Aloe Plant Question

[evsrin]

I was wondering... instead of buying "aloe juice" or a pre-made aloe spray for pluckers, can you use pure aloe from a plant, diluted with water to spray a plucker?

I have 2 beautiful aloe plants that I would love to put to work!

Can the plants be used for the birds in any other way?

 

[Kathie]

I am fairly sure they are safe to feed to a bird, but I would imagine you'd have to do a lot of squeezing to get enough to make a spray....

 

[evsrin]

I am fairly sure they are safe to feed to a bird, but I would imagine you'd have to do a lot of squeezing to get enough to make a spray....

Hmmm.... I guess it would depend on the ratio needed.

 

[evsrin]

I am fairly sure they are safe to feed to a bird, but I would imagine you'd have to do a lot of squeezing to get enough to make a spray....

P.S. Out of the sprays you sell, what do you recommend?

 

[HungryBird]

I seem to remember seeing pictures of skewers that had slices of aloe on them. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I was looking for those pictures for an entry I wrote recently and couldn't find them anywhere.

 

[Irina]

Hello, just saw your question and thought this way of preparing aloe vera spray or drinking solution might be of use to you (it is best to remove the skin and any yellow sap under it since it is a natural laxative) Natural Conditioning

 

[evsrin]

Hello, just saw your question and thought this way of preparing aloe vera spray or drinking solution might be of use to you (it is best to remove the skin and any yellow sap under it since it is a natural laxative) Natural Conditioning

Thanks for the link. Very interesting.

 

[evsrin]

I seem to remember seeing pictures of skewers that had slices of aloe on them. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I was looking for those pictures for an entry I wrote recently and couldn't find them anywhere.

Don't think I ever saw that

 

[hotfoot jackson]

E.B Cravens uses Aloe vera for skin things as you asked but also feeds bits to his birds every now and again...for the micronutrients as well ..and environmental enrichment.

 

[Red Jasper]

It is my experience that Aloe is a wonderful natural aid when used properly. There is a great product in most health food stores called George's Aloe Vera liquid/juice and adding that to a fine mist spray bottle (travel sized) filled with distilled water provides a great topical aid for the skin of a plucking bird as well as one that is mildly barbering or showing a lot of feather fuzz through. I would spritz very delicately twice a day. Just a touch of a mist to land on the feathers, not an overall soaking.

Beware, however, that many birds are allergic to the overuse of aloe and too much off it can have a reverse drying effect on the skin which will, of course, drive them to pluck and barber evermore. Speaking from experience, using too much aloe for too long of a period of time can deprive the skin of its natural nutrients and further add to feather destroying behavior.

Ingesting Aloe Vera is okay to do for a short period of time but over prolonged use can cause diarrhea and cause abdominal pain and cramping as well as suffering a loss of potassium over time. (Examining the Side Effects of Aloe Vera)
(Aloe Vera juice drinks | Aloe Vera Pills | IBS)

Aloe plant extract itself is FANTASTIC in the aid of irritated skin, burned skin, aggravated skin, etc. I love George's Aloe Gel for when my birds ever have cut-open skin incidents (i.e. bites, scratches from a perch, irritated skin). Just as a light topical aid for healing it works so well, I highly recommend it. But I do not recommend putting the gel anywhere on healthy skin as a coating of any kind.

So, in a nutshell, I've found Aloe to be a wonderful aid for first aid situations and occasional feather aids but do be careful of its side effects stemming from long-term use.