Parrot nutrition: how and why
The adage, “You are what you eat.” is as true for captive birds as for humans. Parrots in captivity cannot go to the store, prepare their food or provide for their welfare. That is the responsibility of the caregiver.
There is an abundance of misinformation out there regarding avian nutrition and this article will help caregivers learn a nutritious way to feed their bird(s).
Feeding Feathers, a Yahoo group, provides a mash recipe that is the most current and accurate example of a nutrient dense diet.
A mash consisting of organic food in a ratio of 2:1 mixed whole grains (choose from quinoa, teff, barley, amaranth, kamut, millet, or any other grains your health food store may carry in the bulk section) to legumes (red, green or French lentils, adzuki or mung beans) soaked twelve to fifteen hours to eliminate the phytic acid in the grains and anti nutrients in the legumes, rinsed well and cooked, produces a perfect amino acid protein chain that is lacking in most parrot diets.
Animal protein is not necessary or advised. Mash can be frozen in four-five day portions. At the time of serving, at least two dark green leafy greens (dandelion, kale, bok choy, spinach, beet greens, carrot tops, mustard, collards, fennel, rappini, broccoli or other nutrient rich greens), and two orange veggies (carrots, any orange winter squash including canned pumpkin, orange bell peppers and other orange veggies) are added, so there is roughly a fifty-fifty proportion of mash (grains/legumes) to the veggies.
Add one quarter to one half teaspoon of chia seeds (depending on size of bird) to provide omega 3 fatty acids and a small amount of a powdered green food like Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw Organic Green Superfood. Be certain your choice does not contain lead. Chop or mince very well.
A small amount of fruit can be added or presented for foraging later in the day. Variations to this recipe can be found in the Feeding Feathers files but learn the basic mash recipe before making changes. Feeding bowls of “chopped” random bits of whatever is on sale or in season, will result in malnutrition and is very dangerous. Don't do that to your bird.
Serve once or twice a day knowing every bite is nutrient rich and that your bird(s) is being fed the most nutritious organic food available, thereby promoting excellent health and happiness.
May compassion prevail.
The ABC of parrot behavior
All living beings are learners and we all behave. How we behave is determined in large part by the consequence of our behavior. If we like the consequence (what happens because of the behavior) then we are more likely to repeat the behavior. Consequences teach us and give us feedback. If we don't like it, we tend to change the behavior. Here's an example we all know. If you touch a hot stove, get burnt and end up dancing all about the kitchen, you are likely to avoid touching a hot stove in the future because the consequence of touching it was pain. We learned it hurts to touch a hot stove and we will now avoid repeating that particular behavior in order to avoid the consequence of pain. We all do this. If a behavior doesn't get us something we feel is rewarding, we do not repeat it.
It's the same with parrots and behavior.
Some parrots in captivity may exhibit less than desirable behaviors (only unacceptable because they are living in homes, rather than in the forest or jungle) like screaming, screeching, calling, biting, nipping, chasing and more. What we want to understand here is that there is an effective and humane way to teach new behaviors that can then replace undesired ones. This is a win/win process, possible by applying the scientific principles of behavior change from the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Positive reinforcement is our most powerful teaching tool.
Let's look at the ABC that describes the basic behavior unit. A is the Antecedent. B is the Behavior. C is the Consequence of the behavior. To use this tool we must hone our observation skills and our thinking. First we identify the Behavior. Next we look at whatever happens immediately before the Behavior that sets the stage for the Behavior to occur. That is called the Antecedent. Then we look at the result of the Behavior and that is called the Consequence. The consequence serves a purpose; it gives the behavior function. ABC.
We will not use labels such as, 'he's mad' or 'she doesn't like', or anything that is an assumption about what the bird is thinking. We cannot know what a bird is thinking, even if you think you can, you can't. We want to look at observable behaviors like 'he leans back and flares his tail', or 'she lunges at me with her wings outstretched', or 'he screams when I leave the room'. Actions are what we want to describe. Repeatable, observable actions. After we describe the Behavior (action) we describe the observable Consequence. Example: 'I go back into the room when he screams', 'I slam the cage door and leave the room', or 'he throws himself to the bottom of the cage and screams.'
Once we understand the Antecedent, the Behavior and the Consequence relationship we can move forward to change the Behavior by either changing the Consequence of said behavior or the Antecedent that are the circumstances that set the stage for the Behavior to occur.
