By Thomas Dutton BVM&S CertAVP(ZooMed) DipECZM(avian) MRCVS

Providing your pet parrot with correct nutrition can be confusing! Lots of different diets are recommended and the internet is awash with conflicting information. Many different parrot species are kept, and as you would expect, they don’t all have the same nutritional requirement or preferences. This article will specifically look at the micromineral – Calcium and its importance to pet parrots.

Parrots have a high calcium requirement, with the mineral being required for bone development, egg shell formation, but also normal body metabolism and neuromuscular function. Calcium deficiency can be a potentially life threatening disease.

Control of calcium levels in the avian body: Calcium levels in the body are controlled by the hormone’s calcitonin, parathyroid hormone and vitamin D. In female (hen) birds’ calcium is stored in the middle of large bones like the femur and humerus providing a source of calcium for eggshell formation, when calcium from blood and diet would not be sufficient to meet demand.

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