Is there ever a way to tell how old he might be?(do older birds need different diets)

[Rrrma]

Hardy, my rescued and rehomed wild-caught LCA, has an open leg band. From what I know about him he was caught and imported for breeding, never DNA sexed and never produced with his mate. He was left on a porch in the weather, neglected, and rescued by my mom's friend in about '99. She said the breeder had had him about 8 years, which seems likely. She recently rehomed him to me after he lost his mate and seemed unhappy.

I would assume he has been in captivity for a minimum of 18 years, since it was 1992 they changed the laws about importing. But is there a way to really find out? I doubt I'll ever know exactly, but I'd love to know a roundabout number.

Also I would say he is probably at least 25 years old, but likely more. Is there any changes he needs to his diet as an older bird?

 

[ScottinVentura]

Also I would say he is probably at least 25 years old, but likely more. Is there any changes he needs to his diet as an older bird?

Everything I've read says it's very difficult to know a bird's age unless they're very young or very old. Boo was also wild caught and imported. The vet thinks his wing was damaged when he was caught, because one of them is a little stiff, and at some point in his life he had a long-lasting sinus infection, because there's a lot of scar tissue that puffs out one of his cheeks. But other than that, he's healthy, he's happy, and the vet says he's doing well, so we just go with it.

Your avian vet should be able to tell you about dietary changes as a bird ages and once he gets into his senior years, there are a few clues.