December 11, 2018
Christmas Cookies for your Parrots [ Healthy Treats]
Christmas Cookies for your Parrots
[Healthy bird Treats]
It's such an easy, easy recipe, you can not try it.
Ingredients:
Directions:
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Author Monika Sangar
www.pdsparrotshop.com
www.pdsnonprofit.org
PDS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #46-2470926)
More Recipes:
November 19, 2018
Calcium Deficiency in parrots [pet health]
Calcium Deficiency in parrots [bird health]
Calcium is needed for skeleton strengthening, muscle contraction, blood clotting, and eggshell formation. Calcium is a co-factor for many enzymes to function and also hormones secretion and can affect the muscles, heart, and nerves.
So if calcium is so abundant, why do parrots become calcium deficient?
Sunlight. One of the main issues is no sunlight. Parrots need sunlight for the absorption of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is a very important vitamin that helps the absorption of calcium by the body. Without sunlight, or vitamin D3, the calcium can't be absorbed and therefore calcium deficiency occurs.
The second is oxalates. Greens, nuts and other food which are high in calcium have oxalates compound. These compounds bind to calcium making them insoluble, in other words, unable for parrots to absorb by digestion.
Depending on the severity of this deficiency, it can become life-threatening and/or serious illness can emerge.
Prevention of Calcium Deficiency
Hypocalcemia
Never go crazy on Vitamin supplements, because too much calcium (or any vitamin) can also cause server damage. Hypercalcemia, or elevated calcium levels, can cause serious toxicity and be fatal. Symptoms include vomiting, pain, unable to lay eggs, kidney stones.It is always important to follow direction and not overdose if your doctor does recommend supplements.
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Author Monika Sangar
www.pdsparrotshop.com
www.pdsnonprofit.org
PDS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #46-2470926)
Reference:
August 02, 2018
Quick Understanding of Bird Chop [diy]
Now for the most famous list of all, foods to avoid. If you haven't seen this list already, then the parrot community isn't doing its job. So let me show it to you.
Foods to avoid
AlcoholApple seedsAvocado
Raw dairy (milk, fresh cheese, ice cream)
Raw onions
Raw mushrooms
Rhubarb
Now for orange veggies, we need to cook them. We can add them to our boiling water at the beginning of our cook time. The reason is that cooking them increases the beta carotene which is what we are looking for as nutrition value. Beta carotene is converted into Vitamin A in animal bodies. For more information about cooking orange veggies, follow the link.
Sweet potatoes are not to be consumed raw because they are hard on digestion. Cooking them eliminates this effect.
Now all is left is to try it out. Here is my favorite recipe, with additional notes so you can change it as you wish:
- Boil your water
- Add your grains and sweet potato to the water, let it boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the grain cook in the hot water. After 20 minutes, strain the grains/sweet potatoes.
- Mix your veggies, greens, and seeds/herb mix with your grains and sweet potatoes.
- Sprinkle with bee pollen
- Roughly chop your greens and then finely chop them in the food processor. (if using nuts, you can add them with your greens and finely chop them) **
- Mix all your seeds, and dried herbs together.
Indian: Coriander and cumin seeds powder (*you can grind yourself) with red chill flakes and fresh ginger.
How to make your own Birdie Chop made Easy and Simple.
Just follow the the simple steps and you will have your chop ready in no time.
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Author Monika Sangar
www.pdsparrotshop.com
www.pdsnonprofit.org
PDS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #46-2470926)
July 15, 2018
Vitamin A deficiency information [parrot health]
Vitamin A deficiency Information [Parrot Health]
Before we go into more details, first we need a better understanding of Vitamin A and why it's so important and causes so much damage if absent.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps grow and repair tissue. This antioxidant also helps to function eyes, skin, hearing, bone, and membranes.
Vitamin A deficiency can cause tissue damage in the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive tracts. This deficiency causes cells to undergo changes that prevent the secretion of mucous, and therefore destroying barriers that prevent bacterial infections.
Lack of Vitamin A causes bacteria, fungal, and virus infection because vitamin A is needed to produce mucous which is a layer of protection against the pathogen. So if your parrot has a vitamin A deficiency, it will not produce mucous, which will cause reoccurring infections.
Vitamin A deficiency in birds is a direct cause of inadequate diet. Only seeds diet, no fresh food, causes vitamin A deficiency in parrots because seeds don't contain vitamin A. Even when seeds are enriched with vitamins, the parrots eat the seed inside the shell, not the whole shell. Most vitamins add in seeds, only sit on top of the shell, and aren't consumed.
Why is Vitamin A deficiency an issue with parrots?
Because parrots require as much Vitamin A as humans, daily. Humans daily allowance for vitamin A is 2400 to 5000 IE a day; for parrots 2000-4000 IE per kg body weight. Therefore, per kg of a parrot, a parrot requires as much vitamin A as a human.
Signs and symptoms of vitamin A deficiency:

Treatment of Vitamin A Deficiency
Treatment of Vitamin A deficiency relies on the severity of the infection caused by the vitamin A deficiency.
Your vet will perform CBC and cultures to get a better understanding of the case. From the cultures, a specific antibiotic medicine can be given. The first step is to deal with the secondary infection because the infection causes death, and damage to internal organs. After an injection of vitamins can help boost vitamin A.
In some cases nostrils must be physically unplugged, then nasal flush with antibodies. Surgical lancing of abscesses might also be needed.
