Greetings! And some questions about forpus care

The lavender flowers will probably be enjoyed both fresh and dried, and if you can allow some roses to set rosehips they are also a great treat. Again the time they are at their best is known only to the bird.
I recognise the safe garden plants /weeds etc now, but if in doubt I'll not use it. Strangely Dora has always rejected dandelions until this year!
 
Hello Lennie :) I’m in the pleasant position to tell u that I’ve been captured hypnotized and trained to be an obedient slave to an African grey pair (this word “pair” is such a deep and heave word frankly 🥰🥰)
the whole thing started by getting my little
Princess 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Their cage is placed at the balcony. But The one that gets the sunrise..they love love love the sunrise. Its height is much taller than me and there are perches at the highest spot of their cage. They love grooming and interacting at the highest perches.. the perches I use are mostly branches from olive trees and their diet is mostly veggies 🥕 🥦 🥗 all kind of 🌰 nuts, 🥬 greens, fish (crawfish, sardine, fish) eggs, olive oil coconut oil, all kind of fruits, pretty much What we consume as humans but no sugar no chocolate no salt no alcohol. Taking care of a parrot will help u so much to fix your own diet too…without even noticing you get to
Fix your nutrition by taking care of these cuties :).
As fellow people advised u for a none glass cage I could add on this that glass is a dead space…a lost space a missed opportunity is a wall for them since it reduces so much the centimeters that that They can live in and interact and their psychology will be surely affected. sun and fresh air along with a rich nutrition is so good for them :)
Maybe you could keep them outdoors in an aviary? :)
 
erithacus said:
Hello Lennie :) I’m in the pleasant position to tell u that I’ve been captured hypnotized and trained to be an obedient slave to an African grey pair (this word “pair” is such a deep and heave word frankly 🥰🥰)
the whole thing started by getting my little
Princess 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Their cage is placed at the balcony. But The one that gets the sunrise..they love love love the sunrise. Its height is much taller than me and there are perches at the highest spot of their cage. They love grooming and interacting at the highest perches.. the perches I use are mostly branches from olive trees and their diet is mostly veggies 🥕 🥦 🥗 all kind of 🌰 nuts, 🥬 greens, fish (crawfish, sardine, fish) eggs, olive oil coconut oil, all kind of fruits, pretty much What we consume as humans but no sugar no chocolate no salt no alcohol. Taking care of a parrot will help u so much to fix your own diet too…without even noticing you get to
Fix your nutrition by taking care of these cuties :).
As fellow people advised u for a none glass cage I could add on this that glass is a dead space…a lost space a missed opportunity is a wall for them since it reduces so much the centimeters that that They can live in and interact and their psychology will be surely affected. sun and fresh air along with a rich nutrition is so good for them :)
Maybe you could keep them outdoors in an aviary? :)
Click to expand...
Hello there neighbour!

There are many stray cats here. All alone, we feed around 8 stray cats in our garden. I even saw one making a move towards our chicken a couple days ago, that was a new one I have never seen before.

Even inside the cage, at best scenario, the parrots would be super stressed to be outside in a cat heaven :,) .

Also, this will be a personal opinion, but once they are outside, it feels hard to build a close relationship with animals. One of my cats hates home. He basically uses home to eat and sleep and directly go outside, meanwhile other one is full time home cat which snuggles and never leaves. The level of relationship you can build really changes based on the time spent together. Ofcourse, animals have their own characters and we cannot expect them to be all the same, too.

Also, yknow, our region is HOT. Our whole garden is exposed yo sun most of the day, so that is very unlikely to have any birds in a cage. Chickens and tortoises find their way to change places whenever they feel like it as they free roam

Thanks for the food suggestions! I ordered all the seeds yesterday. Will look more into seasonal fruits/veggies/greens/herbs now :)
 
I come up with two new questions :)

1) Bath:

Is bath a must? Do you guys provide a bath everyday? Should it stay inside the cage all the time with daily water changes?
I found Hagen Vision one, and wonder if I should get it.
1712867461277.png
It also fits to the green-blue theme I am looking for. But some people say their birds don't use baths, or don't like cover on top. I remember, as a kid, my dad always told us to try not wearing red as it scares his pigeons.
I googled for some info and experiences, and saw that, a lot of people have issues with red and parrots disliking it. I also came across this chart in a bird house/feeder article ( https://www.perkypet.com/articles/colour-in-bird-houses-and-bird-feeders ) and it also mentions the commonly liked colors by birds with a few exceptions:

1712867706572.png

So I try to stay on the green-blue-purple side of the chart. What's your experience like?



2) Sadly I learnt that we used pesticide on the apple tree last year. Now it worries me to try using a branch of it even tho it has been a long time. I found people selling branches for rodents, and some people even commented safe for humans and brew a tea using it in the comment section. Should I buy any of the following branches and let them chew on it? They are 14 cms.

