Q: Angry Cockatiel

Answered by chestnut on 9/13/2005, 12:02 am

A: Things to think about

> I have this male cockatiel for about a year I got him as an
> adult. He is in a large cage by himself with lots of toys.
> We let him out everyday to stretch out his wings. But the
> problem is he always hisses, and tries to nip and peck
> everyones finger and he never wants to play with anyone or
> come to peoples hands. We tried using treats to bring him
> to our hands he takes the treat and eats it seconds later he
> jumps to his cage and when we try to pick him back up he
> starts to bite. The only time when he allows someone near
> him is when he wants out. He stands by the door and shakes
> it with his beak and makes noises. Than we walk over to
> open his door and he climbs to our hands to come out and act
> all nice once he is out he bites us and runs on top of the
> cage and starts cleaning himself and when you go near him
> his crest goes down and he starts to hiss. What should I do
> to have him trust me and end the pecking and biting. The
> biting really doesn't hurt he just firmly grips the finger
> for a few seconds and lets go. When I first git him he used
> to bite really hard and took some of our skin off our
> fingers, but this ended a long time ago he just now firmly
> grips the finger really fast he always startles me when he
> does that.
>


Because the bird is a rehomed/recycled/2nd hand bird these birds usually come with a lot of BAGGAGE both MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY and can sometimes be unstable because of this.

These birds can also be opinionated as to what they like/dislike/will tolerate ans VERY set in their ways.

Lots of birds that have developed these problems can and will need assistance and help in over coming these problems with a Avian Behaviourist

I speak from experience here as I have had several rehomed birds, one I currently own now my small Mini. This bird was stuck on an ALL SEED diet VERY unhealthy for him retraining him to like other foods has taken years. He had been trained that he was allowed on shoulders (my fingers have more bite marks from him) and retraining of this has also taken years and LOTS of PERSISTANCE.

Another rehomed I had was a Mitered Conure and was what I consider a DON''T TOUCH me bird that took over a year to get used to me and even after that she was not a super friendly bird and basically tolerated my presence for food, water, and a clean cage. As she got older she mellowed some on this BUT not much. So you see some birds are just not receptive no matter what you do. I received PLENTY of bites from this bird that drew blood. Some of the bites were pinch bites that left bruises and HURT just as bad as thoses that drew blood.

Trying to find out where the problem lies with the screaming/biting can be like playing detective or finding a needle in the hay stick to coin a few phrases.

Are you sure of the sex of the bird?

Have you had the bird yet to a Board Certified Avian Vet for a full scale work up?
A full scale work up includes a CBC (complete blood count), a fecal, a gram stain, and a culture, the metal panel I leave in the vet’s court but it might be advisable to do.

MY Hahn's had Zinc and Copper toxicity back at christmas between this and his hormones I was a bleeding pin cushion.

PLEASE make sure you go to a BOARD CERTIFIED AVIAN VET as most vets are like a regular MD to us and do not really know birds that well. Kind a think like this if you get an eye check up you go to an eye Dr for this not a MD as they know eyes very very well right. Well the same thing really applies with birds also most vets do not know enough about birds so you need to find one that specializes in them that is BOARD CERTIFIED.

Here are some sites for you to locate an avian vet in your area if you do not already have one you go to.
http://www.abvp.com/finddiplomate.aspx
http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup/
http://www.aav.org/activemembers.html
http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm

Always make sure you have a safe way to transport your feathered friend.
Where to locate bird carriers and sites to give you ideas for this.
http://gallery.bcentral.com/Gallery/ProductListing.aspx?GID=5128020&Dept=463669
http://www.birdandcage.com/carrier.html

What kind of diet do you have this bird on? IS it strictly seed?
IF so the bird can also be testy as it is lacking in healthy nurtients that are very important to him/her.

Lots of things can cause a bird to bite depending on the age it could be hormones,
Knowing the sex of the bird may help you some here. Again with hormones it can cause you to turn into a bleeding pin cushion. IF it is hormones there is a diagnostic shot that can be given to find out IF this is indeed the problem (after having gone through this I know).

