Carrot Seed Oil

[BlackOpal]

As some of you might know I got my first African Grey a week ago. I have been looking into natural oils I can add to his food so he can get the vitamins he needs. I read that carrot seed oil is rich in Carotene and Vitamin A (like red palm oil, which is sadly not available in my country). Would it be safe to give my grey some essential carrot seed oil? I wanted to make sure it's completely safe before I purchase it. Thanks!

[Timbersmom]

I have to order my red palm oil since it isn't available locally here either. As to the natural oils, people with more experience will chime in. I would not add anything to Timber's diet like that unless he had a verified deficiency and was told to do so by a vet. If you feed him a variety of food, there shouldn't be a need for supplements. For instance, if you can get him to eat carrots and other foods high in vitamin A, that would be better. You may have to try them raw, lightly steamed, or thoroughly cooked and sometimes mashed, or if he refuses those, you may need to hide them in birdy bread, chop or sneak them in some other way.

 

I am not a nutrition expert, so hope other members will give their opinions as well.

[Dave007]

I have to order my red palm oil since it isn't available locally here either. As to the natural oils, people with more experience will chime in. I would not add anything to Timber's diet like that unless he had a verified deficiency and was told to do so by a vet. If you feed him a variety of food, there shouldn't be a need for supplements. For instance, if you can get him to eat carrots and other foods high in vitamin A, that would be better. You may have to try them raw, lightly steamed, or thoroughly cooked and sometimes mashed, or if he refuses those, you may need to hide them in birdy bread, chop or sneak them in some other way.

 

I am not a nutrition expert, so hope other members will give their opinions as well.

 

I'll answer this post as well as blackopal.

 

Carrot juice is widely know as a topical that people use on skin for many reasons. These reasons could be because of beauty, medical reasons. MDs don't recommend carrot oil to people very often unless it's absolutely necessary and the MDs will know the outcome. The contents of carrot oil has many toxic ingredients that won't affect human skin but will affect human internal organs. There's many different types of products that have vitamins in them but that doesn't mean that a person should take them. Serious illness, shock can occur. Example, people who are allergic to peanuts, people who are allergic to milk, people who are allergic to certain vegetables, people who allergic to medicines that sometimes help a digestive tract etc.

Just because a person lives in a country that doesn't have certain products such a red palm oil, that doesn't mean that feeding another type of oil is necessary. Many grey owners don't use palm oil. That's their choice. Why is palm oil recommended? Well, in the wild greys eat the palm nuts that are surrounded by palm oil. It's a basic diet. They don't eat carrot oil or any other type of oil.

So, Blackopal, think twice before doing something to your bird that could harm him/her. Toxic oils can't be removed from a grey's body. They have to leave the body naturally and by the time that happens the bird could be dead.

[BlackOpal]

Thank you, I just wanted to know if it was safe! Since it's not, I definitely will not be giving him any. In the meantime I'm still waiting for him to eat his veggies...

[BaileysPapa]

We are all waiting for them to eat their veggies! 8)