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The Myth of the "Table food Diet"
In her article "Parrot Diets & The 'Idiot Factor'" [Pet Bird Report Issue #26], Blanchard commented on the variety of food stocked in pet super store bird departments -- 95% seed mixes and only a couple of types of pellets. She felt this was proof that the average bird owner in this country still feeds a substandard diet, and I agree. If more bird owners fed pellets, then they would demand that these stores stock in a better variety of pellets. Unfortunately, the same is true of human diets in this country -- a brief perusal of the menu in a fast food restaurant or the shelves of the average grocery store will not leave a person with a comfortable feeling that the average American is eating a balanced diet. On the contrary. Consequently, the best avian vets in my area no longer recommend feeding table food to a bird at all. They have realized how nutritionally poor most table food is in this country. Instead, they recommend feeding a good quality pellet along with vegetables high in vitamin A. Besides the food already mentioned, other vita-min A-rich foods would include: red chili peppers (dried are better than fresh), cantaloupe, beef liver, egg yolks, papaya, carrots and mango.
A number of times, I have boarded parrots that are on a base diet of "table food," and I‘m really uncomfortable with that. I don’t feel that I know enough about nutrition to be able to provide a balanced diet of just table food. To quote Dr. Brue, again [R, H&H p. 65]:
"Just as providing complete, through veterinary care is impossible without proper training, so is the formulation of a properly balanced, complete diet. The formulation, development and production of a diet is surprisingly complex due to the large number of nutrient interactions, the differing bioavailabilities of nutrients from different ingredients and the difficulty of procuring and administering micronutrients into the diet. A well formulated, properly balanced diet represents a precise combination of over 40 nutrients, sometimes provided by just as many different ingredients."
Conclusions….. FINALLY
So all of this babbling boils down to rather simple stuff. Don’t assume that you are feeding a good diet – really analyze not only what you are putting in your bird’s bowl, but what he is actually consuming. Look at the volumes he eats in terms of how big he really is. There is absolutely nothing wrong with treats or even junk food, as long as the volumes are sensible. Don’t undermine a good pelleted diet with too much junk or too many treats. It is your responsibility as an educated parrot companion, to make sure that your little friend is eating a balanced diet, so that (s)he can enjoy the maximum potential life span with the best possible health.
This article was first printed, in part, in THE PET BIRD REPORT, Issue #31 Vol. 6 No. 5
Liz Wilson, Certified Veterinary Technician, has been assisting pet bird owners with parrot behavior problems for several years through lectures, phone consultations, and house calls in the Greater Philadelphia area.
She can be reached at (215) 946-5964 9AM - 9PM M-F
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