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Post by beccilouise on Jan 12, 2016 5:16:28 GMT -5
Hi Angela. Gotta be honest, Byron poops where he pleases at the moment! I haven't managed to safely potty train him yet as I want to read a little more about it first, and also we are harness training and I don't want to overload the little guy! One of the ways I've avoided stray poop is to organise myself two 'bird shirts'. These go over my regular clothes when Byron sits on me, and means they get messy and go in the wash and my regular clothes are saved. I also put a wipeable high chair mat under his play stand to catch any stray poop. He does have the odd accident on the carpet, but bird poo doesn't stain and is really easy to lift off with disinfectant. Also, I have him on KAYTEE's rainbow pellet mix, which gives him slightly less runny poop and makes it a lot easier just to scoop up. It did turn it some interesting colours, though, which freaked me out no end until I read that was a side effect of the pellets. It sounds like your little guy may have chosen you already! Best of luck with your decision, it is really good you're taking your time  |
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Post by wsteinhoff on Jan 12, 2016 6:24:08 GMT -5
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Post by Angela on Jan 12, 2016 6:59:18 GMT -5
Oh thanks beccilouise! Are you in Australia? The pet shop guy just feeds him seeds. Not sure if the Kaytee's rainbow pellet mix is available in Australia or not? Yes I was thinking about a towel or some such thing over my shoulders Wsteinhoff thanks for the info on the poop off product |
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Post by beccilouise on Jan 12, 2016 9:04:35 GMT -5
I'm in Britain, but have been able to get the seeds online. Either way, a pellet mix is much better than seeds. Seeds are high in fat, which can cause these little guys no end of problems later on if it's their regular diet. Byron was on seeds when I bought him too, but it took me 10 days to switch him over to the pellet mix. Even if you can't get KAYTEE's, a decent pellet mix should be readily available from a pet shop of bird specialist. The kind I get is designed for cockatiels but the vet said that it was essentially perfect for any similarly sized bird.
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Post by zim on Jan 12, 2016 11:47:27 GMT -5
Oh thanks beccilouise! Are you in Australia? The pet shop guy just feeds him seeds. Not sure if the Kaytee's rainbow pellet mix is available in Australia or not? Yes I was thinking about a towel or some such thing over my shoulders Wsteinhoff thanks for the info on the poop off product If you haven't yet, you really need to do some research on Quaker's and the diet they need. They shouldn't be eating many seed, as they are prone to all sorts of problems from them including fatty liver disease. I've been trying to get Yoshi on to pellets for almost a month now. He is being an extremely stubborn little booger about it! I think we are making some progress with completely mushy soaked pellets, but he still won't eat hard dry ones. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Jan 12, 2016 15:14:09 GMT -5
Hi Angela, I am in Australia. If you want to talk to a vet about a good diet for quakers, I can give you my vet's details and you can ring him for a chat. He is an avian vet and is known around the world for his work with birds. He does do a fact sheet on quakers which I am sure he will send to you otherwise I can pick one up for you next time I am there (which is in February). I must note that the vet pulled Shah (and the cockatiels) off pellets but Shah does have dietary problems and, apart from lots of fruit and vegs, he is on sterilised budgie seeds (which I get from the vet) - he has a small amount each day. Before the rest of you quaker owners have a go at me for using seed, Shah is in the best health he has ever been in for many, many years.
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Post by wsteinhoff on Jan 12, 2016 17:03:08 GMT -5
Hi Angela, I am in Australia. If you want to talk to a vet about a good diet for quakers, I can give you my vet's details and you can ring him for a chat. He is an avian vet and is known around the world for his work with birds. He does do a fact sheet on quakers which I am sure he will send to you otherwise I can pick one up for you next time I am there (which is in February). I must note that the vet pulled Shah (and the cockatiels) off pellets but Shah does have dietary problems and, apart from lots of fruit and vegs, he is on sterilised budgie seeds (which I get from the vet) - he has a small amount each day. Before the rest of you quaker owners have a go at me for using seed, Shah is in the best health he has ever been in for many, many years. Well Shah gets lost of veggies and fruits and only a small amount of seed like you said. It's not necessarily the fats that are in seeds but the nutrients that they lack which Shah gets in the fruits and vegetables. Some seeds are still an important part of any birds diet to have on occasion just for the mental stimulation of cracking them. When people talk about how seed diets are bad I think they mean diets high in seed. I still give Bishop seeds just not all the time and he gets fruits, veggies, and his pellets along with them. |
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Post by easttex on Jan 12, 2016 19:44:03 GMT -5
If we only lived in New York, we could send our picky eaters off to bird camp and they would come back as healthy eaters: avianandexoticvets.com/services/birdie-conversion-camp/I don't know know if I would really use this service, but what a great facility to be near. A whole hospital for just birds and exotics. |
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Post by Angela on Jan 12, 2016 22:05:31 GMT -5
Hi again. Beccilouise and Zim I have been doing some research on feeds. I had read a diet with too much seed wasn't that great, but I guess moderation is the key! The pet shop I'm looking at is actually a bird shop. That's all he sells, yet he's the one feeding them seeds! I knew there was fresh fruit and vegies to feed them too. I have to do some more research to make sure of some stuff.
