Parrot Health & Diet | The Adventures of Kacy The Conure Parrot

Chocolate is Toxic to Parrots

I was on my way returning home, passing by a void deck where I saw an old chinese man with a Green Ringneck Parakeet. It wasn’t the Green Ringneck Parakeet that caught my attention, but was actually the old man’s actions.

The old man was actually feeding the Ringneck Parakeet with some iced milo (a kind of chocolate beverage). I was alarmed.

I decided to go forward and confront the old man.

“Are you feeding the parrot with iced milo?” I asked the old man politely in mandarin.

The old man smiled and replied in mandarin, “Yes! He (Green Ringneck Parakeet) loves it! It is his favorite drink.” I wasn’t smiling, instead I was worried when I heard this.

“Uncle, please don’t feed him (Green Ringneck Parakeet) with milo. Milo contains chocolate, anything that contains chocolate is toxic to parrots!” I explained to him in mandarin.

The old man rebuked me in mandarin, “I’ve been feeding him all the time with small serving and it won’t cause any harm! Anyway he’s not dead yet!”

The old man was peeved. He ignored my advice and continued to feed the Ringneck Parakeet with iced milo.

I didn’t persist and left the place in the end. This incident left me deeply pondering whether is the old man being stubborn, being ignorant or being selfish?

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Deficiency of Vitamin A in Parrots

Vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in parrots on an all seed diet. Parrots generally have high dietary needs for Vitamin A.

Inadequate Vitamin A in a parrot diet can lead to various health problems and affect mortality. Thus it is extremely crucial to introduce parrots to healthier foods that are high in Vitamin A.

Kacy, the Black Capped Conure eating carrot

Kacy, my Black Capped Conure loves carrots! I am really glad that she enjoys healthy fruits and vegetables, probably because I started introducing a wide variety of healthy foods to her when she’s at a young age.

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Kacy The Conure Likes Watermelon

Mum will always prepares and serves up fresh fruits after dinner for the family. Today, we had watermelon that Mum bought from the hypermart this morning. Kacy, the Black Capped Conure got a small serving of the watermelon too.

Kacy The Black Capped Conure enjoying a small serving of Watermelon

She simply loves it! She actually gobbled up her serving within minutes!

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Are Sunflower Seeds Bad for Parrots

Sunflower seeds have earned a bad reputation in the aviculture world. These seeds are labeled as fattening, and often blamed as the leading cause to serious health problems (like Nutritional Disorders, Fatty Liver Disease, Thyroid Dysplasia and Obesity) in parrots.

Kacy, the Black Capped Conure enjoying a sunflower seed

We often get advises from experienced aviculturists, telling us to avoid feeding sunflower seeds to our parrots, because these are unhealthy and lacks in nutritional value. Are sunflower seeds really bad for parrots?

I decided to find about the nutritional fact of sunflower seeds. I was totally dumb-founded with my findings.

Do you know sunflower seeds are excellent sources of various vitamins and minerals?

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Kacy the Conure Enjoys the Sun

It had been raining for days. The skies of early mornings were always covered with dark clouds. Kacy, the Black Capped Conure and I could hardly remember when was the last time we get to see bright sunshine in the morning?

On the Friday morning, bright sunshine greeted us through the windows. The gloomy mornings were finally over. We were really enchanted.

Kacy was exceptionally in high spirit! She dashed to the spot where the sun were actively shining at. And there she was enjoying the sun, having a full morning of indoor sunbathing.

Kacy completely enjoyed every minute every second under the sun!

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Wonders of Apple Cider Vinegar

Many might have heard before about Apple Cider Vinegar (also known as ACV for short) using as a home remedy to cure most ailment. It’s definitely true. ACV is far more effective than any other folk remedies.

A bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar for my parrot

Having to know about the benefits of ACV to the human health, I’ve decided to include ACV as a weekly maintenance to my Senegal Parrot, Kermit. Furthermore, ACV is made of natural ingredient and contains vitamins and minerals. Thus it can be a possible option as a health tonic for the companion parrot.

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Chamomile Flower as Stress Reliever

Herbal Remedies have been becoming more and more popular this day. Partly because many see the effective of long term usage of herbal remedies, furthermore they are natural and do not result in any negative side effects after prolong usage.

Previously I’ve mentioned about Kermit’s screaming problem, till now I figuring out an effective solution to minimize the problem. I don’t really wish to see Kermit turning into a screamer. Through my daily observation of Kermit, I noticed there are a few possibilities that lead Kermit into screaming:

1. Over-Bonding Issue (Whenever I’m out of sight, he will scream!)
2. Calls from other bird/flocks (Kermit’s scream most of time are triggered due to Kiki’s high-pitched calls)
3. Fear & Stress (It’s probably difficult to remedy due to unknown factors leading to fear & stress)

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Tags: Herbal Remedies, Natural Remedies

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To Cover or Not to Cover?

All parrots deserve a 10-12hours of total darkness and undisturbed sleep every night. Parrots having a proper sleep and rest throughout a night can prevent possible health problem and behavior problems.

Currently, there are all sorts of cage covers available in the market. Some owners may like the idea of covering the cages, some may not. It’s much more depending on each individual preference.

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Tags: Sleep Deprivation

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