CallumConure
New member
- Apr 10, 2019
- 132
- 7
- Parrots
-
Callum- GCC Hatchday: October 15th, 2016
(nonparrot friends include rats, a dog, and a few reptiles :))
My GCC, Callum, has been having some feather bronzing issue lately, so I've come here to look for advice. As I understand it, diet and sunlight have a major affect on how birds' feathers look. Since I live in Minnesota, USA, we don't get a ton of sunlight in the winter. But now it's summer and we'll be getting plenty of sunlight!
As for diet, I'm looking for recommendations on a new food. I don't like what I'm giving him now. I'm not looking for anything super pricey, just something that'll give him the best pellet portion of his diet. The Internet has not been very helpful and I figured a place dedicated to birds would be the best place to ask.
Also, I'm looking for recommendations on how to get Callum to eat more non-pellet foods that aren't pomegranates, scrambled eggs, or oranges. I've tried dark leafy greens and he has no interest in them. I've even eaten them in front of him, given them to my pet rats (He's kept away from them) in front of him, etc. He always gets super jealous and wants some, but as soon as his beak touches it, he shakes his head, throws it away, and won't take anymore, even when I put it in a bowl.
I'll try mixing some finely chopped fruits and veggies in his scrambled eggs, but I don't know if he'll pick them out or not. As it stands right now, I give him those little packets of fruit and nut bird treats. It has dried fruits and veggies with some nuts. He eats that pretty well. I know it's not the best because of the dried fruits, but I wanted him eating something other than his pellets.
Is it necessary to use those little bottles of multi-vitamin at all?
I also have some brazil nuts, pecan halves, and California walnuts for Callum. None are salted. Do I need to bake them or anything for him? He likes baked in-shell peanuts. He figured out how to break the shell open and pick out the peanuts inside lol. Only after I popped open a peanut shell and he wanted to try.
As for sunlight, now that it's beginning to warm up outside, I'm planning on bringing Callum out in a carrier for natural sunlight. The carrier is a Pak-O-Bird carrier, so I'm happy that it'll be a good carrier for him. I just plan to bundle him up and take him for a walk when it's warm and not too breezy.
I have an old cage that looks like it was set up to keep small birds. I plan on using that as a cage for Callum to sit out on the deck with me. It is large enough that he can stand up and stretch his wings. I used it as his travel cage when I was moving from my townhome to my apartment last year.
(Yes, my apartment is bird friendly)
Are there any other things I should think of or try for him? I thought about giving him some bird seed as treats.
Sorry for the super long post! I've just been thinking about this a lot lately.
As for diet, I'm looking for recommendations on a new food. I don't like what I'm giving him now. I'm not looking for anything super pricey, just something that'll give him the best pellet portion of his diet. The Internet has not been very helpful and I figured a place dedicated to birds would be the best place to ask.
Also, I'm looking for recommendations on how to get Callum to eat more non-pellet foods that aren't pomegranates, scrambled eggs, or oranges. I've tried dark leafy greens and he has no interest in them. I've even eaten them in front of him, given them to my pet rats (He's kept away from them) in front of him, etc. He always gets super jealous and wants some, but as soon as his beak touches it, he shakes his head, throws it away, and won't take anymore, even when I put it in a bowl.
I'll try mixing some finely chopped fruits and veggies in his scrambled eggs, but I don't know if he'll pick them out or not. As it stands right now, I give him those little packets of fruit and nut bird treats. It has dried fruits and veggies with some nuts. He eats that pretty well. I know it's not the best because of the dried fruits, but I wanted him eating something other than his pellets.
Is it necessary to use those little bottles of multi-vitamin at all?
I also have some brazil nuts, pecan halves, and California walnuts for Callum. None are salted. Do I need to bake them or anything for him? He likes baked in-shell peanuts. He figured out how to break the shell open and pick out the peanuts inside lol. Only after I popped open a peanut shell and he wanted to try.
As for sunlight, now that it's beginning to warm up outside, I'm planning on bringing Callum out in a carrier for natural sunlight. The carrier is a Pak-O-Bird carrier, so I'm happy that it'll be a good carrier for him. I just plan to bundle him up and take him for a walk when it's warm and not too breezy.
I have an old cage that looks like it was set up to keep small birds. I plan on using that as a cage for Callum to sit out on the deck with me. It is large enough that he can stand up and stretch his wings. I used it as his travel cage when I was moving from my townhome to my apartment last year.
(Yes, my apartment is bird friendly)
Are there any other things I should think of or try for him? I thought about giving him some bird seed as treats.
Sorry for the super long post! I've just been thinking about this a lot lately.