Sunflowerbird

Plumage Enhancer for feather pluckers

2011-10-07T05:46:00.001-07:00

Parrot Food Plumage Enhancer is recommended to enhance colouration and it is ideal for feather pluckers and parrots with poor feather quality. It also aids in protecting the liver and restoring normal liver function. For this purpose The Plumage Enhancer contains vitamins, amino acids, anti-oxidants and specifically: palm fruit extract and cynara extract.

The Cynara Extract is a natural hepato modulator and is a non-hormonal product made from natural ingredients including Cynara (Artichoke) and Choline Chloride (Vitamin B4). Choline mobilizes fat and prevents excessive fat deposits in the liver, also help with the detoxification process. The Cynara extract stimulates bile flow and production, it improves liver function and thereby also feed digestion. The prevention of liver damage due to harmful substances, like bacterial and viral toxins, improves the chance of your parrot to reach its full potential.

The Palm Fruit Extract is rich in beta-carotene and vitamin E which results in improved feather growth, decreased or stopped feather plucking, brighter colouration, less dryness of the skin and less feather dust. Palm fruit extract contains a balance of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. In addition palm fruit extract also contains essential substances such as linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid which the body cannot manufacture) and tocopherols and tocotrienols, which act as natural anti-oxidants against damaging free-radicals.

Palm fruit extract is a major source beta-carotene (15 to 300 times more than carrots and green vegetables, which is a precursor to Vitamin A. Among the functions of vitamin A are healthy mucous membranes and skin, bone growth and reproduction. Palm fruit extract is also 100% Cholesterol Free. Easily digested palm fruit extract is absorbed and utilized for support of healthy growth, contributing towards energy reserves, thermal insulation, organ protection, and tissue membrane structure and cell metabolism.

Let's sum that up in plain English. It is 100% natural. It improves feather colour, especially the reds, orange and yellows. It increases skin condition and feather tone. It improves general health and liver condition.

With modern technology all grains are first cooked, thereafter milled and shaped with a cold process. All additives like vitamins, amino acids, anti-oxidants, palm fruit extract etc. are not exposed to high temperatures. This modern technology increases digestibility even more than with extruded products. The palatability is improved with addition of dried vegetables and the natural nutty taste and smell of the roasted grains. The pellets are made to a size the parrots like. This enables Animalzone to keep our pet foods as natural as possible.

Parrot Food Plumage Enhancer for feather pluckers

2011-09-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

Plumage Enhancer Large & Small pellets

Plumage Enhancer pellets

Parrot Food Plumage Enhancer is recommended to enhancecolouration and it is ideal for feather pluckers and parrots with poor featherquality. It also aids in protecting the liver and restoring normal liverfunction. For this purpose The Plumage Enhancer contains vitamins, amino acids,anti-oxidants and specifically: palm fruit extract and cynara extract.

The Cynara Extract is a natural hepatomodulator and is a non-hormonal product made from natural ingredients includingCynara (Artichoke) and Choline Chloride (Vitamin B4). Choline mobilizes fat andprevents excessive fat deposits in the liver, also help with the detoxificationprocess. The Cynara extract stimulates bile flow and production, it improvesliver function and thereby also feed digestion. The prevention of liver damagedue to harmful substances, like bacterial and viral toxins, improves the chanceof your parrot to reach its full potential.

The Palm Fruit Extract is rich in beta-carotene and vitamin E whichresults in improved feather growth, decreased or stopped feather plucking,brighter colouration, less dryness of the skin and less feather dust. Palmfruit extract contains a balance of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated andsaturated fatty acids. In addition palm fruit extract also contains essentialsubstances such as linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid which the body cannotmanufacture) and tocopherols and tocotrienols, which act as naturalanti-oxidants against damaging free-radicals.

