More & more 'parronts' are getting back to nature with their birds. It seems to be a slow growing trend amongst ‘pet’ parrot owner. While I can understand that some people don’t always have the space or time to do these things, it is important for the birds health & well being that you still look for ways to do this. Living in Australia gives most of us an advantage of having bush land, the right trees growing in our yards or you own yard to grow herbs, flowers & veggies. If you don’t have this you can still grow pots of herbs & small bushes. You can place your bird on the balcony for some much needed sunshine. The more you look for edible plants, the more you will surprised at how much is actually readily available in your area & from nurseries. Dandelion is a common weed that grows in just about every Aussies back yard so I was surprised to see my nursery selling them in pots! So, if you look around you can pick up just about anything.
Water whether lacking in it or flooding, it is a very real problem in Australia. Those parts who aren’t being flooded continually are suffering from drought. Australia has water restrictions & many people refuse to use too much water for their birds for fear of getting into trouble by the council. Water restrictions in Australia do not apply to pets, livestock & animals. Just a few small pots, hand watered is a good start for your birds. I would pick dandelion, milk thistle, aloe vera (all very hardy plants) & a couple of edible flowers as my first choice of pots. If you are a real water saver then you can at least allow for these few small pots for the birds to enjoy.
Even though we have two massive gum trees in our back yard, we can’t always reach the young juicy leaves, shoots, flowers & nuts, the trees are just too big! In Australia it is illegal to pick natives from bush land so why not just ask your local council for cuttings from parks. Councils are regularly pruning trees & shrubs in all areas so if you council workers doing this, ask them for some of the prunings. They won’t say no & it make their load to take back with them lighter.
Grow small native shrubs. Plant them in the wet season so they are able to establish themselves well. Australian natives are very hardy. They thrive on little watering or only wet season rains & thrive in poor soil conditions.
If you have aviaries, keep a small patch of the aviary floor closed off from the birds. Water it & see what weeds pop up for your birds to enjoy. Throw bird seed into that area & water them. Put a small patch of grass on that area. Throw seed down & watch your birds enjoy foraging through the grass.
Get your bird outside! There are so many people who keep their birds in clean sterile environments inside because they fear the bird will become ill if exposed to something outside. Of course there are risks, lots of them but it’s up to you to take step to avoid them. Wild parrots & cockatoos have a higher immune system because they forage for all the right foods & are exposed to outdoor pollution. Many captive indoor birds have a much lower immune system. Often indoor pollution, no matter how clean you keep your home, is a lot higher than outdoor pollution.
Grow sprouts. Sprouts have an amazing amount of vitamins & goodness in them that your bird needs daily & birds love them. I call sprouts the 'get up & go' breakfast. It gives birds the energy they need to keep going through the day. Your birds can eat as much sprouts as they like throughout the day, they’ll benefit from them & will love them. It is a true power food & has many medicinal qualities.
Not a successful sprouter? Soak seed & grains for 24 hours. 24 our soaked seed & grain also give them the same nutrition requirements as sprouts do.
And we can’t forget the fruit & veg. Birds need a variety of fruit & veg in their daily diet to stay healthy. If you don’t have the time to offer some fruit & veg then how do you manage time with your birds? You don’t need to spent ages cutting & preparing fruit & veg. You can also offer them a few pieces whole, washed, seed if necessary. Encourage your birds to forage & eat the whole pieces of food by putting a slit into the fruit or veg & place a nut inside the slit. Offering apple & corn is not offering your birds a variety of fruit & veg.These two have a great deal less nutrition in them than most other fruit & veg.
Avoid using sprays in your yard & on your pots. Also avoid using fertilizers in one small patch of your back yard. Allow the the birds to forage in this patch safely.
If you have a patio, make a small section or corner of enclosed area for your birds. They will enjoy the morning or afternoon sun, especially when the wild birds are out singing, playing & foraging for food before going to bed or when they wake first thing.
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