How to fatten a parrot?

Tachyon the Alexandrine parrot, hatched Nov 2013 (so currently 13 months old), came to us just over 5 months ago and hes been pretty much the same weight the whole time, varying between 204-210gms, sitting at 209gms for the last few months. Hes flighted and comes out 2-3 times a day for a good flap around the lounge, and seems to have a normal level of active walking around his cage all day. Its also summer here, so I'm guessing he'll be being more active (and therefore slimmer) now then in winter. I'm trying to work out what weight range we should be heading towards. The internet, in all its helpfulness says: 200-300, 250-260, 230-250, 250, 220-250, 235, 209, 185-230gms, very helpful internet, thaaaanks

I was slightly questioning his vertical belly-crease but after looking at hundreds of Alex pictures, it seems they all have this line (from mid-belly down between their legs, is this just due to the angles their feathers grow on?), so can I assume that its not due to not enough fat in that area?

If you think his weight is a little bit low, what should I be doing to fatten him up a bit? Its not like hes short of pellets, seed treats, ALL the fresh fruit and veges EVERRRR (including ones I was going to eat but no, thats fine Tach, you can have that now that its in your mouth!), gets about 4 nuts a day (but is a very flicky/messy eater so maybe only ingests the weight equivalent of 2 nuts), has puffed grain cracker bits as treats (organic, brown rice, no added salt, they taste like cardboard but he likes them!), and looooves cracking dry pasta (but dosnt actually ingest much) but I was wondering what else I could give in the way of healthy fats?

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I am not sure on the fattening him up part but I just wanted to let you know that our 5 year old female alex is constantly around the 210gm mark. She also gets pellets, seeds, all the fresh fruit and vegs possible, some nuts as treats etc, plus a few table foods at night.

She too, has the visible belly line.

I should say that as far as we know hes a he, but after a few moults it may well turn out that hes a she and therefore this end of the weight scale would be more normal!

I just wanted to make sure hes not too lean (we're not a lean family ) and not burning more then hes taking in.

My wife's meat loaf will fatten him up....! Lines are typical on many species of birds. It's the way the feathers lay. Don't be shy of letting your bird try what's on your plate for dinner....My birds love to try my foods, pasta and fish are their favorites. Once a week they get a piece of cheese. My god they go ape over a piece of cheese.

Ooo meatloaf sounds so good right about now (for me, not the parrot!). Thanks for that Hawk, I guess I'm just scared of getting him addicted to "the good stuff" (meat/fish/cheese) even by feeding it once, as he seems to have an addictive personality! He didnt care for cooked pasta, he dosnt seem to like gooshy foods, he dosnt even eat chop! He likes all his foods and treats to be crisp and crunchy and if they PING across the room and hit me in the eye when he bites into them, then all the better!

I was concerned my little galah was under weight so i asked the vet and she taught us how to feel the breast bone left and right and drew a few pics of how a under/over and healthy bird should feel as there are big and little birds in the same species.
What im trying to say is maybe 210 is just his weight, if he is eating well and his weight is constant i wouldnt try to fatten him up
The main reason i track my birds weight is as an indicator for illness if they start loseing

So I finally got another battery for my scales (they are hard to find around here, I bought 6 when I finally found a shop that sold them!) and in the month and a half I havnt weighed him, hes down to 200gms. I dont think its a health thing as its visually happened slowly over almost two months, I think it might be that in that time I started feeding him too healthily and not giving him enough good fats etc in his diet. Those two months have also been over spring/summer; do birds gain and loose winter weight like cats etc do? And hes also been molting.

So what can I add to his diet? Scrambled eggs seems to be a thing thats mentioned as being 'fattening', how much do I feed- a tsp once a week? I think ill make him some birdie bread full of banana, seeds, and lots of nuts. He has a matchbox-sized chunk of fresh corn daily at the moment. Perhaps a tiny nibble of cheese? Again, how much/often- half a tsp once a week? twice a week? I think I've stayed away from giving the above even as treats cus I dont want to get him addicted to the 'good stuff', but I think he might need some of it (remembering that hes flighted and very active).

More importantly than the scale number, how does the breast feel? Is he 'meaty' enough? If so, it could just be he's a little smaller framed than some Alex's. Some of my birds are smaller than the textbook weights for their species. Just as people vary, individual dogs of the same breed, etc. I wonder if it could just be that?

Lolololol we couldnt feel him up even if we wanted to, hes a VERY hands off bird, if we tried to feel his chest we'd lose a finger! That said, my husbands been working with him to allow a small pat on the back of neck which hes just starting to accept (still mouths you and then bites if you pat longer then 0.3 seconds but still!). I will ask him to start working on his front as well from today.

I hear you! Some birds don't allow it at all. Raven won't let me touch him 99% of the time. It drives me absolutely crazy when he has a feather out of place and I just want to fix it and I can't lol!

RavensGryf said:

I hear you! Some birds don't allow it at all. Raven won't let me touch him 99% of the time. It drives me absolutely crazy when he has a feather out of place and I just want to fix it and I can't lol!

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My Senni loveas to be touched, I can hold her, flip her on her back and she'll cuddle, run fingers under her wing, or ask her to do Chirpy chirpy, which is where she drops her wings after I say it and her sweet little baby chirps are adorable.

My Grey hates to be touched, only on his terms and it's a head scratch, if he's not in the mood, plan on a good chomp.

