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Post by rickygonzalez on Dec 17, 2015 23:23:24 GMT -5
When I got sonic last Feb/March, he was about 100 grams. I have been weighing him the last few weeks and he's up to about 110 grams. I was told he was about 1 year old when I got him. Is that normal? Could he have grown in the last year? I know that gram wise he's in the normal weight range, but it seems to me like 10% weight change might be not so good for a quaker. He's a blue quaker by the way. He eats mostly zupreem naturals pellets and some (albeit not many vegetables.) He is acting normal, poop is normal, I see no signs of a problem. I know how well birds can hide illness though. Am I being peranoid?
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Post by biteybird on Dec 18, 2015 1:30:03 GMT -5
Bonnie put on a bit over 10 grams - 89grams & now 105g - over the first 7-8 months we had her (but she was only 8 weeks old when we got her) and it's stayed roughly within 5 grams up or down ever since. Is it possible that Sonic was a bit less than a year old when you got him? I wonder…has he been to a vet? I'm sorry if this isn't helpful.
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Post by easttex on Dec 18, 2015 6:33:46 GMT -5
Do you know what his situation was before you got him? There could be a reason there. If it has happened gradually and everything looks normal, I wouldn't be overly concerned as long as he doesn't continue to gain. I would mention it to your vet next time Sonic gets a checkup. I can't really use Peppy as a model for the norm, but my grey's weight fluctuates quite a bit over the course of a year.
Another thing you can monitor that can tell you something is the muscle around the keel. Once you know what it's supposed to feel like, if he puts on significant weight and the keel doesn't feel different, there might be excess fluid somewhere, or any number of things.
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Post by rickygonzalez on Dec 18, 2015 6:38:21 GMT -5
It is very possible that he was less then a year old at the time. As I got him at a flea market.
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Post by rickygonzalez on Dec 18, 2015 6:41:37 GMT -5
I have felt his keel, and it dose feel normal. It's good to know that other birds weights do fluctuate a bit during the year.
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Post by easttex on Dec 18, 2015 6:49:57 GMT -5
I would surmise that a bird being sold at a flea market did not get the best of care. Being in a stable, loving home might well be the reason.
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Post by rickygonzalez on Dec 18, 2015 14:11:26 GMT -5
Hadn't thought of that, that way.... My assumption was, he was on a all seed diet when I got him, so I thought he might loose weight when on a better diet. One thing that just occurred to me. I remember his muscle tone wasn't the best. He was housed in a small cage with several other qps. Now, he gets the chance to fly everyday. I wonder, dose muscle weigh more then fat in birds like it does in people? Seems like that may be part of why his weight is up.... What do you all think?
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Post by biteybird on Dec 18, 2015 14:27:06 GMT -5
I'm not knowledgeable about muscle weight in birds, but it seems a fair assumption to make that he has more muscle from flying and therefore will weigh more than before the extra muscle was there. I'm glad he looks and 'feels' normal; that's very positive.
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Post by aaron on Dec 22, 2015 10:07:47 GMT -5
Ricky, Cupcake was 98g when we got her at 9mo old, and last we weighed her, she was near 110g. The vet thinks this is fine. Granted, it has been a longer period of time that this has taken place over, but I think weight gain in the early stages of their life is pretty normal. And I think your theory about muscle weight is a plausible one for sure.
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Post by cnyguy on Dec 22, 2015 21:33:54 GMT -5
Ralph weighed in at 98 grams when I got him at 6 months old, and at his last vet visit, his weight was 113 grams. Most of that added weight was gained during the first few months I had him. Seems to be part of a parrot's normal growth pattern, and I suspect the better diet most parronts provide helps too.
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Post by beccilouise on Dec 23, 2015 17:05:14 GMT -5
Although bird bone structure is different to humans, their fat and muscle structure is relatively similar. Fat on birds is so damaging in terms of their flight because their muscle tone has to be so good. Improvement in his diet and flight muscle may well be a reason he's put on weight. How old is he now? Byron is 7 months old and weighs 97g.
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Post by rickygonzalez on Dec 27, 2015 0:12:09 GMT -5
He is now about 2. Assuming the seller told me the truth. When I took him to vet a year ago, he told me Sonic was 98 grams at the time. He said he likes to see qp's between 110 to 125 if memory serves me correctly.
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Post by bruce on Dec 28, 2015 23:21:37 GMT -5
Hi everyone. Chuckie, my QP, weighs in at 100 grams. He is up about 10 or 11 grams since I took over his care. My vet says he would feel better about Chuckie's resilience to illnesses if he weighed 110 grams. Discussing muscle mass, he still cannot manage level flight. He definitely is stronger than two years ago and no longer has "crash" landings when he jumps from his bird condo. I worry he may never be fully flighted again, as one area of feathers on his left wing have never grown back. Time will tell.
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Post by julianna on Dec 29, 2015 16:08:41 GMT -5
I guess I need to break down and get a scale. I didn't think it was that important but I guess it is. Good advice from all.
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Post by aaron on Dec 30, 2015 19:06:50 GMT -5
Yeah, I need to get a scale also. Been meaning to do that.
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