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/)
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