|
|
Post by julianna on Sept 17, 2015 15:00:35 GMT -5
I have read on this site that QP's are lactose intolerant.... and I tend to believe it however I do have a few questions on that subject.
What reaction do you expect should your QP eat or drink milk, cheese, etc. If you were lactose intolerant and you learned that certain foods made you ill I am sure you would not want to eat them again so why would a Quaker?
I ask these things because yesterday Oscar decided he did not want my baked potato but he wanted only the sour cream on it. Hmmmm. He never had any reaction and I did allow him to have a little. (ever try and stop them?? lol)
Also... in the morning if I have a glass of milk (which is skim milk) Oscar insists on having some. If I do not tip the glass for him to have a drink he will do everything he can to get on top of the glass. (we share almost everything).
Is it possible that not all Quakers are lactose intolerant? I have never seen any change in Oscar's actions or poop after eating these foods.
Thanks |
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Sept 17, 2015 20:12:58 GMT -5
Parrots of all kinds lack the digestive enzyme that's needed to process lactose. Very small amounts of lactose are unlikely to cause any serious problems, but in larger quantities, lactose can cause diahrrea and digestive disturbances. Some dairy products contain little or no lactose, so hard, aged cheeses like cheddar are safe (for most parrots) in small quantities. A tiny taste of sour cream or an occasional sip of milk probably wouldn't do any harm, but they shouldn't be given too often.
|
|
|
|
Post by julianna on Sept 18, 2015 13:54:07 GMT -5
Thank you... that makes perfect sense.
|
|
|
|
Post by siobhan on Sept 18, 2015 16:20:27 GMT -5
Clyde and Jade both LOVE cheese. Before I knew it wasn't a good idea, we let them have cheese quite often, bits of block cheese that you slice for cheese and crackers, which we used to eat all the time. I never noticed any difference in behavior or poop, either, but they don't get it any more, or only on very, very rare occasions and then only a bite.
|
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Sept 18, 2015 20:11:59 GMT -5
Well-aged extra-sharp cheddar cheese is always on hand here. It is lactose-free, so I don't worry so much about giving Ralph a little taste of it once or twice a week. One dairy product that's supposed to be good for parrots is yogurt, but Ralph doesn't like its texture. He will eat the dried yogurt coating on the commercial yogurt-dipped papaya parrot treats. Cottage cheese is also lactose free, but I've never offered that to Ralph; I'm sure he wouldn't eat it.
|
|
|
|
Post by bruce on Sept 19, 2015 13:01:27 GMT -5
My QP Chuckie loves to nibble hard cheese. He also goes bananas for yogurt, which is an every few days treat. I use the occasional dairy offering as a variety enhancer, given his primary diet is a mashed pellet food. QPs apparently view food as a social event, so I have noticed he watches what I eat intently, then tries the same thing for himself. I do explain to him that the food I am eating is "no good for a bird" any time I am noshing on something that would hurt him, such as chocolate squares or avocado. A friend read a book about expressing intentionality to companion animals to reassure them, they may not get the meaning of the words, but they apparently can pick up the emotive content of what you say.
|
|
|
|
Post by aaron on Sept 22, 2015 18:30:52 GMT -5
Cupcake LOVES cheese. All kinds. She gets totally crazy for it. I don't let her have it, but she will scheme whenever it is around and occasionally finds a way to sneak it off our plates. Interestingly, I have only seen signs of gastrointestinal distress when she ate goat cheese, which is odd because goat cheese is supposedly low-lactose... Although she did manage to eat way more of that goat cheese than I would ever have allowed (she managed to get 30 seconds unattended on a salad that had goat cheese crumbles on top... that stinker!)
|
|
|
|
Post by julianna on Sept 23, 2015 14:09:20 GMT -5
Aaron... can you describe for me what the sign of gastrointestinal distress was? How did Cupcake act? What signs did you see?
Thanks aaron.
|
|
|
|
Post by aaron on Sept 24, 2015 9:36:06 GMT -5
Her poop volume was increased and was less well formed... So I guess it was diarrhea-like. It only lasted for 12 hours or so. She was acting normal, so it didn't seem to bother her too much.
|
|
