quick and easy (especially after storms or heavy winds).

c) Regular checks with an avian veterinarian- 
Minimum yearly are vital to good health. It may be difficult with aviary birds but it will be vital in long term health.

d) Regular exercise and weighing- 
Weekly weighing is vital to note changes in weight including increases or decreases. Also regular exercise such as out of cage play, flying in a room (recall practice for example) are all ways to keep your parrot health. This post may give you some ideas about maintaining weight for good health-

http://eclectusparrotlife.blogspot.com/2017/09/ultimate-parrot-dieting-technique.html

d) Treatment for Lice, Mites and Intestinal Worms- 
Lice and mites are very rare in parrots, especially those housed indoors but they can become infected. It is best to have something such as vetafarm avian insect liquidator spray (https://petslovezone.com.au/bird/bird-medication/bird-parasite-control/vetafarm-avian-insect-liquidator-concentrate-100ml-detail)  on hand in case it is required. As a general rule, once a year for outdoor birds (with no signs of mites e.g. damage to feathers or itchiness) or when introducing a new bird is a suitable number of treatments.

Parrots get parasitic worms just like most other species. They live in numerous places within the body not just the intestines. They can live in the crop, gizzard or even in the cloaca. They can in some cases be extremely deadly and a whole flock can perish, and in other cases birds can have a subclinical infection that doesn't have noticeable affected for their entire lives. A single parrot household where a parrot is not exposed to outside wild birds or potentially contaminated materials such as natural perches has an extremely low risk of parasitic worms. Also they cannot spontaneously form within the individual. Any use of browse or natural perches is a place for infection to occur. You will not be able to see worms in the faeces in most cases of infection, so it is best to always worm every three months despite lack of seeing any clinical symptoms.

List of Common Internal Parasites: 
- Giardia Psittaci (Giardia) 
Rare in larger parrots but can cause high mortality in budgies and cockatiels. Signs include weight loss and dairrhoea.
Treatment is with fenbendazole (such as that in vetafar
m wormout gel)

- Ascarids (Roundworms) 
Relatively common, causes gastrointestinal obstruction, bloody faeces, weight decrease or no clinical signs at all. Causes disease especially in younger birds <3 months old. Good plane of nutrition is good at stopping infection.

- Caecal worms (Capillaria spp.) 
Thread like worms in intestine, caecum. Signs are weight loss, diarrhoea and blood in faeces

- Cestodes (tapeworms)
Transmitted by flies, beetles and ants. Very common in parrots but need access to infected flies, beetles and ants.

Treat the three above with ivermectin, levamisole, praziquantel, piperazine, oxfendazole or combinations of these. Vetafarm wormout gel is oxfendazole with praziquantel so it is suitable to treat these. ** Also you may wish to look for the active ingredients in other bird worming products. These are just a few of the main parasites, just to demonstrate how vital worming is for your parrot. 3 monthly treatment is recommended or regular faecal tested conducted by a veterinarian. Be careful and always follow instructions on dosage very careful*** Do not worm in water treatments on extremely hot days. Also avoid providing fruit and veg for a few hours as the birds may consume this instead of drinking the worming gel.

Ultimate Parrot Dieting Technique

Parrot owners get very stressed when their veterinarian or other parrot owners warn them about their parrot becoming overweight on diets high in seeds, pellets or nuts. Parrots in captivity live a mainly sedentary lifestyle and this means their energy requirements are much lower than that of their wild counterparts. High fat and sugar diets therefore can cause obesity very quickly in captive parrots. Obesity leads to cardiovascular diseases such as blocked arteries and liver disease which can even result in an early death in parrots. 

What if I told you your parrot could eat all of its favourite foods including fats and high sugar foods without any health consequences? 

How to do this- simply follow the below steps: 

1. 

All parrots should be weighed at least once weekly. Small kitchen scales with a tupperware style container that can be closed (with holes drilled in the lid for air) is perfect for aviary birds. Obviously this may not be suitable to all birds and occasionally it may be a good idea to do a sample selection of your parrots weighing one or three of the total flock to get an idea. 