Palm fruitextract is a major source beta-carotene (15 to 300 times more than carrots andgreen vegetables, which is a precursor to Vitamin A. Among the functions ofvitamin A are healthy mucous membranes and skin, bone growth and reproduction.Palm fruit extract is also 100% Cholesterol Free. Easily digested palm fruitextract is absorbed and utilized for support of healthy growth, contributing towardsenergy reserves, thermal insulation, organ protection, and tissue membranestructure and cell metabolism.

Let's sumthat up in plain English. It is 100% natural. It improves feather colour,especially the reds, orange and yellows. It increases skin condition andfeather tone. It improves general health and liver condition.

Withmodern technology all grains are first cooked, thereafter milled and shapedwith a cold process. All additives like vitamins, amino acids, anti-oxidants,palm fruit extract etc. are not exposed to high temperatures. This moderntechnology increases digestibility even more than with extruded products. Thepalatability is improved with addition of dried vegetables and the naturalnutty taste and smell of the roasted grains. The pellets are made to a size theparrots like. This enables Animalzone to keepour pet foods as natural as possible.

Tips for keeping a parrot as a pet

2011-08-02T00:32:00.000-07:00

Pet birds definitely needs exercise to help keep them fit and healthy. Domestic birds tend to get less exercise than they do in their natural habitat. Your parrot’s wings are probably clipped and therefore we need to help them get the exercise they need.

From the start you can make sure that your bird’s cage is large enough for him. Your Parrot should be able to stretch out and flap his wings for exercise, without them touching the sides of the cage. If kept outdoors, your Parrot should have enough room to fly around properly. Parrots kept indoors will need to be let out of their cage daily to exercise under supervision. Let them out of their cages every day and involve them in your tasks around the house. Let them sit on the outside of their cage. Parrots are curious, highly active birds that enjoy climbing. Attaching some horizontal climbing bars to the outside of their cage makes a good exercise area. When you go out gardening, let them spend a bit of free time on the grass, but always make sure they are safe and secure. Make sure they can’t fly away, or too high up in a tree where you can’t reach them. Beware of trees with toxic wood. These outings must always be supervised and with safety first in mind.

Playtime is fun time:

This is the easiest way to inspire exercise. Games such as hide-and-seek require your parrot to search for you, moving from one place to another; or a game of Fetch is a good alternative since your parrot must return the object to you.

Provide Toys for Your Bird:

Toys such as knotted ropes and climbing rings are a great ways for your parrot to climb. Just be sure the rings are big enough for your parrot’s whole body to pass through. Injury and entrapment could occur if they are not large enough.

Get a Bigger Birdcage:

As stated before, it is imperative for your feathered companion to have space to stretch its wings and flap. There should also be plenty of room to supply several perches and different heights to suggest climbing.

All our pets need to get out and stretch their legs in the outdoors; your dog needs a run in the park and horses need to be exercised – not many of us have the privilege to live on a big enough property where all can roam free! Ask anyone who sits behind a desk all day – it feels really good to go for a walk during lunchtime.

Secondly we can make an effort with a healthy diet for our pets. Food with the correct levels of nutrients won’t lead to your pet being overweight. We all need a balanced diet with the correct amounts of vitamins and minerals to be healthy. Modern pet food has added vitamins, minerals and amino acids to aid us in keeping our pets in top shape.

Low oil snack for you birds

2011-05-27T02:44:00.000-07:00

It is important to remember that it is not sunflower seeds that are the problem; it is giving too much sunflower seeds. According to us there is a misconception out there that birds eat only dry seeds, and that sunflower seeds are a big percentage of that diet. Nowhere in the natural world are there birds that only have a seed diet throughout the whole year. Dry seeds are not available to them the whole year.

It’s only with caged birds that we as humans give dry seed all year long, and this is mostly where the misconception comes from. Birds should not be fed a seed only diet, but it can be part of a balanced diet. Birds aren’t exclusive seed eaters all year round.

Because sunflower seeds are used so extensively and used wrongly the want to give a bit more info on the seeds to better explain the need for it to be used as a small part of the diet only.

