IndianRingNeck.com

Hi,
just wondering i know that you are not sposed to feed irns (or any other parrot) Avocado, chocolate, nectarines, plums etc. but are there any other foods that are dangerous? and what about meat because ive read different things about it everywhere. Thanks you guys are a fountain of info!

The only others that I can think of is, coffee, alcohol, apple seeds, and limit sunflower seeds and griesy foods. They can eat cooked meats, my Jade doesnt seem too interested in them though.

wow apple seeds thats handy to know thanks alot!

Irns are not supposed to eat plums? I never knew that. Why is that? Is it toxic? Just last week i gave Bibou a slice of a plum but she threw it out of the cage.

Yeah I served up some nectarine a while back to Kai what up with nectarine ?

Plums and nectarine are both fine. The pits shouldn't be given, but the fruit itself is healthy.

Eggplant is on the "not so good" list, it has a lot of tannin in it, which does make birds sick (its the entire reason behind no avocado in case you didn't know). Asparagus can have it too, mostly in the thick stem, so the tips are OK, but the base really shouldn't be fed.

Salt is bad for birds, as is excessive sugar.

Caffeine is bad.

Rhubarb is another of those high tannin things.

Dairy products are not good. Birds are not exactly lactose intolerant, they just don't digest it. Pre-digested lactose isn't bad, like yogurt, but milk is just asking for a tummy upset (and possibly an infection). Cheese is pre digested, but its also very fatty. Harder cheeses have less fat, softer has more.

Meat is OK, fully cooked (well done) and in moderation. Don't let your bird sit down to a steak dinner, but a piece here and there... its protein.

Excessive carbs is the same as excessive sugars (carbs convert to sugar in the body) so they should be fed in moderation.

Green leafy veggies are wonderful, though spinach can bind iron in the body and should be fed in moderation. I think Broccoli does too, but I cant remember for sure off the top of my head.

Also, know that when feeding a pelleted diet that citrus can help bind some vitamins and actually overdose your bird. I try not to give citrus more than once a week due to that, keeping the dose of it small so as to avoid vitamin toxicity.

OK, my lecture on food is over.. sorry. I work really hard to feed these guys the very best diet possible so I learn as much as I can to do that

Athena

Athena,
you said that green leafy vegies are good, i have heard that lettuce can be bad for birds, is this true? if so is this also cause of the tannin?

also we usualy have soy milk in our house i was wondering if this would be good or bad for the birds? soya beens over all are suposed to be healthy for people........ just wondering


trev

Regular lettuce (such as iceberg) is mainly water... not much in the nutrient department. Grapes are the same way. I like Kale, collard greens, radish leaves, celery leaves (celery stalk is very fibrous and can cause crop problems for some birds), and other unusual leaves.

Soy has something in it... I'd have to look to know the name, but I know its the same thing Lima beans has. If you don't cook Lima beans, don't serve them... you have to cook them to break down one of the chemicals thats not good for the birds. I use a tiny bit of soy, but honestly its not great. I just use it because my cockatoo is addicted to milk so I can cheat and give her soy milk instead.

Athena

This is all so much! Are grapes bad for them? Cuz my babies LOVE grapes. I give them ONE a day. Is there a book or something out there? I've only ever heard chocolate and apple seeds are poisonous. I don't want to make my babies sick. So... Now I'm worried. But they don't get a lot of extras every day, cuz I don't know what to give em. They love broccoli. Is that bad?? I don't give them the stalk, just the tops. Thanks for all your help.

Jen

Broccoli isn't bad, just don't give it in excess . Moderation is the key.

Check Amazon.com for "The healthy bird cookbook". Its not just a bunch of great recipes, but it has a ton of nutrition information.

Athena

Ok so I'm gonna go with the seriously DUH statement but to anyone out there feeding a seed ONLY diet...this is a huge no-no. Yeah ok so it is convienent but what it does to your birds health is so bad. Please if you are feeding your IRN on a seed only diet get them converted to pellets if you don't have the time to constantly prepare food.

Prinny's diet consists of :

Veggies in the morning plus her sit and soak (a carb/veggie/fruit/protien-y mixture) she also gets Avi-cakes as a side ( these are fortified seed/pellets bars...like a granola bar...these are helpful when covereting to pellets BTW)

In the evening she gets more veggies and her sit and soak and some scraps of our dinner.

In between the two meals to munch on she has a 1/4 cup of pellets and a few tablespoons of a non-sunflower based diet seed...

Yes I do have the time to do this and yes my bird is spoiled but I want the best for her. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

(BTW yeah she probably does eat better than me )

Ok so now I am interested...WHAT DOES EVERYONE ELSE FEED??? Please take the time to answer this...would help some of our other members

Dani and Prinny

Hrm, what do I feed.

Mornings:

Everyone gets sprouted seed (the way I prefer to feed it) along with a dollop of yogurt or some scrambled eggs (with shell).

Lunch is a mash ... I've posted the recipie somewhere. Its mixed veggies with some beans and often a bit of chicken.

