I think everyone in America, and the world, should watch the following Now program:
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/543/index.html
After seeing that, how could anyone not see the importance of cutting emissions? This is a very important issue, and it affects every one of us. Why must we only see importance in damage done to Americans? Aren't we all humans, with the same feelings and pains? Doesn't every decent human being deserve the same respect, the same importance?
Please write your representatives in Congress to let them know you support strong climate action. America is a huge factor in global climate change, and though we are not the only one, we need to do our full part in reducing emissions. In order to prevent further climate change, every person in the world needs to have a maximum average yearly output of 2 tonnes by 2050. The average in growing nations, such as China, is around 6 now. Most European countries average around 10-12 tonnes per head, while the U.S. measures in at a whopping 24 tonnes per head! Global levels are soon to reach around 50 gigatonnes, which need to be cut to around 20 gigatonnes by 2050. Daunting figures, but certainly attainable. Or should I say, attainable if we take responsibility and act now?
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Pellets and Vitamins
Although I have talked about this before, I think it is important to mention again, as it is a common misunderstanding. So often I see people feeding both pellets and vitamins to their birds, trying to make sure their birds get everything they need to remain healthy. While the concern is well founded, I think this cure can do more harm than good.
When it is said that malnutrition is still the most common cause of death for captive parrots, it is important to note many things. One, parrots do not always die strictly of malnutrition, but of complications from malnutrition; a weaker immune system causing them to be more susceptible to bacteria, perhaps. Another thing that I think can be more important to note is that malnutrition simply means bad nutrition, not not enough nutrition. So both lack of vitamins, and toxicity of too much of a vitamin, hypervitaminosis, or a mix of the two, is one of the leading cause of death for captive parrots. It may seem odd to be talking about the dangers of too many vitamins; after all, we are always being lectured on how hard it is to get our parrots what they need, can we really give them too much? The answer, though a bit complicated, is yes.
If you are feeding only fresh foods, you have no danger of hypervitaminosis. This is because fresh foods, real veggies, fruits, and grains, etc, often contain precursors to the actual nutrient, so the body simply assimilates from the food what it needs, and leaves the rest. Vitamin A, for instance, is not a natural food of parrots, rather, they consume beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, from their food.
The problem arises when we start feeding synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are already in their final form, and so instead of the body being able to take what it needs and leave the rest, they have to use all that they are given. Vitamin A, using the same example, is one of the more common vitamin toxicities heard of; vitamin A is stored in the liver until it is needed, so too much of it can overpower the liver. Hypervitaminosis can show itself through all manner of symptoms including, but by no means limited to, plucking, poor feather growth/quality, excessive beak or nail growth, hyperactivity, aggression, listlissness, and an all manner of health issues including liver or kidney malfunction or failure, and unfortunately, death.
Now, however, things get more complicated. No one really knows for sure how much is the perfect amount of these synthetic vitamins for our parrots is correct. Each species has very different needs from all the others, and potentially different ways of precoessing the vitamins. Combine with this the fact that each individual parrot varies in how they handle synthetic vitamins and you have quite a puzzle! Going back to the vitamin A for another example, and in regards to parrots that are being fed an almost completely (80% pellets or more) diet, I have heard of an almost equal dying from lack of vitamin A as those dying from Vitamin A toxicity. This shows how very much individual parrots vary in their use of the vitamins, for some seem to be unable to process synthetic vitamins, and simply remove them from the body as effectively as they remove a toxin, while others become overwhelmed by storing all of the vitamins.
For these reasons, it is very often recommended now to feed a mostly fresh diet, with some pellets if you wish to include them or do not have enough time to make sure they are getting a fairly complete fresh diet, and time outside in the sunshine for vitamin D. Except for TOPs and FF, pellets are essentailly a filler, such as wheat, soy, or corn, with vitamins added. SO by including pellets, you are including daily vitamins. If you add more vitamins, you run the risk of hypervitaminosis.
Simply put, if you are feeding even a small amount of pellets, you should not add any vitamins unless a blood test shows your parrot is deficient, and then the vitamin should only be added for a certain time period until a re-check is completed, or as recommended by your avian veterinarian.
When it is said that malnutrition is still the most common cause of death for captive parrots, it is important to note many things. One, parrots do not always die strictly of malnutrition, but of complications from malnutrition; a weaker immune system causing them to be more susceptible to bacteria, perhaps. Another thing that I think can be more important to note is that malnutrition simply means bad nutrition, not not enough nutrition. So both lack of vitamins, and toxicity of too much of a vitamin, hypervitaminosis, or a mix of the two, is one of the leading cause of death for captive parrots. It may seem odd to be talking about the dangers of too many vitamins; after all, we are always being lectured on how hard it is to get our parrots what they need, can we really give them too much? The answer, though a bit complicated, is yes.
