Facts every bird owner should know about avian nutrition

General Facts

• Between 50% and 75% of bird illnesses are avoidable by feeding a nutritionally superior diet.
• Malnutrition causes reduced immune response and poor health.
• Malnutrition or poor health causes decreased absorption of nutrients and less efficient metabolism or nutrient processing.
• Malnutrition, disease or any other stresses (like travelling, changing cage etc.) increases the body's requirements for nutrients.
• The birds age, health status, reproductive status and replacement of feathers (molt) affect nutrient requirements.
• Proper maintenance of the pet bird and its environment is critical to continued good health. Daily cleaning/disinfecting of water containers is essential.
• The most common causes of bird illness is bacterial infections. The chance of acquiring infections is increased with vitamin supplementation of water and feeding soft foods (which are prone to bacterial and fungal contamination).

Feeding Facts

• Virtually no diet fed in captivity contains food items that the bird would naturally eat in the wild (these items are simply not commercially available).
• Most seeds, grains and fruits are deficient in a number of critical nutrients (ie calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc.)
• Fresh, deeply pigmented vegetables are much more nutritious than fruits.
• Generally, fruits should only be seen as a treat.
• Creating an optimally balanced diet is extremely complicated due to numerous interactions between nutrients as well as other dietary components.
• A seed-only food (unsupplemented) is NOT a satisfactory diet for any pet bird.
• A nutritionally adequate diet for pet birds can be achieved with a variety of feeding methods:

- extruded diets (ie Rainbow Exact) are ideal sources of nutrition.

- commercial, supplemented variety diets (ie Fiesta) are excellent sources of nutrition.

- fortified seed diets (ie Forti-Diet) are very good sources of nutrition.

- home prepared diet consisting of a wide variety of carefully chosen ingredients are difficult to use and at the same time correctly guarantee a good source of nutrition.

- plain seed diets supplemented with vitamins, minerals, vegetables and fruits are difficult to use and at the same time correctly guarantee a good source of nutrition.

• A properly researched, complete extruded diet is the most nutritionally superior of all diet types since precise levels of nutrients can be controlled and each bite is complete.

Health Care Facts

• Learn to recognise normal behaviour and attitude as well as signs of illness.
• Homes should be made "Bird-Proof". A birds cage should be regularly checked.
• Regular veterinary check-ups may help prevent or detect major diseases or illness.
• If in any doubt about a birds’ health - a veterinarian should be contacted.

Exact ® Rainbow Diets

• Scientifically formulated
• Nutritionally complete; vitamins, minerals, amino acids
• Every bite contains balanced nutrition for optimal nutritional intake and better health
• Bird specific formulation for different life stages, including hand feeding
• 100% edible/consumable, birds eat less – see also feeding costs
• More easily digested compared to pelleted or seed diets
• Less Waste - no mess, no seed hulls - favourite seeds are usually selected, leaving less preferred items behind and often scattered out of food dish.
• Firmer droppings in healthy birds
• Seeds make an ideal treat when exact® is used as the main diet. Seeds can be used for training and taming.
• Easy weaning from exact® Hand Feeding Formula to adult diets.
• Daily/Maintenance diets ideal for breeding (1-3 clutches a year). All essential nutrients are supplied for better fertility, hatching and growth of chicks.
• Field-tested by breeder, consumer, veterinarians, and bird enthusiasts on over 4,000 birds for 5 years prior to marketing of product.

Benefits of Extruded Diets Concerns With Pelletted Diets

• High temperature cooking process Low temperatures, compression of product
• Pasteurisation of ingredients - low bacterial counts Higher bacterial counts
• Improves digestibility Moderate digestibility
• Cooking virtually eliminates fine particles More fines generated through handling

Adult Daily Diets

• Specific formula for parrots, cockatiels, parakeets, canary/finch and mynah
• A complete diet, nutritionally balanced needing no supplementation
• Significantly brighter plumage noted in adult birds feed on Exact ®
• Daily diet sufficient for breeding if parents have no more than 3 clutches a year
• Not necessary to feed any other food sources
• May feed up to 25% vegetables, seeds, treats or fruits if desired. No more than 25% other food sources are recommended because this will dilute the nutritional intake
• Do not add vitamins or minerals to any Exact ® diet (this includes Vitamin & Mineral type treat sticks)
• Grit or cuttlebone should not be provided (adequate amount of calcium formulated in each diet, too much calcium is not recommended).

Professional Maintenance Formula

• Same formulas and information as the Adult Daily Diets.
• Breeder tested.
• Mostly used by breeders with more than a few birds.
• Increased clutch sizes noted when feeding this diet.
• Maintenance diet sufficient for breeding if parents have no more than 3 clutches a year.
• Grit or cuttlebone should not be provided (adequate amount of calcium formulated in each diet, too much calcium is not recommended).
• Used for rest periods between clutches.

