True Parrots (Psittacoidea)

Approach to managing obesity in parrots

“…Not all these problems will be due to obesity. However, Sandoe and others (2016b) and Mench and others (2019) summarise that pet parrots are typically fed a seed diet and will selectively feed, selecting the highest fat components (Kalmar and others 2010). Coupled with a frequent lack of space to fly and exercise (Mench and others 2019), a positive energy balance (eg, a higher calorie intake than usage) will result (Fig 1).…”

“…Mench and others (2019) highlight that, although parrots are seed eaters in the wild, the seed provided in captivity is often nutritionally different to the wild diet. As such, this encourages the development of obesity and nutritional disease as selective feeding is encouraged.…”

“…In the pet environment, the ability to fly and exercise is almost always restricted, especially in comparison to activity levels in the wild where even small species may fly several miles a day in search of food (del Hoyo and others 1997). This is very hard to replicate in captivity, and both Mench and others (2019) and Chitty and Yeates (2019) highlight lack of exercise and freedom to fly as significant welfare issues requiring action when considering these species as companion animals.…”