Functional assessment is what we call this examination of what the heck is going on between behavior and the environment that supports it. The process is always about observable, repeatable actions in observable, repeatable conditions.
One of the most important aspects of this assessment is learning what kinds of 'things' (consequences) are rewarding to the bird be they physical objects like toys or food treats like a bit of air popped popcorn or a tickle on the neck, or actions like ringing a bell or chewing on a wooden toy. Every bird is an individual and the rewards will be different from bird to bird. But once you have a few rewards that are specific to that particular bird, you are well on your way to working with your bird in order to change or teach a desired Behavior to replace the unwanted Behavior.
We will look at the methodology of replacing behavior and more in future articles, but in the meantime please click here to read the first two articles by Dr. Susan Friedman.
Or read more than the first two if you like as you delve into the wonderful world of win/win Positive Reinforcement for you and your bird.
If you have a problem behavior give the assessment process a whirl and see if you can determine what sets the stage for the behavior (the antecedent), what the exact behavior is that you wish to change (remembering it is an observable action or set of actions), and the consequence (the purpose) of those actions for the bird.
May compassion prevail.
Parrot biting, body language and preventing the bite
The parrot beak; formidable, powerful, dangerous, wondrous. And it hurts like crazy when it pierces our skin. Just why do parrots bite? In the words of Susan Friedman, Ph.D, “Most biting, regardless of situation, is to remove intruding hands that cannot be removed any other way. Birds learn to bite to communicate 'no' because we don’t listen to lesser communications of 'no'.” I try to explain to people that every animal has a right to say 'no', so, if you don’t want them saying 'no' with a bite, what behavior are you willing to take?”
What we want to learn in this article is how to prevent the bite, but first we need to know what an impending bite might look like.
Red-tailed grey. Here we have a fluffed-up, aggressively postured creature who will bite any fingers that come within striking distance, even if they pass by accidentally. The reason for this posture may not be clear, but we must honor it nevertheless. No one wants to indulge this bird's readiness to bite so we will not force any fingers or hands upon him until those feathers go down, and then we will be very careful what we choose to do next.
To prevent any possible bite, we will want to use something that he can grab with that beak of his and will make biting impossible since his beak is otherwise occupied. In behavior analysis work this is called DRI. Differential Reinforcement with an Incompatible Behavior. Learn about positive reinforcement from Dr. Friedman’s Learning and Living with Parrots class. That was a hint…
Next is the gorgeous yellow-naped amazon. This amazon is not approachable… don’t even think about it. The eyes are pinned, wings up a little, forehead feathers up, the tail is fanned and the feet are in a wide stance. For the most part amazons let you know when they are willing to bite... and this one is definitely ready.
Mattie the Moluccan. We can never know what a bird is thinking (even though we think we do) and we describe their thoughts with labels that are likely to have nothing to do with what they are actually thinking. And we will never know of course, we cannot know. But let's analyze this bird's body language and say that this moluccan cockatoo is very surprised and a bit fearful. Feathers are up and away from the body, crest is slightly elevated and wings and mouth are being held open feet in a wide stance. Based on experience, research and observation, it’s a pretty accurate intrepretation.
This is a bird that we don’t want to try to pick up. She is in a focused moment and is possibly defensive. We just want to keep our fingers to ourselves until things calm down, by the perceived threat being removed from close proximity. If this expression is the result of introducing a new toy, then introduce it more slowly and from farther away and keep your hands to yourself until the bird's body language says it’s ready for something closer.
Do you know what that might look like? Maybe leaning toward the initially offending object, looking at it, or trying to reach for it or not leaning back, raising feathers or wings when it's moved closer. Each bird is different and their expression of interest will be different.
Here with our beautiful Hawk-headed parrot we can see the same sort of thing. Feathers up, crest up, tail fanned, wings held away from the body, feet far apart in a stable stance. This is a common fear/surprise reaction in almost all birds, and when you see it, keep your body parts to yourself.
There are other forms of fear biting, one being displacement biting. That is when a bird bites something (like the person holding it) because he/she cannot bite the object it wants to bite. If the object that is objected to is near enough, the bitor will leap with glee onto the bitee whenever possible and bite the nearest flesh… hard. If you see signs of puffed feathers and pinned eyes while holding a bird, turn away from the offending object or person promptly.