Dinner is whatever we have, made up for the birds (no salt etc).

They also have pellets available at all times.

Bedtime they get nuts, nutriberries, avicakes, and other snacks

Oh, and I hand out fruit randomly if they seem to need a snack mid day.

Athena

Thats a ton of good info Athena! I didnt know you had to cook Lima beans.. what about if they are soaked/sprouted?

With diet, my birds get:

Daytime (outside): Pellets, vege/fruit skewers (with nuts/dried fruit too) and sometimes some boiled egg or beans.

Night time (inside): Seed mix (small parrot mix/ large parrot mix 50/50)

I find that they wont eat the pellets if i offer seed and pellet at the same time, so they only get seed when they are inside overnight (they eat it before bed and then again in the morning before i put them out) which forces them to eat pellets during the day works like a charm!

Lima beans should be cooked, they have some acid (I want to say lysorbic, but I could be wrong) that has to be cooked out of them...

I feed Lima's all the time, but very well cooked, heck, probably over done.. I'm a paranoid mom.

Athena

I feed my birds pellets, Roudybush(parrotlet) and Zupreem(IRN) daily in the mornings. In their treet cup they get fruit or home-baked birdy bread. In the evenings they get veggies, cooked or raw in their treat cup or the birdy bread if they didn't get any in the morning. On the weekends they get seed. Occasionally they get a millet spray, sometimes scrambled egg, and they get nutraberries 2 or three times a week. They also have the sit and soak, and get sprouted seeds when I have had the time. Once in a while I give them cooked chicken I do wish they'd eat more veggies and fruits, so I keep trying.
jj :roll:

Kai has a seed bell, he has to work to chew into. He is served up the only pellet I could really find here, Passwell. And huge plate of fruit and vegi's in the morning, plenty of everything and demolishes it, he adores his fruit and vegi.

During the day he is out on his stand mostly and gets given all kinds of treats (what we are eating) from the kids and my husband and I (macaroni, bits of chicken etc.). He also loves to have some of JOrdans baby mush now (which is pellets ground up, with ground up Milk Arrowroot and creamed corn).

I pick him things from my herb garden to eat, like lemon grass, he loves to chew that to bits, and my Graham sage flowers, they are like honey suckle, sweet nectar in the base of the flowers.

In the evening he gets another plate of fruit and vegi (all kinds) some boiled egg (with shell) which he adores and can't wait to snatch off the plate as soon as its served. He also gets a little boiled vegi like pumpkin and brussells, and mashed potatoe (but not too much)

Treats for tricks and good behaviour all day long are generally Melon seeds, all the melons, he can't get enough of them and often finds ways to get a hold of the stash, even though he can't get the lid open, but he has a wonderful time trying - (hubby loosened the lid once and kai thought he was the ants pants for busting in, so proud of himself) hehehe, he still tries every time.

Oh and every so often I put applecider vinegar in the water, 10 drops to 300 mls.


Cheers !

Hane and Tsume have pellets available at all times.

Throughout the day they have whatever veggies we offer. Also including grains such as corn, brown rice, and whole grain quinoa or amaranth. Seeds too, layered in there.

I happen to have quinoa and amaranth on hand, since I use it in my non-allergenic dog biscuit recipe. Health food store, ya know. ^^

They usually get a layered salad of some sort. And they munch on everything pretty much the entire day. Since we're inside food won't spoil so quickly. Things like carrot we'll leave out the whole day, from dawn to dusk. Spoilage depends on moisture. Things like sprouts and greens obviosly would spoil more quickly.


I can't wait for the papaya to ripen and we'll offer them that. Our pink grapefruit from our tree is divine- nothing left for the birds, lol.

Grapes aren't bad, they just don't contain much in the way of nutrition. But if you want something good for them, offer grapes with seeds. The seeds are full of antioxidents and good for you stuff. If they eat them.

All beans need to be soaked overnight, rinsed and cooked thoroughly. This gets rid of the gas-makers that beans have. ^^

I've checked with other sources and reading materials and these articles are on the money:

good article for feeding any parrot: http://www.landofvos.com/articles/feeding.html

Sprouting:
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/wbsprouts.html

Hope this helps.

At home, instead of making a list of things your bird can't eat, make one of things your bird can! I post mine on the fridge so when someone wants to offer something they can check the list without having to call or ask me.
Besides, it's a much easier list to make!

After reading this post i have seen some people say that chocolate is poisonous for IRN's, how can this be? its just made of milk and coco-powder is it not? My IRN eats chocolate every now and then, it doesnt seem to mind, Should i stop giving it that !?

Please stop feeding chocolate immedately, it is the same reason chocolate is toxic to dogs.

Chocolate contains theobromine which can KILL your bird.

Also anything dairy related is not the best idea for your bird. They simply cannot digest it so please steer clear of milk and milk products too.

You cant beat fresh fruits and veges as an all day, treat and reward food just pick the ones your bird likes most and use that as a treat food. Datsun will do anything for a raisin or banana chip!