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Scribbly Gum FAQ |
| From: Q-Tips ® | 24/07/2003 3:48:23 PM |
| Subject: Bird FAQ 2 - Feeding | post id: 65424 |
| 2 - FEEDING Food Containers: Clean and fresh food and water should ideally be provided daily. For grainivores - seed hoppers and catchers mean that these can be topped up weekly and the bird feeds from a dispenser. Other birds such as lorikeets, frugivores and those that require live food must be fed daily or twice daily, as their food is more perishable than those that eat seeds and grains. Place Food and water reciprocals somewhere out of the sun and rain, and not under perches or where birds can foul them with droppings. Elevating food dishes will help keep away rodents and cockroaches. Automatic water dispensers can be set up using drip sprinklers, or a timer on a tap. With reticulated watering systems, you should check regularly for blockages and in summer check for algae growth. Bulk seed can be kept in heavy-duty plastic containers (such as bins or buckets with lids) rather than plastic or hessian bags. Rodents easily eat through bags. Wet nectar mix can be kept in the fridge. All food should be stored in a cool, dry place out of the sun. Diet - by species group: Parrots & Cockatoos:Most parrots and cockatoos feed mainly on seeds and grains and pre-prepared mixes can be found at your local pet shop or bird shop. To help with seed digestion birds should be provided with grit in the form of either grit blocks, shell grit or access to sandy soil. The birds eat these small stones and rock particles to help break down the seed in the crop. Some parrots such as the Princess Parrot and the grass parrots are prone to obesity if fed too many oily seeds such as sunflower. Other parrots need a lot of oily seed during breeding - it is best to do some research regarding your birds needs by reading bird books or magazines aimed at aviculture. Generally sunflower should be offered in minimal quantities. No birds do well on a pure seed diet as seeds to do not provide many nutrients. In addition sprouted seeds, vegetables and fruits and occasionally a small amount of live food (ie mealworms) can be offered. Some parrots such as the Conures, and other Asiatic & South American parrots eat mainly fruit and therefore they should be provided with more fresh fruit and veggies daily, rather than seed. Vegetables suitable to use include celery, broccoli, bean sprouts, stringbeans, peas, carrot, spinach, corn on the cob, bok choy, and silverbeet and the fruits that are listed under Lorikeets. Do not feed lettuce or avocado to your birds and remember to always wash before them before you serve (same for fruits). Sprouted seed is an excellent nutritional source for your birds and can be grown by planting bird seed in your garden, water well, cover for two days and then uncover the sprouts and allow the shoots to grow. You can either feed the sprouts when they are at 10cm, of wait until they are fully-grown and give the birds the seeding grass heads produced by your plants. Another easy way is to plant some seed in a jar of hot water and leave for a day, rinse the seed with hot water the following day, drain and leave on the window sill. Do not feed sprouts if they turn moldy. Pelted diets are also available, however there are many differing viewpoints on whether they do more harm than good and it is up to personal preference if you decide to feed them to your birds. Fresh leaves, flowers and buds of native plants such as haekea, meleluca (sp?), eucalyptus, wattle and native conifers are greatly appreciated not only for eating - but just for fun as well. Lorikeets: Lories and Lorikeets are nectivores - meaning that they feed almost exclusively on nectar. You can by wet or dry nectar mixes from your local pet or bird shop. Some people feed their lorikeets on bread soaked in honey and water. This is not a proper diet for the bird and should only be fed as an emergency feed or very occasionally. Lories and Lorikeets will also occasionally eat a small amount of seed minus fatty seeds, and live food such as mealworms. Fresh flowers and buds of native flowing plants such as grevillias, bottlebrush, honeysuckle, wattle, flowering gums and banskia should be included several times a week, when flowers are available. Fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, figs, plums, oranges are a good source of nutrients and minerals and a selection of these as well as vegetables (see parrots and cockatoos) should be provided daily. TBC .... | |
| From: Q-Tips ® | 24/07/2003 3:50:36 PM |
| Subject: re: Bird FAQ 2 - Feeding | post id: 65425 |
| Quails & Finches: Quails and finches feed on a mixture of small seeds (finch or canary mix) and live invertebrate food. Some finch species will eat almost only seed or only live food, so check books ect in regards to your species (also see Insectivore and Carnivores). Quails will take on live food such as earwigs and even huntsman spiders. Both quails and finches should be fed seeding grass (small wild grass) heads and also sprouted seed (5cm sprouts). They will also appreciate chickweed, dandelions and leafy vegetables such as spinach (no lettuce!). Doves & Pigeons:Pigeons and doves eat mainly hard seeds. They do not shell their seed such as the parrots and cockatoos and therefore need extra grit to help break the seed down. Some pigeons and doves eat a large quantity of fruit - check books ect - so fruit would make up a large proportion of their diet. Large pigeons, bronzewings and doves will eat larger seeds, while smaller doves (ie Diamond Doves) will eat smaller seeds and grains, similar to that fed to the finches and quail. Your local bird shop will supply pigeon seed mix or pigeon pellets. Insectivores & Carnivores:Live invertebrate food can include mealworms, crickets, fly pupae, slaters, weevil moths & grubs, laboratory cockroaches and other live insects that you can attract to the aviary. You can attract live insects by installing a small compost bin inside or near the aviary, or a night light/lamp/torch to attract nocturnal insects, or other types of bug catchers. Crickets, cockroaches, and mealworms can be bought from pet shops. Carnivorous birds can be provided with thawed frozen day-old chicks, hard-boiled egg (mashed), wet dog food biscuits and thawed frozen laboratory mice. Day-old chicks and lab mice are available for purchase frozen from good bird shops or dealers, or universities. Some people choose to farm their own. In addition to these foods insectivores and carnivores can be provided with a pre-made insectivore mix available from vets, pet shops and bird shops. It comes as a dry powder that when added to water forms small balls of food. Any food for these types of bird should be fed daily or twice daily, as it needs to be given fresh. Nutrition The best nutritional advice would be to offer your birds a variety of foods to increase the interest in the food and also to vary the amounts of minerals and vitamins your bird has access to. Just like us, birds will get sick if they eat the same thing every day. Special treats such as honey sticks, millet sprays or seed logs can increase the variety of ways in which a bird eats its food and so it is ok to feed these every now and then. There are many problems, including those that lead to death, that can arise from a bird not having a correct or balanced diet so make sure you research the diet of your bird by reading books and bird magazine articles. There are bird vitamin and multivitamin supplements available, however don’t over-dose your bird by giving it to them all the time. Calcium is very important to birds, as they do not get any calcium from their food sources. Calcium or mineral blocks should be provided, or washed cuttlefish (another good source of calcium), especially during the breeding season as hens need extra calcium when laying. Comments? | |
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