Customer Reviews

Gourmet Bird Food Recipes: For Your Cockatiel, Parrot, and Other Avian Companions (Pet Care Books)

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1 star:		(4)

 

 

This recipe book was written by three vegetarians, who like many vegetarians need to supplement their diet with large amounts of cheese to get their proteins. These are not bird recipes - but people recipes, that use lots of oil, butter, cream and cheese. One recipe that started off well: "Pasta Salad" p.44, ends up with 16 oz of Italian dressing.

Things like "Tortellini in cream sauce" or "Rotelle and cheezy vegetables" or "Garlic-buttered vermicelli" should not be part of your bird`s diet or even yours if you are health concious.

Beware! Alot of the recipes have milk and cheese in them. Birds are lactose intolerant so those recipes can make them very ill.

For anyone who loves to cook for their parrots, this one is a must have.

My birdies have enjoyed every morsel out of here !

This book is written by vegetarians who have no idea what a "healthy" diet is. I, myself, am a vegetarian, and wouldn't consider any of the recipes in this book to be healthy for a parrot OR a human to eat on a regular basis. Occasionally, in moderation, or as a special training treat, some of these items are okay.

Loads of dairy products (which do more harm than good to all of us) and loads of saturated (and unsaturated) fat, sugar, oils, etc. Yuck!

This book is also full of outright misinformation. For example, the author states that birds have a "palate nearly as sophistocated as that of a human." Humans have an average of 10,000 taste buds. Parrots have, on average, 400-500. I wouldn't call that similar at all!

Much of this book's pages are filled with anecdotes and stories which would be better suited to one of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books rather than a recipe book for birds. The authors have no formal (or informal) education in behavior, nutrition (human, parrot, or otherwise), veterinary care, or animal husbandry; this book is based entirely on their opinions and personal experiences.

While the recipes are flexible and you can easily substitute a healthier ingredient for a less healthy one, this book is not appropriate for people who are new to bird keeping and who have no knowledge of nutrition in general (and species-specific nutrition, in particular - remember, unlike cats and dogs, which are comprised of multiple breeds within their species, parrots and birds are actually different species of animals.) Different species have different vitamin, mineral, carbohydrate, protein, and fat requirements, and the recipes in this book aren't appropriate for many species without adding, subtracting, or substituting ingredients.

Gourmet Bird Food Recipes: IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PARROTS AFTER ALL

Quotation out of the book:
'No one knows exactly what a well balanced diet for a bird is, but experts are coming closer to understand....'

My appraisal is:
.... that gratiné, the use of butter and salt like in penne in cream sauce, the reccomended Italian dressing, or garlic butter is miles away from a healthy diet for parrots. And I never provide a sort of these suggested menues to my fosterlings. I even must say, that these recipes are unhealthy - possibly even noxious. Oh dear!

Not recommended at all!

If your intention is to cook for your bird 'Healthy Bird Cookbook' by Robin Deutsch is a good reference.

I bought this book when I got my African Grey parrot. Eight years later and I've had to replace it because I got "goop" all over it! I have not only used it all the time, I've bought it as a gift for all my bird loving friends! My grey girl loves all the recipes! I highly recommend this cookbook for all of our avian friends!!!

What first caught my eye was a statement on the back of the book, "If your bird is a member of the parrot family, did you know that your bird has a palate nearly as sophisticated as that of a human?" Those of us who own birds and already know this now have a place to come to.

There are a couple of sections at the beginning of the book that are just overall information, "A Well-Balanced Diet for Your Bird," "Preparing Your Home (Nest) for Life With a Bird," "Baby Bird's Travel Checklist," and one that will tear your heart out, "The Beginning of the Joshua Foundation."

The "Entrees and Side Dishes for You and Your Bird" section looked fun. A lot of the recipes call for cheese, fat, and sugars. Although, I don't think our birds, especially the smaller ones, should have much of this, the recipes could be modified so you are comfortable with them and otherwise might be great as a sometimes treat. Other recipe sections include "Breads and Pastries," "Vegetable and Fruit Dishes," "Potatoes and Eggs," the entrees section, and "Treats."

Sprinkled (pun intended) throughout are a few birdie stories, each of which you will need to have a box of tissues close by to read. An index in the back allows you to look up recipes by main ingredients or recipe title.

The authors have no veterinary background. In fact, all of them are partners in a CPA firm. But they have a love for parrots, especially those in need, and I think have done a good job of putting together a variety of recipes for our birdies with discriminating palates.