Also, unless you really, really know your bird, never hand off your bird, or any other bird to another person, because it’s a good way for you to get bitten. Most birds do not appreciate being handed off, especially not to just anyone, even if they ‘look’ like they want to step off. Some birds are just fine with it, so once again learn about your bird’s body language. The preferred method of having a bird move from one person to another is by placing it on a perch and having the other person offer their hand or arm and carefully observe whether a foot is lifted for a step up or if the bird is leaning back so far it's about to fall off the perch. Do not insist.
Here’s another comment from Dr. Friedman: “To prevent biting 1) give the bird an acceptable alternative way to communicate 'no' by backing away when the bird does that behavior, and 2) teach the bird that approaching you results in great outcomes for the bird so it chooses to draw you in. Shaping birds to step onto hands by reinforcing small approximations works great because done well, it results in a high rate of reinforcement.” By the way, pinned eyes can also mean excitement or joy. They aren’t a given for a bite, but you need to know the difference.
This Yellow-crowned parrot is exhibiting exploratory biting. The bird takes a chomp of whatever it is, often a finger, to feel and test it for biteability perhaps. It's not agression based. But it’s different from nibbling. Nibbling feels good and is soft and gentle. A bite is a bite is a bite and does not feel good, especially if it pierces our tender flesh and bleeds as we yell while making haste toward the bathroom for a band aid. Nibbling isn’t like that at all. Nibbling is lovely.
Mattie Moonbeam, a tiny moluccan cockatoo (pronounced mo-luck-an) is very territorial as are many birds, especially large cockatoos. There is not actually an image of her biting because it’s not the sort of thing one plans for and there are no volunteers. But there is territorial biting and it generally means that the bird is protecting it’s perceived territory from you the perceived intruder.
Mattie is saying something like, “Hi, this is my floor and you’re feet are on it. I’m in charge here and I make all the rules, so just in case you’re inclined to doubt that, I will give you a painful bite on your toe or your ankle just to prove it. Then watch me run back to a safe place where I can shout and scream about how I 'gotcha'!” It’s an imaginative translation of course, but it’s very close. One cannot know what she’s thinking, but we can see her body language and that speaks volumes.
We also know that when Mattie tilts her head to the side and looks at her victim with that twinkle in her eye (Can you see the twinkle?), she is also waiting for just the right moment to bite the victim’s ankle or toes. Her timing is impeccable and that look of innocence is never to be trusted in these circumstances because it’s only a lure for the victim to relax and be caught offguard. Ouch.
She does it by being all cute and harmless looking, sweet and alluring, then bam! she bites the nearest flesh and shrieks in joy on the hysterical run back to her cage, only to climb it with her feathers and crest all raised, rocking side to side in excitement. When strangers come to visit, Mattie is now placed into her cage with lots of positive reinforcement and enrichment for the duration of the visit.
Outside her home she will go to everyone and gently cuddle against them. It’s just in her home she is dangerous to strangers. Many birds are territorial. Remember, you want to design the environment for success… always! Now, in Mattie's home there are no bites, no blood and no yelling.
To avoid this type of bite, keep your feet off the floor and your fingers out of cages. Just make sure your host or hostess has their bird who is known to be a territorial biter, in a cage or another room before you walk into the bird’s territory.
Respect and honor your birds, love them to bits, feed them the best organic food and mash you can, give them as much out of the cage time as possible, tons of enrichment and learn their body language. Observe them. Spend time doing nothing more than watching them. You will learn so much that you did not know. This will give you the greatest opportunity to prevent biting and caregive a healthy, happy, cherished bird in a long, loving relationship.
May compassion prevail.
The truth about red palm oil
Fads come and go in the parrot world just like everywhere else. One of them that's coming back around yet again is red palm oil. Let's set the record straight on this once and for all.
Pass it around and tell your friends. Post it on Facebook and Twitter.
Please.
Palm oil is saturated fat. Don't give it to your birds.
There has never been a study of red palm oil and parrots to date. That's pretty telling right there that if there has been no research, there cannot be results, and without data, there can be no valid information.
There are several companies that are promoting the use of red palm oil because they sell it to make a profit. They are making fraudulent claims. How can there be any validity [to these claims] when there have been no studies and subsequently no proof? So it's wise to not believe claims that have no proof.
