New Member - Dollie's Mom

[Saschamy]

Hi I'm a new member.

We have Dollie, a little green cheek conure, whom we've had for almost 3 years, but are her second home.
We also have two dogs: a great dane/greyhound mix and a Coonhound or Vizsla or Ridgeback mix (You can tell I'm not sure, right? But black and red wheaton with white on chest and back toes).

I just recently lost my 41 year old Double Yellow Headed Amazon Paco whom I had for 15 years. (I came home from work and she was dead on the bottom of her cage.) I will admit to too much seed in her diet and maybe a little too much cheese (not that it was that much--just a thumb-nail size about 1x week). She also ate Roudybush.

But I bring this up and have joined because I really want to do better and keep Dollie healthy and do the right things for her. So, I've just checked out the thread on what pellet was recommended for feeding her. She's been getting Roudybush also, but probably too much seed. She's a bit of a picky eater, mostly vegetarian. Wouldn't touch the asparagus or salmon tonight.

TMI? Well, I'll stop for now, but any recommendations and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Buenos Nachos.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome! Nothing wrong with the right seed mix!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi and welcome.

In most cases it is sensible to not let our fids eat human food. Birds are easily susceptible to developing health problems as a consequence. A lot of cases of early death result from our fids being fed too well and too much with little or no exercise to burn those calories off. Same as us really. A regular health check carried out by a Certified Avian Vet every 6-12 months is invaluable as it can give early clues to things not being as they should be.

Birds offered seed will eat that as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice and the things you really want them to eat don't get touched. If Dollie will eat some veggies then maybe a small portion of seed given later in the day would work better?

Hope you will post some pics of Dollie?

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome to you and Dollie! Deepest condolences for your loss of Paco, I'm so sorry.

Here's the link to our diet section, browsing through some of the threads and recipes may give you a few new ideas for Dollie's menu.

Parrot Food, Recipes and Diet - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, thanks for joining! Very sorry for your loss of Paco. A diet heavy in seed can be offset by the specific mix and increased activity. I doubt the tiny piece of cheese weekly was a significant factor.

Have a look a the link Allee posted for the benefit of Dollie. There are endless ways to sneak healthy veggies and fruit into a diet, including Poppy's Jolly Jungle Bread! http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/65841-poppy-s-jolly-jungle-bread.html

Would love to see pics of your menagerie. A Dane/Greyhound mix is interesting!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Sincere smpathy for your loss, and congratulations on re-dedicating yourself to your Green Cheek!
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. 30-ish years ago, Harrison's was still a small company. My vet was actually able to talk to Dr. Harrison about my bird's species and status, and they decided on the High Potency. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff. My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Poor ol' Rb hardly ever gets cheese, and seeds maybe one a week.