Harrison’s
strongly recommends that pet bird owners establish and maintain an
ongoing relationship with an avian veterinarian. Your veterinarian can
advise and oversee as you prepare to convert your bird’s diet.
Your
veterinarian can help your bird make a smooth and safe transition to a
new, healthy diet and be available for subsequent examinations or
emergencies.
A veterinary visit for a general health examination should be scheduled before you start your bird on
Harrison's
Bird Foods. Some birds are so sick from being fed an improper diet
that they may require critical care before undergoing a diet change.
Some
birds may require holistic support to make the transition smoothly.
Because underlying medical problems can be made worse by the inherent
stress of a diet change, exams at three and twelve weeks following the
diet conversion are recommended. Your avian veterinarian can also help
you select which Harrison's formula is right for your bird.
It's a
good idea to purchase a gram scale to have at home. In this way, you
will be able to monitor your bird's weight during the diet conversion
process. You might want to weigh your bird at the same time each morning
for two weeks to establish normal fluctuations in its weight. Any
serious fluctuations of 10% total body weight or more should be reported
to your avian veterinarian.
Once you have successfully converted your bird to a Harrison's
formula and have established a good relationship with your veterinarian,
your bird should have very few nutritionally-related health problems.
However, if you notice any of the following signs, you should contact
your veterinarian immediately:
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Breathing difficulty
• Weight loss
• Abdominal swelling
• Weakness
• Broken bone
• Depression
• Signs of burns
• Seizures
• Regurgitation
• Excess sleeping
• Loss of balance
• Paralysis
• Prolapsed cloaca
• Diarrhea or unusual droppings
• Coughing, sneezing, wheezing
• Favoring one leg or wing
• Bleeding or other signs of trauma
• Listlessness and not playing
• Sitting on cage bottom
• Feathers "all puffed up"
In Addition to a Great Diet, Other Daily Living Elements and a Safe Living Environment Must be Provided for Pet Birds to Thrive
Sunlight UV:
Provide
adequate unfiltered sunlight and shade. Parrots must have direct daily
access to sunlight or UVB full spectrum lighting in order to obtain the
ideal levels of vitamin D3 and normal calcium levels in the blood. Diet
alone does not produce the ideal levels.
Allow outdoor sunlight
(not through glass) for a minimum of 20 minutes a week. Sun replacement
lamps are necessary for birds in areas where sun is not accessible.
Temperature and Humidity:
Regulate
temperatures between 65° and 85° F (18° and 30°C). Birds in dry
climates or under artificial heat need the humidity artificially
elevated. 50% is ideal.
Cleanliness:
Clean
the bird's living space regularly. Do not allow dust, rust, old feces,
etc. to exist in this space. Make sure cleaning supplies are bird-safe.
Soap and water are the standards.
Changes:
Allow pet birds to acclimate to new environments. Reduce factors that may contribute to stress during times of change.
Foraging and Life Enrichment Activities:
Parrots
in the wild spend the majority of their day foraging for food. Captive
parrots are challenged by boredom, resulting in behavior issues not
limited to feather picking etc. Daily interaction and the provision of
safe foraging materials can play a key role in managing these concerns.
Daily Exercise:
Parrots
require daily exercise for great health. Many face the challenge of
restricted room or lack of functional flight feathers. Ask your avian
veterinarian to show you how to safely conduct wing-flapping exercises.
Provide space enough and materials for birds to be able to safely climb
and hang. Play periods are encouraged daily.
Safety Checklist
Most pet birds are very curious and will investigate anything new in their environment.
That is is why it is important to prevent their access to
• hot cooking oil
• overheated items with non-stick surfaces
• ceiling fans
• leg chains
• sandpaper-covered perches
• tobacco and cigarette smoke
• chocolate, avocado
• salt
• solid air fresheners and scented candles • alcohol
• toxic houseplants
• pesticides
• easily dismantled toys
• dogs, cats, ferrets and young children
• cedar, redwood and pressure treated shavings
• lead or zinc, found in chrome and galvanized metals
• paper towel rolls (glue may be a source of zinc)
• carpet powders
Get a Carbon Monoxide Detector
Carbon
Monoxide is deadly to parrots and toxic levels can befound in any home.
