- Jan 19, 2014
- 14,233
- 190
- Parrots
-
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
First, a little history of WHY Pix our Budgie needs a Personal Trainer...
His weight has increased from 31 grams to 48 grams in 6 months! He does not eat any fattening seed, but he would sit and overeat the Harrison's while his cage mate stayed normal weight and ate normally. The Lifetime Harrison's is not a fattening food, but he just ate WAY too much. The vet said his cholesterol is off the charts and probably would develop diabetes if this wasn't dealt with now. As the vet ordered, Pix now has his own separate cage, and is on a strict diet - no more than a teaspoon of food per day.
Since Pix has had his own cage, we noticed that he no longer overeats! It was a nervous behavioral habit when he lived with Twigs. I didn't see the correlation at first because Pix and Twigs are bonded buddies, but it makes sense now... that even though Twigs didn't pick on Pix, he was still the dominant one. Somehow it made Pix nervous as if all the food would be gone if he didn't get to it all before Twigs ate it. LOL, silly little guy doesn't realize the humans won't let the food run out.
SO, because the diet alone is proving not enough to make him drop weight, I've incorporated a little daily exercise program for him. I signed him up with a tough personal trainer... Me.
I make him fly across the living room, and through to the bedroom where he lives. After only a few times of this, he is so winded and tired he needs a break. Then more flying after he recovers. I also make him climb a little 3 foot ladder, then on a more vertical angle, and after a few times he is tired and needs a break again. The bad thing with the flying exercise is that he keeps landing on the parrot cages with the parrots in them! Not good.
* I'm asking if anyone can please give us some more creative Budgie cardio exercise ideas. I'm also going to look at hamster wheels. I'll have to push it or else I think he'd just sit there. Thank you!
His weight has increased from 31 grams to 48 grams in 6 months! He does not eat any fattening seed, but he would sit and overeat the Harrison's while his cage mate stayed normal weight and ate normally. The Lifetime Harrison's is not a fattening food, but he just ate WAY too much. The vet said his cholesterol is off the charts and probably would develop diabetes if this wasn't dealt with now. As the vet ordered, Pix now has his own separate cage, and is on a strict diet - no more than a teaspoon of food per day.
Since Pix has had his own cage, we noticed that he no longer overeats! It was a nervous behavioral habit when he lived with Twigs. I didn't see the correlation at first because Pix and Twigs are bonded buddies, but it makes sense now... that even though Twigs didn't pick on Pix, he was still the dominant one. Somehow it made Pix nervous as if all the food would be gone if he didn't get to it all before Twigs ate it. LOL, silly little guy doesn't realize the humans won't let the food run out.
SO, because the diet alone is proving not enough to make him drop weight, I've incorporated a little daily exercise program for him. I signed him up with a tough personal trainer... Me.
I make him fly across the living room, and through to the bedroom where he lives. After only a few times of this, he is so winded and tired he needs a break. Then more flying after he recovers. I also make him climb a little 3 foot ladder, then on a more vertical angle, and after a few times he is tired and needs a break again. The bad thing with the flying exercise is that he keeps landing on the parrot cages with the parrots in them! Not good. * I'm asking if anyone can please give us some more creative Budgie cardio exercise ideas. I'm also going to look at hamster wheels. I'll have to push it or else I think he'd just sit there.
Thank you!
