How much fruit is too much for your bird?

plumsmum

Regular Member
Found this article by Dr. Stephanie Lamb, DVM - hope that it provides some food for thought

"Too much of anything is a bad thing. If a bird gets more calories a day than it needs its body is going to have to store those extra calories for possible future use. The body will convert sugars to fats at a certain point and store them in the liver. Over time, more and more can build up if they are not working it off.

So, whether it's sugars or fats, the final outcome will potentially be the same. Now, how much they actually get is what makes the difference. Just like people have specific calorie need, animals do as well. As an example, an African Grey size bird that is in good body condition is going to need about 50 calories a day. A single grape is two calories. So, it take about 25 grapes to give that bird its daily calorie need. Most people won't be feeding that many grapes.

When feeding too much fruit to your birds you are going to also be missing out on proteins that a birds need. Lack of lysine and methionine protein in the diet will result in fatty liver syndrome. So, if they eat a lot of fruit and not a lot of other items there will be an unbalance in their diet. Fruit should not be considered as the main factor that can cause fatty liver disease as there can always be other underlying factors that can contribute. As I usually say, balance in diet is the most important thing. "

Dr. Stephanie Lamb, DVM
 
Bit scary as at the moment Lucy Macaw is hardly eating her veg, which she has 1st thing in the morning and fruit at tea time, fruit always goes even those awful persimmons..
 
Does she eat any good quality pellets hun? There are some good supplements out there and better to use than not IMHO. Have you tried coating the veg in a fruit sauce? Will she eat some wholewheat pasta? Use a veggie sauce sweetened with apples.
 
I've been saying for years that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing ….
Have you tried doing a variation of the vegies … we always seem to buy what we like in the veggies shopping list and that's what wee share with out birdies sometimes we forget to vary stuff for us and them.
I hate broccoli …. plant of the devil … but I buy it and feed it … those tender stem ones … I hate the smell it pen and inks … but the birdies love it and it is good for them
How about going through the safe veggies list and crossing off the ones you usually feed and see if you can find the ones that you don't often feed and see if that tempts her? … sprouts perhaps or curly kale
 
I do not give them pellets, too expensive for them to only end up on the floor, I have tried every which way.. She has her seed, a little in the evenings, her nuts every day and her daily essentials. She will I am sure go back to her veg eventually, I just think it is a "phase"
 
I have just made a bowl of chop and have added TOPs pellets ground up and some dried chickweed, dandelion plus all the usual veggies. They all have a poke about in it. I always add apples to the mix also. Have you tried grating those nuts on the veggies? I also add uncooked orzo pasta that looks like rice to the mix, it takes up some moisture, Rubes especially loves her carbs so will filter this out but she cannot do this without getting some of the other stuff too. @Kendra
 
The problem with removing the nuts is that she has them in the shell and wrapped every day, she expects this and I am sure would create if I stopped. When she came to me she appeared to have no idea how to forage (to be honest, none of them did) and now they all love their parcels. Yes, they like their pasta, I buy the type made with corn, tomato and spinach, if you know of a better veg selection, but that is all I have been able to find. I will do them pasta tomorrow and chop some veg in tiny pieces, see if that works, thank you.
 
The problem with removing the nuts is that she has them in the shell and wrapped every day, she expects this and I am sure would create if I stopped. When she came to me she appeared to have no idea how to forage (to be honest, none of them did) and now they all love their parcels. Yes, they like their pasta, I buy the type made with corn, tomato and spinach, if you know of a better veg selection, but that is all I have been able to find. I will do them pasta tomorrow and chop some veg in tiny pieces, see if that works, thank you.

I have made a veggie/tomato slop to coat the pasta in hun. A kitchen blender will do the trick. This way it is not possible to sift through like they can when it is chopped. I wonder if trying roasted peppers which are sweet and adding to the slop will help? Rubes loves her peppers. How about making a brocolli lolly pop? Sprig or stem of brocolli dipped in honey (or honey and water) then in chopped/grated nuts? Surprise her with those parcels, add different ingredients, it will make her want to do it more.
 
Well, tried the pasta and minced veg this morning, so she will have to eat some, if she eats the pasta, we will see how much has gone by teatime. Could not find the blender, we have just moved so everything missing, [6 months ago]
 
Well, tried the pasta and minced veg this morning, so she will have to eat some, if she eats the pasta, we will see how much has gone by teatime. Could not find the blender, we have just moved so everything missing, [6 months ago]
Grate some nuts over the top, it will be a taste she is familiar with.
 
She knows her veg, she normally eats it but this last week or so she has not touched it. Last night she had eaten the pasta so suppose some veg went down but left as much as she could. Really must find the blender and make some veg mush like you said.
 
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