IF the bird is unwell and in discomfort in some ways they may also bite.

Get a hold of this book also, I found this to be an excellent book
The title is called 'Your Outta Control Bird by Nikki Moustaki
Good BirdT.F.H. Publications
http://birds.about.com/od/birdbooks/a/outtacontrol.htm

A few other books you may wish to read are
http://www.mydecorator.com/r-5043/m-Books/b-5044/a-0764110306/Default.aspx
http://www.8beaks.com/treats/sally_blanchard_books.htm

When you discipline a bird you have a 5 to 10 second window in which to do so after that it is forgotten by the bird as to WHY you are doing this and you may be doing the action for the wrong reason.

I can give you some thoughts and ideas from my facts sheet

At some point you will be bitten here are a few facts on this and more:

The only way a bird can let you know if you are doing something that annoys him is to nip or bite you will not usually receive the bite unless you persist at what ever he was nipping about to begin with. The bite is his form of talking to you to let you know this is something that is hurting or uncomfortable. IF you got bit do not blame the bird cause you did not listen when he gave the first warning nip.

Birds bite for various reasons, some aggressive bites are out of fear and terror and biting is the only way to let you know that he is very scared.

This can be a hard bite that can draw blood, signs can be hissing, a flatten down crest on the head. You do not want to punish a bird that feels this kind of fear or terror, as you will only increase the terror or fear by doing this.

To get past this takes LOTS and LOTS of TIME and PATIENCE, being GENTLE and NOT RUSHING or PUSHING but be sweet and loving, this will help put more trust in your relationship and help a bond grow so that the bird will slowly become interactive with you, then by forcing the issues.

A provoked bird will bite, usually you will receive nips for the most part unless it is something you did that you did not listen with the warning nip and then it can become an all-out bite. Watch your bird learn its body signals, since they cannot talk to say ‘stop that’ a nip or a bite is their way of saying ‘I have had enough'.

The other thing I suggest is watch the birds eyes and body language this reallys helps to learn and understand your bird better.
Here is a site to help with this
http://www.mickaboo.com/understanding.html

When he bites tell him 'NO' in a firm voice and give him a time out from you on his cage or play stand for about 5 min. This has to be done right when it happens or the bird will not understand what it is for remember they are like a toddler very short attention spans, and will think the time out is for something else that maybe considered good so it must be instant.

The bite is his form of talking to you to let you know this is something that is hurting or uncomfortable. IF you got bit do not blame the bird cause you did not listen when he gave the first warning nip.

The bite is his form of talking to you to let you know this is something that is hurting or uncomfortable. IF you got bit do not blame the bird cause you did not listen when he gave the first warning nip.

If you have allowed the bird to play bite and it is now getting so they are harder bites again you have to set the rules and guide lines the bird does not know it maybe biting to hard, so you need to redirect the attention tell the bird 'NO BE NICE'. Set the bird on its play stand or its cage to calm down it will get the idea after a bit.

When he bites tell him 'NO' in a firm voice and give him a time out from you on his cage or play stand for about 5 min. This has to be done right when it happens or the bird will not understand what it is for remember they are like a toddler very short attention spans, and will think the time out is for something else that maybe considered good so it must be instant.

When you are bitten try not to react (I know this is difficult but try) birds LOVE drama, and when you react yell, scream, tell him off anything like this they kind a go ‘ooooh cool like what I got my person to do by doing this hey this is fun’ every time you this it will encourage him to do it again.

Some birds like to run their tongue over your finger or a hand while they are out of their cage and getting some social time with you. This is great except at times they can be too aggressive not realize this.

When this happen just gives a minor jiggle/wobble/bounce to your hand or finger to distract him followed by a ‘be nice’ or ‘ouch’ or ‘that’s not nice’ or ‘be good’. Some people call this the earthquake/mini earthquake it is simply a deterrence technique, but with a small bird you just need a slight shake.

