Help! My Amazon needs to go on a diet!

[Halo]

We adopted (about a month ago) an Amazon who is really chunky! I have read that Amazon's have issues with weight control but I have never seen any diet ideas. He was fed only seed up until we got him and now we've just about got him on 10% seed and the rest is zupreem and roudybush pellets and of course the usual veggies and fruits. His old owners also fed him pepperoni pizza and cool ranch doritos

My question is... is there a diet plan for birdies? Or is simply changing him to a proper diet enough to eventually melt off the extra lbs? He is by far our chunkiest fid... he's FAR heavier than our CAG and Goffins and he's just a portly fellow and we'd like to have him around for many many years.

Thank you!

[kensbuns]

I feed my Allegra fresh veges and a small amount of pasta every day. No seed and no pellets. He has very very slowly lost weight and is healthier.

[hollyhawkz]

Wow.... seed and junk food..... I do think the change in diet will be a healthy way to bring his weight down to normal. I know you would like to see him slim up fast because you are concerned about him, but what you have him on now sounds fabulous.

Does he have a healthy level of play, or has the poor diet ruined his energy? Poor baby.

[bird maaaan]

lettuce is known as a fat shreader feed it to amazon 3 times a day and limit the seed take the seed away when leaving lettuce after lettuce is eatin then leave some seed.

[Ashling]

The diet should get him back down to a healthy weight, but you can also try exercises like teaching him the command "flap" and get him to flap his wings. Also, if he'll follow you up and down stairs this'll burn alot of fat. Another way is getting him wet so he shivers (this is good for him as long as he doesn't catch a chill!)

[Halo]

Thanks for all the advice!

He really has very little energy and he's been flightless so long that he doesn't even try any more unless something scares him off of his cage and even then, he can just glide enough that he doesn't hurt himself when he lands. Even if I put him on our playstand, he just sits on the perch, he never climbs or anything. I can get him on the floor and he will walk around for a bit but he is really a little chunk and I don't want anything to happen to him. We've had a bit of trouble getting him to eat the pellets but once he realized that he wasn't going to get the seed, he ate it. I'll give the lettuce a try too!

[Monica]

The FeedingFeathers YH group has a recommended diet for amazons... one that is low in fat, and has a bunch of vitamin A.

I would second that of exercise! If your zon is has a favorite treat, use that as a reward each time you get your zon to flap his wings! You may need to hold him on your hand and see if he'll allow you to drop him swiftly enough to flap, [but not fall] then immediately reward. See if he's willing to jump a short distance to get a treat. Get your zon moving!

[Lessadalinar]

Would love to see pics!!

[kali]

lettuce is VERY poopy food lol

[Halo]

I tried to add a picture earlier and it wouldn't go through but here he is!

He's getting a friend this week, we were asked to take in three unwanted birdies and one is another Mexican Red Head his age so hopefully that will make him happy and make him wanna look sexy too LOL He's doing great with the pellets now and we've discovered that he loves lettuce! He's already thinning up just not getting the junk food he used to eat previously.