Please Help A Desperate Person In Need.

[Lisa B]

Just some general advice on some Do Nots on a Bird's Diet by ~ PowerBBS

1) Chocolates:

Chocolates are toxic to birds. Do not offer them any. Even small amounts can kill them. Veterinarians have confirmed that small traces of chocolates in birds can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and death.

2) Avocado:

Some bird owners claim that their birds have eaten avocado and survived. Some have died. Why chance it? It's not certain if the black part of the avocado, skin or pit is the cause of the poison - but there are many other food items to feed your birds instead of taking a chance with avocados. Avoid them completely.

3) Onions:

Questions have been raised about the danger of feeding birds raw onions. There has been studies to confirm that onions damage red blood cells in certain animals; although not confirmed with birds. Until more research is done, put onions on your "prohibited" list.

4) Fruit Pits & Seeds:

When you feed your birds an apple, discard the seeds. Same with oranges, grapes (seedless will be easier), dates, and any other fruit that contain them. Fruits, in general, contain a lot of sugar and should only be fed in limited amounts. But when you do feed them, make sure you remove the pits & seeds.

5) Milk Products:

Birds are not able to digest more than just little amounts of lactose. Veterinarians have confirmed that birds are lactose intolerant past a certain level, and will have diarrhea when fed foods that are high in lactose content. As such, avoid dairy products that contain high amounts of lactose. Therefore, do not feed milk to birds, nor use milk in your birds' diets/recipes.

(Many people confuse high lactose foods for all dairy products. That is not the case. Eggs have no lactose, and cheese have trace amounts of them, being that cheese is processed food and the manufacturing of it removes the lactose. Cheese and eggs fed in moderation are healthy for birds).

6) Caffeine:

Caffeine is known to be dangerous to birds. This will include caffeinated coffee, teas and sodas. Please don't feed them to your birds.

7) Alcohol:

As obvious as it sounds, please do not feed alcohol to birds.

8) Food with molds and fungi:

This may also be obvious, but sometimes it's not easy to notice. Improperly stored seeds, grains and even peanuts can become contaminated with fungi and molds. Molds and fungi can produce toxic substances. These toxins can remain in the food long after the fungus that produced them have died, and some can remain toxic even after the food has been cooked. Always examine any food you offer your pet birds and make sure that it has no signs of mold.

9) Foods high in fat, salt and sugar:

What do you know.... the same things that humans should avoid! Keep your birds away from these. Canned vegetables are high in salt, so are some snack foods like potato chips and crackers. Some species, like Macaws, do require higher fat intake than other bird species, so check with your veterinarian on the right amounts of fats your bird should consume. For most birds, a pelleted diet and balanced human diets should contain enough fat for their needs.

10) Tobacco:

You don't necessarily feed these, but tobacco is on this list because your birds will unwillingly consume it if you smoke around them. Smoke will painfully kill your birds. Please take this seriously. Do not smoke around your birds, or in the house that your birds live in. Birds' lungs are far smaller than humans and withstand a whole lot less. Birds that are exposed to smoke suffer breathing and respiratory problems, which can lead to behavioral problems, feather plucking, other illness and death. Birds naturally do not exhibit signs of bad health and will suffer for a long time before the symptoms are present. By the time a bird looks ill, the matter is serious and most often non-curable. Avoid tobacco around your birds, completely.
__________________

[Lisa B]

Please note that the items marked with an * are especially toxic to birds and can be fatal.
Toxic foods are foods that can cause allergies and/or health problems in birds. Anything high in sugar or salt is inappropriate, as are fatty foods. More serious are things such as chocolate, which is toxic to many pets. Caffeinated or alcoholic beverages are also dangerous.