Sunflower seeds are classified mainly in 2 categories: high in oil, and low in oil. High oil seeds are mainly used to make sunflower oil and the low oil variety is used as bird seed, for human consumption in baking, salads and other food products.

You get 3 main color varieties of sunflower seeds; they are Black, Striped and White. Traditionally the Black seeds tend to be the ones higher in oil, while the Striped variety have less oil, and the White seed the least amount of oil. Due to Genetic Modification this isn’t always the case anymore and you should check the packaging or supplier details for oil content percentage to make sure you get the lowest available. Going on the color alone is not the only way to check. Sunflower seeds can form part of a balanced diet, just always make sure it’s a low oil variety.

The next thing to watch out for is the quality of sunflower seeds you buy. They must always be clean and free from any growing mould or fungus, as this can lead to illness in you bird. Mould is very common on seeds and must be checked for. Also make sure the sunflower seeds are not contaminated with other seeds from weeds. The cleansing of sunflower seeds is usually done twice, the first time by die farmer when the seeds get harvested, the second time when the birdseed distributor cleans it before packing. The supplier of bird seed must also store it under correct conditions; ideally dry.

Most importantly is to note that sunflower seeds are not bird food. It can be a small part of a balanced diet, but shouldn’t be fed exclusively. Because of the high oil level, it gives the birds a high energy level and they can get ‘addicted’ to it. For this reason some bird owners completely omit sunflower seeds from their birds’ diet altogether.

Please consider the above facts, and if you decide to give sunflower seeds as part of your birds’ diet, please use a clean, high quality, low fat variety in small amounts.

Change in diet – for the love of your pet

2011-04-15T03:47:00.000-07:00

We recently got a comment from a Bird Breeder in the UK that his birds find it very difficult to move from another brand to Animalzone’s food.

This problem is not unique to bird food; all pet food manufacturers have the same issues. The most important thing to remember is that the health of your pet comes first. It will take an investment of time, and some discipline on your side to change their diet, but in the end it will be worth it because they will be so much healthier when they are on a healthier diet.

Any change in food will always be met with a certain amount of resistance and it’s not just the taste that is important for birds but the texture as well. It is usually more difficult to change the diet from seed to processed food, than just change from one processed food to another.

Animalzone’s advantage: a natural product with high palatability from the roasting process, resulting in a nutty taste and flavor. The shape of the pellet aids the more natural way of eating, it can be picked up and held in their feet.

Any change in diet must happen responsibly, it doesn’t matter if the change is from seeds to processed food or from one processed food to another.

3 Ways to change diet:

Method 1:

Take old food away, put only new food in. It should take about 3 days; the first 2 days will be slow with minimal eating, but by the 3rd day you bird should be eating well.

Method 2:

Put new food in, then with mealtimes, give a small bowl for a short period of time of the old food just to get the bird’s appetite going, he must not eat too much, but must still be hungry enough to eat the new food.

Method 3:

Equal quantities of food in different bowls or mixed together, gradually lessen the old food over a period of 2 weeks.

Take into consideration the size of your bird, the larger species can handle change better, but birds like budgies with their high metabolism and smaller body, will therefore be more sensitive and will be suited to a more gradual change.

Large: African Greys, Macaws and cockatoos – try Method 1

Medium: Ringnecks, Conures, etc – try Method 2

Small: Cockatiels, Budgies, etc – try Method 3

Birds will resist change in their diet and especially if they have been living on a seed diet. They get addicted to the high fat content because it gives them an energy rush and it makes it difficult for them to change.

Practical tip: during the change:

Give you pet some honey in their drinking water, it enhances their energy levels and boosts their appetite. (¾ teaspoon to 250ml water.) Also add some Probiotics to maintain the intestinal flora or some Animalzone’s Vita Tea to boost general health and maintain the intestinal flora.

What problems does poor nutrition cause?

2011-03-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

Poor nutrition is the culprit of many problems that we see in parrots. Vitamin A deficiency, the high fat content of seed and nuts and fungal growth on seeds cause the most problems.