Salix babylonica:
1712867925518.png

2) Apple tree branch:
1712867985218.png

3)Mulberry tree branch
1712868033221.png

Mulberry note here scared me a bit:
https://mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml

Also I can use kumquat and lemon tree branches if possible. Which seems safe, but Id like to hear from experiences, if there is any
 
Try our links

Safe Wood

Went looking for my old post and can't for life of me remember in which folder it was posted so posting this again! DOH!! There is an old saying that you should stay away from stone and stick with seed which is an easy way to remember a lot of these when it comes to fruit trees. Safe Wood &...
theparrotclub.co.uk

Flowers & Petals

Safe Flower & Petals Ok as per usual safety first and sampling later. Parrots enjoy the variety and the visual stimulation of flowers in their diet, it is as very important that we learn the difference between toxic and non-toxic types, remember to use only untreated flowers. Do not use flowers...
theparrotclub.co.uk

Say It With Flowers

Say It With Flowers! Ok Safety First… Parrots as we know enjoy the variety and visual stimulation of colours flavours and textures why not give them a new experience? Firstly remember there are toxic and non-toxic plants and flowers so rule of thumb is if you don’t know don’t do it...
theparrotclub.co.uk

Vegetables

Vegetables should be given daily, the following are all safe for your Parrot. Beetroot Beet greens Bok choy (Pak Choy) Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrot Carrot Tops Cavolo Nero Celery Celeriac Chard Chickweed (Stellaria media) Chinese Cabbage Courgette Cress Cucumber Dandelion greens...
theparrotclub.co.uk

Beans / Pulses / Lentils

Here are a few other bits and pieces you can feed to your birdie remember all in moderation and it's to add variety to their diet and definitely no salt or baked beans either! Suggested grains list for cooking Amaranth Buckwheat Barley Brown Rice Chickpeas Corn (dry, popcorn type) Kamut Millet...
theparrotclub.co.uk

Fruit And Berries

The following are all safe and make a welcome treat for your Parrot. Fruit Apple Apricot Banana Clementine Coconut Date Damson Fig Grape Greengage Orange Kiwi Lychee Mandarin Mango (Peel thoroughly before serving and only give when fully ripe) Melon Papaya (Peel thoroughly before serving and...
theparrotclub.co.uk

Avoid the following items on this list
Toxic Trees And Plants | The Parrot Club
Food To Avoid | The Parrot Club

Remember too much of a good thing can also be bad!

Parsley contains oxalic acid. Oxalic acid grabs calcium and forms calcium oxalate – the main ingredient in kidney stones

Powdered or whole Ceylon cinnamon is safe for parrots - The Cassia/Chinese cinnamon is NOT SAFE because of extremely high levels of coumarin, a blood thinner that is toxic and can cause liver damage or failure.
 
I too avoid cinnamon like the plague once found it was being sold online in parrot stores and they were selling the wrong one I nearly had a heart attack! So I avoid as some don't list exactly which one it is and to tell the truth I don't trust the manufacturers to list the exact species either.
 
Thanks everyone. Im so glad to join this forum. You are all helpful and caring. :feel_loved:

I am so excited for these little guys. I got them soo many toys and stuff. Im looking forward to get them from the seller once I am fully ready!

I wonder, have you guys ever tried Freeze-dried fruits and veggies?

We have them here for sale, without any preservatives, sugars, etc. just plain freeze dried veggies and fruits sold for human consumption. I wonder if anyone has experience

I ,think’ it may be nice due to its texture. We can even crumble and mix some to the seed mix and stuff? Or just create a tiny mix of fruits and veggies and feed it from time to time. What do you think?
 
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The stuff like perch, feeding dishes, small cage I got for carrying them when I get them for the first time etc. were pretty dusty. So I cleaned them all with white vinegar and used natural loofah sponge( I also saw some toys using it, I may DIY some!)

With what you guys clean the cages? Is white vinegar fine? We also have organic apple cider vinegar. Would it be okay to clean the cage with vinegar when the birds are in? If needed I can buy cage cleaning sprays but if vinegar or hydrogen peroxide safe for birds, I usually use these to clean my fishroom and aquariums, equipments, etc.
 
:noidea: I just buy as fresh as I can some of my rehomes came with medical issues like liver disease kidney issues I try to keep things natural for them their bodies were designed to eat items with higher water content.
I am "old school" I try to keep things as natural as possible like things going in and out of season like it does in the wild for birds.
If you rehydrate then they loose their structure/texture and my birds don't even like things that have been frozen. They love cranberries fresh in season but won't touch them any other way. For my birds it's not something I would d. Not sure what others do. Think member @A.A.A. does some things for snacks for her two little stunners.

I use apple cider vinegar or F10SC diluted I tend to alternate between the two. Sometimes I also have used Johnsons clean & safe that's an ok product but I dislike the pink colour it can stain a tad on items if it gets on them.
 
DizzyBlue said:
:noidea: I just buy as fresh as I can some of my rehomes came with medical issues like liver disease kidney issues I try to keep things natural for them their bodies were designed to eat items with higher water content.
I am "old school" I try to keep things as natural as possible like things going in and out of season like it does in the wild for birds.
If you rehydrate then they loose their structure/texture and my birds don't even like things that have been frozen. They love cranberries fresh in season but won't touch them any other way. For my birds it's not something I would d. Not sure what others do. Think member @A.A.A. does some things for snacks for her two little stunners.

