Leave feed in cage overnight? Yes or No?

[Oedipussrex]

I usually leave for uni pretty early so the whole morning training thing doesn't apply to me anyway, though i have also heard that this helps with the whole incentive thing.

I didnt put any food in pickles night cage until a couple of months ago. But now that hes diagnosed and i'm paranoid about his weight, i don't want any opportunity for him to eat to be lost, so he always has seed or pellets or museli and dried fruit in his sleep cage now, just in case he feels like it.

 

[aliray]

I would not take a chance of not having food in the cage 24/7 I always thought a birds metabilism is higher than ours and stuck in the cage they can't get to the cubbords or refrigerator even if they could figure out how to prepare it. I just feel I would rather be safe than sorry

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

What do others think of withholding the food, if you don't mind me asking?

I also don't care for withholding food (or toys or love or kisses from fids or kids). I too have some special treats for Pritti for special times, like pieces of popcorn, raw shelled almond, piece of a graham cracker, and more. So I keep pellets available for Pritti 24 hours aday. Like you, I get him fresh food in the morning and he knows it's coming and seems to always have an appetite for it. So I don't think keeping the pellets in there is a bad thing for Pritti. In fact, most mornings he is crunching on them hours before I get out of bed. So I'm glad that he is getting the nutrition of the pellets and then a couple hours later or so, he gets his fresh morning crock.

I started doing something new a couple of months ago. I put a dish of pellets right next to his fresh food dish and he actually eats a bite of two of fresh, then grabs a pellet or two. Whereas before, he would just gobble up the fresh food and not go back to where the pellet dish stays. Then when I take out the fresh food crock, I take out the extra pellet dish too. Ever since I switched him to the Zupreem natural, he definitely enjoys pellets more than I've ever seen in the 20 years we've been together.

I feel like this - if a bird is hungry, he/she should have access to food of some sort. I think it's okay if it is in a forage type holder if that's what one wants. But even though foraging is what they do in nature, my Pritti has never lived in nature and has always been fed, so I wouldn't change that now. Foraging for him is busy, fun stuff rather than sustenance.

 

[LauraT]

I leave pellets and a seed/nut mix overnight. In the morning I serve a warm breakfast. Lunch is veggies. Dinner is something light and healthy. They really don't move at night, but if they wake up before I do it is nice to have a little breakfast waiting for them.

Laura

 

[KBEquine]

Thanks everyone for this discussion - it has been very interesting for me.

[And please keep posting!]

 

[headfeathermistress]

I feed twice a day with seeds and pellets available in between.
am/pm

I think most people don't understand that food management is more than just with holding food. You have to weigh your bird, weigh the food given to the bird, weigh the food after etc. Lots of calculating to get it right, Easy to get it wrong.

That being said, I do feed the healthy stuff in the morning when I know they are hungrier and more likely to try or eat veggies etc.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Rosie always has her pellets available

 

[luvmytooo]

I always have their pellets available. I leave different kinds as well.
I feed a warm mix for breakfast from the variety of pre packaged foods for birds , just add hot water and soak stuff. Then fruits for brunch and then dinner can be whatever we have plus veggies. Im pretty lucky that most of my kids eat what I give them , except for Stelly , she has her own agendas. If Im lucky, she will pick through everything and eat some as shes throwing it around But , she does love her pellets . I change and refresh everything ( pellets , water ) before bed and re check water first thing in the morning. This way , just in case i have a emergency or other problem with the dogs , I know the birds are fine. It always worries me that something can come up in the morning and i dont get to the birds right away...s another t
Then , with all the dropped fresh foods , cleaning is a must , but thats another thread , lolol

 

[luvmytooo]

Oh , Stelly also gets a mix of nuts in the morning that she looks forward to .
She gets so excited when she sees me coming with them , lololol.

 

[mrgoogls]

i would leave pellets in all day/night but change them daily to keep fresh. only leave fruits/veggies for a few hours though.