Newly Imported Birds

Feeding newly imported parrots is not as straightforward as feeding those which are established. Now that quarantine is compulsory in most countries, it will normally be the im­porter who has the sometimes difficult task of weaning young parrots from soft foods such as boiled maize. This should be mixed with soaked sunflower seed and eventually with hard sun­flower and other seeds. Occasionally, the same procedure will have to be adopted with adult birds which are not eating seed.

Some newly imported birds need constant attention. It will be necessary actually to push soft foods down the throat of some extremely young birds which, in actual fact, are too young to have left their parents and should never have been exported. Occasion­ally very young cockatoos, whose beaks are still soft and pink, are re­ceived by importers. These birds re­quire heat and hand-feeding at regular intervals. The same treatment will be necessary for some birds, including adults, which are suffering from stress and seem to lose the will to live. Eclec­tus often fall into this category. No one should even consider importing parrots unless they have the time or the staff to ensure that throughout the quarantine period the birds are under constant supervision.

A most important point to be borne in mind by American aviculturists obtaining birds from USDA quaran­tine stations is that the birds may have been fed only on turkey starter mash or game bird chow with medication. They may be completely unfamiliar with seed and must therefore be gradu­ally weaned on to it. At first soft foods such as boiled maize, wheat bread and fruit must be given.

Experiments have been carried out with a pelleted food for parrots; how­ever, this has not proved a suitable form. Parrots grind up pellets - if they will eat them - wasting much in the process. Even soaked, they are un­palatable to most birds.