- Acorns
- Alcohol
- Almonds (plant-pan allergen profilin can cause serious reaction in some birds)
- Alocasia
- *Amaryllis Bulb
- Angel's Trumpet (some species), seeds, leaves
- Apple Seeds (small quantities ok)
- *Apricot (seeds, wood)
- Arrowgrass
- *Autumn Crocus
- *Avocado (leaves, seeds, stem, skin)
- Azalea (entire rhododendron family)
- Baneberry
- Bayonet
- Beargrass
- *Begonia
- Bird of Paradise
- Bitter Almonds*
- Bittersweet
- Black-eyed Susan
- Black Locust
- *Bleeding Heart
- Bluebonnet
- Bloodrot
- Box
- Boxwood
- Bracken fern
- Buckeye
- Buckthorn
- Burning Bush
- Buttercup (Ranunculus)
- Caffeine
- *Caladium
- *Calla Lily
- Canada Yew
- Candelabra
- Cactus
- *Castor Beans
- Ceriman
- Cherry (seeds, wood)
- Chinaberry
- *Chinese Sacred or Heavenly Bamboo
- Chocolate
- *Choke Cherry (unripe berries)
- Christmas Rose
- Chrysanthemum
- Clematis
- Coriaria
- Cornflower
- Corydalis
- Crocus bulb
- Croton (Codiaeum sp.)
- Crown of Thorns
- Cyclamen bulb
- Daffodil
- Daphne
- Datura
- Deadly Nightshade
- Death Camas
- *Delphinium, larkspur, monkshood
- Dicentrea
- Dieffenbachia
- *Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia)
- Easter Lily
- Eggplant
- Elderberry (unripe berries)
- Elephant Ear
- English ivy
- Fig (Ficus)
- Euonymus
- Evergreen Ferns
- Ficus
- Flax
- Four-o'clocks (Mirabilis)
- Foxglove (Digitalis)
- *Garlic (safe for birds in SMALL amounts)
- Golden Glow
- Gopher Purge
- Hellebore
- Hemlock
- Henbane
- Holly berries
- Honeysuckle
- Horsebeans
- Horsebrush
- Horse Chestnut
- Hyacinth bulbs
- *Hydrangea
- Iris corms
- Iris Ivy
- *Jack-in-the-pulpit
- Japanese Yew
- Java Beans
- Jessamine
- Jerusalem Cherry
- *Jimson weed
- Jonquil
- Jungle Trumpets
- *Kalanchoe
- *Lantana
- Larkspur
- Laurel
- Lily
- Lily-of-the-Valley
- Lily Spider
- Lobelia (some species), all parts
- Locoweed
- Lupine species
- Malanga
- Marigold
- *Marijuana or hemp (Cannibus)
- *Milkweed
- *Mistletoe berries
- Mock Orange
- Monkshood
- *Morning Glory
- Mountain Laurel
- Mushrooms
- Narcissus, daffodil
- Nettles
- Nectarine (seeds, wood)
- Nightshade
- *Oak
- *Oleander
- *Onions (toxic to birds, small amount ok)
- Peace Lilly
- *Peach (seeds, wood)
- *Pencil cactus plant
- Peony
- Periwinkle
- Peyote Cactus
- *Philodendron (all species)
- Pimpernel
- Plum (seeds, wood)
- Poinciana
- Poinsettia (many hybrids, avoid them all)
- Poison Ivy
- Poison Oak
- Pokeweed
- Poppy
- Potato (green seed balls, green tubers; plant, leaves and stem)
- Precatory beans
- Privet
- Rhododendron
- *Rhubarb leaves
- *Rosary Pea
- Rubber Plant
- Schefflera (umbrella plant)
- Scotch Broom
- Schefflera
- *Shamrock (Oxalis sp.)
- Skunk Cabbage
- Snowdrops
- Snow-on-the-Mountain
- Spindle Tree, Euonymus (some species), leaves, fruit, bark
- Spreading English Yew
- Spurge (Euphorbia sp.)
- Staggerweed
- Starleaf
- Star of Bethlehem
- Sweet Pea - Lathyrus latifolius - L.: Although no records of toxicity have been found for this plant, the seed of some species in this genus contain a toxic amino acid that can cause a severe disease of the nervous system known as 'lathyrism' if they are eaten in large amounts (although small quantities are said to be nutritious)[65, 76]. Great caution is advised.Plants For A Future - 7000 useful plants
- Tansy Mustard
- Tobacco
- Tomatoes (leaves and stem)
- Tuffroot
- Tulip
- Virginia Creeper
- Walnut hulls
- Water Arum
- Weeping Fig
- Wild Call Wisteria
- Wild Calla
- Wisteria
- Yellow Calla
- *Yew

[Lisa B]

Signs of Illness

Early signs of illness are often not recognized by the pet owner. Birds survival instincts have made them masters of disguise. In the wild a sick bird will attempt to maintain a normal appearance for as long as possible,so it is not banned from the flock or attacked by preditors. By the time any signs of illness are apparent, the bird may have been ill for some time.

