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Post by jolleyone3 on Sept 15, 2016 20:23:53 GMT -5
My bird is skinny. Any ideas on what could be causing? He has fresh fruit and veggies dailey and I give him protein. He does like to eat his own poop. I have tried to keep ahead of him eating it. Put I do work so he has time at home alone.
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Post by jolleyone3 on Sept 15, 2016 20:24:37 GMT -5
He is 3 years old
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Post by easttex on Sept 16, 2016 4:11:27 GMT -5
Is he on a pelleted diet? It can be hard to ensure a balanced diet with all the necessary nutrients without using pellets as the base. Is his keel bone prominent? Do you weigh him regularly? While weight normally fluctuates some, a bird should never be truly skinny. It can be a sign of many things; none of them good. I would have him evaluated by an avian vet right away, to eliminate disease or illness as the cause.
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Post by julianna on Sept 16, 2016 13:31:49 GMT -5
I never heard of a Quaker eating his own poop. I think there is some type of nutrient that he is lacking... and he finds it in the waste.
I would definitely take him to a vet to see what is up.
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Post by aaron on Oct 12, 2016 20:16:25 GMT -5
This is an old thread that I missed... but to follow up-- the topic of poop eating has come up in other threads... Assuming that they only pick up the poop once it is dry, the consensus is that it is a cleaning instinct, and that they are just crumbling it in their beaks, not actually eating it. A vet visit can't hurt, but it probably isn't an issue.
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Post by jolleyone3 on Oct 20, 2016 20:29:14 GMT -5
Thanks all, I did take Murphy to the vet and he has elevated white cells. Is on RX for antibiotics. I am changing his diet up, adding pellets and a new birdie bread I got from the vet. It has lots of good vitamins in it. I just read thread on "eating poop" so I need to watch better and see if he is cleaning or actually eating his poop. Now anyone have good ideas on how to get him to take his medicine???
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Post by aaron on Oct 20, 2016 22:40:11 GMT -5
Glad to hear you got Murphy checked out and he is on the road to recovery! I'm not too experienced with getting them to take their meds. It can definitely be a challenge. We've never had a situation where we have had to give Cupcake meds, thankfully. I know some of the others have, though.
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Post by easttex on Oct 21, 2016 5:17:38 GMT -5
I imagine the vet showed you how to force the medicine, and if you have to do it that way, then do. It's important to get them started. But you can train parrots to be more willing, and it shouldn't take long. Fill a syringe with something Murphy really likes, if you can get it into a liquid version. It may help to use a syringe with a larger opening for this. I used baby parrot formula. Many adult birds easily take to the formula, especially when they are unwell. He may fight it at first. Don't force it; just make sure he gets a little on his beak to taste. When he figures out that good things come from the syringe, he'll be more willing. Once he's taking the meds, give him some formula now and then to buy his continued good behavior.  Good luck! Let us know how it goes. |
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