Will Digesting newspaper harm a quaker parrot?

Question

My young Quaker Parrot has been wripping his newspaper up and eating it... is this harmful to him?

His name is Draco ( as in Malfoy from Harry Potter) The kids wanted to call him Fawkes.... but I was hesitant cause its too close to that bad word...LOL

Answer 1

The real question is whether trying to take his paper away from him will be harmful to YOU!!! Haaaaaaaaaaaa!

....OK....seriously now....If he's not chomping on the glossy, colorful ads, he should be all right...as long as he's not ingesting poop with the paper. Then you're gonna have a sick birdie on your hands, eventually. All that bacteria is no good for his digestion! You can use unprinted newsprint roll-ends, available at newspaper publishers for free. That way there's no worry about whether the ink is toxic or not.

There are several possible causes for his behavior. He might be of the age that nest-building instincts are taking over. Quakers live in huge nest colonies, sort of like apartment buildings made out of sticks. If he doesn't have sticks to build with, he'll chew other stuff out of frustration. Here's a site for you, that lists safe wood for birds. (Actually, their link says "perches", but mine shred their perches, too, so I give them wood for chew sticks.) http://www.exoticbird.com/gillian/

He might be doing this because he's bored. Quakers are very smart, and need regular interaction with you, as well as lots of toys, that should be rearranged frequently. (If they last that long!) They're really good puzzle solvers, so provide toys that allow them to figure out how to disassemble them. Mine love coffee filters, (no ink or contaminants) cut into strips, and threaded through a toilet paper roll that hangs on a string (string vertical, tube horizontal.) The shreds hang out either end. I also add some hay sticks, peanuts, small blocks of wood...whatever they can play with or eat after pulling all the stuffing out and shredding it to bits. I also make wooden block toys, dyed with food coloring. I drill a hole all the way through from one side, and wedge an almond into the hole, really tightly. On the top, I add a screw hook, and hang the thing in their cage. (Or you can buy something like this, but I'm too frugal to spend $$ on a wood scrap and ONE nut!) It's amazing how fast they can get the nut out, and unscrew the block from the screw hook. Keeps them from eating their poopy newspapers, though!

Sometimes birds eat awful stuff because they are deficient in a specific vitamin or nutrient. Make sure his diet is complete, with pellets, fresh greens/veggies/fruits, and seed. The feral quakers in my area (IL) like to eat dandelion heads in the summer, so if yours don't have weed spray on them, give him some yellow flowers for fun. A tasty, bright colored toy that's fun to shred and eat! What more could a bird ask for??? :D

Good luck!

Answer 2

Personally, I have to say NO. While they can cuddle and be nice, they have an instinctive mean/protective streak. It's not uncommon for our well cared for Quaker to be cuddling one moment, and drawing blood the next. They do NOT get along with other birds, and will actually kill a parakeet. They also have a very loud, piercing screech that is normal for them. In Austin, TX, they are trying to eliminate Quakers from parks due to their piercing squawk. Charismatic birds, but they are in it for themselves. They live 20 years, so be ready to have a a bloodcurdling screech in your home for a big part of your life.

Answer 3

No it's not harmful for them at all my Quaker dose that same thing and the vet even said they can digest it to so it's fine but you should just make sure he is eating pellets.

Answer 4

Hi there. Most newspapers these days are using soy-based inks. The old carbon black ink might exist somewhere. Call your local newspaper and ask. Things should be fine. Other chew items can add interest to your bird like pine cones, cholla wood stuffed with treats and empty toilet rolls with toys inside. Have fun and a tweet year.

Answer 5

No, but don't let it eat anymore! Parots usually poop on the newspaper, so eating its own feces isn't that good either. You should put poster board down for the lining in the cage... it will be harder for them to rip apart! Good luck!

Answer 6

No it wont but, make sure that he doesn't eat anymore. I used to have a quaker, his name was Kuda.

Answer 7

i dont know, but if it duz hert him and he dies, do you like chiken?