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If you have read any of my articles, you will find one thing that I constantly say – Most problems that develop with birds can be directly traced to a poor diet. It’s no different than with humans. Too much of one food type and not enough of another will always result in health problems.

You know this! You were taught this in school! They drilled that silly pyramid food chain nonsense into your head right from kindergarten! But it never occurs to you to apply this logic to your pet birds!

Birds have the same nutritional requirements as humans. And if you feed your bird that way, you will never have problems.

THE EVILS OF AN ALL-SEED DIET

One of my recent bird rescues involved a pair of Blue Front Amazons. The owner had been put into hospital, and from there she would be going into a nursing home. The family was at a loss of what to do with the birds. They knew this was a proven pair of breeders that regularly produced babies, so they thought they would give it a try. They kept the birds for several months and did what any uneducated bird owners would do…give it an all-seed bird diet. It was quick and easy, and didn’t cost them much money!

As time went by, the bird’s attitude changed. They became less active, and never did lay any eggs. It became a burden on them to keep unproductive birds, so they turned them over to us.

My wife is the medical expert of our aviary, and immediately noticed the signs of a sick bird. Black tips on the feathers, no energy, some respiratory problems, and a low body weight.

One of the most common diet related diseases in birds (especially Amazons) is hypovitaminosis A, or Vitamin A deficiency. This is mainly caused by a poor diet, especially if the only food the bird gets is seed. Bird seed only has a trace of Vitamin A in it, making it a terrible diet.

Birds that develop ‘hypovitaminosis A’ develop a variety of health problems, especially a much lower immune system, and poor reproduction. As the disease develops, the bird will show countless sighs of illness.

I knew right away what the problem with our rescued Amazons was…..now all we had to do was move fast to cure it.

Dianna is is a Blue Front Amazon with low body weight caused by a Vitamin A deficiency.

Analissa is a Double Yellow Head Amazon she came to me with a severe Vitamin A deficiency and had E-coli infection. Most of her feathers were black tipped and the feathers on top of her head were suppose to be yellow

You can see from the photo the black coloring on the front of her head.

This photo was taken of her about 6 months after medical treatment and a change in her diet.

A BIT MORE BACKGROUND

Body chemistry is a very complicate thing….it is a very delicate balance of minerals and vitamins, and they all work together. Calcium and Vitamin D are both needed for proper digestion. It is much the same with Vitamin A…a protein-deficient diet will effect the bird by inhibiting its ability to absorb Vitamin A. Again, a balanced diet is important.

If caught early, this disease is easy to cure. In its later stages, long term medical care may be needed. So it’s important to be able to identify the symptoms in their early stages. One of the easiest signs to see is poor feather color. In Amazons, this will show up as a darkening of the tips of the feathers. Hypovitaminosis A will have a lot of effects on the respiratory system, so look for sneezing, wheezing, or nasal discharge that will become crusted and plug the nostrils. The bird will begin to lose energy and may become a bit lethargic. He will slow his eating and begin to lose weight. In the later stages you will notice a foul smelling breath, and patches of white in the mouth.

TREATMENT

If you begin to see these signs, take your bird to a vet. He will do a simple CBC Blood test that will quickly identify the deficiency, and will give you some additional advice on how to proceed. NEVER treat your bird with human vitamins or medications without first consulting your vet.

You must change the bird’s diet and begin to include foods rich in beta carotene. Some of the best sources for this are any carrots (especially carrot juice), canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes, kale and spinach. Dandelion greens are another excellent source. Keep these foods in their cage along with their other diet, and encourage them to eat it.

There is a product on the market called Sirulina. This is readily available on line, and in some of the better pet stores and health food stores. Spirulina is an edible blue-green microalgae sold as a dry powder. It is rich in Vitamin B12, and has 20 times more Vitamin A then carrots. Feed this to your bird for 3 weeks, and you will begin to notice a dramatic effect.

The long term treatment is to ensure your bird has proper nutrition. If you can’t adjust its diet, begin to feed it a good vitamin mix. Pay attention to the label and make sure it has a good amount of Vitamin A. I am particularly fond of Nekton-S, but any good mix will do. Lafeber has a good multi-vitamin mix that is not that expensive and will do the job.

Don’t forget that sunlight is also an important part of the bird’s treatment. Try to give the bird a few hours a day in front of the window. A much better method would be to purchase a bird lamp with a full spectrum light, and allow the bird to get 12 hours of this light per day.

Do you have any super-secret bird recipes that you’d like to share? Or have any questions on your bird diet? Please post your questions, feedbacks and comments below. Thank you!

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