her veggie mix. She saw the vet yesterday, all is well. Still, I can't get her to eat. I've tried to be inventive. Sweet potatoe french toast made with whole grain, a veggie omelet. She picks, but doesn't really eat. I still give her the baby food by syringe at night to make sure she's getting something. There's only one food she really chowed down on, Paella, and I'm not making that every day! And about eggs, I know people shouldn't eat them everyday, same with parrots? Should I leave her in the cage in the morning until she eats? She'll dig a whole to China if I leave her in the cage. Sometimes in the evening she fights the baby food as well. I want to make sure she has a full crop when she goes to sleep and I want her to eat a good breakfast as well. I feed her at 5:00pm and 8:am. A piece of fruit or raw veggie during the day and an almond. What am I doing wrong? How can I get her to eat? So many questions, so little characters available!
2006-10-12 03:20:05 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Birds
Ok, this is going to be a long answer, but you asked a lot of questions. First, my credentials: I have owned parrots most of my life, I'm a vet tech in a clinic that treats mostly parrots, and I'm active in a parrot rescue and in parrot education. You get a lot of misleading, incomplete, and plain wrong answers on here, so verify the answers before you accept them, okay?
It sounds like your grey is not weaned yet. Yes, it's irresponsible of a breeder to sell an unweaned baby (especially a grey), but it happens, and you're apparently doing well so far.
So first, the veggie mix thing. It sounds like by her refusing that nighttime feeding that she's starting the process of weaning herself. That's good. Follow her lead, and don't worry too much about how much she eats unless she loses more than 10% of her body weight, ok? If she refuses the formula, then fine, offer her something else. A piece of bread, maybe soaked in apple juice if she likes it. A grape, or a banana slice, or something besides the veggie mix she's eschewing.
Offer her anything you want, but follow the basic rules:
1) If it's good for you, it's probably good for her too.
2) If it's high in salt, fat, caffeine or sugar, you may damage her health by feeding it to her very often. (Occasional treats, like once a month or something, are ok in very small doses.)
3) Avoid a few key foods: chocolate, avocados & rutabaga. All are poisonous in varying amounts.
Birds learn what food to eat from their flock. They watch the other birds with them to see what's good to eat and what's not. It's your job as her flock member to show her, so if YOU look like you're enjoying it, she'll probably try it. Eat it in front of her and make a big deal about how yummy it is, and don't let her have any at first. Then make a big show about how she can have some, but it's yours. Share a small bite but take it back. She'll soon be scrambling over to eat it.
Right now, she's learning what foods are good, so it's important to expose her to as many types of food as you can. Let her eat whatever she will try, and however much she wants for now. Weigh her daily and monitor her weight. If she's a Congo, she probably weighs about 400-450 grams. (You can get a kitchen scale that weighs in grams at Walmart for cheap.) If she loses more than about 50 grams, then you need to consult your vet to see what else may be going on. Otherwise, don't sweat it. A little weight loss during weaning is perfectly normal.
Ok Eggs. Eggs are ok to give her, even every day. Just keep the portion size relative - i.e., don't feed her a whole egg every day - that'd be like us eating a dozen! But she can have it every day. It's a great source of protein, and if you scramble it you can crush up the shell (washed, of course) and mix it in for an additional source of calcium - something Greys particularly need.
As for the digging, that's a normal grey behavior. She shouldn't harm the cage she's in if she has a grate over the tray on the bottom. If you dont' have a grate, you need a cage WITH one, no exceptions. They are ground feeders and love to play on the bottom of the cage. Stepping in poo is a recipe for disease and parasites - along with hefty vet bills.
Whether you leave her in the cage is up to you. You should be sure to give her the amount of attention NOW that she can expect every day forever. Leaving her alone helps teach her to entertain herself and not be too dependent upon you for stimulation. If she gets too dependent on you for fun, she'll be more likely to pluck her feathers or self mutilate later. My guys come out in the evenings when we get home from work, but if we have plans and can't be home that evening, they're just fine if they didn't get to come out. But if they'd lived their first months with me ALWAYS out, it would be a major problem for them. Just don't set up expectations for a lot of attention ALL the time from you. Given the right toys and cage environment, they can be quite happy playing by themselves without direct interaction with you, and that's healthy when balanced with out time.
Most of all, RELAX. You're doing fine. Her refusal of food is a sign she's doing well on her own weaning schedule. Follow it and monitor it but don't worry unless she loses too much weight, okay? :)
2006-10-12 15:28:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
First of all you do not say how old she is. Secondly why did the breeder let her go when she was not feeding herself?
The parrot needs to be fed until she is taking seed and cracking it herself usually about twelve weeks old. If she is this age and is still begging for food try leaving out the morning feed and watch to see if she is taking seed or fresh fruit. Make sure that she can get to any food you leave in the cage. DO NOT try and feed her your food yet until she is taking her own food which should be a good parrot mixture and fresh fruit.
Digging behavior is common with all young greys. I find if you put perspex strips around the bottom 12 inches of the cage it stops the fooring being flicked out on to the floor.
I use a wood chip like beech wood chip for the flooring on my cages so that if the bird chews it it doesn't do any harm.
Used or old news paper can be come soggy and damp and may be ingested by the parrot.
The main foods to avoid are dairy, chocolate and avocado.
Try to vary her diet so that she doesn't get stuck on just one food all the time. Try to stick to fresh veg and fruit and her parrot mixture
More tips are available on my web site
2006-10-12 04:42:29 · answer #2 · answered by stevehart53 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe I don't want out
2016-03-28 06:17:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before I answer anything, I assume you are talking about a bird, and not a baby?
2006-10-12 03:21:33 · answer #4 · answered by tarriblur 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
First thing, what is this baby gray ?
2006-10-12 05:11:01 · answer #5 · answered by § gαввαηα § 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
is she getting enough grit to digest her food? is that actually why she is digging?
2006-10-12 04:04:11 · answer #6 · answered by Shiv 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