James Harris, DVM
Birds rarely get diabetes
 Is it possible for my 8-year-old sun conure, Sunny, to get diabetes? He gets half a cookie, sometimes a pinch of Danish or donut, and a few frosted flakes a day. He's a little larger than most suns, but healthy and active. I'd hate to be the cause of his demise from too much love!
-- Laura Pennell, Deland, Fla., fredjo331@mpinet.net
 I'd probably put your bird's treats on my Bird Junk Diet list. Sugared foods aren't the most nutritious for birds. The excess calories can encourage obesity, which comes with its own set of problems, and they leave less room in your bird's diet for healthier foods.
Diabetes isn't caused by consumption of too many sweets. It's a condition that occurs as the result of the body's inability to produce enough insulin to metabolize blood sugar, or glucose.
The level of blood glucose rises to an abnormal high and this in turn causes a number of medical problems, including infections, liver disease and cataracts. Extreme thirst is a common symptom. Diabetes is diagnosed with a blood test.
Birds can get a form of diabetes, but it's not common. As with humans, the usual treatment is insulin injections. Birds seem to need two injections a day, which the owner gives in the breast muscle using the same type of small insulin syringe and needle used for humans. Alternatively, human oral glucose-suppressing medications have been used with some success in birds.
James Harris, DVM is owner and medical director of the Mayfair Veterinary Clinic in Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia. He founded Montclair Veterinary Hospital in Oakland, Calif., and has served as medical director and chairman of the board for the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Berkeley. Dr. Harris' numerous professional honors include California and National Bustad Companion Animal DVM Awards.
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