Tag suddenly gaining weight.

[Zoso]

My TAG Zazu is one year old. I weigh her every month and since the day I brought her home at 14 weeks old she has always weighed 296-299g every time. Yesterday we weighed her and she was 336g a 11% increase in 30 days. There are a couple of differences in her life this month.

First she grew back all but 2 of her flights on each wing now and she is flying a lot! She loves flying back and forth (about 40 feet) over and over in the sun room every chance she gets.

Second she just turned one year old.

Third she has been supplementing her Roudybush diet with Kathie's Bountiful Harvest without pellets for breakfast and as a snack on the tree stand. I have noticed she has been eating more pellets then usual.

IMO she has always looked thin for a TAG but the breeder and the vet both said she would fill out as she got older. I still think she looks thin but her keel bone does not stick out and she generally has her feathers all laying flat, not fluffed up like a lot of birds do. (When she is fluffed up she looks normal size to me).

I'm taking her soon for her annual check up. I was wondering if anyone had any opinion about this weight gain and how old she might get before her weight is completely stabilized. Thanks in advance, -Bob

 

[Welshanne]

Afraid I do not weigh my birds on a regular basis, so not much help there. Do you give her a cooked chicken bone weekly? they just love to crush the bone and eat the marrow out of the centre. It gives them the protein that they need.
One of my African Greys was poorly and the Vet was unable to pinpoint the problem It turned out with help from Bonnie and Billiefaye they found she was not converting the right diet into the vitamins her body was craving for. By using red palm oil daily on a finger of toast, the cooked chicken bones and the use of a broad spectrum light over her cage she was transformed. The light converted her diet and mimicked the way she would have coped in the wild in a jungle. She is now great and enjoying life. Good luck.

 

[waterfaller1]

It sounds like she is helping herself to more food, as she is exercising and needs more fuel. Muscle mass weighs more than fat, so becoming active alone would increase the weight?

 

[birdlvr466]

With her flying now, she will have more chest muscle so that would be part of her weight gain. My birds fluctuate in the spring and summer they seem to weigh more and then drop some grams towards the fall. I think it might be part of mating season maybe they gain weight. Try weighing her weekiy for awhile so you have more data to look at.

 

[Erithacus]

My CAG is still gaining weight at the age of 2 yrs 8 mths. For the last couple of days she weighed 462g up from 435g a year ago.