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Post by janekhon on Nov 20, 2017 10:39:29 GMT -5
Hello, my 4 year old quaker lost weight. I took him to the vet, and the x-ray showed that had been swallowing either plastic or metal ( he «gnaws “ his cage bars and bottom of his cage a lot even though he has special «stones” for his beak, pardon my english, I am a foreigner). The vet prescribed medicine and said the most important thing right now is for Muffin to gain weight( he currently weights 75 grams). He is yellow. Muffin has always been a picky eater. It was difficult to find a seed mix he liked, and he would always eat all sunflower seeds first and then a little bit of other seeds. I have been giving him a bit of fruits and vegies everyday, sometimes a bit of white bread and bolied eggs to balance his diet, but now since he is sick, he does not eat his seed mix at all (only a few sunflower seeds), but he still munches on fruits, vegetables and bread. Bread and eggs are his fav food, but I cannot give him much of it, because it’s not good for him, and there is not enough protein in fruits and vegetables. What can you recommend to give him to help him gain weight?I tried to buy him a different seed mix.. no luck and tried all kinds of nuts, but he doesn’t like them. Baby formula for chicks did not work ether( though he liked it when was a chick). Non seed food seems to be the only thing he would eat right now(and a bit of sunflower seeds), and I fear even if he gets better he will never want to eat seeds again.
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Post by easttex on Nov 20, 2017 11:26:23 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum!
I hope if he has been eating metal that it isn't zinc, or anything toxic. If you're not sure, I would get a new cage as soon as possible.
What does Muffin normally weigh? Has he lost a lot? In the long run, you would actually be doing him a favor to get him off the seed diet, though now is probably not the right time. Have you tried giving him formulated pellets? They, along with fresh veggies and a little fruit, are the best way I know to give him a balanced diet. Sunflower seeds in particular are not a great diet. Besides the calories (which I understand you are trying to maximize right how) they will throw off the calcium balance, which leads to more problems.
When my quaker was ill, I got to the point where I'd give him anything he would eat. The things that were most reliable were baby parrot formula and scrambled eggs with a little cheese mixed in. You might also try some whole grain toast with or without a little peanut butter. How have you tried giving the formula?
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Post by janekhon on Nov 20, 2017 18:43:34 GMT -5
Thank you for help! I did purchase a new cage(my vet said the same).I tried parrot formula - he doesn’t like it. What kind of cheese did you give yours? Muffin used to weight 82 grams. I am not sure we have pellets here in Korea, but from the google pictures it looks like food people give to rabbits. Is it it? Welcome to the forum! I hope if he has been eating metal that it isn't zinc, or anything toxic. If you're not sure, I would get a new cage as soon as possible. What does Muffin normally weigh? Has he lost a lot? In the long run, you would actually be doing him a favor to get him off the seed diet, though now is probably not the right time. Have you tried giving him formulated pellets? They, along with fresh veggies and a little fruit, are the best way I know to give him a balanced diet. Sunflower seeds in particular are not a great diet. Besides the calories (which I understand you are trying to maximize right how) they will throw off the calcium balance, which leads to more problems. When my quaker was ill, I got to the point where I'd give him anything he would eat. The things that were most reliable were baby parrot formula and scrambled eggs with a little cheese mixed in. You might also try some whole grain toast with or without a little peanut butter. How have you tried giving the formula? |
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Post by biteybird on Nov 21, 2017 3:20:22 GMT -5
Hi Jane & Muffin, welcome to the Forum.  82 grams is pretty light for a normal quaker - maybe Muffin is of a smaller size? And, as you know, if he has lost 7 grams that's quite a bit of weight loss for a small bird. You have done the right thing taking him to a vet. You can get bird pellets online (Amazon) - a lot of Forum members swear by Harrison's brand. They are not the same as rabbit pellets (they're nutritionally formulated for birds) but they do look similar, I guess. Apart from the pellets our quaker, Bonnie, likes to eat cooked chicken/lamb, white cooked rice, mushrooms, capsicum/pepper/chilli seeds, cooked potato, pumpkin seeds (limit of 2/3 per day due to the fat content), cashew nuts, cucumber and white seedless grapes. Hope the foods mentioned give you some ideas for your little Muffin. |
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Post by easttex on Nov 21, 2017 5:04:37 GMT -5
I used a little Parmesan cheese in Peppy's eggs. He liked it for quite a while.
I don't know if amazon.com is a big presence in Korea, but it's a good place to see what's available in pellets. Some of the better known brands here are Harrison's (as biteybird mentioned), Higgins, Zupreem, and Roudybush. There are many others, but that's a start. Perhaps you can do a search on them. Or maybe someone at your vet's office can help. Many of the avian vets here in the US keep Harrison's in stock.
It's not always the easiest thing to switch a parrot over from seeds to pellets, and given Muffin's situation, I'd talk with his vet before trying to. It's possible that he would like them, though, and if you can find them, you could try making them available to him to supplement what he is currently eating. Unfamiliar pellets might be a challenge to a sick bird, but you can try soaking them in a little unsweetened apple juice or filtered water.
A lot of parrots also like something called Nutri-Berries, made by Lafeber. They combine pellets, nuts, and seeds into balls. Some use them as treats and some as the main diet.
I hope Muffin is feeling better soon!
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Post by julianna on Nov 25, 2017 15:14:15 GMT -5
Parmesan cheese is one of my Quaker (Oscar)'s favorite. Small bits of old cheese is better than soft cheeses. Also for protein... believe it or not Oscar likes a little piece of baloney or weinner or chicken.
Hope he gets well soon.
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Post by thorolf on Jan 2, 2018 22:19:12 GMT -5
Try some small pieces of cooked meat of any kind. My quaker loves beef, pork, chicken, turkey and shrimp ! Just remember that is you give him a lot of meat for many days he may become aggressive and " bitey !"
You might try giving him cooked noodles or boiled grain such as oatmeal. My quaker also likes warm soup with vegetables and meat ! He also might like fruit juice ! I also put whole oats into my bird's food, and he adored them. I buy the whole oats that farmers use for animal feed. they are even cheap !
My quaker, Beowulf, loves cheddar cheese and Colby cheese. And macaroni and cheese is another of his favorite warms foods that I share with him at dinner.
I hope these suggestions help
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