My 8 yr old Blue fronted amazon loves to cuddle and rub her beak on my face....she never bites. We'll have love conversations and can play all kinds of games with her.

My 5 year old Blue fronted hates being touched, only on her terms..

I came on today to make this exact same topic! Except my grey is definitely underweight due to being neglected in her last home. We got good vet tests back and now I want to really focus on getting weight on her. What are some good weight-gaining foods?

Yesterday afternoon I thought I would be brave and introduce Tach to cheese, he had a few tiny nibbles, walked away, came back for another bite, then went back to his business, he really didnt seem that fussed about it but ill continue to give him a bite twice a week.

I also made my first batch of birdie bread last night and gave him some this morning, he nibbled it but didnt seem that fussed, ate a bit more but again, didnt seem that fussed. Ive now got a bag of birdie bread bricks in the freezer so he'll keep getting it daily or every second day until its gone lol.

there are five sub species of Alexandrine Parrots so the depending on which species you have, could determine what weight your bird should be. So long has he is looking and acting healthy and you're feeding him a healthy diet of fresh veggies, fruit, seeds and nuts along with any other food stuffs you feel he needs. Then I wouldn't worry too much, but I would monitor his weight on a weekly basics or if him looks under the weather.

My Beaks weighed around 250gms just before Christmas. Then, Barney got out and was wild for three weeks. He's only just starting to gain a bit of weight back now and weighs about 220gms. Now, after reading everyone's responses, I'm wondering whether Barney and Madge might be too stout? I'm sure not going to be feeling any breastbones: I love my own finger-bones too much for that! LOL!

ParrotsAhoy said:

Ooo meatloaf sounds so good right about now (for me, not the parrot!). Thanks for that Hawk, I guess I'm just scared of getting him addicted to "the good stuff" (meat/fish/cheese) even by feeding it once, as he seems to have an addictive personality! He didnt care for cooked pasta, he dosnt seem to like gooshy foods, he dosnt even eat chop! He likes all his foods and treats to be crisp and crunchy and if they PING across the room and hit me in the eye when he bites into them, then all the better!

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Ever been to Rio or places down in South America? Many many outdoor food courts and parrots all over the place. I actually seen a place (Restaurant) take left overs, sort thru for any bad stuff and place it back out on a table outside for the wild parrots...some will actually walk up to you wanting something off your plate...quite cool in a way.

Delfin said:

there are five sub species of Alexandrine Parrots so the depending on which species you have, could determine what weight your bird should be. So long has he is looking and acting healthy and you're feeding him a healthy diet of fresh veggies, fruit, seeds and nuts along with any other food stuffs you feel he needs. Then I wouldn't worry too much, but I would monitor his weight on a weekly basics or if him looks under the weather.

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I agree....Same applies to My Senegal....it's the smallest Senegal the vet and Avian store has ever seen...Petite. But Birdell broke his ankle when he was around a a few months old, not exactly sure how that happened, but think somehow the cage door slammed shut. ( that won't ever happen again now).....Anyway, medication may have stunted his grow. He's now 2 and a half and healthy as an ox...just is tiny, compared to other Senegals.

Hawk said:

I agree....Same applies to My Senegal....it's the smallest Senegal the vet and Avian store has ever seen...Petite. But Birdell broke his ankle when he was around a a few months old, not exactly sure how that happened, but think somehow the cage door slammed shut. ( that won't ever happen again now).....Anyway, medication may have stunted his grow. He's now 2 and a half and healthy as an ox...just is tiny, compared to other Senegals.

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Birdell, what a cute name ! I've never heard of medication stunting growth (?) do you know how much he weighs? I have some awfully small 'normal' Poi's myself. My Red Bellied on a light day is only about 120, and Ruppell's is only about 113... and ALL the Poi's (excluding Jardines and Capes) are "supposed to be" about the size of their Senegal cousins. I think Poi's have a naturally wide range in normal size though. 110-160 or so depending on each individual.

RavensGryf said:

Hawk said:

I agree....Same applies to My Senegal....it's the smallest Senegal the vet and Avian store has ever seen...Petite. But Birdell broke his ankle when he was around a a few months old, not exactly sure how that happened, but think somehow the cage door slammed shut. ( that won't ever happen again now).....Anyway, medication may have stunted his grow. He's now 2 and a half and healthy as an ox...just is tiny, compared to other Senegals.

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Birdell, what a cute name ! I've never heard of medication stunting growth (?) do you know how much he weighs? I have some awfully small 'normal' Poi's myself. My Red Bellied on a light day is only about 120, and Ruppell's is only about 113... and ALL the Poi's (excluding Jardines and Capes) are "supposed to be" about the size of their Senegal cousins. I think Poi's have a naturally wide range in normal size though. 110-160 or so depending on each individual.

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LOL...Thanks...Birdell was a name My daughter came up with, She lives in England Now. 4 Houses down From Johnny Depp.

I'm Not sure on the weight, my scales fell off the shelf and not sure the accuracy is right. However she's due for beak and nails, and will have the Avian store, which is owned by a vet, to weigh her.

Not sure why she's stunted, but those were the Vets guess because she was very young when she broke her ankle. I've seen many sennis, never one this small. But she's a love bug with attitude. Shark like beak that can rip a good one in anything if she gets an attitude.