NUTRITION EXPERT PANEL REVIEW: New rules for feeding pet birds FEED MANAGEMENT, FEBRUARY 1998, VOLUME 49, NUMBER 2. Pet food regulators have relied on expert panels on canine and feline nutrition to determine minimum nutrient requirements for dogs and cats. These expert panels also help regulators determine tesing procedures for the nutritional adequacy of pet food. Pet food regulators have created an expert committee for companion and exotic bird nutrition. The panel interest is focused on passerine (song bird, finches, and canaries) and psittacine (parrots, cockatiels, and parrakeets) birds. Read more AVIAN NUTRITION: TRENDS AND PHILOSOPHIES: Mark Hagen, M.Ag. Director of Research, Rolf C. Hagen, Inc ., Optimum nutrition can be achieved with many different diets. However it is not easy and understanding some basic principles of the pro and cons of each food item as it relates to vitamins, minerals, proteins, fat is important when trying to make up a mixture of foods. Wild animals and birds are shown by their parents ...  Read More WHAT'S THE BEST DIET FOR MY BIRD? The best diet for your bird is one that provides a reliable and consistent source of balanced nutrition. It's also a diet your bird will like to eat and will give him an enjoyable eating experience, while preventing obesity and other nutritionally related diseases.  Download PDF: Feed Your Bird A Healthier Diet   The Importance of Nucleotides: An Explanation By Margaret A. Wissman, D.V.M., Diplomate, ABVP, Avian Practice.  What are nucleotides and what makes them such a valuable addition to a pet's nutrition? To answer this question, we need to have a brief lesson in biochemistry. Nucleotides are the building blocks that are necessary for making new DNA and RNA. Next, we need to think back to high school when we learned about the double-helix of DNA. Remember the spiral-appearing ladder with the different colored rungs? That is a model of the DNA that makes up the genes and chromosomes found in us all. DNA is a very large molecule, and the rungs of the DNA ladder are made of a combination of two ... Read More   Water Quality and Aviculture: Sponsored by Pretty Bird International Inc.  The health of captive birds is profoundly affected by water quality. Municipal water sources are typically the safest and most hygienic. Residential wells may be a source of water contamination. Bacterial growth may be enhanced by poorly maintained filtration systems. Investigation of any outbreak of enteric bacterial disease problems should include evaluation of water supplies.  Read More