Many questions being asked for help by parrot fanciers & amateurs for their avian friends are avian nutritional problems related to bird diseases despite all the information I have given on my website or the bird talk on radio broadcast.

Malnutrition & diet-related avian diseases are common problems from bird owners in front of my door or on the line. Sometimes I would be surprised at the number of cases of Hypocalcemia , hypovitaminosis A, diseases of Uropygial Gland and Feather Picking habits that I saw in my "practice". Parrot fever is sprouting recently in Hong Kong and many new & up-and-coming parrot owners have bought their first companion with so-called "cheapest price" but sometimes with sad ending due to inexperience & lack of avian knowledge. Different species of birds as well as parrots in their natural habitats have their own food to forage & nutritional materials to maintain their daily health in their original habitats. It's impossible for bird food manufacturers to make a complete diet for them according to each formula of the products. Therefore, additional vitamins, fresh fruits & vegetables should be a must for add-up menu in order to keep our birds healthier & to avoid from diseases.

Hypovitaminosis A

The most common problems have often been seen in exotic birds and parrots that consume primarily a seed or pellet diet. Vitamin A is an important add-up to normal daily diet especially when your birds are fed with single sunflower seeds or single brand product. During the moulting season & the raising of juveniles, vitamin supplement with higher vitamin A is even more important for birds' plumage re-growing as well as whole body muscles. As mentioned in other articles on this website, the most common abnormality of the Uropygial Gland occurs from Vitamin A deficiency had been also mentioned. Hypovitaminosis A indicates & causes glandular metaplasia and hyperkeratosis. Parrots on poor diets are likely to be vitamin A deficient & in addition to blunt of the choanal papillae that can be easily seen with Hypovitaminosis A, enlargement of the uropygial gland is probably a sequela as well. It's impossible for us to exactly replicate our birds' ancestral diet, we can only approximate it by feeding foods that contain an array of phytonutrients similar to those they forage in the wild.

Fortunately, as the bird food market is profitable enough for scientists, ornithologists, vets and researchers to produce a more ideal bird diet for market need. We can easily buy a more complete bird diet for our avian friends as well as various vitamin supplements in Hong Kong now. But we still have to learn more concerning avian disease & nutrition in order to keep our parrots a happy & fruitful life.

Importance of various avian diets

Which brand of bird food is the most ideal one for our birds?
Which avian menu is better for parrots or exotic birds, all-seed diet, all-pellet diet or combination?

Actually they are all missing a whole host of substances that were normal parts of diet of our birds' ancestors. Phytonutritients are the most important factor for maintaining health & preventing disease. With less attention to them from the diets of our parrots / birds is equivalent to denying them the nutrition they need for health. Seeds, whole grains, fresh vegetables do contain some phytonutrients that could be better diet comparing with only pellet diet. They are more natural food & contain less artificial ingredients. Special species like lories, lorikeets, hyacinth macaws and others have their own requirement when they were in the wild. Look to more in depth the ancestry of your avian friends. It is a fascinating subject that grants you better understanding of your birds and enable you to give them the best care when possible. I have recently written articles in Chinese on Man Wui Po Daily about avian nutrition & how it influences their captive diet. The articles describe how important missing phytonutrients in birds' diet that may be affecting the health problems seen in companion parrots and song birds.

I used to combine with 70% natural seeds, 20% pellets and other avian vitamins for my birds. It might not be a complete diet for all birds as I have no ideal data for a complete diet of parrots and birds. Loving care, exercise, sunlight and frequent shower bath should be present as much as possible for maintaining good health of all avian friends. Keep in mind that vitamin A is toxic if overdosed, therefore, injectable forms should be given only by Vets.

New bird owners in Hong Kong like to purchase un-weaned parrots from the bird market or some pet shops as they believe that the juveniles will become more bond with them. It is not totally true & dangerous to feed by your own as you are not as professional as the breeders. All parrots under 3 months old have no immune system to avian infections. So, for more fun, it's still more intelligent to buy A class & weaned parrots from a reputable bird shop.

There are diets designed for juvenile birds and parrots. They provide the extra nutrients necessary for proper growth and feather formation. All parrots and song birds should be switched to adult formulations according to the product leaflets enclosed inside the containers.