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Post by rdkntriker on Dec 6, 2013 18:54:15 GMT
I see a few of you are feeding Cheerios to your Cockiteils , are they also ok for Budgies? also are the healthy for them
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 6, 2013 20:44:27 GMT
I think they should be okay, especially if they are the plain kind--no added sugar or stuff. I haven't read anything specific on it though.
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Post by Sarah on Dec 6, 2013 23:06:17 GMT
Cheerios aren't exactly what I would call healthy for a bird, but they aren't detrimental. Sort of like letting a little kid have an ice cream or a piece of cake - treats are an important pleasure in life, for birds and for people
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Post by Pammy on Dec 6, 2013 23:20:29 GMT
Sarah, would you please tell me exactly what Pirate eats on an average day, and in what order you offer the different foods?
Mary is sending me some mixed signals that are confusing me. She told me today that weaning is coming along nicely, and that she recommends I focus on a diet of spray millet for the first month, to avoid weight loss in the baby. While I don't want him to lose weight, I am not wild about hooking Mistletoe on a lousy diet of millet and then having to work very hard convincing him to learn to eat his veggies after that. What do you recommend for feeding my new baby right from his first day here?
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Post by Sarah on Dec 7, 2013 8:55:05 GMT
I'm afraid my answer might not be the most helpful ever. You need to find a system that works well with your household, your bird, and your schedule Pirate is not very good about eating his fruits and vegetables I have to admit. He was a bit older when he came home with me, and he didn't learn from my budgies. I generally get him to eat fresh foods only by sharing them with him off my plate. I could probably get him to eat fresh in his cage with enough work, but I actually do enjoy sharing my food with him. The budgies will scarf anything put in the cage, but Pirate will only try something if I make a fuss out of finding it delicious. That system worked for him and for me, and I just stuck with it. You don't have to do any such thing - it is just what I did. He free grazes on a seed and pellet mix that is in his cage at all times. When I snack on an apple, so does he. Being a college student on a stilted sleep schedule, I tend to take most of my meals in my room while I study or relax. He just has what I'm having, so long as it is safe He doesn't eat very much in his cage when I am not at home. He prefers to be with me to eat. I would not feed Mistletoe that diet. Millet spray might be nice and fatty for a baby, but it is nutritionally poor. It doesn't have the protein or range of nutrients a growing bird needs. I would choose a nice looking, dye free seed mix from the pet store, and some pellets from a brand you research well. You might want to consider an organic peanut butter for making little treats by mixing in seeds: this will increase the fat and protein in baby Mistletoe's diet. Keep spray millet as a treat for training and bonding outside of the cage. Start training Mistletoe to eat veggies very soon. I made the mistake of letting Pirate 'settle in.' You can try the method I used of making a fuss over fruits and veggies yourself, or try the methods you have used on your budgies.
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Post by Pammy on Dec 7, 2013 17:09:23 GMT
Thanks, Sarah. I really appreciate your input. One question about sharing off my plate. I do salt my cooked veggies (for me, not for my budgies). When Pirate shares your plate, does he get salted foods, and is that okay?
I've already chosen my pellets. My budgies and I like Roudybush low fat crumbles. I plan to offer those to Mistletoe, along with his fruits, veggies and seeds.
I'm not at all impressed with Mary's suggestion about the all-millet diet for the first month. It really worries me, actually. I hope that's not what he's living and growing on now, as she weans him.
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Post by Sarah on Dec 7, 2013 21:08:16 GMT
Pirate does have some salty food from time to time, veggies, even chips. You need to be careful how much salty a bird gets in day, but a nibble here or there isn't going to cause harm. In fact, I have often wondered if caged birds don't get enough salts. Salts contain trace nutrients that are important to healthy life and they help regulate fluid levels in the body. Dehydration is such a problem among birds - retaining some fluid can't be the worst thing ever. If you are very concerned about salt, you might want to make the switch to unprocessed sea salt and try to leave some of the veggies under salted for him As I said though, you don't NEED to let Mistletoe eat off your plate. That's just what worked for Pirate and me.
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 7, 2013 22:04:55 GMT
Emma ate some baked sweet potato today. She likes the Roudybush pellets also. I also give her some cockatiel seed mix.
I am seeing news about the ice in Texas and thinking about you, Pammy. I am wondering if you are going to your sisters or if you are grounded.
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Post by Emily on Dec 8, 2013 1:36:14 GMT
When I took Pepper to her vet when I first got her and when I felt she was losing a lot of weight he told me it was pretty normal. The only thing that wasn't normal is too much of a weight loss. A bird should slender as they are getting off of formula and onto seeds/pellets. He suggested some peanut butter (Sarah actually suggested that too) and I also put her onto Lafaber's Pellet/Seed diet and she seemed to pick up some healthy weight.
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Post by Pammy on Dec 8, 2013 4:04:06 GMT
Thanks, ladies. All kinds of good ideas here.
Diana, I am not going to my sister's. We got hit hard with ice. My brother-in-law actually decided that it just wasn't safe. I am going to go in January or February instead. We are pretty much iced in down here in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. Even churches have cancelled meetings for tomorrow. It's cozy to all be tucked in at home, safe and sound. Thanks for thinking of me.
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