Prevention of Vitamin A Deficiency
No, not supplements. An adequate diet. Supplements can do more harm than good. The best way to ensure your parrot's well-being is by providing fresh food daily. There are many fresh foods with high amounts of Vitamin A.
Here is a list of parrot safe food which are high in Vitamin A.
Over Supplement of Vitamin A (Hypervitaminosis A)
Reference:
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Author Monika Sangar
www.pdsparrotshop.com
www.pdsnonprofit.org
PDS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #46-2470926)
June 13, 2018
Complete Guide to choosing Parrot toys [5 questions answered]
Complete Guide to Parrot Toys [5 questions answered]
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Pinewood bird toy |
The main purposes of parrot toys are mental stimulation, free of boredom, and exercise. Parrot toys encourage the natural behavior of the wild. Most parrot owners want to create the best habitat for their parrots, and toys help do that. We can provide them with a variety of parrot toys to help them forage, chew, destroy and solve puzzles. This creates a good balance environment for your parrot where they can be challenged, stimulated, and have fun.
Foraging Toys:
Foraging toys are toys where you can hide food items, and make your parrot work to get the food. These types of toys come in all different varieties and the internet is full of them. Foraging toys allow your parrot to find food, which they do in the wild.![]() |
Seagrass mat with foraging cup bird toy |
Shreddable Toys:
Foot Toys:
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balsa foot toys for birds |
Puzzle Toys:
Noise Maker Toys:
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stainless steel bird toy |
Exercising Toys:
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birch bird swing |
Preening Toys:
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duck preening bird toy |
Leather Toys:
Those are all the different types of parrot toys to help parrots be outside their natural environment. They are highly intelligent animals and with that, they need mental stimulation and lots of exercises.
1) Do parrot toys need to be colored?
Will, my parrots chew pine wood, the purple, and red ones first. However, when I got this question, I decided to do more research.
Parrots see more color than humans. Not only do parrots have three cones color receptors, the same as humans, but they have a fourth, an ultraviolet cone.
This extra UV cone in parrots is very important, and part of your parrot's life. For matting, females can see reflective patches on males' feathers which are unseen by humans. For foraging and food, the UV cones help them detect the bright waxy reflective food in the dense green forest.
So yes, color is needed for mental stimulation.
However it is also true that many parrots will chew un-dyed woodblocks, and there might be other parrots who might only prefer certain colors.
With time you will find out what your parrots like and want.
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Large block bird toy |
2) What if my parrot doesn't play with toys?
You play with it first. The best way is to get a small toy and play with yourself and show your parrot how much fun it is.
That is the best way to get your parrot to become interested. Sooner or later he/she will have to check out what was so exciting to you.
3) What toys should I start with?
The small wood toys, larger acrylic toys.
Small wood toys, to see if your parrot will chew wood. Some don't. If they chew the small wood too fast, go to the medium wood toys.
Larger acrylic toys because smaller toys can be more dangerous to parrots because they might easily break the plastic parts.
4) My parrot is afraid of toys, what should I do?
Introduce the toy. If your parrot is comfortable with you and trusts you, then if you're able to hold the toy, it means it's safe too.
Place the toy outside its cage and let your parrot go to the toy. Once your parrot is comfortable with the toy, you can place it inside its cage.
5) What is the best type of parrot toy?
There are a few different types of parrot toys. All are important and have functions to keep your parrots happy and stimulated.
Foot toys, shreddable, wood toys, puzzle toys
It's best to have different types of toys for your parrot to enjoy. It does take time to figure out the best toy for your parrot, but when you do, your parrot will appreciate it so much.
Always remember, new toys should be supervised when first given.
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pinewood bird toy |
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Author Monika Sangar
www.pdsparrotshop.com
www.pdsnonprofit.org
PDS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #46-2470926)
June 12, 2018
Birdie Chop with Lentils [healthy recipes]
Birdie Chop With Lentils
[healthy recipes]
Parrots diet should consist of greens, veggies, and fruits. Fresh food is always the best.
I try my best to provide a variety of fresh food for my parrots to ensure they are receiving all the vitamins and minerals.
For chop, packages visit Christine's chop shop.
You can do the same, you don't need to follow my ingredients list exactly. You can add or eliminate things.
A safe food list, in case you're experimenting with new food.
I always try to add a rainbow of veggies or fruits into my chop. Different veggies of different colors have different nutrients and by varying them, I hope to give a completely nutrition-balanced meal.
Today chop recipe:
(you can vary your measurements depend on is you have one parrot or many)
1) Rice, lentils, dry peas with 1/2 tsp of turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon go into boiling water for 5 minutes
2) Add Farro, quinoa, barley, millet, and shredded sweet potatoes into your water with the rice mixture. I added a can of chickpeas too, washed (low sodium). Let the water come to a boil again. Turn off the heat. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes.
3) Chopped veggies: cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots
4) Food processor: cilantro, kale, and dandelion
5) Seeds: sesame, flax, chia, and bee pollen
6) Other: red raspberry leaf and rosehip powder
Mix everything together... serve.
I also sell an Organic chop mix. The grains and seasoning mix are already done. You just have to cook and do the veggies
For chop mix contact by email: pds.contactus@gmail.com
USA only.
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Author Monika Sangar
www.pdsparrotshop.com
www.pdsnonprofit.org
PDS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #46-2470926)