Need a little help

[TeenerB]

The animal shelter I work for had these two parakeets come in when their caretaker went to the hospital so we have no history on them at all. No names, no ages, nothing.

We all agree the green is a young female but were struggling to identify the blue. S/he is larger than the green and is by far the more vocal of the two. But the really dark brown cere is confusing us all.

I'd love to get an expert opinion on whether it's a more mature female or a male with mites or hyper keratosis or something similar. Any thoughts?

I also suspect they were fed nothing but seeds because no matter what else I offer, they won't touch it. Is there any way to encourage them to eat the healthy foods I give them?

It's been about 30 years since I've had birds (finches, lovebirds and a cockatiel-all rescues) so I'd appreciate any input to help these guys live a better life.

Thanks!

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Not sure of the sex, but it looks like the wee green one might be a female. I'll let the more experienced bird herders give a more definitive answer

As for what they could et... have you tried birdy bread> I use pancake mix, and sneak in pureed veggies, as well as their usual seeds into it (Don't puree the seeds). Broccoli works, too. JUst cut off the tops and offer the green, seed-like bits. You might have to separate the bits so they look like seeds and the guys will experiment. Also, don't forget to make eating them look like it's the best thing ever!