Wild parrots often fly for many miles from their roosting areas to forage for food. For our companion parrots, however, food is abundantly provided, which eliminates the need to seek out food. Oftentimes, this leads to sedentary lives in our homes, and serious health problems can result. In fact, the chances of your bird suffering from many common ailments and diseases can be greatly lessened by offering regular exercise sessions and a healthy varied diet.
One of the most common health concerns for Amazon parrots that lack proper diet and exercise is obesity. Aerobic exercise greatly decreases the chances of your Amazon becoming obese and suffering the health problems associated with it. Some of the most serious of these problems are heart disease (including hardening of the arteries leading to sudden heart attack or stroke), hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease), chronic reproductive disease (causing elevated cholesterol, triglycerides and lipids and their associated health problems), kidney disease and arthritis. Foot problems are also concerns for the overweight Amazon parrot.
**For the full article, pick up the January 2008 issue of BIRD TALK magazine**
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