All parrots can suffer from a calcium deficiency, but African greys and cockatiels suffer the worst. Captive african greys suffer because they are not able to bask in the sun like they do in the wild. And cockatiels suffer because in captivity they produce too many eggs.

A calcium defeciency is called hypercalcemia. Birds will show these signs if they they are defecient…inactivity, unable to rest, they will sit with their wings resting on their perches, they can have muscle tremors and they are prone to seizures.

To keep African greys from suffering from a calcium defeciency, just make sure they enjoy enough sunshine. Calcium taken in their diet will pass straight through their bodies if they do not have sunshine to convert it to what their bodies need.

To keep cockatiels from suffering from a calcium defeciency they need to be carefully regulated in the number of eggs they lay.

I always leave my birds drying in the sun after their baths, this makes sure that they get the vitamin D from the sunshine and also dry properly before I bring them back onto the veranda.

Try and get your birds into a good amount of sunshine every week, and if the sun doesn’t shine enough where you live make sure you install uv lighting where their cages are situated.

When you leave your birds in the sunshine please make sure that your cages are closed securely, watch them if you can. You should never leave a bird outside without supervision. And always make sure they can have a little bit of shade if they are out for a long time.

There are vitamin supplments you can give your parrot but remember it is much better for the bird to have a good nutritous diet. Its not difficult to give your birds fresh fruit and veg every day..

Remember to keep your bird as happy and healthy as you can..