Companion parrots are frequently fed nutritionally inadequate diets that cause disease, shortened lifespan, and chronic suffering.
Parrots fed inadequate diets suffer preventable disease and shortened lifespan. Vitamin A deficiency causes respiratory disease, immune suppression, and reduced ability to fight infections. Obesity causes cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, and mobility problems. The appeal of watching parrots crack seeds leads many owners to provide predominantly seed diets despite known nutritional inadequacy. Parrots that have been fed seeds for years often resist dietary change because they have not been exposed to variety during sensitive developmental periods. The resulting disease burden causes significant suffering that is almost entirely preventable with appropriate nutritional management from the start.