One day I'll stop apologizing for stepping on toes. Although I have great respect for my esteemed associate who answered this question previously (on Quora) I have a totally different…
So let’s talk about poop:-) What got me thinking about the topic is a recent e-mail from a customer considering buying an HQ bird cage. She bought a Molucaan Cockatoo from a pet shop 16 years ago. She’s been shopping there for 16 years and last year bought a dome top birdcage from them.
After one year the bottom tray of the cage had started rusting out. She talked about having bought all of her supplies from this particular pet shop including walnut shells which are used as bedding in the bottom of the cage. She wasn’t sure of the make of the cage.
Beth W replied Feb 5, 12:42pm
Mitch replied Feb 8, 10:09pm
Beth – do you know their sex?
Beth W replied Feb 9, 6:29pm
They are both male peach faced love birds, one is a year older than the other. The older bird is having problems with his balance occasionally.
OCW Zoological Medicine 2008
Psittacine Medicine (2008)
G. Kaufman, DVM
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
This section pulls together the main diseases and health issues of psittacines, representing the major group of birds seen in pet bird veterinary practice. Color coded topics indicate learning objectives that the student should become familiar with. Cases will be presented in class to illustrate these topics.
Hypothetical – a 21st-century genie sits down next to you on a park bench. He looks pretty normal and explains that the whole genie thing has evolved along with modern society.
The dapper young lad named Gene (really?) goes on to say;
Editor’s note: we all like variety. They just opened a supermarket not far from us called Pete’s – it is 55,000 ft.² with not only groceries but prepared foods and salads.
This is what we demand as humans which is why we offer so many brands and varieties of bird food.
Small birds can live 15 to 20 years – larger ones 40 to 60 years, some even longer. Don’t you think it’s important that your birds should enjoy variety in their diets for the decades they are going to be around?
File under “Our vets are injecting this sh#t into our birds – really”?
The reason I bring this up is an article that came across my desktop recently having to do with a drug called “Lupron”. Popcorn our cockatiel received two injections (at $80 per shot) over her 12 visits with our vet.
I read about it a lot on Facebook – Lupron is used to reduce egg laying and calm hormonal changes in birds. Its use is widespread in avian medicine. It is also available for cats and dogs.
Nutrition of Psittacines (Parrot Family) Client Information Series™
This information is designed as a means of communication between veterinarians and clients who are concerned about their pet bird’s nutritional needs. Diet, nutrient requirements, and feeding are discussed. If you have any questions, be sure to ask your veterinarian to answer them for you.
Birds are divided into 27 orders, varying from high-flying Falconiformes, such as the bald eagle, to the Struthioniformes, such as the ostrich, that does not fly at all. Most pet birds are found among the Psittaciformes (psittacines: parrotsfamily), Passeriformes (perching birds), Columbiformes (pigeon family), and Galliformes (chicken-like birds).
I talk a lot about avian digestive systems and respiratory systems but it’s been a while since we talked about feathers. Generally, the birds that we keep as pets have anywhere from 5000 to 7000 feathers. Waterfowl like certain species of ducks can have more than 11,000. Yes, scientists have actually counted them.
From Wikipedia we learn:
Feathers are among the most complex integumentary system appendages found in vertebrates and are formed in tiny follicles in the epidermis, or outer skin layer, that produces keratin proteins.
The β-keratins in feathers, beaks, and the claws, scales, and shells of reptiles — are composed of protein strands hydrogen-bonded into β-pleated sheets, which are then further twisted and crosslinked by disulfide bridges into structures even tougher than the α-keratins of mammalian hair, horns, and hoof.
β-keratin or beta-keratin is a protein in the keratin family. β-keratin is rich in stacked β pleated sheets. Keratin is one of a family of fibrous structural proteins. Keratin is the protein that protects epithelial cells from damage or stress.
