Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!iuvax!mailrus!ames!apple!chuq
From: chuq@Apple.COM (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Cockatoo feeding problems
Message-ID: <33276@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 19 Jul 89 04:21:50 GMT
References: <20519@cup.portal.com> <1283@intercon.UUCP>
Organization: Life is just a Fantasy novel played for keeps
Lines: 36

>First, sun flower seeds are BAD for your bird.  They
>have a tremendous amount of fat in them.  Birds can die from heart problems
>caused by eating sun flower seeds.

I've yet to see any serious research to back this point. Anecdotal evidence,
yes -- but the anectdotal evidence is for when you feed your bird sunflower
exclusively (or essentially exclusively). My cockatoo eats sunflower. One
reason for this is she refuses to eat safflower seeds, normally the
recommended replacement and almost as fatty.

There is nothing inherently wrong with sunflower as far as the research in
the veterinary press -- as long as it is part of a rational diet. If you
feed sunflower exclusively yes -- but if you only eat french fries, you get
what you deserve.

Sunflower seeds are and old wives tale. Lots of people think they're bad.
Nobody (that I have seen. I'd love to be proven wrong) has shown it. There
was an article by Roudybush (considered one of the top avian nutritionists)
in Bird World a while back saying he thought the sunflower issue was blown
out of proportion.

>Birds seem to pick up that they should eat it when
>hungry (I don't recommend this, but it might work as a last resort).  The
>above mentioned way of switching from day to day, may work better.

Some birds might. I definitely don't recommend this! Fussy eaters (cockatoos
especially) have been known to starve in the midst of plenty of stuff they
refuse to consider food. A bird can lose 10-15% of their body weight in a
few days of fasting -- and you have a sick bird. Be very careful weaning a
bird from one diet to another.


Chuq Von Rospach      =|=     Editor,OtherRealms     =|=     Member SFWA/ASFA
         chuq@apple.com   =|=  CI$: 73317,635  =|=  AppleLink: CHUQ
      [This is myself speaking. No company can control my thoughts.]