One of the first signs of poor nutrition is a dry and flaky skin, commonly referred to as feather dust. A dry skin can be very itchy and unfortunately a parrot might start pulling or biting his feathers since he cannot scratch to get rid of the irritation.

Poor nutrition is also clearly marked by poor feather quality and stress marks on the feathers. Stress marks are seen as black lines across the feathers.

Poor skin condition can also lead to feather follicle cysts. The cysts normally occur on the wings where the primary feather struggle to grow through the thickened skin and cysts then form. The skin thickens due to a vitamin A deficiency.

The beak of a parrot with a vitamin A deficiency is typically very flaky and tends to peal and in some cases tends to overgrow. The toe nails also tend to be very long and in some cases can be deformed.

Seeds must not be seen as bird food. Seeds such as sunflower seeds and peanuts are very high in fat and can lead to obesity in birds. This is commonly seen in birds such as Galah cockatoos and Amazons. They tend to develop lipomas which are seen as large lump under the skin.

Ongoing malnutrition will eventually lead to liver problems. These birds will have poor immunity and will develop general poor condition. In many cases this can result in change of feather color for example a green bird will develop yellow feathers and a blue bird white feathers, an African Grey will have some red feathers on the body and a cockatiel develops extremely dark yellow feathers. This should not be confused with mutation changes. In most cases it is only seen in older birds.

It is often seen in birds, particularly African Greys, that chronic sinusitis develops. The nostrils become blocked and in severe cases large nostrils develop with layers of debris. When this debris is removed it can leave the nostrils looking totally deformed. Birds like these are unfortunately very exposed to infection of the upper respiratory tract. This symptom is also an indication of a vitamin A deficiency.

In South Africa some seeds are contaminated with a fungus. Parrots eating these contaminated seeds become infected with the fungus. The fungus can grow in the sinuses, trachea, lungs, air sacs and crop and can cause death in severe cases. It is most often seen as birds that bring up their food and are chronically sick with difficult breathing

Birds such as African Grey can become very old and cases where they are 50 years old are commonly known. My oldest patient was an African Grey of 77 years. With malnutrition the birds of 20 years are already old in appearance with clear signs of poor feather quality, a thick skin and chronic sinusitis. I call this the “20 year sunflower syndrome”. With good nutrition an African Grey will only look old at 50 to 60 years.

You must agree that we all love our parrots and want the best for them. Why then do we punish them with health problems due to poor nutrition? Show your love with the correct food. Remember bird seed is not bird food!

2011-02-17T04:18:00.000-08:00

This week I will be talking about fat, and I don’t mean the spare tyre around your middle! I am talking about the fats in your food bowl. You can’t spend your life eating only seeds and nuts, especially sunflower seeds. Eventually it will catch up with you and your liver will suffer the most damage.

Due to the high oil content in sunflower seeds, peanuts and some other nuts, it can lead to Fatty Liver Syndrome. Also be careful about any fatty foods you eat from your owner’s plate. Rather eat a healthy balanced diet (pellets) with minimal fat content.

Till next week, Charlie.

The colour of my feathers

2011-02-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

Once again poor Uncle Ozzy feels the effect of too much sunflower seeds in his diet. A change in his feather colour can be seen due to liver dysfunction which can be one of the symptoms of too much sunflower seeds. In African Greys we find that the colour changes from the normal grey to a reddish-pink colour. This is usually seen on the feathers of the body, but in severe cases some of the primary wing feathers can also change colour. The colour of other parrots eg. green ringnecks will change from green to yellow and blue ringnecks will change from blue to white.