If he persists on doing this it then he needs a time out back on his cage to calm down for a time out. You have to set the boundaries.

Here are some sites for you to read to understand biting better.
http://www.cockatielcottage.net/bite.html
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww12eii.htm
http://www.vetcentric.com/magazine/magazineArticle.cfm?ARTICLEID=1352
http://www.aviannetwork.com/articles/biting.htm
http://www.quakerville.com/qic/biting.asp

A few other thoughts to keep in mind

TAMING/TRAINING

Next it takes lots of time and patience to build up a bond and trust between you and your bird.

Pet store birds are practically a wild bird (there is the exception but it is rare) they have had no real socialization and this can take 6 months or longer to do depending the bird and its personality. Even a handfed baby is not as socialized as it needs to be by the staff.

Their cage is their home and their territory and they can become very protective of this.

The other thing is each bird is an individual and you really cannot totally force a bird to do something it is not ready for or you will lose whatever trust and bond you have with the bird so far.

Remember the bird needs some adjustment time just to getting used to you when coming into a new home. Time like this can be spent just talking to her/him outside the cage read a book to her let her get used to your voice. When the bird starts getting close to the side of the cage where you are after several times then you can start the next step.

If you just got the bird kick back relax and allow the bird time to get to know you 1st from you being outside the cage before you start to try and handle the bird. This can take any where from a few days to a few weeks.

The bird may not be going to take to you and bond as fast as you are wanting you are a completely NEW flock to him.

Think from the birds point of view no matter how awful or good his home before may have been it was HIS HOME and HIS FLOCK MEMBERS, now all these are gone vanished.

I am being made/forced to get up on this strange persons finger or hand that I want NOTHING to do with so instead to warn this person away I WILL HISS, if that warning does not work then I will BITE maybe then they will back off, get it.

IT usually takes 5 to 7 days for a new bird to acclimate its self to a new home and its surroundings. After this happens do not be surprised if he runs from you or tries to bite you. This has nothing to do with you personally; it is simply cause he has not yet been socialized, and is fearful.

IT takes LOTS and LOTS of TIME and PATIENCE for a bird to build a bond and TRUST YOU.

What you can do to help your bird start getting used to you is:

When you handle or go near the bird you need positive reinforcement lower any anxiety level to nice soft breathing, like a Yoga class would do become stress free if possible you want a calming effect (I know this is not simple to do but try) The calmer you are the calmer the bird keep in mind "Birds are extremely stressful and emotional animals" you have to give lots of time and have tons of patience.

DO NOT chase the bird around in the cage, while running around trying to avoid you he could injure himself.

You just have to work slowly DO NOT push; learn where his comfort zone is and work from there.

Birds are extremely stressful and emotional animals that thrive on interaction and mental stimulation.

After a time you will be able to notice where his trust level is by different things you do. One would be that when you do go to enter his/her cage s/he will not run from you.

Some birds no matter how much you try are SIMPLY a DON"T TOUCH me bird and HANDS OFF type bird.

I had a rehomed bird that took over a year to get used to me and even after that she was not a super friendly bird and basically tolerated my presence for food, water, and a clean cage. As she got older she mellowed some on this BUT not much. So you see some birds are just not receptive no matter what you do.

Does this make the bird a terrible bird NOPE just one that takes a LOT more TIME then most. For the bird to want to be petted and helded by you there must be some sort of a bond started this again TAKES TIME. Once the BOND starts then you can SLOWLY work from there, if you see the bird is nervous and upset by the next step you are trying to do BACK OFF let the bird get comfortable follow the bird body signals.

If you keep pushing and continue to do something like this is going to have the bird start to become leery of you and loose faith in you and the bond that has been built so far.

Each bird has its own individual personality and you cannot make a bird accept something it does not want anymore then you can your self can be made to do something you do not wish to do or have done to you.

If your bird is well behaved and you have a good relationship don’t push the issue and ruin it then, leave it be for as long as you need to till the bird is ready for the next step.

