Palm Nuts and Parrots

It is becoming more and more obvious to the avian community that birds need more omega fatty acids for healthy skin and beautiful feathers!
One such food to find omegas are in Palm Nuts!
Palm nuts are rich in palm oil that is packed with omega fatty acids as well as loads of
beta carotene!
The fruit of the nut, the outer skin and meat, is what contains the most amount of these
nutrients. But inside the very hard nut is another little morsel that Macaw parrots love to
eat as well!
It is said that the Macaws gather these in the wild, find about a 2" stick and prop it up
inside their mandible in such a way as to secure the nut. They then use the stick as leverage
while they crack the nut open with their beak!
Isn't Nature amazing!
Buy Palm Nuts here: Palm Nuts

What Is Your Deepest Fear?

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were all meant to shine, as children do,.It's not just in some of us, It's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Author Unknown

Parrot Feather Picker...A copper penny for your thoughts, or a nickel?

Below you will find an article exerpted from the link I use as a reference.

I read this article and then began thinking beyond the obvious.....many, many bird toys are nickel-plated. Nickel is known to cause dermatitis. Contact with nickel can cuase this contact dermatitis even in locations on the body that never came in direct contact with the nickel.

Again, I will state my enthusiasm for stainless steel cages and toys for companin birds...While many people believe that nickel is the second choice after stainless, I believe there is no choice outside of stainless...this article reflects that theory in my opinion.

"Got a Nickel Rash? "Nickel dermatitis is probably the most common contact dermatitis going," says Howard Donsky, M.D. "But people often don't suspect that that's the problem—they think they've got a problem with gold." Nickel dermatitis occurs ten times more often in women than men, and is often triggered by ear piercing. Strangely enough, having the ears pierced can cause rashes to occur in other areas of the body whenever the person comes in contact with nickel-containing metal. Suddenly, bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry the person has worn for years can bring on a contact rash. If this sounds like what's happening to you, the following tips might help. Buy posts of stainless steel. Newly pierced ears should be studded only with steel posts until the earlobes heal (about three weeks). Stay cool. Since perspiration plays a big role in nickel dermatitis—it leaches out the nickel in nickel-plated jewelry—stay out of the heat if you're wearing this type of jewelry. Or don't wear it if you're going out in the heat. Go for the gold. Buy only quality gold jewelry, says Dr. Donsky. "If it's less than 24-karat gold, there's some nickel in there," he says, "and the lower the karat the higher the nickel." Don't go nickel nuts. Some European dermatologists are advising nickel-sensitive patients to watch what they eat. Having observed that nickel dermatitis can occur without any apparent contact with the metal, these doctors are telling folks to avoid apricots, chocolate, coffee, beer, tea, nuts, and other foods high in nickel. While intriguing, the "nickel-nut" theory hasn't garnered a great following on this side of the Atlantic. "The jury's still out on foods high in nickel causing a reaction," Dr. Donsky confirms. "But if you're highly sensitive to nickel, there might be some validity to it." http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/47/43.cfm

You may want to avoid feeding soybeans and oatmeal, an over-abundance of nuts and legumes as these foods are very high in nickel. In addition, the dietary mineral, copper, is an antagonist to nickel.

Make sure your bird is receiving enough copper in the diet. Copper is found in dried fruits, sesame seeds, buckwheat, almonds, filberts.