Diet tips for an overweight galah?

[Jayyj]

Alice was on an all seed diet when I got her, and we've gradually moved across to pellets and veg. She has the Harrisons High Potency Fine pellets, which were pretty easy to get her interested in, and that now makes up half her diet. Veg was a lot harder and is still difficult but she loves boiled sweetcorn and will pick at other bits, and she likes wholegrain pasta and rice two or three times a week. Fruit is still largely off the menu but in the last month or so she's become interested in banana so I've not lost hope yet.

Exercise is great for them if at all possible. It's still a hard one for Alice as although she's fully flighted she's actually quite scared of flying - I think she had some painful crashes when clipped that have put her off. But my long term plan is to get her harness trained and coming outside for exercise.

Thank you! Hopefully Flower will be like Alice, and take to the pellets quickly at least. I was advised to choose Harrison's lifetime over high potency, due to the high potency having more fat, but I can't imagine they taste much different to the birds.

As for exercise, I think that's going to be just as much of a challenge...I hope she proves me wrong, but I suspect she may be very lazy. Or, I suppose it could be a matter of confidence, as she doesn't seem to know how to fly very well either. I'm buying her a double-wide play stand in the hope that it will encourage her to move around a bit, at least.

How old was Alice when you got her?

She was eight - she'd been in a small cage in a pet shop for at least six months when I got her. I know she never came out because the couple of times I saw her being taken out they had to pry her off the bars she was so scared. They told me she was eating 50/50 seeds and fresh food, but when she turned her nose up at any veg she was offered I went back and quizzed them, and it turned out all the birds got the same mix and were allowed to pick out what they preferred - and guess what she preferred? But it just took a chat with my vet and a little persistence and we got things far better within a few weeks.

There's a thread I made about six months ago about galah diet that had lots of good advice, and a couple since by others, so although there's lots of good stuff in this one it's well worth having a dig through old threads. I think we've discussed the different types of Harrisons in relation to galahs before. I know she prefers the fine ones - she just hoovers them up as opposed to having to make an effort with the bigger ones! I'll have a look myself if I get a chance this evening.