DIET

You should also make sure your bird is on a balanced diet of veggies, greens, and fruits. Diet can also play a factor in a birds personality, as it can in a bird that is ill and has not yet been seen by a VET to establish if it is in good health with a full scale work up.

Birds that are on Seed and Pellets
A good brand will:
Not contain any preservatives.
Not contain any artificial flavorings or colorings.
Not contain sugar.

Read these sites you may find it helpful
http://www.epah.net/birds/avnnutrition.html
http://budgies-n-tiels.com/contents/diet.html

FOOD
Birds should never be on an all seed diet as this shortens their life spans compared to one that is on a healthy diet; make sure to add greens and veggies and fruit.

Just to give you an idea of possible lifespan differences a budgie on a seed only diet is only 3-5 years VS a budgie on a good diet is 10-15, and cockatiel on a seed only diet is 5-8 years VS a cockatiel on a good diet is 12-20 years get the idea.

Some birds tend to not always eat new food but never be afraid to offer it up its takes some time for a bird to get used to new food. As long as the bird nibbles at it and plays with it he is feeling the texture of the food.

Do not give up it takes time, and patience, and eating it with the bird right in front of them. Try making yummmy noises and such, telling them how good it is

Birds should not have grit this can cause crop impaction, if your bird should get this he will not be able to digest it and in time this will cause problems in his digestive tract.

I am not big on pellets as there are so many additives, which can be harmful over time to your bird.
Protein levels in pellets are usually to high for some cockatiels to handle and can result in renal disease and gout for this breed of bird and some other breeds as well.
Iron toxicity and vitamin D toxicity have both been connected with feeding of pellets also, these problems have just started to have started surface with in the last couple of years.

We do not hear often enough concerning young parrots weaned to pellets with not the proper amount of some nutrients have resulted in perosis or more commonly know as a twisting of leg bones.
Low levels of choline in the pelleted manufactured diet can be the cause of this.

The fact of just acknowledging these few health problems should make any of us rethink as to how healthy this really is for our birds.
http://www.naturallyhealthypet.com/foodbetter.htm
http://www.companionparrot.com/articles/idiot.html
http://www.parrothouse.com/pamelaclark/feedingcompanion.html
http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nutrition/pellets.htm
http://www.qi-whiz.com/pu/pellet.html
http://www.macawworld.com http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww22eii.htm http://www.plannedparrothood.com/diet.html

From this site below regarding this matter
http://www.holisticbird.org/diet/debatepellet1.htm
"Pellets, on the other hand, are not part of a bird's natural diet. Additionally, it is very easy for a grain miller to add poor quality grains, including those that are moldy, dirty, and insect infested, into a pellet mix.
Once everything was ground up and pressed together, who would know?
The purchaser also has no idea if the quality control is in place. Too much or too little supplementation can be added by a careless mixer and you won't know until your birds start dropping dead or getting ill.

The fat in a pellet mix is more likely to be rancid than the fat contained in fresh unhulled seeds. It is much more difficult to hide poor seed quality. If the seeds are dirty or if they are moldy, you can reject them. You don't have to feed them to your birds.
With pellets, you can only hope for the best. There's no telling what they contain.
If you feel a need to add supplements to a natural diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and seeds, you can tailor the amount and kind of supplement to the needs of your bird. When you feed pellets, you are stuck with what has been added by the manufacturer."

From this site
http://www.tri-statebudgie.org/q&a.html
"Q- I have been feeding my budgies a mixture of Harrison's high potency pellets, seeds, and Harrison's mash. I've been trying to convert them to a pellet diet for a while - they seem to eat the mixture (i.e., a little of everything). Two weeks ago one of my little guys was diagnosed with kidney disease and my vet said she has a few weeks to live. A member (who has bred birds her whole life) of our local bird society here on Long Island told me that Harrison's has been known to cause kidney and liver disease. I've been so devastated over this - she suggested I give them an all seed diet - Harrison's provides excessive vitamins - and to give them aloe detox to try to save my little bird."

