The more exotic and colorful the fruit, the more nutritious think mangos, papayas, pomegranates over grapes and bananas. While all parrots need calcium, the African grey parrot seems to suffer from low-blood calcium hypocalcaemia more often than any other species. Offer your grey calcium-rich vegetables, greens and fruits such as: kale, mustard greens, broccoli, carrots, dandelion greens, apricots, endive, figs and okra.
Spinach, chard and beet greens should be given sparingly since they are known to block the absorption of calcium. They contain oxalic acid, which binds calcium to other trace minerals making them unavailable to your African grey. Vitamin D also plays a role in optimizing calcium metabolism and is made by the body after exposure to ultraviolet light. Michael Stanford, a veterinarian from the United Kingdom has shown that ultraviolet light is crucial for maintaining healthy calcium levels in African greys.
So, exposure to natural sunlight when possible and the use of bulbs containing safe UVB output is beneficial. Other sources of calcium are baked eggshells, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds.
Kashmir K. Pet birds on a quality pelleted diet usually do not need vitamin or mineral supplementation. Over supplementation can be just as dangerous as not having enough. Visit your vet once a year and have a complete blood count and chemistry profile performed so you know if your African grey is in need of supplementation of any kind.
Often birds on an insufficient diet have low calcium levels and may develop infections that can be seen on the blood work.
When offering your African grey new foods, you may have to try more than once. I often tell clients to bake a sweet potato and cut it in pieces. The first day, offer a plain piece. Sprouted seeds are lower in fat, as the process of sprouting utilizes the fat in the seed to start the growing process - thus reducing the fat stored in the seeds. Soaked and germinated "oil" seeds, like niger and rape seeds, are rich in protein and carbohydrates; while "starch" seeds, such as canary and millets, are rich in carbohydrates, but lower in protein.
It is an invaluable food at all times; however, it is especially important for breeding or molting birds. Medicinal Herbs many of which grow as "weeds" in our gardens Eating whole flaxseed rather than flaxseed oils because you get the whole package: the protein, fiber, minerals and phytochemicals along with the omega Flaxseeds are also the best source of the phytochemical lignan.
Lignan is documented to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-cancer properties. I sprinkle Flaxseed on my birds fresh food daily. Sunflower Seed : African Greys may become obese, which is detrimental to their health. Sunflower seeds are very high in fat and it is recommended to keep the quantity of sunflower seed down to a minimum. Birds generally favor sun flower seed over other nutritious food, which can lead to malnutrition.
Reducing or eliminating sunflower seed from your pet's diet is recommended. Summary: In the wild, African Greys eat fruits, leaves, insects, bark and flowers. In captivity, they should eat a varied diet of fruits, vegetables supplemented with some seeds and nuts. Rice, cooked beans, corn, tortillas, pasta, potatoes, bread and cooked chicken are healthy foods for Greys. They also need extra calcium supplementation, so add bones, oyster shell, and cuttle bones to the diet.
This parrot is one of the oldest psitticine species kept by humans, with records of the bird dating back to biblical times. Understated beauty and a brainy no-nonsense attitude are what keep this parrot at the peak of popularity.
At first glance, the African grey is a medium-sized, dusty-looking gray bird, almost pigeon-like — but further investigation reveals a bright red tail, intelligent orange eyes, and a stunning scalloped pattern to its plumage.
African grey parrots generally inhabit savannas, coastal mangroves, woodland and edges of forest clearings in their West and Central Africa range. Though the larger of the African grey subspecies is referred to as the Congo African grey, this bird actually has a much wider natural range in Africa, including the southeastern Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Tanzania. The Timneh African grey is found in a smaller region along the western edge of the Ivory Coast and through southern Guinea.
Their diet in the wild consists mostly of palm nuts, seeds, fruits, and leafy matter. African greys need plenty of toys that challenge their intelligence, such as foraging and puzzle toys. Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are perfect for foraging. This complete food blends a balance of grains, seeds, and other nutrients in the shape of a berry. Because the grains and seeds are mostly whole and formed into a berry shape, it encourages African greys to hold, nibble, and even play with the Nutri-Berries.
This mimics the foraging that African greys do in the wild. Part 2. Provide fresh items, then remove them after an hour. In the morning, provide your parrot with one to two teaspoons of fruits or vegetables.
In the evening, offer another serving of fresh food. Place its daily pellet ration in the cage. After removing the fresh food in the morning, provide your parrot with a container of pellet food. Use puzzle toys and hide treats to encourage foraging. In addition to providing a ready supply of food, use food dispenser toys to encourage your parrot to forage.
This will help keep it entertained and prevent behavioral issues. You could also provide a container with a small amount of seeds mixed with pebbles, so your parrot will have to dig to find its treats.
Keep fresh water in its cage at all times. Make sure your parrot has access to clean, fresh water at all times. Change the water and clean the container at least twice a day. If this is the case, you should change the water more frequently. Part 3. Make sure your bird is healthy before changing its diet. Changing its diet could stress your bird or worsen health problems that had previously gone unnoticed. When you bring your parrot to the vet, ask if they have any recommendations for making dietary changes.
Wean your parrot off of seeds slowly. Once you see your parrot eating the pellets, gradually reduce the amount of seeds you offer.
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