Amazons health

[sherylb]

My Finley is 3 and he’s been healthy..a good eater but kinda picky…he seldom eats pellets but eats his fresh veggies, fruits, sweet potatoes , and more…I took him to his first full vet check , blood work and all…vet tech said we shouldn’t be able to feel his breast gone like we do…he eats all the time!

 

[texsize]

I would recommend getting a gram scale and keep track of his weight.

pellets are just a supplement, the fresh food you describe should give him most of what he needs.

 

[kme3388]

Did the vet recommend anything on how to put some weight on your amazon, or a recommended diet sense they found this concerning? Did the labs come back normal? How active is your amazon? The reason I ask is to see if we can help.

Birds are tough eaters at times. I can't make either of my parrots eat anything they don't want to. I try to present things in ways that are appealing. Some days are better then others.

 

[sherylb]

Did the vet recommend anything on how to put some weight on your amazon, or a recommended diet sense they found this concerning? Did the labs come back normal? How active is your amazon? The reason I ask is to see if we can help.

Birds are tough eaters at times. I can't make either of my parrots eat anything they don't want to. I try to present things in ways that are appealing. Some days are better then others.

I was given some information on what to feed him and I already do what the vet suggested. I’m waiting on lab results. He doesn’t fly he walks around the house and is active with lots of playing. He won’t eat pellets unless I just don’t give him veggies and sometimes he just flings his pellets haha . He’s only 3. He eats through out the day…I give eggs, chicken, veggies , fruit…he likes nutri berries too and I give lots of those since there are pellets in them

 

[SailBoat]

Thin Breast Muscles for a young Amazon, IMHO, is an issue as Flight Muscles are very important to assure a strong Heart and Airsacks. Consider Reading the two-Threads at the top of the Amazon Forum!! They are, IMHO, the bench marks for Living with Amazons! Within the "I Love Amazons" Thread is a segment that targets re-Flighting a Parrot.

As stated above, a Scale, properly used is a great tool to follow your Amazons weight! Asure you weight in the morning, after the first large poop of the day and before you provide the morning meal. Keep a journal of your Amazons Weight.

 

[wrench13]

Excellent advice, as usual, from 'Boats. Cooked chicken, eggs are bith good source of proteins. U can try adding some walnut to his diet, if he can crack or open them they are a good foraging item too.

 

[sherylb]

Excellent advice, as usual, from 'Boats. Cooked chicken, eggs are bith good source of proteins. U can try adding some walnut to his diet, if he can crack or open them they are a good foraging item too.

He loves eggs and chicken. I give them a few times a week. He’s a good eater . He gets apples, sweet potatoes, all kinds of veggies. Brocolli corn peas edamame….I give him pistachios but I can do walnuts too

 

[Laurasea]

Birds do need some carbs and fats. So soaked and cooked legume, quinoa, lentils, as mentioned nuts. And 10% seeds. I have a nutrition study on Amazon and they did better with a few seeds added back to diet.

Diet Research Amazon Parrots Article

But I would think nutriberries with veggies would cover it.

Hopefully all tests come back good.

 

[wrench13]

Chicken bones are also good. We use the thigh bone for Salty. He easily cracks the bone open and greedily eats the bone marrow. Foraging and nutrients in one!

 

[JimsBrother]

Chicken bones are also good. We use the thigh bone for Salty. He easily cracks the bone open and greedily eats the bone marrow. Foraging and nutrients in one!

Both of my birds will eat a piece of chicken. I get Popeye's and share the drumstick with Amy.

 

[SailBoat]

It is a very dangerous place to be!! That space between our Julio (DYH) and a drumstick!!

 

[MykaMom]

Chicken bones are also good. We use the thigh bone for Salty. He easily cracks the bone open and greedily eats the bone marrow. Foraging and nutrients in one!

Wow, I never though of chicken bone for my 'Zon. I sounds like a really good idea!

