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Post by duckysmom on Aug 13, 2016 7:42:22 GMT -5
When Ducky first came home, he would eat pretty much anything - except strawberries. He hates those. A couple of weeks ago, however, he started refusing almost everything! Raw and cooked veggies, fruit, his pellets (softened or hard). He was eating some and his droppings are normal. He would also eat whatever I offer from my plate. He also loves seed mix and the millet used for training. I have to say I found out 2 weeks ago that one of the caregivers that come in during the day to care for our elderly aunt while we are at work had started giving him additional seed. I was furious when I found out. All caregivers were told specifically "Do not feed the bird, do not take the bird out." This particular one claims to have bird experience, but I have no idea how true. When confronted by our aunt (who did not know she was feeding the bird) and my BF she said she didn't think I was feeding Ducky enough because the dish is only a quarter full every day. Ducky gets veggies and fruit every morning, then a big handful of pellets and a little seed before I leave for work (mixed). When I come home, I check his dish, offer some softened pellets if he doesn't seem to have eaten many and while we have dinner, he has more veggies and a bit of fruit. And I offer him some of my dinner when appropriate (healthy for him). His cage is in the dining room. The flock eats together. A snack in the form of nutriberries or plain popcorn is offered before bed (his). I'm thinking he's getting plenty. And he was happy with the schedule. But I noticed a little at a time that he was eating less of what I offered but not losing weight or showing signs of illness. I was getting concerned, though, until I found one day that there were a lot more seed hulls in his dish than should have been. That's when we found out that this woman was feeding him additional seed everyday. On the sly, I might add. It's been a week since she was confronted and told she would be talking to her boss about it if happened again. She's not here to take care of the bird! But now Ducky is refusing most everything and screaming a lot! Auntie said he has been screaming a lot during the day. He didn't do that before. I'm continuing his schedule as before, but after a week, I'm getting worried. How do I get him to eat what he should? I still give him a little seed in his dish every morning and dives for the dish the second I put it in. Should I take the seed away completely? He was never picky until this happened. He would gobble up apple bits, broccoli, peas, carrots, etc. Now he mostly throws them around and screams. Help!
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Post by easttex on Aug 13, 2016 9:23:45 GMT -5
What a well-meaning busybody! She may have experience with birds, but if she were knowledgeable about them she wouldn't be pushing the seed. I hope she took you seriously.
I wouldn't take the seed away entirely, but would give it to him for very limited periods. Try giving him access to only the healthier things during the day, and offering the seed for a few minutes in the evening. Turn it into a treat. He may scream about it for a while yet, but, poor Auntie, ignoring it is best. Keep a close eye on his weight. It can drop a little without causing much concern, but if it continues to drop, you'll want to get a vet's advice on how to proceed.
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Post by julianna on Aug 13, 2016 13:23:04 GMT -5
I would agree with Easttex. I know the pellets are the best but there are times when I will give Oscar a small handful of seeds. As long as Oscar is eating mostly his pellets (which I can monitor easily) then the seeds are not an enemy.
I find it odd that Ducky won't eat from your plate though... as Oscar is always anxious to do that. I MUST share my meals with him and the only thing he will share with me is his pellets... go figure... lol
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Post by duckysmom on Aug 13, 2016 17:38:32 GMT -5
Ducky will still take food from me from my plate, but I am careful what I offer him. If actual dinner is heavily seasoned or fried, I add his veggies to my plate to offer. That was working, until now. The dog ends up with it. (She is ok with this, of course, as we don't feed her from the table.)
Auntie is a trooper. Since she is a little hard of hearing, she says she can handle it and ignores him. She's just sad that she isn't getting to go have her daily chats with him because she has to ignore all the screaming. It's driving the caregiver a bit nuts, though. Ha! Karma strikes again. Auntie tells her it's her own fault for meddling and to deal with it until he gets back to his former, happy self.
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Post by duckysmom on Aug 15, 2016 10:21:52 GMT -5
Working from home today. WOW! He's louder than I ever thought he could be! Bless poor Auntie! I need to bake her a cake or something. He can't see me because I'm upstairs in the office and he's downstairs in the dining room, so I know it's not that. I snuck down to grab coffee from the kitchen and was pretty sure my ears might start bleeding. I called Auntie from my cell to the house phone and told her he could be covered if need be. She said no, she'd be ok.
