# vitamin A deficiency



## sayyadina (Dec 9, 2008)

When I brought my birds to the vet in April, the vet said my 12 year old girl 'tiel has a bad vitamin A deficiency. She recommended the Harrison's food, and I started the conversion then. 

Over a month later, I've had no success converting her. She refuses to eat any of the pellets, and just eats the seed. I'm getting quite frustrated with this and am at a loss as to what to do. 

And I keep forgetting to call the vet while they're open.

Any suggestions on foods I can give this girl?


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## RG Walker (Feb 17, 2009)

Unfortunately,Harrison's,while a very healthy and specialized food,is also one of the worst tasting pellets,according to the actual birds.You might try baking some into a bird bread recipe.


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## sayyadina (Dec 9, 2008)

Guess that's why the only bird that's been completely converted is my 6 year old male 'tiel who will eat absolutely anything. 

I have some samples of the following pellets.
Hagen Tropi-Mix
Scenic Paradise Shape
Scenic Tropical Bits
Hagen Tropican Cockatiel
Roudybush Mini


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Any decent pellet will contain a suitable amount of vitamins. You can also offer her foods that are rich in Vitamin A. It's found in dark green and yellow vegetables and yellow fruits, such as broccoli spinach, turnip greens, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and apricots, and in animal sources such as liver, milk, butter, cheese, and whole eggs. In the "animal sources" section, the eggs are basically the only thing that's suitable for a bird, and you'd want to offer them in moderation.


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## Katta (Mar 21, 2008)

sayyadina said:


> Guess that's why the only bird that's been completely converted is my 6 year old male 'tiel who will eat absolutely anything.
> 
> I have some samples of the following pellets.
> Hagen Tropi-Mix
> ...


Try Zupreem fruit pellets. I've never seen a tiel refuse those. Granted they aren't all organic and fancy and the birds poop rainbows but at the end of the day pellets are better an a seed diet.
________
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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

You need to remove the seed from the cage for all but a couple of hours of the day. This way she will try what is available and still not stave.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

How did he determine she had a defecinency and was she showing any symptoms? 

Plant food do not contain active vitamin A, but some do contain beta carotene. The liver symthesizes the carotanes into useable A, and the liver will typically contain up to 90% of the body storage of Vitamin A. Vitamin A helps with the with the immune system in the maintenence of the mucous membranes, and secertory tissues which help in disease resistance. It is also needed for the stability of cell membranes.

Plant forms...or carotenoids in the diet will not build up and contribute to a potential vitamin A toxicity because the body assimulates and coverts them differently than symthetic forms of vitamins.

The Harrisons is a good _'formulated diet'_ but somehow it is the least favorite of all the formulated diets.

Seed is fine, and sunflower seed also contains a small amount of beta carotene...but she needs a varied diet. Of seed, a formulated/pellet she likes and greens, veggies. Note: when giving a formulated diet to not suppliment with extra vitamins or calcium.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

An excellent source for natural Vitamin A is Spirolina. It can be lightly sprinkled on whatever foods she will eat.


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## sayyadina (Dec 9, 2008)

Thanks.

I actually tried the Zupreem when she was younger, and she didn't like them at all. 

I gave her a mix of some of the pellets yesterday, and it seems like she ate the Scenic Tropical Bits. She has the Scenic in her food dish, and another food in a separate dish on the floor of the cage. Between today & yesterday, she lost 3 grams. 

The vet diagnosed vitamin A deficiency based on the way Darwin's cere looks and the inside of her throat. Don't remember exactly what she said.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

based on the way Darwin's cere looks and the inside of her throat
-----------------------------------

Yes...the inside of the throat would have looked inflamed, and many times the tip of the tongue is a pale bluish-white. Viatamin A supports the mucous membranes.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I found a link with some foods that have vitamin A in them and the amount http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/vitamina.htm If your tiel won't eat the pellets mabey your vet can give you vitamin drops to give her. That way she will get some vitamin A even if she won't eat her pellets.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Good link. I was surprised to see butter on the list. Many years ago my tiels would swarm me whenever I ate buttered toast. They loved it, so I had started giving them a bit of buttered toast. I learned that butter also contained choline which the tiels needed.

A side note: If you are giving a pelleted diet you must *not* supplement with either vitamins or calcium. Not all vitamin suppliments are created equal. Look at the listing of what is in there. If any start with a *d or dl* they are synthetic, and birds can not assimulate them as well as a natural source of the nutrients.


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## Abigail2009 (Jun 22, 2009)

My tiels love just love kale and broccolli actually any dark green veggies and the ones listed above. I give my tiels broccolli slaw because it is shaved and has carrots too. I feed mine fruit and veggies daily along with pellets and seed for cockatiels.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Mali's had Vitamin A deficiency twice, and may have it again sadly.

But the two times I took her to the Vet they never told me to buy pellets, they gave me some stuff to give her directly in the beak (they said water too but I think it would have been over doing it) and told me to give her lots of foods high in Vitamin A and they also gave her a needle (to boost her up?).. I forgot what it was called though.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Sticking with Harrisons you could try the mash and sprinkle it on her soft foods like veggies or sprouts.  My guys never used to touch their harrison's, but my vet suggested i try the mash and sprinkle it on their sprouted seeds...surprise surprise, they are all gobbling the mash down before getting to the seeds!


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