Nutritional deficiencies are among the most common health problems in companion parrots. Seed-based diets cannot meet parrots' complex nutritional needs, yet remain the most commonly fed diet despite extensive evidence of harm.
Nutritional disease is one of the most preventable welfare harms in companion parrots, yet remains widespread because seed diets are inexpensive, convenient, and readily accepted by birds. The short-term palatability of seeds masks the long-term harm - parrots fed seed diets develop deficiencies over years, with respiratory and immune problems often attributed to other causes. Converting a parrot from seeds to a balanced pellet and vegetable diet requires time and patience, but the health outcomes are dramatically better. Avian veterinarians consistently identify nutritional disease as one of the most common preventable problems they see. Point-of-sale education about parrot nutrition could prevent much of this suffering if implemented effectively at pet stores.