It is extremely important to remember and know that in some mutations we get the so called pied factor, this is when the genetic characteristics of the parrot result in a parrot with 2 or more colours. Commercial bird breeders add a lot of financial value to these mutations. In the ringneck breeding programs these mutations and the combination of different mutations is a very important factor. Recently genetically pied (2 colours) African Greys and African Greys that are completely reddish-pink in colour were bred in South Africa and I’m sure the owner of these parrots are very proud. In these cases the parrots are not a different colour due to any illness caused by sunflower seeds or any other reason. These are mutations. Parrots with mutations show the 2 different colours as soon as they start growing their feathers. There are one or two exceptions to this rule.

There can also be other reasons that can cause this colouration for example Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Virus (PBFDV). Where the colouration is caused by too much sunflower seeds in the diet it is normally a progressive process where one or two feather start to change colour and every time the parrot moults it will become worse. In practice I have seen African Greys that are almost 80% reddish-pink due to liver dysfunction. As clearly stated above it is important to know that Uncle Ozzy’s condition can be caused by eating too much sunflower seeds, but as a pet parrot owner be aware that there can be other reasons for this condition. If you have a parrot where feathers change in colour, please consult your avian veterinarian for advice.

Uncle Ozzy’s sore throat and mouth

2011-01-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

For humans it’s very common to wake up on a winter’s morning with a sore throat. We then quickly rush to the pharmacy and soon thereafter we feel better. Uncle Ozzy constantly has a sore throat due to bacterial or fungal infections. The sunflower seeds in his diet lack many nutrients including vitamin A. Due to these deficiencies in his diet all the membranes in Uncle Ozzy’s throat and mouth are extremely susceptible to a bacterial or fungal infection. In winter months avian veterinarians see this symptom quite often. The clinic signs in these parrots include a slimy, wet mouth or in severe cases we find micro abscesses in the mouth, on the base of the tongue and even in the throat. This could be a life threatening infection and we often find that the birds find it extremely difficult to breathe and eventually suffocate.

Although uncly Ozzy has a bad cough we only use this symbolically, because birds don’t cough. Sneezing is one of the symptoms observed. A high percentage of the birds with a sore throat will be very quiet and even if they do speak or make a sound you can hear the difference. They also tend to regurgitate some of their food and if the infection occurs in young birds on handrearing formula there is a possibility that they may inhale some of the regurgitated food and they can die instantly. If the owner cuddles and kisses his/her parrot there is a possibility that any pathogens either bacterial or fungal in the owner’s mouth can be transmitted to the parrot’s mouth. The pathogens can easily enter the system of parrots with poor membrane condition. For Uncle Ozzy to have the privilege to speak in a sexy voice and to have a cuddle relationship with his owner, he must stop eating sunflower seeds.

A Prosperous New Year for all!

2011-01-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

We wish you all a happy healthy new year for you pet birds - stay tuned to this blog for more info!

Too much sunflower seeds can eventually kill your bird

2010-09-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

It is widely believed that feeding birds a diet consisting of only sunflower seeds is healthy – this is not true. Although sunflower seeds are a good option for a treat, a bird is never to indulge in them. Unfortunately this belief has been rooted over many years and to this day the pet food industry unfortunately still offers this as a suitable diet, thus ill informed pet owners are still under the impression that sunflower seeds are a balanced diet. If one looks at the natural diet of a bird, it does not consist exclusively from dry seeds as we feed our birds.

Indulging a bird in sunflower seeds is not good for its health. Not only are sunflower seeds very high in fat but they also lack the necessary nutrients, vitamins and amino acids, a bird requires for optimum health. There is also a possibility of fungal infections with dry seeds should the necessary precautions not be taken and this could negatively affect the health of the bird.
Birds on a dry sunflower seed diet are more likely to pluck their feathers due to the psychological influence of the high fat content of sunflower seeds and the lack of nutrients in a sunflower seed diet. The high fat content of sunflower seeds can also lead to Lipomas and fatty liver syndrome. Lipomas, a fatty tumour, are common in Amazons and Galah Cockatoos. With fatty liver syndrome the functioning of the liver is affected and this leads to dry skin and makes the bird more susceptible to other diseases.

Article by Leani - ARTribe Media & Marketing