I prefer to feed not just the seed but also mikes mash, sprouts, or soak n cook, along with veggies, greens and fruit.

The sites below deal with all the above mentioned food items.
http://www.sproutmix.com/
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen2.html
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/septoct2002/germinate2.htm
http://www.qi-whiz.com/pu/pate.html
http://ww.irdsense.com/mash.html
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/spring2002/feature3.htm
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/20facts.html
http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nutrition/sprouted.htm
http://www.herbsnbirds.com/sprouting.htm

Foods you should avoid are avocado, chocolate, onions (said to be toxic), Eggplant and Potato (both from the night shade family and are potentially toxic) Milk (birds are lactose in tolerant), caffeine, mushrooms, black olives, Lima beans can have traces of toxicity left in them if not cooked thoroughly or fed in a large amount. Lima beans contain Cyanogenic Glycosides, when in contact with stomach acids, the cyanogenic glycosides release cyanide.

Soup beans are also recommended not to feed. Rhubarb, and the seed and pits to many fruits contain toxic chemicals, alcohol. Too much pasta and peas and raisins can put the iron levels to high so do not over feed these.

Diabetes is often caused and/or aided by excess iron in the diet being to high and too much sugar, if your bird should ever come up with liver problems look into this as it is one step from the liver to the pancreas.
IF your bird should EVER turn up with a diagnosis of being Diabetic or even a small possibility to this then you should have your vet run an iron test panel on your bird, excess iron is sometimes the cause of Diabetes.
You want to eliminate iron as the cause, because that kind of diabetes is sometimes reversible
In birds with diabetes this is because of an overproduction of glucagons. Female Tiels that are over weight & obese that may be over the age of 4 can be prone to develop diabetes.
Also all IOD (Iron Overload Disease) is not caused by excess iron in diet although that can be the reason, some is genetic.

Spinach can block vitamin A absorption, spinach should be fed in moderation only.

Sugar can make them hyper like a kid, and too much salt is as harmful to them as it is to us. They do need some salt but only some, and usually they can get this in some of the foods you feed. Too much vitamin C does double up on the iron intake, which is not safe in birds. Soybeans can cause digestive problems.

Try to stay away from Iceberg lettuce as much as you can it only makes the dropping loose and runny and it has no real nutritional value. This does not cause diarrhea but because of the water content of this food item (many food items have a water content to them) this does increase the amount of urine expelled from the body.
If the bird is really sick it would be hard to tell cause the droppings may be runny (more urine expelled), masking the correct signs IF the bird were ill.

Here are some sites that will help with safe foods to feed plus more info on ones that are unsafe
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/MNAALAS/Brdfd.html
http://www.birdstheword.com/birds/avian.htm
http://www.itsagreysworld.com/diet/food.htm#fruit
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww21eii.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/efsep3.htm
http://www.parrotislandinc.com/articles/apeople.htm
http://birdmart.com/convert_other.html
http://www.pionusparrot.com/Nutrition.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww24eii.htm
http://www.epah.net/birds/avnnutrition.html
http://www.avesint.com/diet.html
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww59eii.htm

Sites for birdie bread
http://www.birdiebites.com/
http://www.epah.net/birds/avnnutrition.html
http://www.theaviary.com/recipes/rec-b1.shtml
http://www.jolleyfeathers.com/jolleyfeathersbirdiebread.html

Vitamins I recommend are Avia and Prime they are they best two on the market in my own opinion, these are both a powder formula that you lightly sprinkle on the food and it adheres to it. Stay away from vitamins that go in the water as 9 out of 10 times it will detour them from drinking the water they need cause the taste is awful. NOT to mention that Vits in the water help to allow bacterical growth in a few hours.

Below I have listed a few sites as to reasons why birds need vitamins like this.
http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/vitamina.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww22eii.htm
http://www.naturallyhealthypet.com/vitamins.htm

This page is on different minerals that your birds needs to get to keep your friend nice and healthy
http://www.tuxford.dabsol.co.uk/masterbreeder/chap5/chap5minerals2.htm

For calcium a cuttlebone, or pulverized eggshell mixed in with scrambled eggs (make sure the shell has been sterilized first) is good especially if a hen is laying eggs as she is decreasing her calcium level with the forming of each egg.

