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StacyB
Bappie
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 62
Location: Michigan |
| seeds/pellets |
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How important are these? I got a new baby Severe and she doesnt want to eat her seeds/pellets.
She is eating fruits, veggies, some pasta (not alot) peanut butter etc. |
Wednesday February 22, 2006 2:51 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
Hi Stacy! It's good to hear that your macaw is eating his veggies so well!
My avian vet has recommended that my fids diets should consist of 80% pellets. 20% of the remaining 20% of their diet should consist of veggies. The rest should consist of fruits, nuts, pasta, legumes & a variety of other foods. |
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 3:33 pm |
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StacyB
Bappie
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 62
Location: Michigan |
How do I make her eat them then? |
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 3:36 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
How old is she Stacy? And how long has she been with you?
I should also add that there are some people that disagree whole heartedly with what my avian vet says, tho I think most avian vets do recommend pellets as the staple of their diets. |
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 3:42 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
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Here's an outline of the process I used to convert my fids to a pelleted diet:
Always keep 1 bowl of pellets available at all times, situated at the highest feeding station, next to a perch.
1 tablespoon of seeds (maybe in your case I would offer veggies) in the morning & 1 tablespoon again at night.
at lunch offer some other kind of food, such as veggies, nuts, sunflower seeds, some kind of treat.
remove each of those 3 meals as soon as he has finished eating.
follow that routine for 1 week.
2nd week:
remove either the morning or the evening serving of seeds.
3rd week: offer only the pellets & 1 serving of some other kind of food.
Once you know the parrot is consistantly eating the pellets, you can start offering a wider variety of foods at different times.
The weight should be monitored closely.
And keep in mind that the older your bird is, the longer it's going to take. That's just a general outline above, but can certainly be adjusted. In your case, I guess I would offer nuts, pasta or veggies as the morning & eve meals instead of seeds. But also always have the pellets available.
What kind of pellets have you tried? If she refuses to eat one kind, you may want to try another kind, even the fruit blend, which I know Zupreem makes. My B&G macaw eats a mixture of Zupreem natural & Zupreem fruit blend. |
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 4:05 pm |
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StacyB
Bappie
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 62
Location: Michigan |
she is 2 months old. Ive had her Ive only had her 5 days.
the breeder told me she eats them for her at home.
I follow the same (or close too) the same schedule she did...moring feeding afternoon...and evening with seeds and pellets out all day...
The breeder gave me roudybush? |
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 8:06 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
Oh my! That's awful young! You really need to pay special attention to her eating habits & make sure she is eating good. I know you said she likes her veggies best, but does she eat them good? I think at this point, I would just make sure you have pellets available at all times, but also other fresh, healthy foods. I know macaws can actually stop eating altogether when taken to a new home, & really need to be watched closely for the first few weeks.
Try a little oatmeal too maybe, feed it to her luke warm, but not hot.
Here's a link you might want to take a look at too. Scroll down the page to the diet section
http://www.exoticbird.com/macawspart2.html
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 8:53 pm |
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StacyB
Bappie
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 62
Location: Michigan |
Yea she didnt eat the first day.
I finally got a schedule she likes...Its just the seed now. Im def watching her close.
Thanks for the link! |
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 9:05 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
Well, I definitely would also keep the pellets available to her too. At her age, & until you know she is eating & doing well, I would suggest following the instructions the breeder gave you. IF she isn't eating, do call the breeder! |
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Wednesday February 22, 2006 9:12 pm |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10070
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Oh my, that is quite young. I have to agree with Cathy..
Can you pretend to eat the pellets in front of her? Most of the time, if they can eat by themselves, they'll try to mimic you..
Can you monitor her weight with a good accurate scale?  |
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Thursday February 23, 2006 12:33 pm |
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ekkiemom
Fledgeling
Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 203
Location: Saint Louis, MO USA |
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Hi Stacy
Congrats on the baby 
Sorry to hear she is not eating well. Many babies regress and stop eating things they ate at theirprevious home when they move to their new home.
My linus was on one feeding a day (formula) and eating fruit/veggies/pellets when I brought him home. He regressed to 2 feedings of formula per day for awhile. No he eats any and everything. I swear he is a little green pig with feathers not a bird! 
If you do not have a good accurate scale (and most avain vets will recommend that you get one) carefully watch the poops from your bird. Birds are notorious for playing in food so it looks like they ate when really they are not eating much. If she is eating she should be pooping. If you are not seeing any solid matter in the poop or very little solids then she is probably only playing in the food. I do not mean to scare you, but if she is not eating this can be dangerous for her. Birds do not have alot of reserve bodyfat like mammals.
I agree with Cathy that you should contact the breeder if you are worried. He/she will know your bird and may be able to offer advice.
Good luck
Genny |
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Thursday February 23, 2006 6:33 pm |
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StacyB
Bappie
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 62
Location: Michigan |
Thanks for all the help...I left seed/pellet in her cage at all times...even set the seed/pellets next to her 'meals' it def helped she is eating like crazy now! |
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Wednesday March 1, 2006 2:20 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7967
Location: Australia |
that's great to hear that your baby is eating like crazy now.. good work there. keep it up.. |
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Wednesday March 1, 2006 8:37 am |
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ekkiemom
Fledgeling
Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 203
Location: Saint Louis, MO USA |
Hi stacy
Great to hear that your baby is eating now. |
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Wednesday March 1, 2006 11:52 am |
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