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Many thanks
to Mary and Terry Arnold allowing me to use this wonderful information
as found on Sparky's Home Page. Diet and Basic Care:There are many fine articles written by well known veterinarians and bird care specialists on the proper diet for exotic birds. Some suggest that a pelleted diet is best. Others recommend seeds, supplemented with fresh fruits and veggies. We believe a varied diet consisting of pellets, seeds, fruits, veggies and table food is the best combination. Remember that birds are scavengers in the wild and, as such, eat a variety of foods. After all, how would you like to eat a pelleted meal every day, for the rest of your life? Healthy, or not, it is simply boring!!!!! Many of our pets tend to be picky eaters, preferring to eat only a few things. However, with patience and persistence, the birds can be taught to accept other foods in their diet. This might be accomplished by allowing your bird to eat at the dinner table with you. (This is also a marvelous bonding technique!) By observing what you are eating, their inquisitive nature will take over. Soon your bird will be eating new foods. This is similiar to how young birds in the wild are taught by the flock to eat beneficial foods. Most birds will eventually learn that a variety of foods is much more appealing than eating the same thing day after day. If you are trying to replace one food with another, gradually increase the new food while decreasing the old food until the old food item has been eliminated. There are some foods which have proven to be toxic to birds. Namely, chocolate and avocados. Salty foods, sweets and dairy products are hard on a bird's digestive system, thus should be offered sparingly. Having said that, I must admit that Sparky's favorite foods are cookies and cheese. A small bitesize cookie or piece of cheese is a special treat on occasion. Just be sure the "occasions" don't become a daily occurrence! Our birds' regular daily diet consists of the following: large hookbill seed mix (no sunflower seeds), Exact rainbow pellets, fresh fruits and vegetables. Cooked rice and pasta are also offered, together with other "healthy" table foods. Several times a month the birds are given a half-cup of grey sunflower seeds in a separate dish. If added to their regular seed mix, they tend to eat only the sunflower seeds. However, when offered separately, they will eat both. For this reason, we buy the large hookbill mix without sunflower seeds. The mixes which contain sunflower seeds seem to have too great a proportion of sunflower seeds. I believe the sunflower seed is beneficial and enjoyable to the birds, however, because of the high fat content and addictiveness in some birds, it should be limited. The exception to this rule applies to baby birds. Because they are still growing, they can be fed a diet higher in fat. One favorite of our babies is whole wheat bread spread with peanut butter. When developing a diet for your bird you must be mindful of any special requirements for your particular species. African greys do not require a diet high in fat; however, they do require a higher amount of calcium because of their inability to store this mineral in their skeletal system. Good sources of calcium are: collard greens, oranges, mustard greens, and broccoli. If you wish to add a calcium supplement, be mindful that to insure proper absorption of the calcium, it must also contain Vitamin D3 and phosphorus. Skin problems, often a result of Vitamin A deficiency, can be the cause of feather-picking, which is a common problem in greys. Therefore, it is important to insure that your bird receives an adequate amount of this vitamin. Foods that are high in Vitamin A include: squash, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, endive and alfalfa sprouts. The bottom line on feeding is to keep the diet as varied and enjoyable as possible, while maintaining the proper nutritional balance for your species of bird. Aside from a nutritional diet, two other important factors are the daily care given your bird and the environment in which he lives. Just as children will not develop into normal, happy adults if locked away alone in a room during their formative years, our feathered friends won't either. Remember, African greys are very intelligent and perceptive birds. In order to insure that you are raising a well-socialized bird, it is important that he be made to feel a part of the family. The bird's cage should be placed in an area that is free from drafts and direct sunlight. It should also be away from heaters, vents, electrical outlets - anything that may prove to be a hazard to the bird. A location that is in close proximity to your main living area will insure that your bird is not isolated from the family's activities. The presence of family members, even if they are not constantly interacting with the bird, will generate a sense of belonging to the family (flock). The cage should be large enough to allow him to flap his outstretched wings, without touching the sides. African greys normally feel more secure in a cage that is not so large as to be intimidating. Although the recommended size is 36" x 36", a 24" x 24" is also very comfortable. A minimum of two perches should be placed in the cage - one at the lower level for access to the food and water dishes and the other higher up. Most birds like to perch near the top of the cage, but be careful to allow enough head room. Several toys, suitable for a medium-sized parrot, should be placed within the cage for the bird's entertainment. A "bored" bird will not only be unhappy and unresponsive, but may also find all kinds of mischief to get into or resort to feather picking.
Feather Picking:
The most common health problem
in greys is feather picking. Before embarking on any of the numerous remedies,
the bird should first be given a clean bill of health by a qualified avian
veterinarian. Medical causes of feather picking might include: malnutrition,
disease, infection, or environment. If the bird is otherwise healthy, then
it can be assumed that the cause is psychological. An emotionally stressed
bird may resort to feather-picking, just as a human might overeat or bite
their nails. The following methods have been used to prevent or overcome
feather picking. 1. Provide your bird with
a clean cage, ample toys and a healthy diet, as outlined in the "Diet
and Basic Care" section above. While all causes of feather picking may never be known, close observation of your bird can go a long way toward finding a basis for this problem. We are hopeful that sharing our knowledge, ideas and experiences, such as through the Internet, will help educate bird owners about this issue.
