OP
Meg&pip
New member
- Aug 29, 2023
- 2
- 10
- Parrots
- Senegal parrot
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #21
Wow I just want to first say thank you so so much to everyone here... I often get a little worried to ask people out there for advice because it can so frequently come with a side of harsh judgement... this is the most kind, incredibly well thought out forum I think ive ever stumbled across.
As for the advice!: I do have an appt on the books with our avian vet... we are also looking for a new vet as we often leave our appointments with loads of unanswered questions... our vet is supposedly a nationally renowned avian dvm but I think after 9 years, i just feel confused. But we have done poop smears, blood panels, x-rays (which I only recently heard anesthesia is so dangerous for parrots!!!) And all of it came back ok. Years back when she got the implant, pippys pelvic bones had spread to prep for egg production which was another reason for the implant.
For everyone who mentioned diet, and especially to those who mentioned taking a closer look at her pellets, this was incredibly helpful. I've always given my vet a rundown of pippys diet each visit and she's always said it's fine, never mentioned making changes there. But I know pippy is not on a fan favorite type of pellet (rainbow zupreem) but I always assumed the dyes and the monitoring of your birds droppings was the reason for the hate. I tried switching to Harrisons once and she totally hated it. Anyways, I only just now (horrible I know) read the ingredients on her pellets and I am horrified... I cannot believe this is a standard for the bulk of an animals diet honestly... it's all corn and soybean meal and everything else is an additive or preservative. Sugar is also listed before all those supplements which was shocking that was included at all. I feel so embarassed and just like ashamed I never looked at her pellets before, and that this is what she's been eating her whole life.
So she has been on primarily a pellet diet, with carrots/broccoli/various fruits at dinner time. She gets a nutriberry with toys occasionally or a peanut. She gets an almond sliver for treats (training treats). We give her corn one time a year when it's seasonal which just so happens to be now, she probably gets a total of 3-4tbsp. a year total. I always knew her diet was not stellar, not veggie heavy enough at all, but I'm now realizing it's possibly farther off than I previously realized. I just so appreciate all the diet advice.
I picked up a bag of Tops, which just came in today, a brand I had never heard of before until researching healthy pellet options outside of harrisons. I mixed a few of these pellets in with her zupreem this morning and holy cow, I've never seen her try a new food so fast, let alone a pellet, and she opted to eat all of the tops and dodge the zupreem. I am still shocked. So I'm really hoping this is as good a pellet as I've been reading, because I'm aiming to switch her to this as quickly as I can to get off the zupreem. I also found some freeze dried chop, another thing I sidnt know existed, so when that comes in, I'm going to give that a try so we can get her on more veggies without the tremendous waste introducing new veggies always creates for us (if anyone has tried this, I'd love to know if birds actually like it).
I just can't tell you how much I appreciate all this advice. Her diet is one of those things I always knew could improve, but to hear your vet tell you "it's fine" for years and then seeing soo many different diets and diet advice online, it not only didn't feel urgent to change pippys diet, but I felt like I didn't even know how to begin. All this advice has somehow really put a fire under us to change things now, and some specific things to change/take a look at.
I've made a bunch of notes from all of your replies to review with our vet so we can get some additional or modified advice from her specific to pippy.
Thank you all again for all of this. Also the video, we are still watching, but it has so far been jam-packed with helpful info, what a good find! I'll update any changes we see in pippy as her diet changes and any other adjustments we make along the way.
As for the advice!: I do have an appt on the books with our avian vet... we are also looking for a new vet as we often leave our appointments with loads of unanswered questions... our vet is supposedly a nationally renowned avian dvm but I think after 9 years, i just feel confused. But we have done poop smears, blood panels, x-rays (which I only recently heard anesthesia is so dangerous for parrots!!!) And all of it came back ok. Years back when she got the implant, pippys pelvic bones had spread to prep for egg production which was another reason for the implant.
For everyone who mentioned diet, and especially to those who mentioned taking a closer look at her pellets, this was incredibly helpful. I've always given my vet a rundown of pippys diet each visit and she's always said it's fine, never mentioned making changes there. But I know pippy is not on a fan favorite type of pellet (rainbow zupreem) but I always assumed the dyes and the monitoring of your birds droppings was the reason for the hate. I tried switching to Harrisons once and she totally hated it. Anyways, I only just now (horrible I know) read the ingredients on her pellets and I am horrified... I cannot believe this is a standard for the bulk of an animals diet honestly... it's all corn and soybean meal and everything else is an additive or preservative. Sugar is also listed before all those supplements which was shocking that was included at all. I feel so embarassed and just like ashamed I never looked at her pellets before, and that this is what she's been eating her whole life.
So she has been on primarily a pellet diet, with carrots/broccoli/various fruits at dinner time. She gets a nutriberry with toys occasionally or a peanut. She gets an almond sliver for treats (training treats). We give her corn one time a year when it's seasonal which just so happens to be now, she probably gets a total of 3-4tbsp. a year total. I always knew her diet was not stellar, not veggie heavy enough at all, but I'm now realizing it's possibly farther off than I previously realized. I just so appreciate all the diet advice.
I picked up a bag of Tops, which just came in today, a brand I had never heard of before until researching healthy pellet options outside of harrisons. I mixed a few of these pellets in with her zupreem this morning and holy cow, I've never seen her try a new food so fast, let alone a pellet, and she opted to eat all of the tops and dodge the zupreem. I am still shocked. So I'm really hoping this is as good a pellet as I've been reading, because I'm aiming to switch her to this as quickly as I can to get off the zupreem. I also found some freeze dried chop, another thing I sidnt know existed, so when that comes in, I'm going to give that a try so we can get her on more veggies without the tremendous waste introducing new veggies always creates for us (if anyone has tried this, I'd love to know if birds actually like it).
I just can't tell you how much I appreciate all this advice. Her diet is one of those things I always knew could improve, but to hear your vet tell you "it's fine" for years and then seeing soo many different diets and diet advice online, it not only didn't feel urgent to change pippys diet, but I felt like I didn't even know how to begin. All this advice has somehow really put a fire under us to change things now, and some specific things to change/take a look at.
I've made a bunch of notes from all of your replies to review with our vet so we can get some additional or modified advice from her specific to pippy.
Thank you all again for all of this. Also the video, we are still watching, but it has so far been jam-packed with helpful info, what a good find! I'll update any changes we see in pippy as her diet changes and any other adjustments we make along the way.
