Ask Lafeber

Question:

March 3, 2021

Nutrition


There seems to be some debate within the companion parrot community about protein in the diet, with some claiming that protein deficiency is a major and prevalent concern (many add mealworms and other insects to the diet) while others claiming that an excess of dietary protein leads to renal disorders. My understanding has been that parrots tolerate a wide range of dietary protein. Can you comment on this?
There have been reports in humans and some animals (such as dogs and cats) of corn and soy causing allergic reactions or inflammation. Is there any evidence of this in captive parrots? Additionally, “the internet” has a tendency to relate behavior problems in companion parrots to such ingredients. In your practice, what have you observed regarding the validity of these claims?


Answer:

Hi Stephanie,

I’m sorry we didn’t get to these questions last week, although the information has been covered in past webinars. Many years ago, when the Internet was first beginning to influence people, a well known Avian Vet and researcher used to begin his Q&A with this statement – :We are less concerned with what you read on the internet, and more concerned with what we know is true.” LOL That has always stuck with me as it applies more and more as social media continues to be many people’s source for information. Anecdotal evidence can be important, but it has its place. There are many well meaning parrot owners online, who give some very bad and potentially damaging advice because they have owned a bird for a few years and have done a lot of “research” on the internet. When enough people make the same observations, researchers take notice and begin a study. I believe it was in last week’s webinar that Dr. Tully discussed nutrition, and basically, we have had to guess about diet based on very little information on wild parrot diets. But, there have been extensive studies, and there continue to be ongoing studies, as to what the ideal nutritional balance is for parrots. Most commercial diets are similar in balance, and this is based on the results of nutritional studies to date. One week a viewer asked about only feeding a home made diet, and Dr. Tully explained that the problem with these diets is that you really do not know the actual nutritional value of fresh foods. It can vary greatly based on how it was grown, when it was harvested and how it was stored before the consumer buys it. This is why Vets recommend that 80% of the diet consist of a good quality, scientifically balanced diet with fresh foods and treats making up the 20% part of the diet. When you start increasing a nutrient, based on what others say, you risk causing damage such as the renal damage you mentioned. There are diet studies that have been ongoing for decades, because parrots do live a long time and it can take years for any negative effects to cause an issue. Many parrots lived for decades eating sunflower seeds before they began exhibiting health issues that were eventually linked to the poor diet. There is no doubt a difference in the needs of different species, but since there have been no studies for most wild species, we have to go with what seems to be working. Generally non-breeding birds do not need additional protein, although it can be offered in small amounts. Because we are seeing more atherosclerosis in pet birds, offering animal proteins is no longer recommended. As you stated, a wide range of dietary protein seems to be tolerated. I feel that any additional protein should be part of the “20%” additional foods offered daily and not a significant increase to what is recommended.

As to the possible allergies, this has also been discussed and Dr Tully explained how allergies are very hard to test for in birds. Generally it is a case of eliminating potential allergens to see if there are any changes. However, whether people or animals, allergens are not an across the board issue. We are talking about a most likely minute percentage of affected individuals where the majority thrives on the same ingredients. Therefore it would make no sense to eliminate these ingredients across the board. It would be like banning all foods that are known to cause allergies. Or much like the gluten free trend, where truly only 1% of the population needs to eliminate it from their diet, where for most people, gluten does have its benefits as part of a balanced diet. Allergens have long been suspected as a possible cause for some feather destructive behavior or other behavior issues. But because this is so random, it is hard to establish a reliable study group. So Vets do not necessarily dismiss the idea, but they take it on a case by case basis.

You have some very interesting questions, and in part all of this comes up regularly. My advice is to continue to research and learn, but always consider the source, and trust in the legitimate studies that have taken place and are still being done. I personally choose to offer a well researched, commercial diet as I’ve known too many birds on home made diets that have eventually began to exhibit nutrition related issues.

We have presented some great webinars on nutrition that you might want to check out. We do not influence our speakers to present a specific view or diet, but of course we do invite speakers who we agree with and know will give safe, proven advice. Here is the link to our playlist of past webinars on nutrition:

 

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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