Meat and Veganism

[Eshana]

I'm a vegetarian because being a vegan is expensive and I can't afford it on my current college budget. When I graduate, though, I plan on making the push to Veganism.

 

I guess my issue is that I've read on this website of people feeding bones/eggs/meat etc to their birds, and how healthy it is for them. Is this something I should consider? I would never deprive an animal of what they needed just because I didn't agree with it. Personally I think vegan dog food is just silly. That's just me, though.

[Luvparrots]

i offer very little meat to my parrots. They don't seem to like it very much. Ana Grey only eats it when she is stealing food off of my plate, but that I believe is just her being "part of the family".

[danmcq]

Well, actually those items are given to our greys as a source of protein, some fatty acids and calcium. All these as you know can be had in other food sources that do not involve those sources.

 

Not sure if cheese is a go-no go for vegans, but it is a good source of calcium. But, so are dark leafy greens, almonds and of course pellets.

[judygram]

They really should have some protein in their diet, maybe not on a daily basis but a little chicken or fish, some egg and or cheese is good for them, not too much but in small amounts. Offering your grey chicken bones is an occasional healthy treat as they devour the marrow inside and most will relish this.

[Salar]

Hey Eshana, really glad to read your post.

Same here (I'm already vegan though). Don't think it's something crusial. It's partly for chewing's sake (bone), Calcium (egg's shell) and Protein (white meat) BUT they are not something your bird can not recieve from plant sources. In the wild, they just occasionally eat insects or something so animal protein dose not play a considerable role in a parrot's life (unliek dogs which i find it meaningless to be fed a vegan diet of course) which can not be obtained from non-animal sources.

Just remember to provide him a balanced rich diet (Not because you're not feeding him flesh! It's a must for all greys). We can discuss it in more details if you like. My grey's diet contains no animal products: no white meat, no eggs, no honey....

It's a real pleasure to meet a veg[etari]an fellow.

[Eshana]

Thank you so much for the advice! I don't want his/her diet to be too soy protein heavy. How do you get yours protein?

[Salar]

As far as i know, nuts and seeds, whole grains, legumes and even fruits and vegatables such as Broccoli and banana for example are sources of protein. Just make sure you feed the proper amounts...

 

This is what i've read from birdsnways and avianweb websites and altered my grey's diet to exclude any animal-derived foods (which actually make a very small part of their usual diet). They need Protein and Calcium but can be obtained from vegan sources as well. Will copy/paste important parts for you here:

 

"Good Calcium Sources:

Beet Greens

Broccoli Leaves

Broccoli Stem

Cabbage (outside green leaves)

Celery

Chard

Chinese Cabbage

Collards (cooked)

Dandelion Greens

Endive

Kale

Kohlrabi

Lettuce Dark Green Leaf

Mustard Greens

Orange or Tangerine

Parsley

Spinach

Turnip Greens

Watercress

Watermelon

Yellow Wax Beans

 

Moderate Calcium Sources:Apples

Blackberries

Blueberries

Cabbage (inside white leaves)

Cantaloupe

Carrots

Green Beans

Guavas

Okra

Pears

Raspberries

Rutabaga

Squash

Strawberries

Turnips

Yams

 

 

Poor Calcium Sources:

Apricots

Asparagus

Bananas

Beets

Broccoli Flowers

Brussels Sprouts

Cauliflower

Cherries (pitted)

Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant

Grapes

Lettuce (head, iceberg)

Mushrooms

Parsnips

Peaches

Peas

Pineapple

Plums

Pumpkin

Radish

Sweet Potato

Tomato"

 

"Even though most dark leafy greens are rich in calcium, broccoli, rapini, turnip greens, collard greens and mustard greens are better sources than spinach, chard and beet greens because of the high oxalic acid content that blocks absorption of the calcium in spinach, chard, and beet greens.

 

Calcium-rich vegetable / fruits and greens are: bok choy, kale, parsley, mustard greens, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, dandelion greens, apricots, figs, endive, okra, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), pinto beans and kidney beans.

 

Please note that large raw beans - such as Anasazi, Black, Fava, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Pinto, and Soy - can cause toxicities when fed raw, causing digestive upsets for people and potentially for birds. Some experts recommend that large beans should be cooked to make them safe and digestible. Others counter that soaking beans for 24 hours starts the germinating process and that soaking makes the beans safe and digestible. For those who do not want to take any risks, it's best to cook large beans thoroughly before feeding to your birds. These beans are not recommended for general sprouting purposes. Certain uncooked dried beans contain enzyme inhibitors, are indigestible , and may cause visceral gout in birds. These enzyme inhibitors may prevent or decrease the utilization in the body of substances, such as trypsin and chymotrypsin, to produce nutritional deficiencies. Beans that can interfere with proteolytic enzymes are lima, kidney and soybeans. Cooking these beans for at least 2 hours destroys these enzyme inhibitors. Other dried beans do not appear to contain these enzyme inhibitors or, if present, are in low concentrations. To be on the safe side, it's best to cook ALL varieties of beans.

 

Other food sources of calcium: Baked eggshells, crushed and sprinkled over the food, oatmeal, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, and tahini -- "nut butter" made of sesame seeds

 

Soaked and germinated "oil" seeds, like niger and rape seeds, are rich in protein and carbohydrates; while "starch" seeds, such as canary and millets, are rich in carbohydrates, but lower in protein.

 

To restore the balance between Omega-6 and Omega-3 essential fatty acids in your African Grey’s diet, you may want to include Flaxseeds every day. Eating whole flaxseed rather than flaxseed oils because you get the whole package: the protein, fiber, minerals and phytochemicals along with the omega-3. Flaxseeds are also the best source of the phytochemical lignan. Lignan is documented to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-cancer properties"

 

links:

http://www.avianweb.com/africangreydiet.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww22eii.htm

 

 

After all, i'm not sure if your parrot is an African gray or not. There are some differences from a specie to another....

[Eshana]

I don't have an African Grey, yet. I move into my apartment in September...so by may of 2012 I'll have a deposit on a grey.

[Albert Marshal]

It can also be bad for the animal if you are giving them food blindly.I mean to say that you must have to choose and make a diet schedule for your pet other wise it may effect on your pet's stomach specially in Dogs.So i am totally against of this.

[ZivaDiva]

I've been a vegan for decades and so are my parrots. Well, except for my lovebird, who eats her own eggs at times. I don't have eggs and bones, etc. in my house and it's not going to happen. I feed them a well rounded diet like Salar posted above. Protein and calcium are found in cruelty free foods so there's no reason to worry about them not getting enough.

[Parnell]

Thanks Salar for giving such detail about food and it is really very informative and good to know. Thanks for adding my knowledge.