Jan that would be amazing if you could give me the details of your vet. I must contact our local vets (I live in a relatively small country town in Victoria) to see if they are avian vets or not.
Haha, the Bird Camp looks great Easttex!
Thanks again everyone! I'm sure I'll have lots more questions!
Ang
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Post by beccilouise on Jan 13, 2016 2:13:13 GMT -5
Hi again Angela, just wanted to add, from what I understand, a diet that includes seeds is not bad, I think it's just that in most cases, unless (like Shah's) it is recommended by a vet for a specific reason, a diet where seeds are the main staple is not necessarily healthy. I still feed Byron seeds, but only a tiny bit and only in moderation. The main part of his diet is the pellets and a veggie mix that I make for him. I think the most important thing is the veggies, pellets and other such things should just be there to ensure the birds are getting any vitamins that they don't get from the rest of their diet (eg, Byron is weird about eating anything green, but I know he gets iron and other vitamins in his pellets. Broccoli etc would be better but we can only keep trying!) so seeds are not necessarily bad, they just shouldn't make up the majority of the diet. As far as I can tell.
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Post by Angela on Jan 13, 2016 5:38:54 GMT -5
Hi again Beccilouise! Yes I thought that was how I understood it too, that seeds in moderation along with a mix of pellets and fresh vegies was ok. Gosh so much to read and know!!! I've loved reading your posts! Bryon sounds adorable Ang |
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Post by beccilouise on Jan 13, 2016 11:12:37 GMT -5
thanks! He's gorgeous and I love him to pieces. He's become a bit of a feature as well, as I'm a professional poet. So I'm now 'the roving poet and the parrot' which is quite cool. I'm so glad you've decided to buy your little bird. They are wonderful companions and are so lovely. They are certainly not low maintenance but that is the case with any intelligent companion animal. What you put in, you will get out, and a healthy, happy, stimulated Quaker makes a wonderful friend |
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Post by zim on Jan 13, 2016 11:18:44 GMT -5
From my own reading of several things, and the advice from my vet, seeds are best used as a treat. They are OK in moderation, but definitely should not be a big part of the birds diet. Most things I've read say only around 10% of the diet should be treats.
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Post by beccilouise on Jan 13, 2016 13:24:36 GMT -5
Oh thanks beccilouise! Are you in Australia? The pet shop guy just feeds him seeds. Not sure if the Kaytee's rainbow pellet mix is available in Australia or not? Yes I was thinking about a towel or some such thing over my shoulders Wsteinhoff thanks for the info on the poop off product If you haven't yet, you really need to do some research on Quaker's and the diet they need. They shouldn't be eating many seed, as they are prone to all sorts of problems from them including fatty liver disease. I've been trying to get Yoshi on to pellets for almost a month now. He is being an extremely stubborn little booger about it! I think we are making some progress with completely mushy soaked pellets, but he still won't eat hard dry ones. Hi Zim, I really struggled to convert Byron too, until I basically just left him with nothing but pellets for 24 hours. He got hungry...so he ate the pellets. Now he loves them and will happily eat them even if there is other food around. Worth a try? |
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Post by zim on Jan 13, 2016 13:51:21 GMT -5
If you haven't yet, you really need to do some research on Quaker's and the diet they need. They shouldn't be eating many seed, as they are prone to all sorts of problems from them including fatty liver disease. I've been trying to get Yoshi on to pellets for almost a month now. He is being an extremely stubborn little booger about it! I think we are making some progress with completely mushy soaked pellets, but he still won't eat hard dry ones. Hi Zim, I really struggled to convert Byron too, until I basically just left him with nothing but pellets for 24 hours. He got hungry...so he ate the pellets. Now he loves them and will happily eat them even if there is other food around. Worth a try? Yeah, I'll probably just need to do this. I've "tried to try" that method a few times now, but when he first starts getting hungry he puts on a show, dances around, and does the "quaker grumble". Being the softy I am, I always give in. I did just receive a sample of Harrison's High Potency Fine. I've been trying to convince him they are treats (giving him a pellet of that when he would normally expect a treat). He's been eating about half of them. I'm hoping maybe that's the pellet he will finally accept. |
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