For parrots, vitamin A (riboflavin) is the most important of all vitamins. And calcium is the most essential micronutrient for parrots.
Vitamin A is deficient in most parrots. Why? Because most parrots usually eat seed mixtures as a major part of their diet and seeds are very low in this vitamin. It is therefore ESSENTIAL to supplement the parrot’s diet daily with vitamin A or to feed high quality pellets. Supplements can be used or the diet can be supplemented with natural products containing this vitamin.
All parrots with an unbalanced diet sooner or later develop hypovitaminosis A. Vitamin A is essential for parrots, and deficiency of this vitamin results in a wide range of symptoms, from feather discolouration to respiratory and digestive system damage.
Parrots have large stores of vitamin A in their liver, so signs of deficiency only appear after a long period of time (months to years). Therefore, if you feed a parrot mainly on a seed mixture for a long time and it feels well, this only meansa that health problems will arise in the future. But by then it may be too late to save the parrot.
Vitamin A is of animal origin, which means that it is only found in animal products. However, many vegetables and fruits contain carotenoids (provitamin A), which parrots convert into vitamin A. White canaries are the only ones that cannot make vitamin A from carotenoids, so they need to obtain this vitamin pure.
Foods rich in carotenoids (listed in descending order):
Unrefined cold-pressed palm oil;
Carrots;
Broccoli;
Tomatoes (give when cooked);
Dandelions;
Apricots;
Mangas;
Chili peppers (don’t worry, parrots don’t feel the spiciness);
Spinach;
Melon;
Opeseed leaves;
Nectarines;
Pepper;
Parsley.
The only animal products that can be given to parrots contain vitamin A in the egg yolk.
Products low in vitamin A:
Cereals;
Seeds;
Grapes;
Bananas;
Apple;
Orange.
If you think your parrot may be suffering from a vitamin A deficiency, it’s important to seek professional advice as soon as possible. A course of treatment with high-dose vitamin A supplements will usually be required. With prompt treatment, most parrots will make a full recovery from this condition.