Some say it has a balance of fatty acids and it does have omega 9 fatty acids which are NOT essential and for all anyone knows could be dangerous. It contains NO OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS... the very fatty acids that our birds DO NEED. It contains beta-carotene, but so do carrots, mangos, winter squashes and other orange foods that do not contain saturated fat. Let's feed those instead. Our birds should not be given saturated fat. More birds are dying of heart disease than ever before. Why would you risk the good health of your family member for something they do not need?
One major company that should be ashamed of itself for making a lot of untrue claims and compares their oil's stability to flax oil which is like claiming (alluding to) that it has omega 3's. which it does not. There are far superior choices for omega 3's like flax and chia seed or flax oil (which is sensitive to air and light) making the seeds a better choice. Also, chia is stable as well as minuscule and mixes in well with food so the birds eat it when mixed into their mash.
Here's some information from Wikipedia about the horrifically negative environmental impact of clearing forests to grow palm oil.
"Environmental impact of palm oil"
Palm oil production has been documented as a cause of substantial and often irreversible damage to the natural environment.[57] Its impacts include: deforestation, habitat loss of critically endangered species such as theOrangutan[58][59][60][61] and Sumatran Tiger,[62][63] and a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.[64]
The pollution is exacerbated because many rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia[65] lie atop peat bogs that store great quantities of carbon that are released when the forests are cut down and the bogs drained to make way for plantations.
Many of the major companies in the vegetable oil economy participate in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which is trying to address this problem, though their efforts so far have done almost nothing to change or slow the escalating situation and have been likened to green-washing.
Here is a wonderful article by Nancy Roberts about the global human and animal impact of growing palm oil.
In other words... the clearing of forests, the planting and growing of oil palm plantations is destroying everything in its path. INCLUDING desperately needed habitat for our birds and other endangered animals. Devastating deforestation. Wanton destruction akin to that of the worst tornado imaginable. Nothing left. No trees, plants or animals. Environment gone. Habitats gone. No trees to provide oxygen and homes to other living beings especially the orangutangs and birds. Nothing. We are not likely to ever see old growth forests on this earth again... no one will ever let a tree get that old again.
To wrap up: your parrot's body does NOT require palm oil. Your parrot should not be fed palm oil. There is no reason to use it. The claims of benefits by companies who sell it are fraudulent and unproven. Beta carotene should come from sources like orange veggies and fruit, not saturated fat. It has no omega 3's. The saturated fat could be deadly for your parrot. The clearing and growth process is killing everything in its path, throwing people into extreme poverty and exacerbating global warming.
May compassion prevail.
Extinction for Unwanted Behavior Part 1
In this article we address two different scenarios both having similar ‘target behaviors’. A target behavior is defined as a behavior that the caregiver of the bird wants to increase or decrease. For instance, a bird may have the annoying behavior of screaming, the screaming would be the target behavior that the caregiver wants to decrease.
Similarly the bird may exhibit a desirable behavior like singing, which the caregiver feels would enhance the bird’s enjoyment, and therefore wants to reinforce. That behavior, the singing, would be the target behavior the caregiver wants to increase.
Each and every individual, whether animal, bird or human will react in its own unique way to a stimulus. The reaction will depend on the innate species characteristics, past personal experiences, and their current environment.
Our first example is of Emily, and her Goffin’s cockatoo, and the process of extinction.
Emily hand raised Sparky from an unweaned baby. Emily was led to believe that the bird was weaned, having been told this by an un-reputable dealer. This was Emily’s first parrot. Once Sparky was old enough to perch properly, Emily started putting her to bed in her cage at night.
Sparky was only 6 weeks old but she screamed for hours that first night, and on the second night Emily rushed in to hold her, comfort her and walk around with her saying “shhhh” just like one does with a new baby. Not to mention the fact that Emily’s husband and son were complaining about the screaming. This was a new baby for Emily and since that’s what she did with her son when he was a baby, she thought that that was what you did with a baby bird.
When Sparky got really sleepy sometime around midnight she would put her back into her cage and Sparky would sleep quietly throughout the rest of the night. This ‘arrangement’ lasted about 2 years. The longer Emily waited to comfort her, the longer Sparky screamed.