Nail Clipping
Many bird owners feel it is unnecessary to trim the bird's toenails if they are provided the proper type of perch. We've tried many different types and find a periodic trimming is still called for. It's amazing how quickly the toenails of baby chicks grow. We have found it necessary to give them a slight trim at around 10 weeks of age; otherwise, handling them can be a very painful ordeal! With regard to wing-clipping, here again, many bird owners are averse to this. Whereas, we agree that a flighted bird is a beautiful sight to behold, we feel those which we call "pets" should have their wings clipped for many reasons which we will not expound on at this time. Before attempting either of these grooming procedures, it is strongly recommended that you closely watch a trained professional as he trims your birds nails and wings. If done incorrectly, it could result in severe damage to the bird. After you have watched several times, and feel comfortable with grooming your bird yourself, by all means use the following information to help you along. I have heard some bird owners say they are able to trim their birds nails as the bird sits quietly on a perch. We have been able to clip the wings of baby birds without first restraining the bird in a towel. But these, no doubt, are the exceptions to the rule! Normally, both procedures will require wrapping the bird in a towel and the services of two individuals -- one to restrain the bird while the other does the trimming. Whether trimming nails, wings, or both, move steadily and quickly. If you take too long, the bird may become stressed.
Equipment Required:You will need the following
equipment:
Restraining The Bird:Most, if not all, birds will have to be wrapped in a towel for either procedure. If your bird is not used to being cuddled in a towel, even this may present a problem. When Sparky sees the towel we use for toenail and wing-clipping he becomes very agitated. Any other towel has no effect on him! The towel must be draped over the bird's head, while his wings are close to his body to prevent injury to the wings. One way to accomplish this is to place the bird on the floor in a corner so he has no escape route. Drop the towel over his body allowing one corner to generously cover the head. With one hand on top of the towel, and behind the bird's head, secure your thumb and forefinger around the bird's neck and flip the corner of the towel over to loosely cover his face. (We find the bird will be calmer if unable to see what is going on and will generally spend the time chewing on that corner of the towel.) Remember, the towel loosely covers the bird's face -- you don't want to hinder his breathing. Since a bird does not have a diaphragm, the throat and chest must not be restricted so as to impede their breathing. Place your other hand lightly, but firmly, across the bottom of the bird's body allowing his toes to curl around your fingers.
Toenail Clipping:A bird's toenails are continually growing and, because of this, contain blood vessels. Care must be taken not to cut into this blood supply, often referred to as the "quick". The quick ends at the point where the nail begins to taper and curve down -- generally three-quarters the length of the nail. However, if the nails have not been trimmed in a long time, it may extend further. After clipping the tip of the nail, you may want to lightly file the corners smooth. If using a Dremel tool, this of course is not necessary. We have found that our birds squawk when we use nail files, but don't respond to the Dremel tool at all. One word of caution when using the Dremel tool or any power filing device, is to be sure to run on the slowest speed possible. It only takes a split second to take the sharp point off of a toenail. The other point worth mentioning is to keep the birds other toes away from the filing action. The slightest contact of the toe against the file will cause injury. Just be careful and it can be done quickly and safely.
Wing-Clipping:Your bird's wings should be checked every two to three months to see if the clipped feathers have molted and been replaced with full feathers. Clipping wings is not painful to the bird unless a blood feather has been accidentally clipped. Blood feathers are actively growing feathers that still have a blood supply. During molting, as a feather drops, a new one is forming in the follicle. This is live tissue containing a central artery and vein which supplies nutrients to the growing feather. The blood feather has a thicker quill (calamus) than a mature feather, is softer and bluish-purple in color and enclosed in a sheath. Since they are still growing, blood feathers are shorter than mature feathers. Care should be taken to avoid clipping a blood feather. Baby birds growing their first set of feathers will have all their blood feathers at once; therefore, the first wing-clipping cannot take place until the feathers have been fully developed. This will usually be at the time of their first flight. African greys are heavy-bodied birds, and thus only require that five primary feathers be clipped. This allows the bird to gradually coast to the floor, rather than drop with a thud, if he does try to take flight. The same number of feathers should be clipped on both wings. Contrary to some people's belief, this is the preferred method. A bird with only one wing clipped may feel off balance and have difficulty trying to fly, which could result in injury. I recently heard of a grey, with only one wing clipped, who developed into a severe feather picker. My feeling is that he was traumatized by the knowledge that one wing was different than the other. With the bird properly restrained, move the towel to expose one wing, gently moving the joint to fan out the wing. Clipping from the outside toward the body, clip the first five primary feathers in a curved line about a 1/4 of an inch below the end of the primary coverts. The primary coverts should never be cut. After you and your assistant have re-positioned yourselves, the other wing can then be clipped in the same manner. Once you have finished, you will note that the clipped feathers are not even noticeable when the bird's wings are relaxed.
More Information with Regard to Blood Feathers:Because of the central artery
and vein contained in the blood feather, profuse bleeding may occur if
broken or cut. Although you may successfully contain the flow of blood,
more bleeding will occur if the feather is bumped again; therefore, removal
of the feather is recommended. To remove the blood feather, two people
are usually required; one to hold the bird and wing and the other to pull
the feather. The following steps should be taken: 1. Apply a styptic powder
and place pressure on the area with your finger until the bleeding stops.
©Mary Arnold, 1996.
All rights reserved.
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