[.ca] Gourmet Bird Food Recipes (ISBN 1558672591)

Potatoes, Pilaf and Pretzels for Your Parrot:
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.

Bad high fat human recipes for your birds....:
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.