bella is a hog!

god61021 · Jun 10, 2012

bella my red rump parakeet eats non-stop! she will eat anything we hand her. she usually has a "forage" area where we lay brocoli,carrots,peapods,pellets, and fruit. she will eat all day long in fact if I put her on a playstand or something where theres no food she might make it a half hour tops before she wants to go eat again.
Is this normal? should i let her wings grow back so she can burn some calories? should I start measuring out how much food is offered?
we have only been giving her healthy food since she eats anything so should we just let her decide how much is enough?

suebee · Jun 10, 2012

ok try this, brocoli left in a big stalk hung/tied up this way she will burn calories eating it and shredding it, same with carrots, reduce things like corn/peas/beans and seeds.

put food in card board boxes where she has to shred to get at, she can burn just as much energy working for her food, as in an house there really is not the space for a calorie burning flight, in my mind

is she swallowing the food?? strange question lol but nut shreds most of it an actually eats very little

your birdie may be a little piggy

but by reducing the food on offer could make her grumpy, she is enjoying her food, just make her work harder for it

Parrotmamma · Jun 10, 2012

I think it's okay , My GCC eats all the time too . She is constantly moving and playing so I guess she burns it all up. She weighs 60 grams and she has stayed that weight since I have had her and she is just over a year old.

god61021 · Jun 11, 2012

every morning she gets veggies (brocoli,carrot,peas) I just bought apple,grapes,pineapple and brocoli and cauliflower to change it up a bit.
she has zupreem all natural pellets at all times in her cage. on weekends when shes out all day long all of these are spread across the kitchen table and the bottom of her playstand for her to "forage"
and of course shes offered nibbles of our food if its not superbad for her.
I thought she looked fat but turns out she fluffs her feathers up alot when shes content, if you reach for her or something gets her attention she flattens her feathers back out, but when she relaxes they are poofy again.
I thought fluffed feathers was a bad thing? she seems happy and active.
I have not taken her to an avian vet because I havent found one yet in my area.

suebee · Jun 11, 2012

feather fluffing can mean many different things

i think your birdie is mainly excited and a happy fluff, but they are very good at hiding illness till last min, so a vet check will be good

but watch her body language, once you learn it, it can tell you whats floating through there little feathered minds

bella is a hog!

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