Hello. I was hoping to be able to get some advice for one of my parakeets. Sorry in advance for what will probably be a long post. One of my five parakeets has a beak which is a bit long. She is still able to eat just fine and otherwise seems healthy and is very active. However, I have been thinking about the root cause of the longer beak and from the research I have done, it appears that fatty liver disease can be one possible reason.
I originally started my birds on a food call Wild Harvest along with pellets that came from Petco. The birds chucked the pellets outside of the cage and only ate the other food. From what I can tell the Wild Harvest may not be the healthiest food available. Early this year, I ended up ordering a food called Dr Harvey's and have been mixing the two foods to give the birds a chance to adapt. The Dr Harvey’s food seems to have a lot of good ingredients including seeds, nuts, herbs, bee pollen, fruits, and vegetables. Now, I am thinking that I might buy some good pellets as well. From what I have read, Harrison’s and TOP pellets are a popular choice. Do you have a recommendation for this? I was thinking of mixing the DH food with good quality pellets. I also read that Aloe Vera juice is good for cleaning out the liver. I was thinking of picking some of that up at a health store. Does anyone have experience with that?
I have had no luck feeding my birds vegetables. I keep trying but so far have been unsuccessful. I have tried carrots, lettuce, cantaloupe, strawberries, and Veg-to-bowl from DH so far. I plan to keep trying but if you have any tricks for getting my stubborn birds to eat fruits and vegetables, let me know.
My birds have many chew toys including kabab's, wood toys, mineral and calcium blocks, and sand sticks. Do you think my one bird with the longer beak will eventually be able to grind down the beak with chew toys and a better diet?
Last year, my sixth bird had a long beak as well. I took her to a bird vet to have the beak trimmed. The vet said her health was good. However, two weeks later she had trouble breathing and within an hour she died. She was not very happy since we took her home and I am thinking the stress of having to catch her and take her to the vet may have been the reason but it was also cold at the time so I am not sure why she passed. I was devastated on the loss and I am a bit paranoid with trying to catch my other bird for a beak trim at this point. I really care about my feathered friends and do not want to do anything that might cause more harm than good. Thanks.
I originally started my birds on a food call Wild Harvest along with pellets that came from Petco. The birds chucked the pellets outside of the cage and only ate the other food. From what I can tell the Wild Harvest may not be the healthiest food available. Early this year, I ended up ordering a food called Dr Harvey's and have been mixing the two foods to give the birds a chance to adapt. The Dr Harvey’s food seems to have a lot of good ingredients including seeds, nuts, herbs, bee pollen, fruits, and vegetables. Now, I am thinking that I might buy some good pellets as well. From what I have read, Harrison’s and TOP pellets are a popular choice. Do you have a recommendation for this? I was thinking of mixing the DH food with good quality pellets. I also read that Aloe Vera juice is good for cleaning out the liver. I was thinking of picking some of that up at a health store. Does anyone have experience with that?
I have had no luck feeding my birds vegetables. I keep trying but so far have been unsuccessful. I have tried carrots, lettuce, cantaloupe, strawberries, and Veg-to-bowl from DH so far. I plan to keep trying but if you have any tricks for getting my stubborn birds to eat fruits and vegetables, let me know.
My birds have many chew toys including kabab's, wood toys, mineral and calcium blocks, and sand sticks. Do you think my one bird with the longer beak will eventually be able to grind down the beak with chew toys and a better diet?
Last year, my sixth bird had a long beak as well. I took her to a bird vet to have the beak trimmed. The vet said her health was good. However, two weeks later she had trouble breathing and within an hour she died. She was not very happy since we took her home and I am thinking the stress of having to catch her and take her to the vet may have been the reason but it was also cold at the time so I am not sure why she passed. I was devastated on the loss and I am a bit paranoid with trying to catch my other bird for a beak trim at this point. I really care about my feathered friends and do not want to do anything that might cause more harm than good. Thanks.
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