LNCAG Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 I sometimes deliberately give peanuts, nut butters and some seed to my parrot purely for the 'fats' in them. My gut says they need this to maintain a healthy weight. I have a whole-foods attitude. I admit, my parrots diet is largely fresh fruit, veg, and some rice (or whole-wheat pasta). All on low-fat end of the fats spectrum. Should I add olive oil or something to this fresh veg/rice mix??? I don't want to cause fatty liver disease by adding too much oil, but my parrot could happily live on this fresh mix alone. I do realize there is limited amount of fat in most fresh veg (think of where corn oil comes from - veggies do have limited oils in them!!!) But such oils are in dilute amounts in a fresh fruit/veg diet. Cows can live on grass -- but don't parrots require more fat than that??? I also always have a dish with just pellets (mine enjoys them as a crunchy snack) and I figure they're loaded with the needed balance of nutrients/micro-nutrients (like vitamins and minerals -- almost like a vitamin supplement) but it's NOT my parrot's main diet -- more like a snack. Mine lives mostly on fresh fruit and veg -- with some rice (sometimes pasta -- not his fave) mixed in. What do you feed your parrot??? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 I put red palm oil on Timber's rice mix. Dave mentioned his support for red palm oil years ago and I added it to Timber's diet then. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNCAG Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 I will try the red palm oil. (I will search Amazon for it). I know I am deliberately offering the nut butters, peanuts and twice-weekly seed mixes (esp mixes with sunflower seeds) just to make sure my guy gets enough fat in his diet. While we all hate an all-seed diet, at least we know those parrots get enough fats. I always view fats as 'brain food.' (Re: seed mixes: this month my grey doesn't consider safflower seeds edible. It changes from only sunflower seeds are acceptable to only safflower seeds are accepted). I am proud my guy loves fresh fruit/veg/rice/pasta -- many here know, esp with re-homed parrots, that it can take a long time to convert a parrot to a healthier diet. But I can't imagine that in the wild they don't have some sort of fat source. What fatty foods are available to wild greys in Africa? (I've NO idea). But I do know that the fats that occur naturally in fruits/veg, imo, is very low. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytness Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 Nutiva RPO daily. It's organic and grown on a family farm, so no habitat is damaged through farming. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 LNCAG that's where the red palm oil idea comes from. Dave said that the red palm fruit is a staple in their native diet. You can't get the fruit here (or I haven't found a source). 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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