Survey Results from The African ARK Vol 8 # 4:
Just
The Facts About What Parrots Eat?
By
Charlene Beane
Our winter survey on bird food received an overwhelming response due
to online participation by visitors to the APS website.
We got a few responses through the mail, too, but the majority were sent
electronically, and our WebMaster, Gary Blankenbiller, deserves a round of
applause for designing a format that worked very well for a lot of people. This is a synopsis of the results of the survey.
The complete write-up, including brand names and reader tips, appears in
the Spring, 2002 issue of The African Ark.
What's Cookin'?
More than 90 percent of our respondents cook for their birds.
In addition to the special mixes and casseroles people make specifically
for their birds, many respondents noted that their birds also eat whatever the
family is having for dinner.
The Seed Dilemma
Despite widespread publicity and veterinary recommendations, about 70
percent of our respondents feed seed to their birds.
The Pellet Surprise
More than 95 percent of our respondents feed pellets to their birds.
And the percent of the diet made up by pellets ranges from 10 percent to
95 percent, with the majority being 50 to 60 percent.
Most of the major pellet brands were mentioned, but the lion's share of
our respondents feed their birds Harrison's diet, which was a big surprise to me
because it is the most expensive brand of pellets and it is marketed primarily
through veterinarians. Zupreem
ranked second in popularity.
The Salad Bar
Everyone, 100 percent of our respondents, feed fresh fruits and
vegetables to their birds.
Off The Shelf
About 60 percent of our respondents use frozen foods occasionally for
convenience. Very few, however,
used canned.
Are Vitamins
Necessary?
Another surprise: Only about
20 percent of our respondents give their birds vitamins.
Apparently the 80 percent who don't use vitamins believe that their birds
are getting sufficient nutrition from their pellets and produce so that
supplements are unnecessary.
Playing Favorites
Favorite foods for birds, overall, are much healthier than if you asked
about favorite foods for people.
What Have We
Learned?
It is gratifying to see how excited bird owners are about sharing the
knowledge and creativity they put into the preparation of their pets' diets.
These are not lazy people. They
work at feeding their birds well and spend whatever it takes to assure that
their birds are well fed. They are
to be congratulated, and they will be rewarded with birds that live long healthy
lives.
We are what we eat!
© 2002 African Parrot Society
Last updated: March 03, 2002