Bottled or filtered water is best for your bird also NOT TAP, just like TAP is not good for us cause of all the chemicals in it neither is it good for you bird or any other animal.

Here’s an example, recently a friend of mine came back from vacation up in northern CA and said how much they just loved the tap water up there it tasted just great.

So I tried a bit it was ok left a tiny after taste but not to bad, so I gave my Macaw some to try, he did not even take a drink just but is head down to the water and backed away shaking his head. I gave him his normal water and he drank.

A few days after this a had a chance to talk to my friends buddy that had been with him up in this part of CA and asked him about the water. He told me the water contained IRON, not knowing the IRON levels that are in the water this could have made my bird very sick.

Do not think it is just cause my bird wanted his own water either my bird is used to drinking lots of different types of bottled water from Evian, Crystal Geyser to Sparkletts so this was not the case.

INFO ON NUTS
Also no peanuts (they also can contain aflatoxin contamination which is mold growth) or sunflower unless they are dropping weight form being ill to much fat content, and you do not want you these little birds having fatty liver disease which they can get easily.

Small birds are more prone to being over weight faster and easier then their larger cousins BIG Macaws. I even have to be careful with my small Mini Macaws' weight as he can be over weight just as easy as ANY small bird. DO BECAREFUL on any NUTS you feed your bird.

Almonds - source of calcium
No brazil nuts for your guys these nuts CONTAIN TONS of FAT they are considered a STAPLE for some of the larger MACAWS that NEED the FAT.
Cashews - good energy food
Remember everything RAW
Hazel nuts & filberts - rich in protein, complex, complex in carbohydrate, good dietary fiber, calcium and vit E
No Macadamia nuts (the ones I am telling you no on are for your large parrots only that really need these)
Pecans - High oil content but low in sodium, high protein and unsaturated fats, no cholesterol, good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium.
Pine nuts - even though they are fatty they are good weaning food cause they are very soft like cashews and pecans.
Pistachios - good nuts but can be fatty give sparingly but great treat
Soy nuts - lots of people say feed soy nuts others say not can cause health problem major so I stay away from things I do not have enough info on.
Walnuts - stay away from black walnuts most that you find in the stores are the English Walnut any way good source of vit B1, thiamin and calcium.
Star Anise - it smells like licorice and they smell real good after they munch on it.
Millet - Is the same as a lot of the seed you will fine in your bird seed mixes already, this seed can be very addictive kind of like some on hooked on smoking.

FEEDING A PICKY BIRD

Do not give up it takes time, and patience, and eating it with the bird right in front of them. Try making yummmy noises and such, telling them how good it is. This is something you really will have to do as birds are flock animals and will be more interested in trying this is they see you eating the food also.

Try eating away from the cage with a bowl that is meant just for these types of food, never mix with the regular food.

Let the bird see you eating it making all the goodie noises also if your bird has a sound they use for when they are excited use it copy that noise to get the bird more interested in the food you are eating, then when the are give them a bit, small bit hand feed at 1st hold it in your hand and get them to take a bite.

Once they eat or nibble this way then place it in the bowl. Make sure the bowl is not to small and cramped so they can get at the food easily.

With new foods try giving them early in the AM or at dusk right before the sun goes down as this is when birds do the most forging and are hungary. Food should not be left more then 3 to 4 hours as they will start to spoil and get bacterica growing amongest other things like attracting fruit flies for one.

The information below on pellets you can print out take with you and compare to the labels at your pet stores.

PELLETS

Let's talk about the additives in pellets.

