Free fruit & veg for rescue parrots!

Mrs_justjohn

I am an area co-ordinator for a parrot rescue charity (registered charity) and I give a temporary home to parrots whilst they are waiting to be rehomed. There are many of us that do this for the charity. At the moment I have 5 here but some of my colleagues have as many as 17!!

As parrots diets consist of 70% fruit / vegetables (or at least it should) it costs a small fortune to feed them and this comes out of our own pocket.

On noticing our local Co-Op store throwing out a load of out of date fruit I approached them and asked if I could take it for my birds. They refused as I would need a license to take away and destroy out of date food. They are also monitored on their wastage so all waste needs to be checked/weighed etc...to help them with future orders.

Does anyone know if this is just the Co-Op or are all supermarkets like this?

I live in a remote village and the Co op is our closest supermarket (9 miles away). The next closest is Morrisons (27 miles away).

Thanks for any help or advice

x

Rummer

All supermarkets would be the same, maybe you could ask staff when items are usually reduced and then you can get the produce for less.

savemoney

I know Sainsburys in my town gives some food away to a cafe for people who may be homeless not sure if its out of date stuff

No harm asking supermarkets for help, the worst can happen is they say no

JoeyGrey

Have you tried joining Taste Radar? They give you money back on your fruit and veg if you rate what you bought each month.

jaxxy00

Afraid to say as far as im aware yes they are all the same.

I was helping a local rescue animal farm one time to raise money for the upkeep etc so when in tesco one night and saw all the baker bread being bagged up n carrier bag sized bags of mushrooms, plums, apples etc being bagged up i asked what happens to it and it goes to waste :mad:

I asked if it could be taken for the animals and was told no. Its to do with policys etc.

Having recently had a meeting type thing (as a normal shopper but tesco management interested in their shoppers opinions etc) we had the chance to ask the manager questions and this waste policy was brought up before i had chance to by another shopper. We were told that due to laws etc they have to chuck waste and actually pour bleach on it so it smells horrible and people do not go binning and eating the food.

I just think this is so so bad in this day and age with all the issues about not wasting and saving things and making the most of everything. Just makes me very angry.

Well done though on your work though for the parrots, and i wish you well and hope you can get some help.

Btw, when you say their diet should be about 70% fruit n veg, is that raw or cooked? I have an african grey but his diet is mostly seed with nuts, although we also giv him some cooked veg when we hav our meals and raw veg at times. Also fruit. I do worry he isnt getting the nutrition that he should and have even brought him the rather expensive small bags of coloured biscuity type feed that says they get all they need from it (about £11 for very small bag prob 2kg size if that) but he wouldnt eat it.

Savvy_Sue

JoeyGrey wrote: »

Have you tried joining Taste Radar? They give you money back on your fruit and veg if you rate what you bought each month.

Is that for taste, value or quality? Wondering how the parrots could help with this.

FareShare is doing its best to address the waste problem, but I don't think much fresh fruit and veg goes their way.

If you have an organic fruit and veg box scheme operating nearby, they might be more flexible? or a small greengrocers? Although by the sound of it you are out in the sticks, so maybe not a lot of choice!

themull1

Contact your mp about the food waste.

Mrs_justjohn

Thank you for all your responses.

We are out in the sticks so our options are limited. We have a local 'mini market' but they tend to sell out of their fruit and veg (they never seem to have any on the shelves when I get there...LOL).

Just had another call and I have another parrot to collect tomorrow - another beak to feed...LOL

Mrs_justjohn

jaxxy00 wrote: »

Btw, when you say their diet should be about 70% fruit n veg, is that raw or cooked? I have an african grey but his diet is mostly seed with nuts, although we also giv him some cooked veg when we hav our meals and raw veg at times. Also fruit. I do worry he isnt getting the nutrition that he should and have even brought him the rather expensive small bags of coloured biscuity type feed that says they get all they need from it (about £11 for very small bag prob 2kg size if that) but he wouldnt eat it.

Hi

Seed should make up only 30% of their diet and nuts should be a treat rather than the norm. If you think of it in this way Seeds are the bird equivalent of biscuits and nuts are the bird equivalent of sweets. So it would be like feeding your child a diet of just biscuits and sweets. Whilst they could live on it it isn't good for them. They will be lacking in minerals and vitamins and could easily become overweight and letahrgic and be storing up helath problems (heart and liver/kidney problems) for the future.

As a general rule parrots can eat the same as humans and what is good for us is good for them. Raw veg has a higher vitamin content so is better, but if they will only eat it cooked that is better than nothing. Many parrots will eat pureed fruit or smoothies/yogurts but not the actual fruit. I have a parrot that you have to hide the veg in mashed potato or in with rice or pasta to get him to eat it. Parrots are likes kids there tastes will change so you have to keep trying and retrying. Just remember though if you put a plate of biscuits, sweets and vegetables in front of a child what would they chose to eat?

If yours will ONLY eat seed then try sprouting it first. Sprouting reduces the fat content and also gives them some 'greens'. Sunflower seeds are the easiest to sprout - mine love them. Also try soaking lentils and pulses they have nutritional value for them. Or cook them in a pressure cooker and then mash them all into a puree.

Some human foods must never be given to parrots as it is poisonous. The most common include - Chocolate, Alcohol, Raw Potatoes, Caffeine, Mushrooms.

Oh and by the way - if you give him peanuts never give them in the shell - The shell harbours a fungus that can kill birds.

LilacPixie

I think most would be the same... Could you possibly grow your own?? I have an allotment and we are forever having strawberry runners etc to give away. Loads of placed also give free seeds for signing up to news letters and many garening mags have free seeds attatched than many growers may not need or want. Could you and your volenteers look at container gardening using freebie seeds, compost from local recycling centre and containers like flower buckets that my local morrisons gives away.

I never actually knew there was parrot rescue groups.. They really are beautiful birds.

Mrs_justjohn

LilacPixie wrote: »

I think most would be the same... Could you possibly grow your own?? I have an allotment and we are forever having strawberry runners etc to give away. Loads of placed also give free seeds for signing up to news letters and many garening mags have free seeds attatched than many growers may not need or want. Could you and your volenteers look at container gardening using freebie seeds, compost from local recycling centre and containers like flower buckets that my local morrisons gives away.

I never actually knew there was parrot rescue groups.. They really are beautiful birds.

Thank you for your suggestion. We do grow quite a lot of fruit ourselves (not many veggies though as my other half says they look untidy,....LOL) - trouble is we only get fruit in the summer. We do freeze some but it is never as good, and takes up loads of room in the freezer trying to freeze food for 5 parrots to last a year!!