Thought I'd introduce my little buddy Kiwi the amazon parrot! I rescued this little guy 6 years ago out of a neglect scenario. He's a 'raw vegan' by nature, in fact, all the fresh produce he eats is why his plumage is almost iridescent (and he smells nice too!). My moms been wanting a picture of all the fruits and veg I've been eating in a week, so I laid them all out and got a eager "helper" who wanted to tear into everything. He really loves all the raw foods lately. I always fed him fresh produce, but didn't share much table food. Now I can share most of what I eat with him. He can eat *most* of the raw vegan dishes, smoothies and juices, with a few exceptions that are toxic to parrots:


Cutest fruit on the table


I deem these strawberries mine!



Hope you don't mind me digging right in here!

Wow, your bird looks really healthy and happy.

How do you control when a bird has to eliminate?

I have always wondered how people walk around with parrots on their shoulders and not get soiled.

He's really cute; looks healthy and happy.

I share everything with my dogs, too. It is so cute to see them munching on berries, oranges, apples, bananas, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, etc. They will fight over plain lettuce! The fighting part is not so cute.

But it helps to keep their teeth clean, and I am pretty sure it is making them healthier, too.

Tai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> How do you control when a bird has to eliminate?
>
>
> I have always wondered how people walk around with
> parrots on their shoulders and not get soiled.


He's potty trained/housebroken or whatever you want to call it. He was never "fledged" as a young bird (before we had him, he's about 16 years old now) and sadly can't/won't fly, so he just signals me when he has to go and I'll take him back to his cage or tree-gym to do his business. If he could fly, I would've trained him to fly back instead. Parrots are actually very intelligent. They can either be potty trained or trained to wear a "diaper". It's often that the owners choose not to potty train them, don't want to put in the effort or (sadly) just leave them caged all the time so there's no need. Kiwi's cage is open all day for him to come and go as he pleases within a big bird-proofed area but since he's so social, he's most often with me sitting on the furniture, in the kitchen or up on the bed, so potty training was kinda necessary since I don't want bird crap all over



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2015 02:27AM by Kiwibird.

Those pictures are too cute.

I notice the two of you even have the same name! Interesting that he can't/won't fly. Maybe he doesn't because you don't? I love this thread.

Quote
I notice the two of you even have the same name! Interesting that he can't/won't fly. Maybe he doesn't because you don't? I love this thread.

There's nothing medically to stop him from flying, he just...won't. We don't know much about his background, but the first 10 years of his life he likely spent most (if not all) his time locked up and not allowed out. He probably doesn't realize what his wings do He came named, and it's kind of appropriate as he is both the color of a kiwi fruit and a small, flightless bird like the kiwi bird lol. He's perfectly healthy & happy now, so he doesn't seem to be affected negatively by it and has become a agile climber

Oh My god. I am so jealous. I am green with envy. I must get a parrot too!! Will that piss of the animal activists? I got yelled at once on raw vegan forum for having a pet chihuahua. They told me animals should not be kept as property.

I want a parrot too!

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I must get a parrot too!! Will that piss of the animal activists?

They are wonderful animals IF you can put up with their bad traits. Most people don't want a pet that screams, bites, chews stuff up, needs constant attention and will outlive them (the big parrots live 60+ years), all of which is part of owning a parrot. The average large parrot like Kiwi will go through 10 homes in a lifetime. We are Kiwi's 3rd known home (though he will be with us for life). He was rehomed for being loud and aggressive and had been locked in a tiny "cage" for years. I think it's something on the order of 75% of parrots bought as babies will only stay in their first home for under 5 years.

If you are interested (on any kind of serious level) please, please, please look into adopting a needy bird from an avian shelter. We found Kiwi through a shelter. If we could afford and had the room for more, I would adopt more parrots. It was beyond heartbreaking the number of birds there no one wanted Especially the ones who'd ripped all their feathers out and chewed holes in their flesh because they were so bored and lonely and/or became neurotic from abuse/neglect.

As for the animal activists, they have a point but take it to an extreme. We need to phase out pets, but they don't think about what will happen to all the animals already here. What, are we suppose to kill them or turn them loose to nature to die or wreck havoc on local ecosystems? There are millions of animals, dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rodents, aquatics... that are in shelters/rescue networks who are 100% reliant on human care and need loving homes. I don't think we should be breeding more animals and bringing new lives into the world, but we do need to take care of the ones we've already domesticated. One of my favorite quotes sums up my view on domesticated animals perfectly:




Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2015 02:05PM by Kiwibird.

I love those pictures!!!

Your Raw Buddy reminds me of my Raw Buddy as they both seem to love the camera.

Nice coconutcream, me see Dr Clement, hahaha.

Yes Kiwibird, l also like the parrot, heir is very satisfying to my emotions and senses. I rank him very very highly indeed.

John Rose: l trust you find the domestic canine which resides at your property to be highly satisfactory as per your needs and requirements.

LOL! Coconut Cream, I had no idea who that was until TSM said it! Funny!

I am sorry if I didn't see it in one of the posts, but does your parrot say words? That fascinates me so much.

Yes! My parrot talks

Kiwi is adorable, and looks very healthy!

I have an umbrella cockatoo myself, Cecilia. She's a gem, but due to circumstance lives with my mother right now. I miss her every day.

I have actually been thinking about putting her on a raw diet, as she has beak and feather disease, which is terminal. She will be lucky to live to be five-years-old. She is balding now and underweight, yet surprisingly very happy and has a big appetite, despite being so frail. I just don't know how to ensure balance in her diet if I did try to take away her fortified pellets -- supposedly it is very hard to do so without them. I would imagine, though, that a more natural diet could do her so much good.