Ethoxyquin: Is listed and identified as a harsh hazardous chemical by OSHA. It was originally used to preserve rubber. This is not allowed in human food and some feel it is not a chemical that they want in their bird food. The FDA has asked manufacturers for voluntary reduction in its use in pet foods and is in the process of deciding whether or not to ban the use of it altogether. Bird’s bodies can not get rid of it like a dog or cat and it then builds up and causes problems. Ethoxyquin promotes kidney carcinogenesis, significantly increases the incidence of stomach tumors, enhanced bladder carcinogenesis and urinary bladder carcinogenesis. Cancers of this type are the most lethal and fastest acting, the swiftest effects being seen among animals.

Artificial Colors: Most people are aware of toxic side effects of artificial colors and flavors from coal tar derivatives such as Red #40, a possible carcinogen, and Yellow #6, which causes sensitivity to fatal viruses in animals. Artificial colors DO cause yellow feather discoloration in Eclectus.

BHT/BHA: These petroleum products are used to stabilize fats in foods. In the process of metabolizing BHA and BHT, chemical changes occur in the body. These changes have caused reduced growth rates and they inhibit white blood cell stimulation. In pets, they can exhibit reactions such as skin blisters, hemorrhaging of the eye, weakness, discomfort in breathing, a reduction of the body's own antioxidant enzyme, glutathione peroxidase and may cause cancer. According to Dr. Wendell Belfield, DVM, a practicing vet for some 26 years, both BHA and BHT are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and are banned in some European countries.

Propylene Glycol: Used as a de-icing fluid for airplanes, this chemical is added to food and skin products to maintain texture and moisture as well as inhibiting bacteria growth in products. It also inhibits the growth of friendly bacteria in the digestive system by decreasing the amount of moisture in the intestinal tract leading to constipation and cancer. It can affect the liver and kidneys and causes the destruction of red blood cells.

Salt: Added as a preservative, salt can irritate the stomach lining, cause increased thirst and aggravate heart and kidney problems through fluid retention.

Sodium Nitrite: Used in the curing of meats, this substance participates in a chemical reaction in the body that becomes carcinogenic. It is used also in pet foods to add color.

Sugar and other Sweeteners: The most common sweeteners in pet/bird foods are beet sugar, corn sugar, molasses and sucrose. They are used as preservatives and have the side effect of creating sugar addicts in pets. They require almost no digestion and are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. These will provide sugar highs (just as humans experience) and subsequent lows (moodiness), inhibit the proper growth of friendly intestinal bacteria and they virtually shut down the digestive system while being processed. Sugar can also contribute to diabetes and hypoglycemia, cataract development, obesity and arthritis.

Go to your cupboard and get your pellets out and find out how many of these additives are in the brand you buy. If there is something else on the ingredients list and you don't know what it is, FIND OUT.

Here is some that is NOT what a bird would get natually in regular foods and these things build up in the birds system over time and cause harm to your bird,
Ferrous Carbonate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Artificial Colors, Copper Oxide, Propionic Acid (a preservative), Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Sodium with anything attached to the name in front or back is also one as sodium is a form of salt, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride large doses may cause gastro-intestinal upset and chronic administration of large dosages has been associated with adverse neurological effects.

Do your research or ask questions of someone who can find out for you. Did you see the natural ingredients on your pellet ingredients list? Why not feed those items in their fresh, natural state instead?

How do YOUR pellets stack up?
(This list may need updating...check labels!)

Abba = ethoxyquin, artificial color, artificial flavor
Avian Special Needs = fish solubles, mineral oil
Avi-Sci =ethoxyquin
Breeders Blend=artificial flavors, salt
Hagen =salt
Harrison's = salt
Kaytee =ethoxyquin, artificial color, salt, BHT or BHA
Kellogg =ethoxyquin, artificial flavor, salt
Lafeber Pellets=ethoxyquin
Lefeber Nutriberries=ethoxyquin, propylene glycol
L&M Pellets=ethoxyquin, artificial color, artificial flavor
Pretty Bird Pellets=ethoxyquin, artificial flavor, salt, added sugar, BHT or BHA
Roudybush Pellets=ethoxyquin
Scenic=salt
ZuPreem=artificial flavor, BHT or BHA

I hope this can help some