Measurement of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in captive grey parrots (Psittacus e erithacus).

Effects of UVB radiation on calcium metabolism in psittacine birds.

The effects of providing ultraviolet (uv) radiation (285 to 315 nm, ultraviolet B) on calcium metabolism in two groups of 20 healthy grey parrots (Psittacus e erithacus) fed either a seed or pellet-based diet were investigated. There was a significant increase in the concentration of ionised calcium in the plasma of both groups, independent of the calcium and vitamin D(3) content of the diets f...

Social Isolation Shortens Telomeres in African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus erithacus)

Telomeres, the caps of eukaryotic chromosomes, control chromosome stability and cellular senescence, but aging and exposure to chronic stress are suspected to cause attrition of telomere length. We investigated the effect of social isolation on telomere length in the highly social and intelligent African Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus). Our study population consisted of single-house...

Interferon treatment of circovirus infection in grey parrots (Psittacus e erithacus).

Reasoning by inference: further studies on exclusion in grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus).

Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) abilities for visual inferential reasoning by exclusion were tested in two experiments. The first replicated the Grey parrot study of Mikolasch, Kotrschal, and Schloegl (2011, African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) use inference by exclusion to find hidden food. Biology Letters, 7, 875-877), which in turn replicated that of Premack and Premck (1994, Levels ...

The Silent Killer: Atherosclerosis in Pet Birds

Risk factors Suggested risk factors for atherosclerosis in birds include age, gender, species, increased plasma concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins, high energy diets, physical inactivity, genetics, and coinfection with Chlamydia psittaci. Age Increased age has been shown to be a significant risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis in parrots in retrospective studies. Gender Fem...