Didn't want to hijack thread- I have a question, though.

[OzzyBird81]

I noticed in Monty's thread a poster replying mentioned bulk building foods. What are some of those? I've been trying to put weight on Oz since he was sick at 4 months and lost 17g. He went from 104 to 87 in a week and a half. He's now up to 110 most day but is the pickiest Sun Conure I've met! It's been an absolute struggle getting him too put on weight. To make it even more difficult, no one can tell me what he should weigh since he's a hybrid. His keel is palpable but he's by no means super, emaciated thin.

He eats (admittedly and shamefully) Kaytee Fiesta Conure (or sometimes Cockatiel if they're out), Kaytee Conversion and Weaning formula and dried mixed fruit. Every time I've tried to take him off of either the Conversion formula or switch him to pellets his weight drops like a rock. I've tried giving him the same new food for weeks, eating with him, putting some on my finger or his beak for a taste, cooking for him... He just doesn't care! When I put a new food in (or even something he's seen dozens of times) he acts like I just threw a a pit viper in with him. He'll huddle up as far as he can get from the food dish and refuse to eat. If I try pellets he won't eat at all until I give him his regular food. I've heard that birds WILL starve themselves and I'm so afraid of this happening.

So, what do I do? I'd LOVE to get him on a healthier diet; eating fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. What are some foods or recipes to try for weight gain?

We're going to see a new vet (Dr. Stahl at SEAVS, anyone?) and I hope to get some tips and answers there, too.

Thank you in advance for all of your advice!

Pam

[kali]

what about when he's on your shoulder and you eat..? does he want what you have? i can't eat without Boo trying to steal my food.

[OzzyBird81]

Yes, I've tried eating with him on my shoulder. He'll just lean back away from me as far as he can or fly back to his cage.

Pam

[xafsmom]

Ok... hmm...

Well first, what kind of hybrid is he? And, yes they certainly can give you a weight approximation! A vet can fill him up and tell you if he's underweight, overweight or dead on. So, ask your vet when you see him! Most of my Suns range from 120 to 140. So, unless his other parent is smaller, that's a base for you. 110 is not shabby, but if you feel his keel bone and it's sharp, and the chest on either side isn't plump, then a bit more weight is needed, correct.

And... are you SURE he's not eating at all? The only way to truly tell is a paper test under his food container and monitor the crumbs. Birds often eat far more than their owners assume... and by the steady increase in his weight, he seems to be taking in food! However!

First, some simple steps;

1. Take him off the KayTee weaning food. That's formulated for babies who need certain levels of crude protein, fat and such.

2. *gives you a Mom look* No more cockatiel seed. Plan in advance, order online if you must. Chant this 10 times a day; no more cockatiel seed.

Ok, ready? Here we go.

For a picky non-pellet eater? Here ya go, my secret recipe that got Kiva from 78 grams to 105 grams; which if you knew Kiva, that's remarkable. Kiva's a disabled bird, not only do his legs not work, but he has a malformed pallate and tongue. So, eating is difficult for him. To further his issues, he hates pellets and 'soft' foods.

Since your bird won't eat pellets, try to boost his nutrition with a mix that's not exactly seed. I use Goldenfeast Central American Blend II. There are ZERO shells. It does have small chunks of peanut, but not a lot, and it has zero sunflower seeds. It does have a lot of fruits, grains, nuts and good seed, bee pollen and beans. The beauty of this, is, you can feed it dry and monitor the waste due to no hulls, or cook it for a mash.

Secondly, highly consider a sprouting kit. It's live food and a single sprout packs the entire nutrition of the plant in it. I get mine from China Prairie Company is Second Nature for parrot food and I love them. I have yet to have a bird of mine dislike sprouted seeds and grains. It's full of phyto-nutrients, builds appetite, gives a ton of vitamins and will put on weight. China prairie also sells (and it's enclosed in the sprouting kit) a mineral supplement that adds in something like 80 trace minerals and stuff like Spirulina, Barley Grass, Alfalfa leaf, Garlic, Ginger, sea kelp..

Fruits and veggies, go without saying here.

Avi-gain. Just a bit a day is all you need. It's the calorie powder for birds.

SMALL pellets - natural zupreem, fruity if you must. There are other brands, but oddly, Zupreem has the best record for budging non-pellet eaters. Especially the dang fruit flavour.


My method?

I want my birds to actually eat what I give them. To do this, I remove their night food. Zero. No snacking. This isn't as harsh as you think it is, most birds don't raid the proverbial fridge at night, they sleep. Eating at night is very uncommon for a bird after it's 2 weeks old! Even the mom's stop feeding them at night by day 8-10.

So, why take it out, you ask? Because HE gets up before YOU do. Even if he looks like he's been sleeping the entire time, unless you wake up before the sun, he's beaten you to it. You would be amazed how much he can put away in a few minutes.

In the morning, I make them breakfast. Not a long process, I open the fridge and slop it into a bowl. In that bowl are sprouts, small diced fruits/veggies, cooked Goldenfeast OR Beak Appetit (which I love, because it has different flavours) OR a bean mash, some dende oil and whatever supplements they individually need - in your case, Avi-gain. Into that mix, I also add a handful of rough crushed pellets (I use Harrison's for my pets, Mazuri for breeders, but they are acquired tastes). I stir it up and serve.

I leave that in for an hour. After an hour, I give the birds a bowl of pellets. In YOUR case, I would mix golden feast with the pellets. For now, at a 50/50 ratio. As crazy as this sounds... put your water dish right next to that food bowl. Conures love dunking pellets and this might get him interested if he tries it and sees it's not only fun, but yummy. You can move the bowl again once he's eating pellets decently.

Expect him to eat around the pellets, only eating the golden feast. That's fine! The golden feast is a 100% complete diet. The only reason you don't want birds on a diet of just golden feast is that a) they will pick out only what they like; b) the seed content in it wears their pallate down. However, like I stated above, this food is shell-less. So, don't fret.

As he eats, he will slowly try the pellets along with the golden feast mix. As time goes by, make the ratio 70/30, then 80/20. 80/20 is a good pellet to mix ratio.

Ok so evenings. Repeat the morning food, but expect him to eat less at first - he's had snacking priviledges all day. Leave the evening meal in longer than the morning one, say... 3 hours. Gives him plenty of time to eat and pick at it before bed. Then, rinse and repeat.

That's my secret. Works for me. Works darn well for me, and not just on Kiva. I took in some African Greys as a mercy purchase from a breeder a while back. All the birds were in horrible condition and most emaciated. I put one really bad off hen on this routine. She went from 297 grams to 465 in a short time and has kept the weight on.

Hope this helps somewhat.

[kellywess]

Thats really good info.