South American Parrot Lore

[JayInTheJungle]

I run into a lot of interesting local beliefs around creatures down here. Today I was told by a neighbor as she watched me feed my baby macaw that if I fed her grapes, she will learn to speak really fast. But if I feed her cheese, her tongue will get too big and she won't learn to speak.
I always wonder what grains of truth there are in local lore. Not sure how much grapes would help learning to speak unless grape seed oil really helps boost that part of their brain but I could see cheese not being good for their overall health and by extension limiting their ability to speak.

 

[BirdyBee]

I run into a lot of interesting local beliefs around creatures down here. Today I was told by a neighbor as she watched me feed my baby macaw that if I fed her grapes, she will learn to speak really fast. But if I feed her cheese, her tongue will get too big and she won't learn to speak.
I always wonder what grains of truth there are in local lore. Not sure how much grapes would help learning to speak unless grape seed oil really helps boost that part of their brain but I could see cheese not being good for their overall health and by extension limiting their ability to speak.

That's quite interesting! Though I don't think grapes don't really help them speak faster, LOL. I do see where she's coming from with the cheese. Cheese isn't good for birds(as they are lactose intolerant), and as you said, the fact that it impairs their health can impact speech ability.

 

[Ria.345]

Lol that’s okay. For the grapes, no link between a grape and it aiding a bird in its speaking ability. Not that I know of. And cheese is a dairy product and dairy is not easily digestible by parrots. Not good for them anyway.

 

[wrench13]

Yep, no cheese. You might try some cooked yams or sweet potatoes, very good for them and the mushy feel is often accepted by baby parrots. Warm, not hot, around 105deg F.

 

[Rozalka]

I, in turn, heard that feeding pepper will help to learn speak faster.... never checking the info (do they even can eating it?)