Button is VERY hungry

[nkrbkr]

I took Button (peach-faced lovebird) to the vet this past Monday for an annual exam, and had some baseline bloodwork done on him. This was his first time having bloodwork. Ever since Monday, he has been so hungry. I weighed him yesterday morning, and he had lost 2g since Monday. I’ve been giving him extra food to get his weight back up. When I weighed him this morning, he has gained half a gram since yesterday. I’ll continue to give him extra food. He was very healthy at his appointment, and his bloodwork came back normal. He’s behaving normally, other than acting like he’s very hungry. I’m wondering if the blood draw could have made him lose weight? Has anyone else experienced this with their tiny birds?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Each cc of blood drawn weighs one gram so if they drew 2cc they would lose 2 grams. Of course our birds weight can vary day to day by a couple grams easily. One good poop can weigh a couple grams. They can eat a couple grams of food in a sitting and if they haven't pooped for a couple hours they could weigh several grams more than their normal after eating. I wouldn't worry about any fluctuation in weight of less than 4 grams in a bird Button's size.

 

[nkrbkr]

Each cc of blood drawn weighs one gram so if they drew 2cc they would lose 2 grams. Of course our birds weight can vary day to day by a couple grams easily. One good poop can weigh a couple grams. They can eat a couple grams of food in a sitting and if they haven't pooped for a couple hours they could weigh several grams more than their normal after eating. I wouldn't worry about any fluctuation in weight of less than 4 grams in a bird Button's size.

Thanks, Donna! That gives me some peace of mind. Yes, it can fluctuate for sure, although he’s pretty consistent with his weight. Usually I’m battling him being too heavy, not the other way around! I was just a bit startled by how ravenous he is. I’m guessing it’s a combo of the bloodwork and molting. I’ll keep watch, but I’m sure he’s fine.