I use apple cider vinegar or F10SC diluted I tend to alternate between the two. Sometimes I also have used Johnsons clean & safe that's an ok product but I dislike the pink colour it can stain a tad on items if it gets on them.
Click to expand...
Yes!

Fresh sounds great. I mainly considered these as an alternative for good foods out of season to enrich their diet

Like in nature, fish go through many seasons or even temperature difference on a daily basis. Even tho it looks similar, their diet changes based on the dry and rainy reasons, and so on. However at home, we try to keep them at best optimal temperatures and water parameters, feed them the highest quality of foods regardless of season based diet, etc.
Also, it felt like, the texture might help them accept it better due to many bird being raised on dry diet like seed/pellet based diets



That’s why I approached it with same mentality, as freeze dried products are good at preserving good sides to a high extent. Maybe there are super good fruits/veggies that are low in sugar and calorie but is great for parrots in general
 
All debatable thoughts.
I give Nekton S and alternate that with Nutrobal because it means if I get it wrong nutritionally then my birds don't pay the consequences.
I have bloods done yearly (mainly due to their medical issues) and know for certain they are in the parameters for their particular species.
Each species originated from a different country originally (natures design) so to feed all the items they would eat naturally in the wild is impossible due to lack of evidence you can't study a wild bird continually in its natural environment.
 
DizzyBlue said:
All debatable thoughts.
I give Nekton S and alternate that with Nutrobal because it means if I get it wrong nutritionally then my birds don't pay the consequences.
I have bloods done yearly (mainly due to their medical issues) and know for certain they are in the parameters for their particular species.
Each species originated from a different country originally (natures design) so to feed all the items they would eat naturally in the wild is impossible due to lack of evidence you can't study a wild bird continually in its natural environment.
Click to expand...
I haven’t read any scientific study about parrots yet. So Idk how it works for parrots really and how the ideal diet is worked on

Normally for fish, at least from what Ive seen during my paper readings so far, they usually check the gut of wildcaught fish. Different species belong to same family, their environments, what’s in the gut, seasons, etc. There can be thought to be byproducts which does not mean they do eat it on purpose, like plecos may have wood in the gut, or in nature, a hunter animal may eat bones, fur, feather, etc. which may end up in the gut, but not direct source of food.

Now I am curious how it is determined to know ideal parrot diet, because more or less, all species are served the same food options, from what Ive seen so far. Except one species having more fruits but I forgot the name, you know better ofcourse

I will try to find some scientific papers about parrot diet based on species and how they feed in the wild
 
Eclectus is what your thinking of I would add mynah bird to that.
Things on the brush tongue sector Lorikeets it's flowers nectar / pollen same as the humming bird family)
Thing is they don't work it out they about guess it and make it appealing to the humans that purchase it.
I read the scientific papers and then started looking at photos holiday makers had put up, then looked at complaints from places parrot that have been released and survived and what they were raiding to see what adaptations they made. Then I did a flipping huge multipage excel spreadsheet and listed nutritional values, vitamin and mineral content plus fibre fat contents etc then tried to work out the calories used flying and lack there of for caged birds.
Gave myself numerous sleepless nights and the mother of all headaches.
Then cross referenced purchasable diets, dropped somethings added others and came up with diets specific to the species I own.
The Nekton S product is the only one with essential amino acids that was recommended by a brilliant avian vet (she was vet at Loro Park) now long since retired. Now after years later of doing all that I pretty much have my flocks diets off by heart.
 
Oh nearly forgot about the kea parrot they are hunters of insects bugs mainly also consuming roots bulbs fruit flowers and nectar.
Galah need low fat seed diet
Macaws need higher fat
Amazon's more fruit and more beta carotene levels
Grey's need the calcium keeping an eye on.
Hmmm there's also the little cheeky grass parakeets obviously needing grass seed varieties a millets rather than the larger stuff.

Then add all that together and get dumped on from a great height when one of your birds decides they don't like a particular item.

Then you end up like me grey haired hardly sleeping and with a serious amount of frown lines :risas3:

As said before though mine had to be worked out as I took in some rehomes that came with medical issues to help them it had to be done
 
Very cool. Thank you for the detailed information @DizzyBlue :budgie:


I found out that the most popular avian vet is located quite close to me. When I *hopefully* get my birds this week, should I directly bring them to an avian vet control? Would it be an additional further stress as leaving their home for the first time and transporting for the first time is a stress factor as it is? They are bred at home environment by a hobbyist, so I don't think they will likely have issues, at least compared to pet store ones.

My main concern would be potential parasites but not sure how common those would be in a bird born in an apartment

Please note that I have never seen stuff like insurance to benefit from in the long term here. So bringing them to a vet asap should not have any economic benefits for me, which I don't mind
 
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