 

[MykaMom]

I was given some information on what to feed him and I already do what the vet suggested. I’m waiting on lab results. He doesn’t fly he walks around the house and is active with lots of playing. He won’t eat pellets unless I just don’t give him veggies and sometimes he just flings his pellets haha . He’s only 3. He eats through out the day…I give eggs, chicken, veggies , fruit…he likes nutri berries too and I give lots of those since there are pellets in them

Excellent advice, as usual, from 'Boats. Cooked chicken, eggs are bith good source of proteins. U can try adding some walnut to his diet, if he can crack or open them they are a good foraging item too.

Yes, good ideas. I suggest almonds in the shell: my zone(13yr old) has a hard time getting his jaw around a walnut. The almond is good chewing exercise, plus good protein, fat.

 

[Ronnie27]

Interes

Birds do need some carbs and fats. So soaked and cooked legume, quinoa, lentils, as mentioned nuts. And 10% seeds. I have a nutrition study on Amazon and they did better with a few seeds added back to diet.

Diet Research Amazon Parrots Article

But I would think nutriberries with veggies would cover it.

Hopefully all tests come back good.

Interesting article, Laura. I agree, seeds are also important to complete our birds diet.

 

[HeatherG]

Remember, you DO want to be able to feel your birds breastbone; if you can’t feel it he is too fat. But you want him to have plenty of muscle on either side of it. Was the vet worried that he was too skinny?

 

[ravvlet]

We started with an amazon who was seriously overweight, then switched him to pellets and he actually got a little under! We had to experiment with pellet brands to figure out his fav (for us, it’s Harrison’s Lifetime Pepper). Our other Amazon loves that one too - her previous owner couldn’t get her to eat Roudybush or TOPS but once we put her on Harrison’s she went for them like crazy. You may need to try a different brand.

Kirby is all sorted now and at a healthy weight, with liver enzymes under control and his heart issues monitored with yearly x rays. This took us nearly three years. It’s a process!

 

[HeatherG]

We started with an amazon who was seriously overweight, then switched him to pellets and he actually got a little under! We had to experiment with pellet brands to figure out his fav (for us, it’s Harrison’s Lifetime Pepper). Our other Amazon loves that one too - her previous owner couldn’t get her to eat Roudybush or TOPS but once we put her on Harrison’s she went for them like crazy. You may need to try a different brand.

Kirby is all sorted now and at a healthy weight, with liver enzymes under control and his heart issues monitored with yearly x rays. This took us nearly three years. It’s a process!

Racket, did you start Kirby on Harrison’s high potency diet, pepper, and switch him to adult lifetime diet, pepper? Or did you just start him on adult lifetime? My Quaker is eating high potency and is not very treat motivated so I think I would like to switch him to adult lifetime. But he’s not so interested in adult lifetime. Thanks.

 

[SailBoat]

Consider providing the Adult lifetime in smaller bit to dust added to the high potency diet by crushing some of the Adult lifetime. Add just a small bit at first and with time increase. Our Julio came to us on a very cheap wild bird seed mix, which we switched him a high quality seed mix and blended in Harrison's lifetime. at first, much went to the wild bird feeder, which was eaten with joy by them. Now, he eats a very wide selection of quality seeds, grains, nuts, with Harrison's Lifetime in his dry bowls.

Assure that your Parrot is very active and if possible, flies, or at least flapping his /her wings.

 

[ravvlet]

Racket, did you start Kirby on Harrison’s high potency diet, pepper, and switch him to adult lifetime diet, pepper? Or did you just start him on adult lifetime? My Quaker is eating high potency and is not very treat motivated so I think I would like to switch him to adult lifetime. But he’s not so interested in adult lifetime. Thanks.

Lifetime! We didn’t do high potency at the time because he was overweight. Once his weight was under control and when it went a little low, we supplemented with high calorie treats (walnuts are a huge fav here) but stayed on Lifetime because I don’t think he’s a good candidate for High Potency - he’s just not active enough.

The tips Sailboat gave are solid - we definitely did our share of running the different pellet through a blender or buying the “Very Fine” variety to sprinkle into food and stuff when we started transitioning him.

We were not as careful with our ‘tiel because I had thought they’d taste the same and we were really, really wrong, so good on you for being careful!