Cheese VS cheezits???

[Big_Squishy]

I saw someone mentionthat cheese was better for their bird than cheez its. Aren't birds lactose intolerant? All of the birdy cookbooks I have mention that it is ok for birds to eat cheese in very small amounts. BoBo gets a sugar cube sized piece every now and again, most of it ends up on the floor but I limit how much and how often. Most of the Cheez its crackers are baked and the worst thing I can see about them is the amount of salt. But I believe there are low salt and no salt versions. I am just wondering how would real whole cheese be better than cheese type crackers? Isn't cheese also more fattening?

[Luvparrots]

I give my fids slivers of sharp cheddar cheese about once a week also Cheetos once in a while. They love them and what is life without a little good eat' n???

[judygram]

They can tolerate the cheddar cheese and a small amount from time to time is beneficial since it contains calcium but I would go easy on the Cheeze Its for it contains lots of salt that they have no business having. My fids love cheddar cheese and when they see the package come out of the fridge they start begging for it.

[Big_Squishy]

I understand that cheese is ok in small doses and had already taken note of the possible sodium issue. I just had seen someone mention that they were using real cheese as a reward and I thought that if you are rewarding for a particular action word or whatever then the potential for giving the bird too much cheese is more likly. I would sugest that cheese just be a treat not a reward. I think that was more where I was going.

[Azzie]

Yes birds are lactose intolerant, and regular cheese also has a lot of salt in it (for something that's bird sized it's a lot anyway). Most crackers contain vegetable fats as well, unless it's the cabin bread type, which contains water instead of fats to make the dough mixture. If you want to give them low fat cheese, Edam is the way to go. It has the lowest fat content of all cheeses. Cheese flavoured crackers also come with a whole lot of other crap, such as preservatives and colour and flavour enhancers. Plus I still haven't figured out how they turn real cheese into powder, but I am certain it's not a natural process.

 

I guess both foods have their pros and cons, and I would think that a small amount in moderation wouldn't hurt birds.

[Big_Squishy]

Thanks that was the missing info I wasn't thinking about. Also I believe to make powdered cheese they use a very fast dehydrating process and then grind the left over into a powder.

[Luvparrots]

The cheetos I give my fids are called corn puffs and the last ingredient on the list is salt. I give them very few so I believe we are fine.

[Big_Squishy]

What is a FID?

[Luvparrots]

feathered kids

[Big_Squishy]

Ahhhh I C!

[Guest]

Big_Squishy, another word you'll see used around here is "parront," which is "parent + parrot."

 

Uhh, dare I ask what your user name means? Are you referring to the bombs that our Greys let drop? :-)

[Karcar]

All my birds love cheese so do the dogs as soon as they see the package they all start begging like judygram said, but I do go easy on it.