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Post by beccilouise on Dec 29, 2015 6:01:51 GMT -5
Hi all! Merry Christmas! Hope everyone's little dinosaurs are doing well. Byron is doing brilliantly and seems to have bonded to me quite strongly. I know he's only five months and still little, so the behaviours may change, but we seem to have nipped the regurgitation behavior in the bud. He's being a bit friendlier to David but still squeals and tries to fly after me when I leave the room. We've bought him a new playstation, which he LOVES, and we can wheel it around the house. I've packed it full of toys and he loves hanging off things, swinging on his swing and contorting himself into all sorts of weird shapes to climb around on it, so I'm satisfied he's getting lots of exercise.
I am, however, a little worried about a slight discolouration on his beak. His top mandible is a pretty healthy orange colour, but the lower mandible seems to have a dark patch on it. Byron has a little fissure in his beak that we think he was born with. It doesn't seem to stop him eating but he does need tougher foods softened for him, otherwise it seems to make him a little uncomfortable. I know that beak discolouration can be suggestive of vitamin or mineral deficiencies. I sprinkle oyster shells in his food to boost his calcium levels, he has KAYTEE rainbow mix, which includes most of the vitamins and minerals he needs, he has an egg every weekend and every day he has a veggie mix I make myself of: Quinoa, sweet potato, carrot, peas and pulses (I put some baby sweetcorn in there today too). I also occasionally give him apple, grape (though not too often because of high sugar content), green bean and I keep trying broccoli but he's not a fan. There are iron supplements in his pellet mix, but I was wondering if I'm missing anything that he needs, or if maybe the dark patch is just part of the little abrasion on his beak. Any suggestions?
I also weighed him this morning and he was 91g, 6g lighter than he was when I weighed him a week ago I think I weighed him in the evening then, and today I weighed him in the morning. He's been in boarding for three days and they appear to have fed him on what I asked them to feed him. He's absolutely stuffed his face this morning, so his appetite seems fine. Is this weight fluctuation normal? What is dangerously low or dangerously high? |
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Post by easttex on Dec 29, 2015 7:10:14 GMT -5
It's important to compare weights at the same time of day. I go for first thing in the morning, after a poop. (For Peppy, that is.  ) Weight usually does fluctuate during the day and over longer time periods. But it's possible that the boarding confused him, making him eat less. Just watch that it doesn't continue to drop. I've seen a general rule of thumb of 10% for normal fluctuation, but I wouldn't wait that long if it only drops and doesn't go back up at all. Beak discoloration is tougher. They have a blood supply to part of it, so if this is a new thing, it could be a bruise. It doesn't sound like malnutrition is likely, but the list of possibilities is long. If it developed after he was last seen by a vet, I'd take him in to have it looked at. |
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Post by beccilouise on Dec 29, 2015 8:31:03 GMT -5
Thanks, I'll keep an eye on it. He has to go into boarding again tomorrow as we're going to Glasgow  but we'll be back on the 2nd and I'm picking him up STRAIGHT AWAY. I think the beak colour is the same as the last time he was seen by a vet but I'll take him again anyway. Thanks. |
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Post by bruce on Dec 30, 2015 1:41:23 GMT -5
Hi Beccilouise and Byron. Chuckie, the rather elderly QP (25+ years old) I inherited, sometimes has slightly dark patches on his lower mandible, along with an overgrowth on one side that has periodically required grinding by the wonderful vet Dr. Kit. I am amazed that despite living in a small mountain town in the middle of nowheresville, Colorado we have a vet who has a certificate in tropical animal care. He takes Chuckie's abuse in stride (Chuckie has connected rather badly with Dr. Kit's fingers on more than one occasion). Dr. Kit hasn't been too concerned with the discoloration. Chuckie is right at 100 grams, if my conversion from Imperial units is correct. My vet said he is a bit thin, although he does have good muscle mass around his keel. When I board him, the vet techs say he doesn't eat very well for the first few days, then improves. I have to take him over again in January because the state I am visiting (California) has a total ban on QPs. Another thought is given how far north you are, does Byron get enough sunlight. Even in winter, we have many bright, sunny days here, so I have not had to use a full spectrum light for Chuckie's health. We also are far enough south that we have 9 hours of daylight even mid winter. Hope your little guy sails through his board and you have safe travels. |
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Post by beccilouise on Dec 31, 2015 6:01:23 GMT -5
Hi Bruce, thanks for your post! We are in Berkshire in the south of England UK and in December, sunlight may be a reason for the discolouration. He is in a room that gets plenty of sunlight in the morning (though he is not directly in it) but the last few days have been VERY dark and dreary. He's still eating fine, is active and playful, but I may take him for another quick check up when I get back from Glasgow. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid, but I've heard so many horror stories I feel I really can't be too careful. Byron is registered with two vets as the one closest to us doesn't have an exotics vet working on weekends, and the other vet is further away but IS open 24/7. I called the boarders to check on him yesterday and they said he was fine and seemed to have done everything I asked. They know him very well as they are also the store I bought him from, so the girls there are brilliant with him and he gets lots of cuddles and attention. I'm sure he'll be fine and I'll be back with him in two days anyway. Thanks again!
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) Weight usually does fluctuate during the day and over longer time periods. But it's possible that the boarding confused him, making him eat less. Just watch that it doesn't continue to drop. I've seen a general rule of thumb of 10% for normal fluctuation, but I wouldn't wait that long if it only drops and doesn't go back up at all.
but we'll be back on the 2nd and I'm picking him up STRAIGHT AWAY. I think the beak colour is the same as the last time he was seen by a vet but I'll take him again anyway. Thanks.
