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Canary Winged Parakeet/Bee-Bee Parrot - Need Some Advice & Help**

xBirdLover97

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( I'm sorry if I put this thread in the wrong category. I'm really new here ^_^')

Hello I'm xBirdLover97. I purchased a Bee Bee Parrot about 5 months ago, and he's starting to act up, he's about a year old. I'm not sure what may be causing this because I am kinda new to this whole owning a small parrot thing.

1.) He has been throwing his Sunburst seeds out of the dish. He does not eat any of it, just throws out everything. Along with a conure blend gourmet and fresh veggies and fruits + cooked everyday. This behavior started after I changed his seeds, because I thought I could get a similar conure blend gourmet at a local pet store. Which did not work out so well... he started throwing them. So I contacted the breeder I got my parrot from and told them what happened, they then let me buy some conure blend gourmet from them, which is where I get my conure blend from now on. But whenever I switched back to the sunburst the breeder had been feeding him, he just throws it all out, I have no choose but to remove them from the cage because I can not waste money on seeds that go to waste. So please if anyone has something similar to this happen and fixed it then please give me some tips!!

2.) He's tail feathers will not grow in. They keep breaking off. I figured the cause of this may be from the lack of his seeds. He always eats the conure blend gourmet, but never the sunburst

These are my main concerns so far, so if anyone could help me it would be really appreciated! Thanks for your time :)

P.S. If some could let me know hoe to link a video to this thread I can (I have one of him throwing seeds) Also I can send photos of his tail or give more detail on each problem
 

Tim

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Hi, and welcome! I don't know the answer to your question, but I moved your post to a more appropriate location! Maybe we need to add a "Brotogeris Byway" section!
To upload a video, you need to have it loaded to a video site (YouTube, Vimeo), then copy the link an paste it in the section for video (looks like film strips in the header)
 

xBirdLover97

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Thanks for moving it. Sorry about putting it in the wrong section ^^' Also thanks a ton for sending me info on that BeeBee parrot diet, a lot of new stuff I could try out with him
 

Cat The Great

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Hi xBirdLover97! I'm new to birdkeeping as well. I've had my bee bee parrot for about 8 months. She is on pellet food because I was told by the person I bought her from that it is better to feed them pellet food so that they can't pick out anything in particular. Now about the tail feathers your bird might be lacking in vitamin A and/or calcium. I hope this information proved helpful.
 

Porter

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Alrighty first off, Broto's are STUBBORN little brats.

And well known for being picky eaters; changing diets with them can be tricky as all get up. In the wild they are natural fruit eaters; and don't all that often eat seeds. I'd recommend a slow weaning off of the seeds at first and introduce a pelleted diet. Offer both in two seperate bowels... and at certain times of the day REMOVE the seeds.

Offer nuitriberri's as well because the fruit flavored ones are 30% pellets and have more of a variety in them than usual pellets.

Porter my broto was hard as anything to get trained onto a proper diet; I've been working with him for YEARS now. What is yours like behavior wise?
 

Monica

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I find it interesting that Shady Pines doesn't feed their brotos pellets. I would feel that any more than 50% of a brotos diet as pellets would be too much... seeds should still be an important part of the diet. Unless pellets have been "corrected" for small species, a diet high in pellets could result in renal failure or gout in small birds.


If your broto is tossing food, it's quite possible that you are feeding *too much*. You may need to consider cutting back on how much you feed. When it comes to dry food, I try not to feed more than what my birds would consume within a day, and then some. They always get fresh food daily.


Maybe try feeding sprouts instead of seeds?


A lack of seeds in the diet would *never* cause tail feathers to break. Broken tail feathers are more likely to be caused by clipped flight feathers, rough play, inappropriate sized cage, poor placement of toys and perches, or???
 

Pipsqueak

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I heard they need nectar and fruit and maybe some canned insects. I would go as much as possible with fresh food.
 

