My conure is losing weight

[littlesaraj]

Hi all. Need some help here cause I am trying EVERYTHING to put weight on my black capped conure. We went to the vet last week and after spending $400. His/her weight has not gained a gram yet. The bird store thought it was because he/she is dropping weight cause he/she wants to fly. Everyone has a different theory and I'm of course, blaming myself. I've had my black capped conure, Clover for 3 weeks now. Thank you all for your help.

Sara

 

[getayla.ai]

Hi Sara,

I completely understand your frustration, and I know how concerning it can be when you're trying everything to help your bird. It sounds like you're doing a great job with Clover!

I have an umbrella cockatoo, Ayla, and I've been using a hemp and egg mixture to help her maintain a healthy weight. It’s been really effective for her—hemp seeds are rich in healthy fats and protein, and eggs provide extra calories and nutrients. You might want to try a similar mix for Clover; it could help with weight gain.

Also, if you haven't yet, I recommend checking out Ayla: Bird Health Tracking. It’s a great tool for tracking weight, behavior and egg laying—really helpful for monitoring changes over time!

Good luck with Clover!

 

[rheashard2]

As stated find a way to document everything. I even had to go so far as to weigh food, water going in and out of cage. My CAG was weighed morning and night. It took this to see her trend over a few years! When days started shortening she started gaining. Longer days the reverse. The problem was if her weight was too low she didn't regain it easily. Her labs, checks were always normal. This can be an uphill struggle. There's lots of high calorie foods that can be of help. Chia seeds, safflower seeds, pecan, almonds and more. These can only be feed in moderation because of the calories.

 

[littlesaraj]

Hi Sara,

I completely understand your frustration, and I know how concerning it can be when you're trying everything to help your bird. It sounds like you're doing a great job with Clover!

I have an umbrella cockatoo, Ayla, and I've been using a hemp and egg mixture to help her maintain a healthy weight. It’s been really effective for her—hemp seeds are rich in healthy fats and protein, and eggs provide extra calories and nutrients. You might want to try a similar mix for Clover; it could help with weight gain.

Also, if you haven't yet, I recommend checking out Ayla: Bird Health Tracking. It’s a great tool for tracking weight, behavior and egg laying—really helpful for monitoring changes over time!

Good luck with Clover!

Great thank you so much! Yes she loves eggs. I think it's also a transition from a bird store food as well as normal food now. She's my first bird so thank you so much for the input and I downloaded the app

 

[littlesaraj]

As stated find a way to document everything. I even had to go so far as to weigh food, water going in and out of cage. My CAG was weighed morning and night. It took this to see her trend over a few years! When days started shortening she started gaining. Longer days the reverse. The problem was if her weight was too low she didn't regain it easily. Her labs, checks were always normal. This can be an uphill struggle. There's lots of high calorie foods that can be of help. Chia seeds, safflower seeds, pecan, almonds and more. These can only be feed in moderation because of the calories.

Yes all these are great recommendations and I got her a gram scale. Thank you so much she loves safflower seeds.

 

[wrench13]

Start weighing him every morning, after his BIG morning poop. keep a record!
You can use a T stand and a cheap kitchen scale that reads out on grams, they are like $40 ON Amazon. Birds do go up and down a bit but a loss of 3-5% in a few days, thats when you need to get the vet involved. Eggs, cooked pasta (single ingredient, no salt), chicken (cooked), Chicken bones are all good source of protein. Tree nuts like walnuts are also good!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Is the vet alarmed? I know that babies lose weight after they wean and start flying but if the vet says it's not normal for your bird to still be losing weight I'd be concerned too. Is his weight within normal range for a black cap? What is normal range? Same as a green cheek?