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From: ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: bird digestion (sort of indoor)
Message-ID: <277F7E43.31A9@intercon.com>
Date: 31 Dec 90 18:06:59 GMT
References: <2707@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> <3175@legs.UUCP> <277B7116.1C29@intercon.com> <1720@cluster.cs.su.oz.au>
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Reply-To: ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry)
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In article <1720@cluster.cs.su.oz.au>, andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz.au (Andrew
Taylor) writes:
> > A cockatoo can lose up to 20% of its body weight by not eating for one day.
> 
> I'm curious to know more. What sort of cockatoo and is part of this water-loss?
> 
This was one of my pink (salmon crested, or Moluccan) cockatoos.  He became ill and
I dutifully took him to the vet who weighed him, then had me weigh him again
the next day to make sure he was eating.  He wan't.  He lost approximately
15% of his body weight in the 24 hour period.  He had to be tube fed.  Weight
is especially critical if the bird is harboring any type of bacterial or
viral syndrome.

> Cockatoos whose habitat is forest can probably depend on a regular diet.
> But, in the tropics at least, I would expect storms to occasionally stop them
> feeding for 3-4 days.

I don't pretend to know much about the outdoor environment for cockatoos,
but I think that mine came from Indonesia (or the Mollucus islands (sp?)
but I have no idea what that climate is like)

> I would expect arid country cockatoos (e.g. Pink Cockatoo) to be able to
> survive for weeks on little food as they travel in search of food in hard times
> but I don't know if this is the case.

Perhaps the bird's metabolism changes when it's environment changes?  I don't
know.  Hopefully, some other ornitholigist/aviculturist knows better.

Mikki Barry

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