I find it easy to train parrots to sit on the flat style scales for a sunflower seed or similar treat. Once you have the weight it is important to write it down, an easy way to store it is in your phone notes or calendar then it won't be lost or eaten by naughty parrots. Weigh them at the SAME time every time. E.g. in the morning before their first feed is best, otherwise this may give false values. Any sudden decrease or increase should be noted and veterinarian advice sort if concerned. (Hens will increase in weight when about to lay it is always something to consider if the weight increases quickly)  

2. 

A balanced chop (or cut up fruit and veg) must be being consumed on a daily basis. Always make sure your parrot is getting the correct amount of chop by giving the chop as the only food in the morning. In the afternoon you want around 4-5% of that food left in the bowl (what is not wanted to be consumed) and around 5% normal thrown wastage on the floor of the cage. If bowls are empty at the end of the day, increase the amount of chop. If the bowls are half full, reduce the amount of food given. It is very important to always monitor this as small differences in their amount of food they consume are normal such as variations in seasons or even activity level. Some parrots will never stop eating, it is important then to determine how much they should be eating (relative to other birds, or ask on a facebook group for bowl sizes and feed amounts) then give that allowance of feed per day. Parrots will generally (not all parrots but most) stop eating when they feel full. The crop is the food storage organ in parrots, it is designed so that they store small amounts of food so they can have less weight in their "stomach" to make flight easier. Therefore, you must give them enough food so their crops don't sit empty and they feel hungry throughout the day. 

To encourage parrots to consume their chop tricks such as mixing through parrot seed, sprouts or nuts may prove useful. Utilising seed like fruits such as passionfruit, raspberries, mulberries etc mixed through a chop can encourage a predominantly seed consuming parrot to get interested in chop. Always give consumed foods in the afternoon, starving a parrot isn't a good method of changing its diet and should never be tried.

3. Fatty or sugary food such as seeds, nuts, pellets, sugary fruits can now be added to the diet. Whilst these foods can be given they must still be controlled. Sunflower seeds and nuts will not cause obesity in a balanced diet and should not be avoided for this reason alone. Some birds may be more prone to becoming overweight- and in these birds it needs to be closely watched. 

A parrot consuming 70-80% fresh chop can consume 5% sugary or fatty foods. Obvious the % values do not have to be exact it is more an estimate you may put two handfuls of chop, a sprinkle of seed and a touch of nuts. You can increase this value or decrease it depending on the birds weight. 

Monitor their weight for a month, any increase maybe cut down slightly or give one day then skip a day. Also it is important to look up the standard weights. I have added below some weight averages for commonly kept birds sourced from this site- http://www.scottemcdonald.com/pdfs/Average%20Weights.pdf

If you have a larger specimen of a species it's general weight may be higher than the standard. Whilst not really a good indicator of body condition in birds who tend not to store their fat within their keel bone the keel (or chest plate) can give a general idea on how the birds condition is. An image for comparison is provided below. Ideally you want your bird to feel like a 2-3 on the scale. A good comparison may be feeling a chickens keel which are generally always 4+. If the keel is somewhat prominent you can increase the fatty or sugary foods, whilst if it is increasing in the scale you may want to reduce it (*** make sure this is followed with the weights) 

** A consistently low weight, combined with a low body condition is something to ALWAYS discuss with a veterinarian on your yearly check up or if you feel concerned at any time. ** 

Utilising the above method, you can feed your parrot its favourite foods without feeling the guilt of potentially causing adverse health effects. This DOES NOT apply to foods not suitable for parrots such as fast food, chocolate, lollies, alcohol that should never be fed. A good list of those can be found here- http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/non-toxic-for-birds.html 

4. If you want to give your pet more of these foods, a simple and easy way is to increase their level of exercise. Placing food bowls throughout the cage, making them forage for food, daily flight recall practice (very good to practice in case your parrot escapes), outdoor ON HARNESS walks and potentially leashed flights (** carefully)  and training free flight (not suitable to all owners- for more information follow this site http://www.libertywings.com/) 

