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Help...
Nov 1, 2013 19:44:32 GMT
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Post by lisamarie on Nov 1, 2013 19:44:32 GMT
Me and my mom are growing concerned with Lucy's behavior. She spends almost ALL of her day just sitting in her food dish. Once I saw it all the time I checked to make sure she wasn't pooping in the dish also, but she was so I dumped it all out and got a new clean bowl. I took it out last night overnight. And I put it back in at 6am this morning. I went to work until 3pm and I came home and there was more poop in her food dish.
I'm not worried about her pooping in her food, I'm just worried because she spends ALL day eating and in the dish. I have several perches and toys and you never see her doing anything but sitting in her dish.
When she comes out she's perfectly fine. She'll play with whatever you I give her. But if I keep a food dish out when I have her out, she'll go straight for the food and eat instead of play.
Is she eating so much because she's a baby, or is something wrong? Is she bored?
She can't possibly be bored I have so much other things for her to do! I'm worried
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Post by Sarah on Nov 1, 2013 20:18:42 GMT
She is probably reverting to some nesting instincts, because she is very young and she has been through a big adjustment lately. It can be comforting for a baby bird to lay down in something like a nest. I'd give her the bowl empty to lay in if she is so determined, and get a tube food dispenser to use for the time being. I don't recommend using the tube feeders for long term, because they can easily become clogged with seed hulls and not drop new seeds down - but if you check on it regularly it will keep her poo out of her food.
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Post by Emily on Nov 1, 2013 22:19:49 GMT
Miss Pepper did that when I first got her, I thought something was wrong too---she always was by her food dish! She eventually stopped nesting in her bowl and now is perfectly fine. Sarah gave me the same advice haha
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Help...
Nov 1, 2013 22:40:25 GMT
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Post by lisamarie on Nov 1, 2013 22:40:25 GMT
Phew! Did you use the other kind of feeder or did you just let her take her time with it?
I haven't gotten one yet, but i may. Like I just feel bad that I have to keep throwing out bowls of food because she poops in it -_- it's a waste!
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Post by Emily on Nov 1, 2013 23:34:33 GMT
I got a dish that hung on the bar so the most she could do was perch on the side. Eventually she just stopped doing it.
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Help...
Nov 1, 2013 23:47:54 GMT
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Post by lisamarie on Nov 1, 2013 23:47:54 GMT
Could she be eating "too much"? Like I know she's still a baby but I'm so worried she's just not going to stop eating. Do birds over eat?
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Post by Sarah on Nov 1, 2013 23:52:35 GMT
Cockatiels can over eat and become overweight. Lucy is probably just going through a growth phase though.
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Help...
Nov 1, 2013 23:56:18 GMT
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Post by lisamarie on Nov 1, 2013 23:56:18 GMT
Okay. How long of a phase could it be? Days, weeks, months? Just so I know when it becomes a problem.
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Post by Emily on Nov 2, 2013 0:01:50 GMT
I felt like Pepper was always eating in the beginning but I was told babies eat more frequently and you never really know how much they're able to shell and what actually goes to the ground. Lucy is probably still working on shelling other seeds than millet...plus like Sarah said, she's most likely growing It makes me relieved that I wasn't over-paranoid when I first got Pepper lol! Also that we have Sarah.
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Post by Sarah on Nov 2, 2013 0:14:21 GMT
Ultimately the volume of food depends a lot on her size genetically and her activity level. You will know if she is getting overweight as she grows into a more adult frame by feeling her breast bone. You should be able to put your fingers against her chest and feel a quite pronounced bone lifting up just a bit from her chest. The flesh on either side should feel firm. If you can't feel it clearly or the tissue around it feels soft and spongey, you might need to put her on a diet.
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Post by lisamarie on Nov 2, 2013 0:28:27 GMT
Thank you both! I love this online community we have very thankful for you guys! What would I do without this forum? Probably google this and become more paranoid
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