Loss of appetite?

[_Lady_Flame_]

Hello, i have a problem with Alex....he is now 2 years 3 months and 3 weeks old. In the start of july i visited the vet with him. He told me that the food i was buying (different mixes of seeds for parrots) werent good if i want him to get 30 years old. From those seeds he maybe ate 2 or 3 kinds....well the vet gave me vitamins Nekton - S, Nekton - Tonic and he gave me ZuPreem FruitBlend. He said it has all he needs and that it will take time for him to get used to it. After a week he got used to it so im feeding him only this now(of course vegetables and fruits are daily treat when he doesnt have his vitamins), and the vitamins like the vet told me. This week my family and I, noticed that he lost apettite for this food(ZuPreem). He eats just a few briquettes and then stops. He doesnt eat the whole day accept for fruits and vegetables we give him.

I dont know what could be wrong....first i thought of his hormones because in this time he is starting with his mating dance again and even tries to pair. Any ideas what could be wrong?

[ellieelectrons]

I'd be interested in other people's take on this... but if you are giving him enough fruit and veges, it's probably ok.... so then it comes down to whether you are just giving him a small amount or whether he is getting all of his dietary requirements from the fruit and veges you are giving him.

Maybe he just doesn't like the food the vet suggests?

Interestingly, our avian vet told us not to give them any vitamins at all, just give them a balanced diet.

Ellie.

[_Lady_Flame_]

hmmm....yes maybe you're right and he has too much of everything....ill try to stop giving him vitamins for a week or two and see how he will react to the food then.

[ellieelectrons]

I think, whatever you do with the diet, you should probably change it slowly??? I'm not an expert in this area, I think you should get other people's opinions before taking any drastic action.

Ellie.

[Melika]

Vitamins plus a pelleted diet??? Can we say overkill?

Yeah... I would stop giving the vitamins. Was this an avian vet?


Personally I wouldn't give a vitamin supplement to a bird unless it had an actual deficiency- especially if it is also on a pelleted diet. Also, your vet is incorrect in saying seeds are bad for your parrot. Seeds are beneficial and nutritious. The problem is when a bird eats ONLY seed and nothing else.

If you feed a balanced diet with plenty of veggies and fruits, I don't see the problem with feeding seed. No matter how good the pellet is it cannot substitute fresh foods!

GREAT balanced and favourite articles on feeding parrots:

http://www.rationalparrot.com/diet.html

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/nutrition.html (also has a section on vitamins)

More info and links:

http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... f=3&t=8078

[_Lady_Flame_]

Thank you for your answer. This vet is the only one in our country that is specialized for exotic animals. He said that he can see on the feathers that he doesnt have enough vitamins. Now i changed the bedding(it seemed like he was eating it) and i dont give him vitamins so often. Alex is very picky about his food :S from fruits he likes alot but vegetables.....he doesnt like them so much :S i give him also eggs with palm oil and he loves them. before i went to the vet he didnt want to eat anything else than seeds and a little of fruits. He prefered sunflower seeds and nuts :S and that was it....the other seeds he didnt like so much.... The main problem is that his previous owner fed him only sunflower seeds and nuts :/

Now that i dont give him so many vitamins and i changed the bedding he is eating properly now. Every day he eats bananas and apples and sometimes i give him a mix with blueberries or grapes but when i give him a vegetable mix he doesnt eat...tries a little and then he leaves them. Maybe he needs to get used to them?

Vitamins plus a pelleted diet??? Can we say overkill?

Yeah... I would stop giving the vitamins. Was this an avian vet?


Personally I wouldn't give a vitamin supplement to a bird unless it had an actual deficiency- especially if it is also on a pelleted diet. Also, your vet is incorrect in saying seeds are bad for your parrot. Seeds are beneficial and nutritious. The problem is when a bird eats ONLY seed and nothing else.

If you feed a balanced diet with plenty of veggies and fruits, I don't see the problem with feeding seed. No matter how good the pellet is it cannot substitute fresh foods!

GREAT balanced and favourite articles on feeding parrots:

http://www.rationalparrot.com/diet.html

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/nutrition.html (also has a section on vitamins)

More info and links:

http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... f=3&t=8078

[Melika]

Just like us, they'll choose the sweet foods (fruits) over the veggies! I don't even bother giving veggies at the same time as fruits lol, I know Hane will just pick out the fruits. Try eating veggies with your bird, they love to eat with their flock. You might have to figure out how large or small to cut your veggies as well. My sister's bird likes his finely diced and easy to nibble or else he just drops them. Hane likes a rough chop he can hold in his foot.

So what I do is when he's his hungriest give him his cut veggies or veggie mash to chow down on. Then after a few hours I'll add whatever fruit he might be getting that day. That way he's mostly full on veggies. I do also give him his fresh foods when he's out on his stand most of the time, so he doesn't have access to pellets or seed either.

Maybe try the sweet potato mash since it's a little sweeter- you can serve it warm or cold. It's a good way to sneak veggies in. Sweet potato is also high in the precursor to vitamin A (beta-carotene) which is a common deficiency in parrots. Beta-carotene will not overdose as the extra is sent out of the body as waste- unlike vitamin supplements with vitamin A.



Hane and Tsume's Sweet Potato Mash

Boil a sweet potato or two (quartered and skin on) til easily pierced with a fork then mash it.

Mix in a lot of finely diced or small uncooked veggies (carrots, squashes, peppers, cauliflower, peas, corn (though corn is a grain, NOT a veggie), etc. Broccoli can be used but I find it flavours the mix strongly so I won't mix it in every time. Optional: sprinkle in a little cayenne pepper for a spicy flavour.

Scoop the mix into ice cube trays and freeze for individual portions, putting in a freezer bag when hardened.

Warm a cube on the stove or microwave (stir a lot if you decide to use a microwave to avoid hotspots) and serve.

They also enjoy it cold (semi-thawed), but go mad over it when it is warm. (: