If you take a look at the high fat diets that alot of todays bird owners are feeding their birds it's very easy to see why alot of birds like Amazons that are prone to obesity, are overweight. In the wild Parrots & other birds are able to enjoy a huge variety of greens every day of their life. However most companion parrots in captivity will be lucky to eat green foods once or twice a week.
Lack of greens in a birds diet can cause several deficiencies. One of the most common is a vitamin A deficiency. This compromises the immune system and will eventually effect the outward appearence of the bird. Most notably, the eyes will appear dull and so will the feathers. The richest and most natural source of Vitamin A is dark leafy greens. Vitamin K is also abundantly found in this nutritious food. Another advantage of feeding your birds leafy greens is that they are low in calories, fat & sodium. Greens are also free of cholesterol & fat that causes obesity in companion birds and the various health problems that accompany it.
There are many nutrients found in dark leafy greens that are an excellent part of your parrots diet.
Fiber is found in abundance in many greens. Fiber is an is important in your birds diet in that it has different functions in the system including the regulation of cholesterol.
Carotenes, including beta carotenes are also present and play an important part too. They help fend off diseases and keep the eyes & mucas membranes healthy. Dark Greens have a higher beta carotenee content than greens that are light in color. So always choose leafy green such as Mustard, Collard, Red leaf & Romaine Lettuce as well as Bok Choy, Kale & Spinach.
Calcium is also present in alot of greens. Not only is calcium very important good bone structure in parrots it also assists in nerve transmissions, blood clotting, the formation of eggs & the laying of eggs in females & muscle contraction.
Magnesium is another important mineral that is found in Greens. Magnesium helps to control many metabolic processes. Promoting the absorption and metabolism of other minerals, particulary calcium, Magnesium is a critical mineral for a bird coping with stress. Magesium is somtimes referred to as the Stress relieving mineral.
Potassium is found in greens and is essential to help, blood pressure regulation, transmission of nerve impulses & proper digestion. It also helps out with the birds heartbeat as well helping muscles to contract.
Folic acid is found in greens also. Folic acid is a B vitamin that can help fight off heart disease by working with enzymes that can help dispose of homocysteine which is a harmful chemical found in blood that can irritate the walls of your birds artery. Folic acids are also important in the development of red blood cells.
One must remember that if your bird has never eaten greens before that there is a good chance that it will take a while to get it use to eating these great nutritious foods. Below are some tips you can use that have worked for me in helping Bandit - our African Grey & Ryley our Mollucan Cockatoo eat new things. Patience is the key and remember to not give up. Alot of birds will not eat new foods on the first try. Some take a few days, some take months and others take literally over a year. Just work with your bird consistently and it will eventually come around.
**Monkey See ____Monkey Do is a great approach by allowing birds to observe other birds eating the greens.
This is an excellent technique to use. If you have a single bird family then don't worry. You can still use this technique to help get your bird onto a healthier diet. More often than not, you parrot will look to it's main caregiver as the flock leader. If you want your parrot to eat healthier foods then try eating the food you want your bird to eat in front of him/her. Make a huge drama production out of it. Say things like "mmmmmm, this bok choy is nice, would you like some bok choy?". If your bird sees you enjoying it then there is a great chance that it will become interested in it. Don't expect for it to eat it right away. With Bandit he has to 'play ' with it for a few minutes before taking a bite out of it. Also you offer it to them and when they go to take it from you, pull it away. This basically sets them off in the train of thought that "What's yours is mine". This technique has worked on Bandit, Rico & Ryley many times. Thankfully they haven't caught on yet that I'm using that method to get them to try new things.
You can buy stainless steel kabob sticks and hang them from the top of your parrots cage. You can then weave the greens in and out amongst other veggies on the skewer.
**Mix Chopped greens in with some of your birds other favorite foods.
**Weave the leafy greens through your cage bars.
**Starchy, Sweet foods such as Corn, apples & grapes may not be the healthiest, but birds who really love their seed may learn to eat more fresh foods if you use them as a transition food to fresh stuff packed with better a better nutrional value.
**Pay attention to your parrots preference to food. Feed the foods that are most nutritious when he is hungriest. Some eat healthy in the morning, others eat healthy early in the evening. Many parrots are more likely to try out new foods when you're eating with them.
** We need to be in control of what our parrots eat. Allowing a parrot to choose his own diet is not the best thing to do. Parrots will 99.99% of the time not make healthy choices.
** There is a Catch 22 when making the transition to a healthier diet. A parrot who is suffering from Malnutrition will have health problems that may be aggravated by his change of diet, yet if you don't change his diet he will continue to have health problems. The key is to gradually replace the unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives without compromising the parrots need for nourishment.
** Don't ever go "Cold Turkey" on your parrot. Make sure your parrot is getting enough to eat during the conversion process.
**Parrots are attracted to the color, shape, size and texture of food. So be creative and provide a variety until you find a way for him to eat healthy.
** Do plan on wasting some food during the transition process. Parrots are MESSY eaters and usually waste alot of food, especially when you're coverting them on to a better diet.
**Don't go giving your parrot a huge smorgasboard of all kinds of food. This will give him a chance to reject alot of foods. It's alway best during the conversion process to give a sample of a few veggies/fruits one day and different ones the next.
Just remember though that fresh foods do spoil after a few hours. So if your bird hasn't touched the food in 2 hours remove it from the cage and replace it with some more. Also remember that it takes time and patience when trying to get birds onto new diets. So do expect some wastage during the transition period and most importantly DON"T GIVE UP.