FEATURE
computers or games consoles that they do not have enough exposure to sunlight for Vitamin D to be synthesised. The same happens in birds. Rickets is a metabolically induced bone disease in growing animals, resulting in deformities in the skeleton. Such birds will be deformed for life. Calcium and Vitamin D deficiencies also cause the beak to become soft and pliable. It always saddens me when I hear of people breeding Grey Parrots in their garage. This is one of the species most likely to be affected with rickets. Sadly, a large number of deformed specimens are produced. It does not matter how much calcium you give a breeding pair or a chick being hand-reared, without exposure to sunlight or Vitamin D3 added to the diet to aid its absorption, chicks with deformities are likely to be bred. Nigel Harcourt-Brown, the well known vet in Yorkshire (also a parrot breeder) urged his clients to have some young parrots x-rayed each season. His experience showed that a shockingly large percentage of young (especially Greys) had already suffered bone fractures.
In a large collection it can be difficult to manage every pair to ensure that their calcium and Vitamin D3
Few foods contain significant quantities of calcium so a supplement, combined with vitamin D3 to aid its absorption, must be supplied.
intake is adequate. Few foods contain significant quantities of calcium so a supplement, combined with vitamin D3 to aid its absorption, must be supplied. Powdered supplements added to the food, especially eggfood, are most suitable as parrots drink little water and, in any case, in water additives of calcium in syrup form usually sink to the bottom of the water container. I know of many people who give calcium supplements to their birds -- especially important for Grey Parrots in home or aviary -- who add this to the drinking water. In many cases a vet has told them incorrectly that this is how the supplement should be fed.
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