The diet of adult psittacids: veterinarian and ethological approaches

Abstract

SummaryParrots species are kept as pets because of their colours, their vocal abilities, their longevity and also their behaviours. Nevertheless, many owners do not know how to feed their bird in a healthy way and sometimes veterinarians and ethologists are confronted to dramatic situations. Diet is a key factor to prevent and reduce health and psychogenic disorders. Imbalance can lead to physical, physiological and behavioural modifications that can weaken the owner-bird relationship, cause bird discomfort and sometimes threaten its survival. Psittacids are known for their complex cognitive and communicative abilities. They are social animals and need many interactions. Kept in captivity, they could suffer from boredom because of lack of stimulations and also because of lack of possibility to explore and to forage, which could represent up to 70% of their day time in the wild. Indeed, humans control every parameter in the environment of pet psittacids. They provide a highly digestible diet. In captivity, foraging is not mandatory, and the bird can get bored. Here, we present a review of the literature regarding the quality of the diet and health disorders on one hand and the interaction between foraging opportunities and psychogenic disorders in adult psittacids on the other hand.

Computed tomographic and radiographic morphometric study of cardiac and coelomic dimensions in captive blue‐fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva, Linnaeus, 1758) with varying body condition scores

“…Obesity and atherosclerosis are common in parrots (Heatley & Cornejo, ). Birds offered a diet of seeds alone tend to have a higher BCS (Péron & Grosset, ). Obesity causes hemodynamic alterations, which may lead to changes in cardiac structure and function (Alpert, Fraley, Birchem, & Senkottaiyan, ).…”

“…In mammals, such as dogs, obesity is a volume-expansion disease, with systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction and increased arterial blood pressure (Neto, Brunetto, Sousa, Carciofi, & Camacho, 2010). In sedentary pet birds, being overweight may be associated with congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, fatty liver and kidney disease (Péron & Grosset, 2014).…”

“…It is important to consider that wild birds kept in captivity often have inadequate intake of vitamins and calcium, with excessive fat or low protein and energy intake, which leads to nutritional alterations that may go unnoticed and predispose the animals to cardiac diseases (Péron & Grosset, 2014). Heart diseases in pet birds are more significant than previously believed, and a cardiac evaluation should be included in routine clinical examinations (Pees & Krautwald-Junghanns, 2009).…”

Cardiovascular parameters in capitive blue-fronted amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva, Linnaeus, 1758) with varying body condition scores

“…Blue-fronted Amazon parrots ( Amazona aestiva , Linnaeus, 1758) are popular pets and are often kept in captivity [1,2], with characteristics such as an attractive appearance, interaction with the owner and a long lifespan helping to explain such popularity [3]. In captivity, it is common for these birds to have diets based on oilseeds, which are rich in fat and low in minerals and vitamins, and may potentially lead to nutritional and cardiovascular disorders, compromising the quality of life of the birds [4,5].…”

Advancing avian nutrition through best feeding practice

“…Link nutrition to poor health (e.g. Fidgett & Robert, ; Cork, ; Crissey et al ., ; Péron & Grosset, ), associated veterinary costs, poor egg production and low chick viability (Houston & Fidgett, ; Fidgett & Dierenfeld, ), and suddenly the subject becomes more important.…”