Educational Articles
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Birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Poor nutrition is a common reason for many health problems in birds. Conures are vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding, and other nutrition-related problems. The recommended diet for conures is pelleted food formulated for birds and should ideally represent approximately 75%-80% of the bird's diet.
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Birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Poor nutrition is a common reason for many health problems in birds. Lovebirds are vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding, and other nutrition-related problems. Seeds are highly palatable and preferred by birds, but nutritionally they are incomplete. The recommended diet for lovebirds is pelleted food formulated for birds and should ideally represent approximately 75%-80% of the bird's diet.
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Macaws are vulnerable to nutrition-related problems such as high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, stroke, vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding. Pellets are the ideal diet and should ideally represent approximately 75%-80% of the bird's diet.
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Mynah birds eat a variety of foods and have relatively short digestive tracts when compared with other parrots. Mynah birds are naturally omnivorous, eating a variety of fruits, insects, larvae, amphibians, lizards, small snakes, eggs, baby birds, and baby rodents. Mynah birds are very sensitive to iron levels in their food, therefore, they should be offered a pelleted food that is low in iron.
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All snakes are carnivores. Some eat warm-blooded prey (rodents, rabbits, birds), while others eat insects, amphibians, eggs, other reptiles, fish, earthworms, or slugs. Live prey should not be fed to snakes. Snakes can be offered thawed, previously frozen prey, or freshly killed prey. Smaller or younger snakes usually eat twice each week, while larger, more mature snakes typically eat once every week or two.
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Pigeons and doves are a diverse group of birds, but they share some clinically significant anatomy and physiology, including a large, bilobed crop or ingluvies, and crop milk production. Poor nutrition is a common reason for many health problems in birds. Bone structure, feather condition, and health of the liver, heart, and kidneys all depend on how well your birds are fed, so it is essential you know their proper diet.
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Wild Quaker parrots eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, berries and vegetation such as leaf buds and blossoms. Some eat insects and their larva. They also like to raid farmers' crops. Like other birds, Quaker parrots need to eat a balanced diet to stay healthy. Quaker parrots are prone to obesity and high cholesterol issues.
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Feeding raw food to cats is potentially dangerous - not only to the cat eating the raw food, but also to other pets and humans in the environment, due to the high likelihood of bacterial contamination. Raw food may also not be complete and balanced and could lead to nutrient deficiencies or toxicities. Consuming raw food with bones can lead to life-threatening foreign body obstruction.
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All pet rodents must be fed a good, high quality rodent chow available at pet stores. Many veterinarians also recommend offering hay and fresh vegetables to rodents to encourage chewing and the wearing down of their continuously growing teeth. Diets containing seeds and nuts are not recommended, as they are high in fat and low in nutrition. You can also feed your rodent fresh, well-cleaned vegetables daily and occasionally give a bit of fruit. Guinea pigs should be fed a commercial high-fiber guinea pig pellet with added vitamin C.
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Senegal parrots consume a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, and some vegetation in the wild. Occasionally, wild Senegal parrots will feed on grain crops. As with all other animals, Senegal parrots need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Pellets are the ideal base diet for most pet birds.