Parrot Indoor Playroom Ideas and Outdoor Flight Information

Parrots love to fly, walk, jump and generally play around in their environment. Depending on space allocation for them they may have anything from a large aviary to a small night cage or even a stand that they live on. Parrots need space to stretch their wings and get out some of that build up energy they would normally use during flight. The notion of free-flight parrots is becoming incredibly more and more popular amongst parrot owners and it is amazing enrichment for them. One to 100% check out is http://www.adventuresofroku.com/ where a large variety of parrots fly around just having the best time. This particular website also is a great place for the purchase of cold-pressed pellets with added probiotics (just an excellent overall pellet) as well as other foods such as sprouts and bird-zone seed mixes. Here also is a website on training for parrots for outdoor flight if you are interested-http://www.libertywings.com/. It is a big commitment but for larger parrots it is definitely an excellent way to provide exercise and the best enrichment possible for them. Sadly, training parrots free-flight is a little way off for me so I have to find an alternate. Luckily our property has a 15m x 4m shed perfectly suited for conversion to an indoor flight room. If you don't have any space suitable a stand made from natural perching would also be extremely excellent for parrots.


Creation of a indoor parrot play room-                                        

Unfortunately the room was being used as a storage room by me for many years a place to store general rubbish, old tanks and ruined terrariums my reptiles had upgraded from. It required a lot of cleaning. Then the branches could be secured to the ceilings and toys hung up. The original cupboards needed to be removed to provide more space to fly. Parrots are supervised AT ALL TIMES in this room in case they become stuck on something or need help.

 

The room is now shared with two 18 year old bearded dragons who are in their bearded dragon retirement village. The parrot do not even notice their presence, and during the day most days the dragons are in their outdoor sun reptile pen 

Seagrass mats provide a cargo net style area where they can hang off and play. All branches are movable as to create a challenge whilst landing etc. Plastic chain runs the length of the room providing muscle strengthening grip to stay on (but they have wings which majority of the time they choose to use) If you have a spare area it may be perfect for your parrots to stretch their wings in.

COMING SOON- Large outdoor planted aviary revamp ready for outdoor safe play area which may become permanent housing instead of caging.

Previously used as a small parrot breeding aviary, this will be very suitable when potted safe plants are added and a cement base and proper perching in the coming months. A little overgrown and neglected at the current time. 

Parrot Chop For This Week

Parrot chops are best if they are completely nutritionally balanced. Sadly, this is incredibly difficult as we do not know the nutritional requirements of any bird species aside from the chicken. It is therefore vital we have a "best guess" when trying to provide a nutritionally balanced meal for our companion parrots. Picking which to use can actually be quite simple. Some fruit and vegetables are high in certain vitamins and minerals. Picking a wide variety of these high value vitamin and mineral foods can help get the diet as close to balanced as possible. 

Below is an example of my personal breakdown of an Eclectus flock diet- 

Aiming to include at least ONE of all of the high vitamin and mineral foods is a good way to try and make sure the diet is balanced. Personally I determine energy requirements based on my parrots weight to determine the amount of feed to give based on their weight and life stage (this is not required but it will probably be discussed in another blog if there is interest) 

Quick and Easy Chop Process- 

- Utilising large and small size cuts of fruit and vegetables provides a place to hide the normally tossed out high nutrition value foods. It also provides the enrichment of holding and consuming the preferred food items in the larger size cuts. 

- A food processor or a fine hand chopper makes the job heaps quicker and easier for the fine chop. Foods such as papaya, celery, apple or other water dense foods are not as suitable for this as they become mushy and loose their form. 

- A food dicer such as this one here- http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/272335226191?chn=ps&dispItem=1 can make dicing large fruits and veg OR providing larger pieces in a neat and ordered way very easy and quick. 

- Preparing one week at a time is better and placing the chop into zip lock bags or into reusable plastic containers are a good method of storing. Each week placing one zip lock bag in the freezer will mean you won't run out and if there is no power or a shortage of fruit and veg you always have a weeks supply spare. 