Get a carbon monoxide detector and check your levels regularly. Say No
to Non-Stick Cookware It only takes one time when the non-stick pan
gets too hot - with deadly results. Non-stick cookware fumes are far
too often to blame for tragic, sudden death in parrots.
Switching a bird's diet to Harrison's is
typically relatively simple. Just offer the food and the bird eats. Some
birds can be very picky about any new item. Birds specifically that are
addicted to seeds or table foods may more difficult to switch. The most
important detail is to ascertain with certainty that the bird is
Quick Tips for Conversion to Harrison’s Bird Foods
If your bird exhibits resistance to conversion try the following tips:
1. Harrison’s Bird Bread Mix
can be used as an extremely effective conversion tool. Food that the
bird currently eats can be added to the mix and baked in the bread.
Gradually reduce the amount of that food and replace with the
appropriate Harrison’s formula (as shown here).
2. Change the bird’s
environment. Try moving your bird to a new enclosure, such as a box,
aquarium or even a new cage. Remove all the toys, perches and bowls and
offer High Potency™ on a solid surface of the floor.
3.
Use a mirror or white paper. Sprinkling food over a mirror or sheet of
white paper placed on the bottom of the enclosure works especially well
for budgies. A bird old enough to be socialized may eat to compete with
the “rival” bird in the mirror. A white paper background may draw
attention to the food particles.
4. Slowly “wean” your
bird from seeds. In the evening, offer seeds from the food bowl for only
1 hour. Then, remove the seeds and replace with High Potency (High Potency Coarse - High Potency Fine - High Potency Super Fine)The next
day, give your bird seeds for only 30 minutes in the morning and
evening. The third day, reduce the time to only 15 minutes twice a day.
And finally, offer only High Potency on the fourth day. Observe the
bird’s droppings for normal frequency.
5. Feed your bird at mealtime. Place
the food on a plate, move it around with your finger or a spoon and
pretend to eat it in front of your bird.
6. Offer Power Treats, Pepper Lifetime Coarse or Adult Lifetime Mash . Birds love the
taste of Power Treats and Pepper Lifetime Coarse. These foods can be
crushed for smaller birds. Adult Lifetime Mash also has an appealing
taste to help your bird try new food.
7. Use a
converted bird as a role model. House your bird near another that’s
already eating Harrison’s Bird Foods, or use a “trainer bird” in the
same cage as a role model for eating.
8 Heat (warm) or
moisten the food. Heat the High Potency™ slightly or moisten it with a
small amount of fruit juice or certified organic red palm fruit oil.
9.
Schedule a supervised diet change with your veterinarian. Some birds do
not recognize new items as food, and placing the bird in a clinic where
monitoring can be done will help keep your bird healthy through the
conversion.
When it comes to improving the diet, the
biggest disservice you can do to your bird is to just give up after the
bird shows resistance to conversion."
If the conversion
steps don’t work the first time, you can feed the familiar food for a
short time and then try again. The effort is worthwhile for the long
term health of your bird.
The bird’s weight (in grams),
body condition, attitude and droppings should be monitored carefully on
a daily basis in small and medium birds and at least twice a week in
large birds.
Watch Your Bird Closely
Just
because food has been ground to a powder, thrown around, or he's in the
feeding cup all the time, is not a sign that your bird is eating or
eating enough.
If any of the following should occur *(change in
behavior, droppings or weight), or you are unsure about your bird’s
health call your avian veterinarian and reschedule the diet conversion:
BEHAVIOR: appears cold, listless, fluffed-up or reluctant to play or talk.
DROPPINGS:
very loose or significantly reduced feces, while the amount of
urine/urates has increased, or the feces changes color to yellow or dark
green (a color change to brown or light green is normal due to the
formulation of the diet).
WEIGHT:
monitor progress by weighing your bird daily with a gram scale. If he
loses more than 10% (3g = budgie or 10g = cockatiel), resume feeding the
previous diet and call your veterinarian.
