Safe Weight Loss

Hi everyone,

I'm awaiting a response from my vet, who I have been working with closely on this issue.

I adopted one of my Indian Ringnecks, Beaker, in January. He was a little underweight when I got him (118g) due to his poor living conditions. Since bringing him home, I transitioned him to a mostly pellet diet, fruits, veggies, etc. After a few months, I took Beaker to the vet for a nail trim, and he weighed a staggering 155g. (My other Ringneck's weight stayed the same). My vet and I assumed this was due to Beaker have a steady food supply whereas at his previous home he did not, in addition to spring hormones.

Over the past month I have been working on helping him lose weight. No more treats (I used peanut butter drops to tame him), only pellets and very little seed, fruits and veggies. In addition I have been recall training him, which is difficult because his wings were clipped so he can't fly far. But I have him do this over and over until he starts panting. And finally, I've arranged their room so they stay out ALL day. They can go from their cage to two different play gyms and all over the room.

Initially his weight loss was slow. 1g every day or so. But as the weight has come off, it has become more rapid. Sunday he weighed 139, Yesterday he weighed 137, and today he weighed 134! I'm starting to become worried that the weight loss is too rapid, however, he is also a lot more active now that he doesn't get over-exerted so easily. His droppings still appear normal. I know weight loss in birds is a sign of illness, but this all started because he was obese and I've been TRYING to get him to lose weight.

Does anyone know was a SAFE weight loss rate is, for a bird who is on a diet?

Thanks so much for any help!

How rapid weight loss is should always be a point of concern as you are correct, it is something that we watch closely.

When a Parrot that has likely been starved is provided an abundance of food, they will eat extensively and rapidly add weight. With time, the stress of being without eases and the fear of there not being food leaves them. At this point, with the combination of an active live, weight tends to reduce, sometimes rapidly. That said, it should slow, become stable and gain slightly as muscle mass builds and than also become stable.

I do not know the normal range for your Parrot's weight, that is a discussion you should have with your Avian Vet.

I hope that this helps as a tool for understanding what some of the drivers maybe and some of the whys.

I was going to ask what your "goal-weight" for him is, because I'm not familiar with the weight of an IRN myself...He was underweight at 119g, and then overweight at 155g, now he's at 134g and you still want him to lose weight...so I'm not sure what the target is...As Sailboat already mentioned above, your bird is being much, much, much more active, flying more, playing, etc., so he's had to have built a lot more muscle mass than he had when he weighed 155g. Muscle weighs more than fat, so at this point he may very well be at his ideal weight, as you may be causing him to start to lose muscle mass if you keep trying to get him to lose anymore weight...Again, I don't know the average weight of an adult IRN though, but just a concern...

Also, a treat now and again, like a peanut butter drop, is not a bad thing, just like with a child. If you are working on training him, then that's exactly the time to reward him, like after you're done with your training session. That will keep him happy and wanting to work with you, and to stay focused. Plus, you have to remember that he probably wasn't getting any exercise at all in his prior environment, so now that he is, the treats aren't going to cause him to gain weight like they did.

Google (multiple sources) says average is 115g

bill_e said:

Google (multiple sources) says average is 115g

Click to expand...

What source did you get that from when you did your Google search? Obviously if this IRN was diagnosed as being much too thin at 119g, then using an average of 115g isn't accurate. Each bird is going to be an individual, but that being said you have to watch your internet sources too...

EllenD said:

bill_e said:

Google (multiple sources) says average is 115g

Click to expand...

What source did you get that from when you did your Google search? Obviously if this IRN was diagnosed as being much too thin at 119g, then using an average of 115g isn't accurate. Each bird is going to be an individual, but that being said you have to watch your internet sources too...

Click to expand...

I googled "average weight for indian ringneck" and clicked on a half dozen links. All were between 110 and 120 so I picked 115. Obviously one would have to look up the size range as well and adjust the weight up or down based on how the specific bird fit into that average.

My hawk head falls below the average minimum size and thus her weight does as well.

As you have mentioned, a healthy weight depends on the bird... also in the cases of IRNs - male or female. My first IRN was very healthy at about 130 - but he was a very large Ringneck. Kermit, my other IRN is healthy at about 125-127. Beaker was underweight due to his lack of body fat, muscle, and the prominence of his keel bone. He was then diagnosed as overweight as the vet could feel that it was mostly fat instead of muscle he put on.

I don't believe he needs to lose any more weight then where he is now - which was the point of my post. His weight dropped slowly at first, and then started picking up speed, which is what concerned me.

I heard back from my vet today. She said it does seem a little odd that the rate would suddenly pick up so dramatically. She suggested I reintroduce some more treats to see if his weight stabilizes, but most likely he is just more active than before. But for the most part, she thinks he's doing great!

I will of course continue to monitor his weight (this morning he was 135 which made me feel a bit better). I offered him a peanut butter treat this morning and he spit it out - guess he lost his taste for them! OR he's just being spiteful LOL.

Thank you all for your input!