Plastic tub option is also a good option for storage

Full Process from chopping fruit to happy customer little Annie 

Sprouting... Easy, Nutritious, Delicious

Sprouting is a surprisingly easy task. It is vital in most parrot diets as it would make up a large portion of their natural diet. Dried seeds are hard and on the most part- very dry. There was a paper published suggesting when a bird hulls (removes the seed case) it is also removing quite a large portion of the dry seed nutritional value. Sprouting bioactivates the seed, making it more digestible. It uses carbohydrates and fats to grow. This creates a food with excellent nutritional value including a vast variety of proteins and enzymes. Some of these enzymes can even assist your parrot in the breakdown of other foods within its diet! Sprouted seeds can be used in a variety of ways from being fed when just sprouted (highest nutritional value) to being used to grow until leaves are formed. There are many seeds and even nuts that can be sprouted these are mentioned below. * Sprouting time is in ( ) where F (fast 1-2 days sprouting time) M (medium 2-3 days) and S (slow 3-5+ days) 

• Lentils (F) 
• Peas (M) 
• Chickpeas (F) 
• Adzuki bean (S) 
• Mung Bean (F) 
• Soybean (sparingly) (S) 
• Sunflower Seed (S) 
• Safflower Seed (F) 
• Millet (M) 
• Oats (M) 
• Grain (M) 
• Canary Seed (M)
• Chia seeds (F) 
• Rapeseed (S) 
• Hemp seed (M)
• Buckwheat (M)
• Rice (brown or black is best) (S) 
• Quinoa (F* Very fast overnight in some cases)  
• Sesame seed (F) 
• Broccoli seed (F) 
• Alfalfa (it must be let grow until it has a leaf produced) (S) 
• Kale (M) 
• Amaranth (some discussion about this causing GIT upset but study only conducted in chickens so validity is questioned. Feed sparingly) (M) 
• Pumpkin Seed (S) 
• Papaya Seed (very high in nutrients can be sprouted in fruit) (S) 
• Whole Corn (S) 
• Flaxseed (M) 
• Some nuts can sprouted as well such as cashew, pecan, walnut, almond (S)

Sprouting is very easy, you just have to mimic the natural process where a seed falls into the soil and is repeatedly watered and dried. Copying this process is incredibly easy. You need to allow the seed to gain a lot of water and swell, then drain the water but keep the seeds moist (as they would be with the soil after rainfall) 

How to Sprout- 

1.    Soak all seeds overnight or for 8 hours. Be prepared for some seeds such as chickpea and mungbeans to absorb more water than expected so adding a cup of water per 20 seeds would be sufficient

2.    Remove seeds from soaking and drain (e.g. on a pasta strainer) then rinse until water runs clear. It is very important they are properly cleaned in this stage.

3.    Let the water drain from the sprouts while in a strainer and rinse a few times each day not allowing the seed to dry out (two to three times in a humid environment) *** Most important part is that the water must be completely drained away from the seed for it to sprout there are numerous ways to do this such as in a drink bottle with holes in it in the bottom, plastic bags with holes, large stainless strainers. There is no need to purchase a proper expensive sprouter, but it may provide convenience and there are  automatic sprouters that can be very useful as well. 

4.    Wait for the seeds to sprout --> this process may take up to five days. It is best to separate fast and slow sprouting seeds. 

5.    While the seeds are sprouting, on about the second day it is a good idea to start the next batch then there is a continual supply. 

6.    Sprouts can be stored in the fridge up to three days or frozen for later use **please refer to below caution**

**CAUTION**
Always always smell sprouts, if there is any smell throw them away and start again
Always feel the sprouts before feeding- any slimy feeling throw away and start again
Do not store for longer than 5 days, as microbes on the sprouts will begin to degrade them despite being in the refrigerator 

TROUBLESHOOTING-
Seeds not sprouting: 

• Most common issue is the actual seed may have been treated in some form to prevent sprouting. To avoid this purchase seeds produced in your country of residence rather than imported seeds. If issue persists on more than three tries perhaps search for alternative sources of seeds 
• Seed is constantly going mouldy or has a smell: The water may not be draining enough off the seed try getting a strainer or sprouting less amounts at once. Rinsing well before sprouting will also help. Washing with dilute apple cider vinegar or grape seed extract can also help. 
• Hard to find certain seeds such as chickpea, lentils, peas- amazingly the store purchased dry soup mix will sprout as mentioned above. 

DO NOT SPROUT (DANGEROUS) Large beans including kidney, lima, white, black, fava, pinto, anazi and sorghum seed Don't be discouraged by failure... it may take a few tries. One of the best place to get cheap seeds is the wild bird mix, and a legume mix for horses etc. at your local animal produce store and asian supermarkets often have dried clean seed perfect for sprouting.