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sokar
Egg
Joined: 23 May 2005
Posts: 3
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| What kind of food SHOULDN'T i give him? |
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(Hi, I'm new here, I have an african grey)
I would like to know what kind of stuff I shouldn't allow him to eat. For example, can he eat cereals (breakfast cereals that is). He likes it, but...
He also likes cheese... can I give him cheese???
His daily "ration" consists of sunflower seeds, one or two peanuts and a piece of fruit. He also has more fruit at lunch and dinner (our lunch and dinner  ), maybe a few vegetables.
Thanks. |
Monday May 23, 2005 3:29 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7401
Location: Canada, Toronto |
Hi!
Breakfast cereals contain WAY too much refined sugars! They're not even really good for humans! As far as cheese, it's ok to let your bird have a little bite of these table foods once in a while as a special treat, but keep in mind cheese also has lots of salt, which is again bad for birds. Vegetables are the best source of vitamins and minerals. I also have an african grey, and from all the research I've done, I've learned that one-third to one-half of a grey's diet should consist of vegtables, either fresh, or lightly cooked. Also, sunflower seeds as the main diet will not meet all of your bird's nutritional needs. You should try replacing the seeds with high quality pellets that contain no artificial colours or flavours or chemical additives. Harrison's seems to be a favourite around here 
Shirin |
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Monday May 23, 2005 7:39 pm |
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LVMY2S
Fledgeling
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 255
Location: Chicago,IL |
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Try getting your grey to eat more veggies then fruits. Most fruits are very high in sugar and lack the vitamins that veggies have. The only fruit I give my birds is an occasional piece of orange for the vitamin C. Throughout the day my birds eat peas,corn,beans,pasta,rice,many different kinds of greens and sweetpotatoes. They love mashed sweetpotatoes with a little peanut butter mixed in. As for the breakfast cereal, there are many new cereals out that do not have a high sugar count and have alot of essential grains. I give my too's the multi-gran cheerios moistened with some warm water in the morning. It only has one gram of sugar compared to 12 in most other cereals. Just look at the back of the box. Now with all the health conscious people, there are many you can use as a treat,not their main diet. Another breakfast item you could try would be some plain oatmeal. I mix in a little no sugar jelly in mine and they love it. Harrisons pellets are probably the most wide known for their nutritional value but my birds won't touch them. There are many natural pellets out there to try and see which ones your bird like. I actually mix about seven different kinds of pellets, freezed dried veggies(corn, peas) and dried hot peppers in a large air tight container.My birds never like the same pellets day to day so this gives them a variety. Also, you probably already know, don't give them avacado or raw onions. I have heard mixed reviews on cooked onions, so I don't give either.As Shirin said you can give your grey cheese in moderation. I only give it to my birds two or three times a month. Have fun with your new baby. Karen |
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Monday May 23, 2005 8:48 pm |
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sokar
Egg
Joined: 23 May 2005
Posts: 3
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Thanks for your answers. As for the cereals I figured so, so I won't be giving any more. |
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Monday May 23, 2005 10:14 pm |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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| Re: What kind of food SHOULDN'T i give him? |
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Hi there!
Welcome aboard!
I can't add more to the answers people already gave.. 
Have fun here! |
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Thursday May 26, 2005 5:44 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7956
Location: Australia |
You probably already know this, but don't give your bird any caffeine, milk, or apple/pear seeds either. Thought I'd add that in to be safe just in case you didn't know already. I apologies if you did.
Bih |
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Thursday May 26, 2005 11:00 am |
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sokar
Egg
Joined: 23 May 2005
Posts: 3
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quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
You probably already know this, but don't give your bird any caffeine, milk, or apple/pear seeds either. Thought I'd add that in to be safe just in case you didn't know already. I apologies if you did.
Bih
Actually no, I didn't know about the seeds. Why not?
It's not that I intentionally give him, but if I give him the center of the apple/pear there will be some seeds. I don't think I ever saw him eating those, anyway. Can't say the same about cherry seeds. |
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Thursday May 26, 2005 6:28 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7401
Location: Canada, Toronto |
| apple, pear seeds |
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Hi Sokar ,
Apple and pear seeds and the inner stony pit of apricots and peaches contain a substance called amygdalin, that can turn into hydrogen cyanide in the stomach causing discomfort and illness and in some cases can be fatal. For a young child, swallowing only a few seeds or pits may cause illness and in rare cases can cause death. Now if a few seeds can be fatal to humans, just imagine what one seed could do to a precious little bird.
Shirin |
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Thursday May 26, 2005 6:46 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7401
Location: Canada, Toronto |
| Ooops! |
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Hey guys,
just wanted to appologize, I just realized I forgot to use quotation marks for that information about the seeds. Anyway, it's from an article about different foods and their natural toxins that I was reading. You might find it interesting to read, so here's the link >
http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consu.....al-toxins/
Shirin |
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Saturday May 28, 2005 8:57 pm |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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| Re: Ooops! |
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Thanks so much for that link! |
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Sunday May 29, 2005 7:43 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7956
Location: Australia |
hey Shirin,
Thanks for posting that link. It is a very interesting article. |
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Sunday May 29, 2005 6:44 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7401
Location: Canada, Toronto |
You're welcome, it is very informative  |
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Sunday May 29, 2005 6:55 pm |
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FreyrStrongart
Egg
Joined: 06 Jul 2005
Posts: 5
Location: Switzerland |
| What about yoghurt? |
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I just read you shouldn't give your parrot milk... but what about yoghurt? Tschiggo loves it and he definitely wants his few beaks full of my breakfast yoghurt or he goes into a sulk. |
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Wednesday July 6, 2005 7:32 am |
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dim1g
Flutterer
Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 126
Location: Chicago |
i give my Sake yogurt as well - i've read that just like the bacteria in there are helpful for people's health, they as well as help to break down the lactose. people that are lactose-intolerant have little to no amount of the enzyme lactase in their bodies. that is the difficulty with birds as well. i am NOT claiming to be an expert on the bird issue, but i can say with some confidence that a bit of yogurt is okay and even good for greys for calcium intake. i'm sure on the people part - i'm a chemist in real life, and although i'm not a biochemist i've taken enough organic chemistry and biochem (through grad level) to be fairly definitive.
cheers!
dim |
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Wednesday July 6, 2005 10:07 am |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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Hi Dim, yoghurt (in normal amounts) is very benificial to birds.. I don't know if yoghurt is the same as a milkproduct we have here, but I've been advised to use that one when Flit was diagnosed with megabacteria.. |
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Wednesday July 6, 2005 1:18 pm |
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