If you are feeding only fresh foods, you have no danger of hypervitaminosis. This is because fresh foods, real veggies, fruits, and grains, etc, often contain precursors to the actual nutrient, so the body simply assimilates from the food what it needs, and leaves the rest. Vitamin A, for instance, is not a natural food of parrots, rather, they consume beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, from their food.
The problem arises when we start feeding synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are already in their final form, and so instead of the body being able to take what it needs and leave the rest, they have to use all that they are given. Vitamin A, using the same example, is one of the more common vitamin toxicities heard of; vitamin A is stored in the liver until it is needed, so too much of it can overpower the liver. Hypervitaminosis can show itself through all manner of symptoms including, but by no means limited to, plucking, poor feather growth/quality, excessive beak or nail growth, hyperactivity, aggression, listlissness, and an all manner of health issues including liver or kidney malfunction or failure, and unfortunately, death.
Now, however, things get more complicated. No one really knows for sure how much is the perfect amount of these synthetic vitamins for our parrots is correct. Each species has very different needs from all the others, and potentially different ways of precoessing the vitamins. Combine with this the fact that each individual parrot varies in how they handle synthetic vitamins and you have quite a puzzle! Going back to the vitamin A for another example, and in regards to parrots that are being fed an almost completely (80% pellets or more) diet, I have heard of an almost equal dying from lack of vitamin A as those dying from Vitamin A toxicity. This shows how very much individual parrots vary in their use of the vitamins, for some seem to be unable to process synthetic vitamins, and simply remove them from the body as effectively as they remove a toxin, while others become overwhelmed by storing all of the vitamins.
For these reasons, it is very often recommended now to feed a mostly fresh diet, with some pellets if you wish to include them or do not have enough time to make sure they are getting a fairly complete fresh diet, and time outside in the sunshine for vitamin D. Except for TOPs and FF, pellets are essentailly a filler, such as wheat, soy, or corn, with vitamins added. SO by including pellets, you are including daily vitamins. If you add more vitamins, you run the risk of hypervitaminosis.
Simply put, if you are feeding even a small amount of pellets, you should not add any vitamins unless a blood test shows your parrot is deficient, and then the vitamin should only be added for a certain time period until a re-check is completed, or as recommended by your avian veterinarian.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
All is well again
All the parrots are back in their normal cages, something they are very happy about! A bit of an update after this summer switch-around:
-As I had hoped, Linus and Ava hit it off immediately. They quickly went from having their cages side by side, hanging on to the bars next to each other when locked up, and playing happily together when out, to sharing Ava's flight cage. They really are so sweet together, following each other around, and having another bird with him has really helped Linus's confidence, as well as his diet! He is a much better eater now, after following Ava's example. Overall, another great success story on parrot friendship! I am always very careful when introducing parrots, making sure to watch their behavior carefully, and never allowing them out together unless I am sure they not only get along, but want to be together. I am even more cautious when it comes to allowing them to share a cage, however large, but as both Linus and Ava have always been flock birds, they do seem to do much better that way.
-Frank and Lola are very happy back in their flight cage, as are Yo-yo and Miss Patty, with plenty of room for playing! Likewise, Claudia and Chester are both very happy to be back in their own respective cages.
Now for the part that is hard to write about:
-Yaz did amazingly well this summer at my parents, and seems to have really fallen in love with them, and vice-versa! He is so happy with them, and definitely prefers them to me. As my parents also love birds, they have decided to keep him. Very sad for me, but since he has clearly decided he has found where he wants to stay, who can argue?
-My parents will also be keeping Peter and Luna, but that was already decided. Since Peter and Ava's big split, they can not be kept in the same room together, or really even the same house as I tried to do, as hearing Peter's calls really upsets Ava. My parents agreed to take one of them, leaving me with the hard decision of which one they could keep. After a lot of thought, I decided it would be better for them to take Peter and Luna, since Peter has always had an unhealthy obsession with the ekkies. As Chester's main goal in life appears to be destroying other birds, this has always meant I only let Peter out when Chester was locked up and I was in the room, or when I had Chester out of the room.