I did not give him seed this morning and will offer it later - same as yesterday. He didn't scream so much yesterday, but my daughter and grandson were here and he was getting all kinds of attention.
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Post by beccilouise on Aug 15, 2016 16:57:29 GMT -5
That is ridiculous! I'm sorry you had to contend with that  I agree that she clearly doesn't know much about birds if she was adding more seed to his diet, and also, it is extremely dangerous to feed any animal you don't know without the owner's permission; she had no idea what Ducky's dietary requirements were! The others have given you really good advice, and I agree that the seed shouldn't be completely removed from his diet. I guess it may be a case of just weaning him back to the usual amount, maybe cutting down and only giving seeds to him at certain times of the day. Seeds should form a small part of a bird's diet anyway. I'm really sorry you had to deal with someone interfering. If she was concerned, which is fine, she should have spoken to you about if, asked questions, and maybe she'd have learned that actually, you are a good, capable and attentive caregiver for your bird. It was pompous and underhand to automatically assume she knew best. It makes me really upset when people do that, particularly when there are owners who genuinely do not look after their animals, and yet it is the attentive owners that seem to get picked on most regularly in this regard. But, no matter, it's done now, and I'm sure you will be able to sort it out. Maybe look up some advice online for weaning birds off of seed. There are some good sections about this in most decent parrot-care books and there is definitely an excellent one on northern parrots' website. Good luck. EDIT: just seen I've replicated a whole load of advice and looks like you are doing brilliantly anyway. I'm sorry this has unsettled Ducky so much but it definitely serves the carer right! I hope she realises now what upset she has caused both for the bird and for your family. She made the wrong call entirely. I hope you manage to get in settled and eating normally. |
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Post by duckysmom on Aug 16, 2016 11:55:51 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the support and advice. I had a conversation yesterday with the caregiver in question who actually initiated it by apologizing to me in person. She said she didn't understand why it has caused so much trouble and why Ducky is now an unhappy bird. She asked me to explain it to her. So I took time from my work and educated her about quaker diet and Ducky's feeding schedule that she doesn't witness because she's not here. She was well educated. I think Ducky is screaming so much because he sees her and she's not giving him seed anymore. I told her to talk to him when he's not screaming and ignore him when he is and he will eventually settle down. I also told her he's mad that he is only getting a little seed in the evening now to encourage him to eat during the day. She asked if there was anything she could do to help fix it. I gave her a baggie of veggie bits and bits of nutriberries and told her to offer just a bit when he is being good (not screaming). He'll learn 2 things. She's not giving him seed anymore and he gets rewarded for being a good bird. I'll put a fresh bag in the fridge every morning. Let's see how that works.
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Post by beccilouise on Aug 17, 2016 17:16:15 GMT -5
That sounds like a great idea, and I'm really glad she took the time to learn about it, that shows that there's a good person in there really. Hopefully she will be able to help fix the problem and it is a mistake she will never make again.
Maya's bowl is only ever a quarter full. She's only got a tiny stomach! It's pointless putting loads of food out that is going to spoil, we just keep an eye on it and top it up with necessary foodstuffs as and when. I'm really glad she wants to make amends though. Ducky is still young and adaptable, so hopefully it won't last too long.
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Post by duckysmom on Aug 26, 2016 5:57:28 GMT -5
The daily screaming has stopped. Ducky has adjusted to the new schedule of seed as a treat. I think the caregiver giving him little treats that aren't seed and my holding seed back as just a little treat in the evening has made the little boy realize he's going to mighty hungry if he doesn't eat what's good for him. He started lunging for the seed when I would offer it, but I pulled it back and told him, "calm down," and he's now waiting patiently for the dish to be placed before diving in. Ducky is a fast learner.
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I agree that she clearly doesn't know much about birds if she was adding more seed to his diet, and also, it is extremely dangerous to feed any animal you don't know without the owner's permission; she had no idea what Ducky's dietary requirements were!