Professional Breeder Formula

• Breeder tested.
• Mostly used by professional breeders.
• Provide when parents are sitting on eggs and getting ready to feed babies.
• Can be fed continuously if parents have more than 3 clutches in a year.
• If birds are fed 50-60% fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, the breeder formula should be used to ensure sufficient nutrient intake.
• Ideally fed to weaning babies until their first molt.
• Grit or cuttlebone should not be provided (adequate amount of calcium formulated in each diet, too much calcium can be harmful).

Conversion

Conversion process recommended (see addendum for details of the conversion processes)

• Parakeets - most difficult to convert, recommend 30 day conversion (1 week for each step of Proportions Method).
• Older birds who have been eating a sunflower based diet will be more difficult to convert, recommend a 30 day conversion (1 week for each of the Proportions Method).
• Monitor daily food intake

- Make sure the bird is actually eating the exact®

- Measure the amount put in food dish and check the next time you change the food (within 24 hours)

- Remember to take note of the food that may have been pushed out onto the bottom of the cage.

• Monitor bird’s weight daily
• Observe droppings

- More formed when converted to exact®

- Brownish color - finches, canaries, parakeets

- Brownish/green (olive/brown) color - cockatiels, parrots, macaws

• Caution signs are as follows:

- Green, black or yellow dropping - indicates bird is not eating or sick

- Runny/loose droppings - may indicate bacterial/disease problem

- Fluffing of feathers - general sign of not feeling well

- Listlessness - general sign of not feeling well

- Not perching, going to the bottom of the cage, general signs of not feeling well

If the above mentioned caution signs occur, put bird back on previous diet for 3-7 days and monitor droppings.

When bird has improved, try conversion method #2 extending each step to 1 week.

NOTE: Should no improvement be noticed after being on the previous diet for 2 days , contact veterinarian, this

Conversion

As with any dietary change, converting a bird to Rainbow exact from another type of diet should be done slowly to prevent digestive upset and distress. Realise that birds are creatures of habit and resist change. If a bird is accustomed to only a seed diet. some coaxing and a little time may be needed to adjust. However, all birds will convert - if you use patience and diligence.

Depending on the bird, conversion can take form a few days to a month, so be patient. If a bird is not familiar with a processed food, introduce Rainbow exact using one of the three recommended conversion methods:

Portions Method

This method is fast and safe for all birds. Phase Rainbow exact into your bird's diet by mixing it with its current seed diet.

You'll achieve best results by limiting the total quantity of food available to match the suggested daily feed amount listed on the package. Remember to mix both diets thoroughly.

Day 1 - 3    1 part exact       3 parts current food

Day 4 - 8    2 parts exact     2 parts current food 

Day 9 - 14  3 parts exact     1 part current food

After 14 days your bird should be completely converted.

Free Choice Method

This is the simplest process, but takes the longest time, since the bird is given more opportunity to select familiar food.

Instead of limiting total quantity to the suggested feeding amounts, as in the Portions method, provide more than the recom-mended daily amount.

Phase in exact over a 14-day period. After day 14 put exact on the bottom of the cup with a sprinkle (not more than 10%) of the current bird food on top for another two weeks. Gradually reduce the amount of current food or offer it on alternate days.

This method is easy on the bird, enabling it to slowly adapt to the new diet. Within one month, even the most difficult bird can be converted using this method.

Immediate Conversion Method

This works best with young birds or birds accustomed to a widely varied diet. Sudden changes in diet may be refused by finicky eaters and dangerous to unhealthy birds. Observe your bird closely when using this method.

Many birds, especially parrot-types, may convert faster if offered exact Rainbow. Offering some of the larger pieces by hand may also be an effective enticement. A second bowl can be provided containing a very small amount of other items such as vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, but these items should not exceed 20% of the daily portion. Limiting items other than exact helps to prevent waste food and makes clean-up much easier.

Small birds such as finches and canaries should be monitored closely during the immediate conversion process because of their fast metabolism and high energy needs. Small birds often cannot go without food for more than two days. Larger birds such as amazons, can go proportionately longer without food if they are healthy.

Check your bird's body weight or breast muscle size to monitor possible weight loss. If your bird loses over 10% of its body weight, substitute a mixture of current food and exact for about three days before returning exclusively to exact.

Always be aware of your bird's normal characteristics, as it is a natural instinct for a bird to hide any signs of illness. A healthy bird should be alert and have a smooth, sleek appearance. Eyes should be clear, and the eyes and nostrils should be free of any discharge. Vents should be clear of any fecal material or staining.

Important Notes

When more than one bird is kept in a cage, monitor birds closely and extend the conversion process beyond 14 days when following the free choice method. Parakeets and finches, especially those over six months old, should be converted over three to four weeks as suggested above. Make sure birds are eating by monitoring their droppings. Some birds may appear to be eating but are only pushing food around.