More & more people are getting back to nature with their birds. It's a slow growing trend amongst parrot owners who're realizing how important getting their birds back to nature is. 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 everyones back yard & a greta weed to offer your parrot. 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. Dandelion, milk thistle, aloe vera (all very hardy plants) are very good starter plants, hardy & easy to care for as well as being medicinal & nutritional for parrots.
In Australia it is illegal to pick native branches, leaves & flowers from bush land & local parks 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 non toxic small native shrubs. Plant them in the wet season so they are able to establish themselves well before summer arrives. 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. Dropped seeds will shoot 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 indoor 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. 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 power food & has many medicinal qualities.
Not a successful sprouter? Soak seed & grains for 24 hours. 24 our soaked seed & grain also give them better nutrition than dry seed though it is not as nutritional as sprouts.
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 a lot of time preparing fruit & veg. You can also offer them a few pieces whole, washed on kababs. 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.
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.
Back To Nature