How long have you been feeding him raw foods for? Care to give a description of his exact diet?

Manta91

I have finches (long story...I don't believe in caging birds, and I am figuring out a way to release them, and still offer them a way to live) and I always toss in fresh raw greens and a variety of medicinal herbs picked fresh from the garden into their cage. The birds eat how much they want and leave the rest. Their instinct tells them how much and what to eat. I saw one bird with a skin problem, so I started tossing in more medicinal herbs and I haven't seen the problem anymore.
Anyway, offering fresh medicinal herbs doesn't mean you have to do a total diet overhaul, although it might help.

As far as I know, herbs can help all animals, even carnivores. When my cats got sick, I juiced grass and mixed strong herbal tinctures together and gave them a dosage measured for their weight. It worked. Honestly they weren't getting better until I did that.

A drop or two of Omega 3 oil a day does wonders for birds, IMO.

Here is a photo of me with Loro.

@Manta- I am sorry to hear of Celias diagnosis That's a terrible thing for them to have. What a sweet baby to keep her spirits up despite being so sick! Has the vet put her on an RX pelleted diet for PBFD positive birds? I am normally not a fan of pelleted diets for healthy birds, but for birds with serious health issues, some of the RX diets can really improve their quality of life. I believe Roudybush makes a line of RX diets many avian vets prescribe.

I guess I should have specified, in nature parrots eat a raw and primarily vegan diet, Kiwi we are working on still. He came to us not wanting to eat anything but human junk food, and it took about 2 years to get him on a diet of cooked grains/beans, nuts, seeds and fresh produce instead. I am working on getting him off the cooked grains and into soaked (moving into sprouted) instead. He is not accepting of sprouts, so we are sticking with soaked grains. The basic overview of his diet for the last 4 or so years though would be:

Large dish of fresh fruit in the morning
1/2 cup grains mix
(Removed after about an hour to prevent spoilage)

1/8 cup seed mix and 1-2 nuts to snack on during the day and dried fruit in his foraging (you know those toys they have to solve a puzzle to get the treat out of) and I usually give him bits of fruit throughout the day as I eat them

Large dish of veggie chop in the evening
Another 1/2 cup grains mix
(Removed after about an hour to prevent spoilage)

He is also offered healthy table foods, smoothies and juices. Not a lot of fatty or salty foods though. His species is prone to obesity and fatty liver disease, so I restrict his nut/seed intake. Kiwi, as a new world parrot, is indigenous to the rainforest where fruits, nuts and seeds would make up his natural diet. Cockatoos are old world parrots and I believe are indigenous to the grasslands of Australia.I think they have a different natural diet. Have you tried looking into her natural diet and seeing what kind of foods she would eat in nature? Offering more of those types of foods may help her feel better and improve her quality of life The bird food "industry" takes a very "one size fits all" approach to parrots when in reality these beautiful birds come from all over the world and have different natural diets.

@coconut cream- Is Loro your bird? He's a very pretty guy, but those macaws are HUGE! Has he ever bit you:p

Tai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Manta91
>
> I have finches (long story...I don't believe in
> caging birds, and I am figuring out a way to
> release them, and still offer them a way to live)
> and I always toss in fresh raw greens and a
> variety of medicinal herbs picked fresh from the
> garden into their cage. The birds eat how much
> they want and leave the rest. Their instinct
> tells them how much and what to eat. I saw one
> bird with a skin problem, so I started tossing in
> more medicinal herbs and I haven't seen the
> problem anymore.
> Anyway, offering fresh medicinal herbs doesn't
> mean you have to do a total diet overhaul,
> although it might help.
>
> As far as I know, herbs can help all animals, even
> carnivores. When my cats got sick, I juiced grass
> and mixed strong herbal tinctures together and
> gave them a dosage measured for their weight. It
> worked. Honestly they weren't getting better
> until I did that.

A drop or two of omega oil on finch seed also will prevent any of them from getting egg bound.

cowbird hahaha Why does my spell check turn kiwibird into cowbird?

No, he was not my bird. He was the bird of the parents of the man I loved bestest ever. It was a warm night and we went jogging through a neighborhood of trees and we sat and watched the water and kissed on the tennis courts. It was a night we had yellow watermelons and he opened up coconut waters for me with a machete.It was the first bird I ever met in my life like that and I have a photo. He ate raw fruits and seeds I saw.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2015 05:16AM by coconutcream.

Very delayed response (I don't have internet at my house and it takes alot to get me out of it during this New England winter!)

I've never heard of RX birdfood -- I will definitely look into that. As to Kiwi's own dietary regimine, he sounds like a very lucky bird. I am so happy that he is loved and well-nourished.

I think that sounds like a good balance -- fruits, vegetables, grains, and seeds/nuts. Perhaps offering her less of her pellets now would encourage her to consume more of these things, though she does like her fruits.

Sprouted food sound like an interseting addition, though I'd be afraid of molds. I wouldn't be against feeding her some cooked millet or quinoa, though. She already like oats and steamed sweet potatoes. I use both as a vehicle for extra fats (organic palm oil and ground flax).

Offering her more raw vegetables probably wouldn't hurt, though she's a bit picky there. I could try offering her some fresh juices or green smoothies, maybe. I was also thinking of maybe doing a mash -- like making a salt-free nut cheese pureed with spinach or something.

Of course, this would all be alot easier said than done if we were under the same roof.

As to the matter of her natural diet, seems her species stretches from the Pacific Islands to Austrailia! Lots of room for variety, I'd imagine. One site says she may even enjoy durian! Wouldn't that be an experience, sharing one for the first time together?