At this point Emily decided that the screaming had to stop, not only was she not getting any sleep, but the rest of the household was awakened each time Sparky screamed. That summer, Emily decided to ignore the screaming completely to see if ignoring it and not going to Sparky would make Sparky decrease the screaming, or stop it altogether.
It took about two weeks for the screaming to diminish to acceptable natural levels, with this new arrangement lasting about three years. But during the latter part of the third year, Emily ‘s son started coming home well after Sparky’s bedtime and awakening her. Once awakened Sparky began screaming.
By now Emily had rescue birds and one in particular, Pepper the Umbrella cockatoo, didn’t appreciate being awakened by Sparky’s screaming. As a matter of fact, because of Sparky’s screaming, Pepper would start screaming. There’s nothing like the scream of an upset cockatoo.
Emily had a few choices. Ignore Sparky’s screaming and the resulting screams of Pepper, go to Sparky and get her to quiet down for the sake of the household and the neighbors, loosing sleep in the process, or… take Sparky into the bedroom and let her sleep on her tree all night, so she could be near Emily, which is what Sparky wanted in the first place. Emily chose the latter and as it happens, that was not the right choice.
After a few years of this Emily’s husband encouraged her to try to get Sparky to sleep in her own cage again instead of the bedroom. No one consulted Sparky and she wasn’t up for the idea. No way, no how. When Emily put Sparky into her cage at night Sparky made sure Emily knew just what she thought about this new turn of events. Emily knew a lot more about birds and behavior at this point, but she was still wrapped around Sparky’s cute little toe. So…
For the first two weeks Sparky screamed for 2 hours 45 minutes and louder during the last 15 mins of the last two days. The next two weeks Sparky screamed for 1 hour 15 mins, louder for the last 15 minutes of the session. The next week and a half Sparky screamed between 15 – 30 mins, and the last few days the screaming lasted for only a few minutes with a break, and again for a few minutes.
It appears that ignoring Sparky’s screaming is decreasing the amount of screaming that she does. Soon Sparky will realize that screaming is not achieving the desired result and the screaming will decrease even more. Extinction doesn’t eliminate screaming but it can reduce screaming to the level it was performed before Emily started giving attention to it inadvertently increasing it.At the time of this writing the screaming has now decreased to just one good bellow and then silence.
We should add here that although Emily tried to distract Sparky from screaming with toys, food, bits of wood and other things, Sparky wanted no part of anything but being with Emily.
Sparky’s attention needs are met during the day when Sparky follows Emily around and often gets picked up and played with. All Sparky ever wants is just to be on Emily. She catches Emily’s attention by jumping up and down and by doing cockatoo talk, or even jumping onto Emily when Emily walks by her cage.
Now let’s examine this scenario, and we will see how Emily reinforced the target behavior of screaming.
Emily puts Sparky to bed. Sparky screams. Emily rushes in to comfort her. Sparky is getting what she wants, Rose’s attention. The more she screams, the more attention she gets, hey, Sparky is thinking this is very cool!! To Sparky nothing is wrong here, she is getting all the drama and attention she wants. Life is good. Emily is reinforcing the screaming, the very behavior she wants to decrease.
Emily finally gets fed up with the noise and decides to ignore the screaming. Emily withholds the reinforcement (attention). Sparky doesn’t understand what is happening now, screaming always used to get Emily to run right in and give her attention.
Sparky tries as hard as she can to convince Emily to run to her by screaming longer and louder, but Emily still ignores the screaming. Thank heaven for ear plugs. Gradually as our example shows, Sparky realizes that the screaming is not working and eventually her screaming decreases, much to the relief of Emily, the rest of the household, and especially Pepper.
In ignoring the screaming and withholding the reinforcement, Emily used the technique of extinction. Extinction is theremoval of reinforcement to decrease an unwanted behavior. In Emily’s case she removed the attention. However, if Emily had not been consistent and had sometimes rushed in to Sparky, the procedure would not have worked and Sparky would have continued to scream, knowing that screaming works to get what she wants, even if only intermittently.
Once again, extinction does not eliminate a behavior. The behavior only decreases to the point that it was at before the reinforcement was first introduced. For example, although Sparky will now sleep through the night most nights, she will still scream on occasion just as she did before Emily introduced the reinforcement.
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