Spirulina and immune system

[Maria_Metropolis]

What do you think of spirulina for your parrot's health? I used to feed it daily to my U2, and he never ever got sick in the ten years I had him. The vet was amazed. He was strong as a horse, great plumage and he didn't eat pellets. In fact I fed him baby food mash with pasta and spirulina, which he loved.

I'm now giving a little to my Cockatiel, and sprinkling it on his food.

Have you used it, and what are your experiences with it?

 

[Merlee]

Great question because I am giving it to my dog for allergies. I think it's ok because it is an ingredient in an organic bird pellet but I do not remember which one.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Here is a good read....
http://www.avian.nl/EN/spirulina.html

http://spirulina4nutrition.com/spirulina-for-birds/

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

I bought a small amount of human grade spirulina at Whole Foods, and I sprinkle the tiniest amount over his food. It's very very deep forest green, and has a fish tank smell. The nice thing is that they sell it in bulk, and you can buy a couple of ounces for very little.

 

[Merlee]

If you think it smells bad, taste it and let me know how it is. lol. I thought about trying it too.

 

[Merlee]

Here is a good read....
http://www.avian.nl/EN/spirulina.html

Spirulina for Birds - Spirulina For Nutrition

How much are you giving yours birds?

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

I probably sprinkle 1/16th of a quarter teaspoon, like the tiniest amount ever, on his food. I don't want to overdose him on it. When I had my Cockatoo, I would put a quarter teaspoon in his baby food mash, and he ate all of it.

 

[crimson]

I use spirulina on my birds food, I have ever since I started breeding.
It works wonders.

I've also added in Kelp into my birds diet and they love it.

A rich & balanced source of essential minerals, vitamins and complex amino acids | Laraine's Lady Gouldians

 

[JerseyWendy]

Here is a good read....
http://www.avian.nl/EN/spirulina.html

Spirulina for Birds - Spirulina For Nutrition

How much are you giving yours birds?

I honesty don't measure. I use it SUPER sparingly...like a wee bit on top of the moist, warm food, so I know they gulp it down. And I only give it to them every other day.

 

[BoomBoom]

Interesting read! One more supplement to add to Boomer's rotation lol!

 

[BoomBoom]

Hi guys,

Should I refrigerate Spirulina Powder once the bottle has been opened? Will it stay fresher that way?

EDIT: Internet says I should!

 

[Kalidasa]

Excellent articles Wendy. I've been wondering about that myself and think I'm going to get some, especially for my budgies at moult time. The article says it holds up very well even if cooked so I might go the bird-bread route with them, and in yogurt for the conure. (And a little in my juices as well)
Maria I was looking at Muffin close up, he is so pretty, his coloring reminds me of a snowy owl

 

[Blueridge]

Never heard of it but if it works so well I think I'll get some! Ill see if they sell it at petsmart

 

[Kimma]

Any time someone is claiming a food is a "super food" and "cures everything" while at the same time trying to sell it to you, you really shouldn't trust what they're telling you.

Here is an alternate view of Spirulina.

The NESS » Blue Green Algae ? Nature?s Perfect Scam

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Excellent articles Wendy. I've been wondering about that myself and think I'm going to get some, especially for my budgies at moult time. The article says it holds up very well even if cooked so I might go the bird-bread route with them, and in yogurt for the conure. (And a little in my juices as well)
Maria I was looking at Muffin close up, he is so pretty, his coloring reminds me of a snowy owl

Thank you Kalidasa,
You're the second person that has made the "Snowy Owl" comment about him. I wish we had an owl emoticon here. LOL!

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Any time someone is claiming a food is a "super food" and "cures everything" while at the same time trying to sell it to you, you really shouldn't trust what they're telling you.

Here is an alternate view of Spirulina.

The NESS » Blue Green Algae ? Nature?s Perfect Scam

Well, it could be all a scam, but I only speak from experience that I gave my Cockatoo of ten years that stuff every day and he never ever got sick. I have no idea if it was the spirulina, or something else. I never gave him pellets either, and not much fresh fruit or veggies. He loved his baby food spirulina pasta mash, and some regular bird food, and nuts. I have no idea why he never got sick, but I heard spirulina helps immunity, so ?????

Is it the greatest super food in the world, probably not, but is it good for your birds, it may be. Also, that article was about how it was used for humans, but not about parrots. Some things are healthy for certain kinds of animals, and do nothing for others.

ETA: I noticed in that article that they said spirulina costs $300/lb. That's not true. I bought human grade stuff at Whole Foods (they're not cheap either), and they sell it at $4/oz, which is $64/lb. Not cheap, but definitely not $300/lb, and I'm sure the bird grade stuff is probably cheaper.

 

[Kimma]

Well, if he likes it and it's reasonably priced, then have at it.

But you asked about you heard it helped immunity, and I posted an article about how no, it's not been shown to help immunity and claims relating to "improving immunity" are meaningless.

If your bird hasn't been sick in 10 years, then he is one tough cookie and you have done a good job keeping him healthy with all aspects of his environment.

Plus, other people are planning on spending money based on your anecdote, and thought they deserved some more information.

Also, that article was written in 2001, so while the essence of nutritional supplements hasn't changed, I can see how the price could come down.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Well, if he likes it and it's reasonably priced, then have at it.

But you asked about you heard it helped immunity, and I posted an article about how no, it's not been shown to help immunity and claims relating to "improving immunity" are meaningless.

If your bird hasn't been sick in 10 years, then he is one tough cookie and you have done a good job keeping him healthy with all aspects of his environment.

Plus, other people are planning on spending money based on your anecdote, and thought they deserved some more information.

Also, that article was written in 2001, so while the essence of nutritional supplements hasn't changed, I can see how the price could come down.

True, that's why I asked about it, to see if other people had the same immunity results with spirulina. I wish I could find a scientific article on it in respect to avian studies. I hear of them being out there, but I can't find any online.

It's really not my anecdote, so I apologize if I confused anyone about that. I just thought there might be a correlation between my former Cockatoo's great health and the spirulina, which is the healthiest thing he ate. He wasn't into eating fresh fruit and veggies, and my husband would give table food from time to time, which wasn't good for him.

He was also exposed to other birds, and he never got sick from any of them either. The vet was always amazed at how healthy he was at his annual checkups. He may have been a tough bird, but I don't know.

It could be the spirulina, and yet like you said, it could be something else. I just wanted to open this thread to hear what other people thought about using it and their experience with their pet's general health and immunity.

 

[Merlee]

We use echineca and aloe Vera juice in our home to boost our immune system. There is no scientific proof backing up its usefulness, but we know it works for us. We rarely get sick and if we do, it is a mild case. There will always be somebody scoffing about something holistic. If one sees improvement using a particular product and it is not harmful, then go for it.

If it was not for JerseyWendy, I would not be aware of it today. I believe it helped with my dog's allergies.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Any time someone is claiming a food is a "super food" and "cures everything" while at the same time trying to sell it to you, you really shouldn't trust what they're telling you.

Here is an alternate view of Spirulina.

The NESS » Blue Green Algae ? Nature?s Perfect Scam

I can't speak for my birds, but I CAN speak for my dogs here: Ever since my Oscar has been taking Spirulina, he's not had a single bout of diarrhea. In addition his coat has improved dramatically, and his feet are no longer sore and itchy.

I believe for every vitamin and / or supplement offered on the market, you will ALWAYS find articles that claim they do absolutely nothing.