Nutritional Flashcards
Diets
• Staple food includes seeds and pellets which are the foundation of a bird’s diet. It provides basic nutrition and is the building block to a healthy diet.
• SEED diets are invariably low in calcium and vitamin A and high in fat and phosphorous.
• MIXED diets (seeds, fruits, and table foods) are much harder to balance, and require the time-consuming use of a supplement
• FORMULATED diets (extruded or pelleted) are complete diets that are
“balanced” because the bird must eat the nutrients in the ratio intended
Extruded vs pelleted
Tropican is EXTRUDED, not
PELLETED.
This means that the food is steam heated, pasteurizing the ingredients and increasing digestibility.
The texture created is more attractive and useful to pet birds than a farm-type pellet or crumble.
Extruded products can also hold more fat (an important factor for palatability and for proper maintenance of species such as the blue and gold macaw).
There are 4 easy tips to follow to transition to a pelleted diet:
Knowing that seed diets are hard to balance, and that birds themselves are picky, it only makes sense to feed birds a
pelleted diet.
Tip 1: Clean the cage in the evening, leaving ONLY pellets in dish.
Tip 2: Sprinkle some pellets on the floor or place small dish on the floor (allows for foraging behaviour).
Tip 3: Around mid morning, add some of the bird’s regular food on top of the pellets.
Tip 4: Sprinkle pellets on top of the daily salad.
transitioning to a pelleted diet
You will notice that the common theme in all of these tips is presence.
The goal is to have the pellets in as many different places as possible so that the bird can become familiar with it.
Unlike transitioning dogs or cats from one food to another, the process to transition to pellets can take 4-10 weeks or longer, depending on the bird.
Some birds may even regress, which is when the pet owner tends to give up, thinking they will never succeed. Stick with it and you will!
*Note: At Petland we
sometimes feed a seed diet or a
combination of seeds and pellets.
We continue to feed the same diet that our breeders started them on, and we begin the transition process in the store.
Birds must go home on the current food they are eating, even if it is a combination of seed and pellets.
Any unused seeds from transitioning can be used for foraging activities (up to 25% of their diet intake each day).
Salad
• Salad offers a natural source of many
vitamins and minerals.
• Offer a mix of vegetables (only a small amount of fruit as part of their daily meal.
• Birds typically eat at dawn and dusk, and the main meal (dawn) should consist mostly of their pelleted diet.
• Remove salad after 3 hours to prevent
E. coli buildup.
• Once or twice a week you can offer cooked egg (with shell) finely chopped
as a loft protein source
Bird-Safe Salad Food Items
The following recommendations apply to most birds
Vegetables, Legumes & Grains
If they are a Treat/Variety food item, they are generally less nutritious.
Staple
Greens (Mustard)
Kale
Lentils
Lettuce (Romaine)
Oatmeal
Parsnip
Peppers (Bell, Hot)
Peas
Potatoes (Cooked)
Quinoa (Cooked)
Squash (Butternut)
Sweet Potatoes
Turnip
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Asparagus
Barley (Cooked)
Beets
Beans (Black, Green)
Broccoli
Brown Rice (Cooked)
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Chickpeas
Corn
Cucumbers
Dandelions
Eggplant
Greens (Endive)
Greens (Collard)
Treats or Variety
Iceberg Lettuce
Parsley
Veggies (frozen)
Avoid
Onions
Celery
Bird-Safe Salad Food Items
The following recommendations apply to most birds
Fruits & Nuts
Fruits & Nuts for most birds should make up only 10% of the fresh foods portion of the diet. Generally they are added as a treat or to provide variety
seeds and pits of anything must be removed
Treats or Variety
Oranges
Papava
Peach
Peanuts (Shelled)
Pear
Pecans
Pistachios
Plums
Pomegranate
Pumpkin
Raspberries
Strawberries
Walnuts
Watermelon
Almonds
Apples
Apricots
Banana
Blackberries
Blueberries
Brazil Nuts
Cashews
Fruits (frozen)
Grapes
Hazelnut
Mangoes
Nectarines
Avoid
Avocado
Spray Millet
• Millet is a grain that contains protein, B vitamins, vitamin K, and is packed full of minerals. It is low in fat, easily digested, and an excellent source of
carbonyarates
• Millet helps birds with the transition to their new home or through periods of stress. It acts as a
comfort food
Other nutritional
Vitamin Supplement (for birds on seed based diets)
• Seed does not provide the balanced nutrition that a bird requires therefore a supplement is necessary.
Mineral Stone
• Key minerals, calcium and phosphorus necessary for pet birds that they otherwise would get when foraging.
Cuttlebone
• 100% calcium source, provides essential minerals.
• are the backbone of a cuttlefish. They are very absorbent and will need to be replaced regularly, especially if they get soiled.
Egg Food
• Contains vitamins, amino acids, protein, and calcium fora nutrient-rich boost
• “Insectivore” variety is designed for finches and other softbills who eat insects in the wild
lodine
is such an important supplement that even birds who are not from Australia will still benefit from it. If a guest is feeding a mixed diet of both seeds and pellets as the staple (like we do for many of our birds in our stores), then iodine should still be supplemented because we cannot be certain that each bird is consuming enough pellets to meet the minimum requirement.
lodine Block
• Australia has iodine enriched soil & water. As a result, the food they eat and water they drink is rich in iodine
• In captivity their diet needs to be supplemented through iodine blocks & iodine enriched foods if fed a seed staple diet. A pelleted diet meets the required iodine levels in birds.
• Medical problems such as goiters and thyroid deficiency can result from a lack of iodine
Clay Cal
• Is derived from Bentonite Clay Granules and calcium, and charcoal mixed at a healthy ratio to simulate the clay cliffs of Manu in Peru
• Provides supplemental minerals (calcium) that may be lacking
• Protects the Gl track from chemical & biological irritation, which helps to counter Gl disease
• Acts as an antacid protecting the gut from corrosion
• Helps with daily exposure to household toxins
• Is a healthier alternative to common gravel-grit
This is a superior alternative to bird gravel.
Moist food helps ensure the absorption of the clay, which increases the likelihood that the supplement is consumed.
Eating clay is a natural behaviour that birds will do in the wild.
Feeding Guide and advanced uses for clay cal
• Mix or sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Clay-Cal onto bird’s favorite greens and vegetables.
• Alternatively, can be sprinkled or mixed up to 2 teaspoons with extruded pellets or seeds
• Replace when soiled
• Mud poultice for wounds
- The “mud” can be applied to bird’s skin as a soothing & healing “bandage.” Especially beneficial to toes and wing injuries that are too difficult to bandage.
As the “mud” dries, toxins are drawn away from wound & promotes faster healing
• Should not be given to birds on antibiotics (will void benefits)
Ingestion Hazards
Of course, not everything is safe for birds to ingest.
In fact, they are quite sensitive compared to other animals.