While there are definite signs of illness it can still sneak up on you. Little things change over time that can be easily explained. Your bird may become grumpy, and you attribute it to hormones or not enough sleep.

You know your bird better than anyone. If something about their behavior or demeanor is sending up a red flags to you, go with your instinct, and consult with your vet. Write down the changes you noticed so you dont forget once you are at the vets.

It’s very important to observe droppings. Number, volume, color and consistency should be noted. Watch for any decrease in the total number or volume, change of color, increased water content, decrease in feces with increased urates or an increase in urine.

Keep a close eye on any abnormal droppings but don’t become overly alarmed at the odd colored ones, as it maybe the result of coloring in foods that have been eaten such as beets or Pellets. A more watery dropping may be attributed to consuming a high water content piece of fruit. But if droppings are consistently ‘not right’ for 24 hours , you want to consider calling your Vet.

Here are some links to poopology

Poopology - Bird Droppings

ParrotChronicles.com

Poop-ology

Parrot Poopology 101

Signs to pay attention to;

Prolonged molt or continual presence of pin feathers
Feather picking
Shifting of feet
Lameness
Stain or debris in feathers over the nostrils
Crusty material in the nostrils
Loss of feathers or swelling around the eye
Excessive sneezing
Excessive clearing of the ears
Excessive scratching at head
Overgrowth of beak or nails
Baldness
Decreased or excessive food or water consumption.
Change in attitude, personality or behavior
Decreased activity
Decreased talking/singing
Increased sleeping
Change in appearance or posture - ruffled feathers
Weakness, inability to stand
Staying on the bottom of the cage,
Sitting low on the perch
Drooping wings
Convulsions.
Change of respiration
Noticeable breathing movement (tail bobbing or gasping for breath)
Heavy breathing after exertion
Change in voice
Respiratory sounds such as sneezing,gurgling, wheezing or clicking
Change in weight or general body condition
Enlargement or swelling of the body
Injury or bleeding.
Vomiting
Discharge from nostrils, eyes or mouth.

[Lisa B]

sites/books/toymakers of interest.


The Alex Foundation Home Page

Welcome to Africangreys.com

For The Love of Greys by Bobbi Brinker - African Grey books and African Grey DVDs from Avian Publications.

About African Grey Parrots ~ Grey's World's Version

BIRDS COME FIRST - BIRD CARE

AFRICAN GREY Parrot

[Lisa B]

And most important....get aquainted with your local Avian Vet.
If you pm me your location, I can look one up for you.
Its important to keep this information in a place that everyone in your house has access. Take a dry run to the office so you know the location. Call and find out the fees. Find out who they use as an after hours and emergency referal.

[karyd]

Please accept my sincere condolences on the loss of your father. It sounds as though he left behind a very special bird. And how fortunate that you are looking toward making her your own.

African Greys are wonderful birds and I am confident that, given the time to grieve over his loss, yours will become a great companion to you. God bless you and Sweety.

Kathleen
and
Angel, Goffin
Bailey, African Grey Parrot
Crispian, Cockatoo
Fergie, Blue & Gold Macaw
Mario, Conure
and
as yet unnamed, an Eastern Rosella

[Courtzrocks]

Why is it that every bird i really want is so expensive here in australia....GRRR!!

[greencinacheeks]

dunno...but if i could switch and move down there i WOULD!!!!

:D

!Nate

[HomerMAC]

This is fantastic information. I thank you once again. I feel like I can be a master of care for my little lady.

Im priniting all this onto a little booklet as i type this.

LISA B I sent you a PM.

[Ashling]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm in school too and I have a lory- She's out most of the time I'm home and she gets along fine with that.