Avian Care
Avian Care
HOOKBILL DIET
Your bird's diet should be as varied as possible. A pinch of multivitamin including minerals such as iodine, magnesium, copper and iron should be sprinkled on food daily. Nekton S, Prime and Super Preen are excellent vitamins. Your bird's diet should include food from the four food groups that we eat, pelleted diets such as LaFebers bird diet and a seed mix that contains very few sunflower seeds. You may be able to convert your bird onto pellets by feeding LaFebers Avicakes first. LaFeber's Avicakes are treats with pellets included. Then mix in LaFeber's pellets or other good pellet mixes with the seeds and human food. A good guideline is 1/3 human food, 1/3 pellets and 1/3 seeds.
Feed your bird one or two of the suggested foods in each food group daily. If your bird won't eat them at first, don't get discouraged, try,try again. Sometimes sharing a new food with your bird will make him or her more willing to try it.
PROTEIN is important for growing birds as well as those moulting or breeding. Good sources include cooked eggs, almonds, peanuts, boiled white or brown rice, cooked or canned beans (kidney, chick pea and lentils), cooked chicken and zupreem (primate biscuits) or parrot chow.
CARBOHYDRATES provide many of the B vitamins and minerals. Good sources include pasta, bread, Cheerios, oats, boiled rice, cooked corn-on-the-cob and potatoes.
VEGETABLES that are dark orange, yellow or red provide vitamin A and dark green vegetables provide calcium. Good sources include carrots, carrot tops, beets, beet greens, Swiss chard, broccoli, green and red peppers, cooked squash (summer, butternut or acorn), parsley, thyme, cilantro, spinach, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens (sold at grocery store- there may be pesticides on outdoor harvested greens), watercress and chicory. Frozen mixed vegetables may also be used.
FRUITS provide vitamin C among others and all types may be fed. Remember to remove the pits from cherries.
DO NOT FEED: AVOCADO, EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS OR CHOCOLATE
Always provide fresh water by cleaning and changing the water daily; if you wouldn't drink it, neither should your bird!
In addition to providing proper care and nutrition, an annual physical exam including bloodwork, a fecal gram stain and an avian polyomavirus vaccine is the best way to keep your companion bird healthy.
BEWARE!
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR BIRDS HEALTH.
DO NOT USE...
GRIT, MITE PROTECTORS or SANDPAPER PERCH COVERS
