upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I apologize in advance if this has been discussed previously. But I was wondering if anyone could give me ideas of calcium rich foods that are good for our babies.

Rosie has been going thru alot lately. She has had 3 dr visits since June 30th, had blood taken out, had to be put on oxygen and put in a little incubator with a nebulizer, on that day I honestly thought I wasn't coming home with my baby and they found out she was sensitive to baytril (sp?).. Anyway that was a very long story made short.

So on to my original question. Her Dr said that her blood tests show her calcium is a little bit low but she is thinking it's cuz Rosie is hormomal. So she didn't give me any instructions on anything to do to boost her calcium since Rosie eats her cuttle bone and her calcium isn't that low.

I was talking to a girl at work with a Grey and a Cockatoo and she said one of her birds had a calcium deficincy at one time and they told her to feed her bird baby food cuz it has alot of calcium. Does anyone else know of any greens or any other healthy calcium rich foods I could try??

Dark leafy greens. Kale, Bok Choy, Spinach... Of course, calcium doesn't absorb well without vitamin D, you may want to invest in a good liquid suppliment that has calcium and vitamin D.

Thanks Christie. Do you think it would be wise to give her any type of suppliments if her Dr did not suggest it or prescribe any??

Also have you heard anything about Baby Food? Do you know if it's ok to give? I know your a little expert

None of my birds will touch baby food. I personally have tried it several times and gave up.

Suppliments don't have to be perscribed. You can call and ask what they think about you giving it once a week, but they more than likely would say it is fine. I give liquid calcium to all my finches before egg laying season, and during egg laying the frequency goes up. It is measured out, so you know that they aren't getting too much. Of course, if you go this route, remove the cuttlebone. She would be getting all she needs from the suppliment.

Dark leafy greens are always good. You can't be sure how much they are getting, but if she is only a little low, that may be the way to go.

Dark leafy greens are always good.

My avian vet told me more than a year ago to feed Buddy more calcium rich food and specifically mentioned kale and broccoli. Only trouble was she didn't tell me HOW to get Buddy to eat it. Buddy thinks that green food is to hold water for her to lick, not to actually eat! FYI, Buddy is still hanging in there. Her uric acid levels continue to yo yo. Right now I am nail chewing because after reading up on PBFD (which I learned about here), I decided Buddy has almost all of the symptoms , even though she tested negative a couple of months ago. I read about false negatives & kind of freaked. So I had her retested last week and am nervously awaiting the results. The vet did only a blood test &, when I asked about also doing a feather test, she said they don't usually do that. What do you experts here think? Sorry if I've gone too far off topic. I'm pretty rattled right now

Honestly, he is probably fine.

When it comes to leafy greens, I get them wet, hang them from the top of the cage where it is like a toy, that way it is fun to eat. Broccoli I chop fine and steam slightly with brown rice, that way they think it is a treat.

Broccoli I chop fine and steam slightly with brown rice, that way they think it is a treat.

I'll give it a try Although I must admit, I'm not a big fan of broccoli, myself. My canary, on the other hand, can eat his weight in broccoli. He is especially fond of broccolini. He will eat 3 stalks of broccolini down to about three inch stubs in one day. I almost named him Brock O"Lee.

Bubblelady wrote:Dark leafy greens are always good.

My avian vet told me more than a year ago to feed Buddy more calcium rich food and specifically mentioned kale and broccoli. Only trouble was she didn't tell me HOW to get Buddy to eat it. Buddy thinks that green food is to hold water for her to lick, not to actually eat! FYI, Buddy is still hanging in there. Her uric acid levels continue to yo yo. Right now I am nail chewing because after reading up on PBFD (which I learned about here), I decided Buddy has almost all of the symptoms , even though she tested negative a couple of months ago. I read about false negatives & kind of freaked. So I had her retested last week and am nervously awaiting the results. The vet did only a blood test &, when I asked about also doing a feather test, she said they don't usually do that. What do you experts here think? Sorry if I've gone too far off topic. I'm pretty rattled right now

Let us know how the results come out! I never heard about that as I am a new cockatiel owner. How scary! If the results are positive do as much reading online. Maybe there is a natural method to help them. Will keep our fingers crossed for you!

Vet Margaret Wissman says this at her ExoticPetVet.net site:

Healthy Birds Consuming a Pelleted Diet Should Not Require Sunshine (Unfiltered By Glass or Plastic) for Their Vitamin D

Don't get me wrong. Sunshine is very good for birds, and if possible, pet birds should receive sunlight, not filtered through glass or plastic (which filters out the ultraviolet rays), an hour a week during the summer months, and perhaps an hour a month during the winter. The uropygeal gland (also called the preen gland) secretes an oily substance that the bird spreads over the feathers. This secretion aids in waterproofing the feathers and helps keep them supple. The secretion also has precursors of vitamin D that are spread on the feathers during preening. When the bird's feathers are exposed to natural sunlight (or full-spectrum indoor lighting), the secretion is changed to the active form of vitamin D, which is then ingested when the bird preens. Vitamin D is necessary for a bird to properly utilize calcium, which is necessary for strong bones, normal eggshells, muscle contractility and more. However, if a bird is eating pellets, vitamin D is added to them, so providing a bird with sunlight shouldn't be necessary.

Be careful with vitamin D supplements. Too much D can cause a myraid of problems, and as has been stated, sunshine and their preen gland will produce all the vitamin D the bird needs, provided it gets some UV from direct sunlight or full spectrum lights. Since I built the outdoor flight and almost all the kids go out there in the mornings, their feather condition has drastically improved, and everyones feathers have that special sheen to them. That was probably the best investment I made for the kids.

Sam