For all three of these guys, it took a lot to convince myself to let my parents keep them. While I am good rehoming foster birds, it seems so different with my own. I adopted them, not as semi-permanent tenants, but as my family, and it is very hard to not have them with me. Still, as happy as Yaz was here, it is obvious he has chosen my parents. And I know Peter and Luna will be happy there, and will still get the best of care and attention. It is always important to remember that what you would prefer for your parrots may not be what they would prefer, as in the case of Yaz. While I can hardly imagine life without Mr. Socialite Peter, I could not keep both of them, and he really was not very safe here as long as he kept trying to dive bomb Chester.
And in the end, they are only going to stay with my parents, so I know not only that they will get wonderful care, but that I will also get plenty of updates, and will be able to visit them often!
-As I had hoped, Linus and Ava hit it off immediately. They quickly went from having their cages side by side, hanging on to the bars next to each other when locked up, and playing happily together when out, to sharing Ava's flight cage. They really are so sweet together, following each other around, and having another bird with him has really helped Linus's confidence, as well as his diet! He is a much better eater now, after following Ava's example. Overall, another great success story on parrot friendship! I am always very careful when introducing parrots, making sure to watch their behavior carefully, and never allowing them out together unless I am sure they not only get along, but want to be together. I am even more cautious when it comes to allowing them to share a cage, however large, but as both Linus and Ava have always been flock birds, they do seem to do much better that way.
-Frank and Lola are very happy back in their flight cage, as are Yo-yo and Miss Patty, with plenty of room for playing! Likewise, Claudia and Chester are both very happy to be back in their own respective cages.
Now for the part that is hard to write about:
-Yaz did amazingly well this summer at my parents, and seems to have really fallen in love with them, and vice-versa! He is so happy with them, and definitely prefers them to me. As my parents also love birds, they have decided to keep him. Very sad for me, but since he has clearly decided he has found where he wants to stay, who can argue?
-My parents will also be keeping Peter and Luna, but that was already decided. Since Peter and Ava's big split, they can not be kept in the same room together, or really even the same house as I tried to do, as hearing Peter's calls really upsets Ava. My parents agreed to take one of them, leaving me with the hard decision of which one they could keep. After a lot of thought, I decided it would be better for them to take Peter and Luna, since Peter has always had an unhealthy obsession with the ekkies. As Chester's main goal in life appears to be destroying other birds, this has always meant I only let Peter out when Chester was locked up and I was in the room, or when I had Chester out of the room.
For all three of these guys, it took a lot to convince myself to let my parents keep them. While I am good rehoming foster birds, it seems so different with my own. I adopted them, not as semi-permanent tenants, but as my family, and it is very hard to not have them with me. Still, as happy as Yaz was here, it is obvious he has chosen my parents. And I know Peter and Luna will be happy there, and will still get the best of care and attention. It is always important to remember that what you would prefer for your parrots may not be what they would prefer, as in the case of Yaz. While I can hardly imagine life without Mr. Socialite Peter, I could not keep both of them, and he really was not very safe here as long as he kept trying to dive bomb Chester.
And in the end, they are only going to stay with my parents, so I know not only that they will get wonderful care, but that I will also get plenty of updates, and will be able to visit them often!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
An idea on food acceptance
One of the hardest things to do with parrots can be getting them to eat a better diet. Parrots are naturally suspicious of new items as a safety mechanism to protect them from potentially deadly objects. If they have never been shown that a food is not only edible but delicious, most will naturally avoid it. There are many ways to try and get them to try new foods, and I am always on the look-out for new ideas, even if I am not currently trying to switch anyone's diet.
Watching Claudia recently, as I was getting treats out to fill her foraging toys, I realized something very important: Claudia will eat anything if it comes from a prized treat jar. Anything. As soon as she sees or hears a jar she will start pinning her eyes and begging to be picked up, with her foot out and ready! She is not normally a lover of new foods, so I usually have to offer them for a few days, carefully showing her each morning how to eat them, and how wonderful I think they are, before she will fall in love with them. Therefore, the idea that I can get her to eat something simply by placing it in the dried pea jar and pretending it is the best kept secret in the world of treats is quite useful!
Watching Claudia recently, as I was getting treats out to fill her foraging toys, I realized something very important: Claudia will eat anything if it comes from a prized treat jar. Anything. As soon as she sees or hears a jar she will start pinning her eyes and begging to be picked up, with her foot out and ready! She is not normally a lover of new foods, so I usually have to offer them for a few days, carefully showing her each morning how to eat them, and how wonderful I think they are, before she will fall in love with them. Therefore, the idea that I can get her to eat something simply by placing it in the dried pea jar and pretending it is the best kept secret in the world of treats is quite useful!
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