Tim

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I find it interesting that Shady Pines doesn't feed their brotos pellets.
I agree. Some of their nutritional thinking is a bit outdated. My vet was appalled that they use soaked monkey chow as a weaning food.
 

xBirdLover97

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Hi xBirdLover97! I'm new to birdkeeping as well. I've had my bee bee parrot for about 8 months. She is on pellet food because I was told by the person I bought her from that it is better to feed them pellet food so that they can't pick out anything in particular. Now about the tail feathers your bird might be lacking in vitamin A and/or calcium. I hope this information proved helpful.
Thanks for the feedback! For the pellet food is there any special type I should get? And for the drops would this type work? Bird Vitamins & Supplements: eCOTRITION Skin & Plumaage Supplement at Drs Foster & Smith or Bird Vitamins & Supplements: Hagen® Prime concentrated, Vitamin, Mineral, Amino Acid Supplement If these are not correct could you, please send me to the correct vitamin/calcium drops. I do not want to get some knock off version that will not help.
 

xBirdLover97

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Alrighty first off, Broto's are STUBBORN little brats.

And well known for being picky eaters; changing diets with them can be tricky as all get up. In the wild they are natural fruit eaters; and don't all that often eat seeds. I'd recommend a slow weaning off of the seeds at first and introduce a pelleted diet. Offer both in two seperate bowels... and at certain times of the day REMOVE the seeds.

Offer nuitriberri's as well because the fruit flavored ones are 30% pellets and have more of a variety in them than usual pellets.

Porter my broto was hard as anything to get trained onto a proper diet; I've been working with him for YEARS now. What is yours like behavior wise?
Seemed that I have learned they are picky eaters the hard way, lol. It appears like everyone is telling me to wean him over to a pellet diet, now should that be his main dish? Should I continue to give him the conure blend gourmet and replace the Sunburst with the pellets? Also, how does weaning work with a bird that does not eat any of the seeds he throws? He will not stop until the bowl is empty.

Below is a video showing what he does with them.


Other than that problem he is a great bird. He is really cuddly, loves to talk (But can get very loud sometimes), not a very curious bird (gets spooked by a lot of things), only likes me (gets aggressive around some of my family members/new people. I have been trying to train him out of that behavior by letting new people give him treats whenever they visit, so he sees new people as good things), can get nippy sometimes, and he loves attention.

Thank you for the feedback! :)
 

xBirdLover97

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I find it interesting that Shady Pines doesn't feed their brotos pellets. I would feel that any more than 50% of a brotos diet as pellets would be too much... seeds should still be an important part of the diet. Unless pellets have been "corrected" for small species, a diet high in pellets could result in renal failure or gout in small birds.


If your broto is tossing food, it's quite possible that you are feeding *too much*. You may need to consider cutting back on how much you feed. When it comes to dry food, I try not to feed more than what my birds would consume within a day, and then some. They always get fresh food daily.


Maybe try feeding sprouts instead of seeds?


A lack of seeds in the diet would *never* cause tail feathers to break. Broken tail feathers are more likely to be caused by clipped flight feathers, rough play, inappropriate sized cage, poor placement of toys and perches, or???
I do not think I put to much in.... I fill it a little below a half, which is not very much at all, but enough for him to get his fill. Plus he eats fresh seeds everyday.

As for his tail feathers they were fine until he took a bath in his water bowl. They broke and they never grew back in correctly, always breaking before they are fully grow in.

In one of the threads above I a video of what his does with them. If you want you can check it out and see if it might explain some things.

Thanks again for the feedback! :)
 

Monica

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Preferably a dye-free, sugar-free pellet. Harrison's, Roudybush, LaFebers, TOP's.....

Zupreem is often readily accepted by many birds, however it does contain sugar, and some lines do contain dyes as well.

I'm not a fan of Ecotrition, personally... and if a bird is on a healthy diet, you do not want to supplement with additional vitamins and minerals unless directed by an avian vet.



Seemed that I have learned they are picky eaters the hard way, lol. It appears like everyone is telling me to wean him over to a pellet diet, now should that be his main dish? Should I continue to give him the conure blend gourmet and replace the Sunburst with the pellets? Also, how does weaning work with a bird that does not eat any of the seeds he throws? He will not stop until the bowl is empty.
I wouldn't recommend more than 50/50 seeds to pellets, and with this taking up 50-75% of his diet, with the rest being fresh foods.

Weaning onto a new diet can be done in one of several ways.

Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

You might try picking up some Budgie/Parakeet/Cockatiel blend instead and see if he prefers that over the Conure blend.



I do not think I put to much in.... I fill it a little below a half, which is not very much at all, but enough for him to get his fill. Plus he eats fresh seeds everyday.

As for his tail feathers they were fine until he took a bath in his water bowl. They broke and they never grew back in correctly, always breaking before they are fully grow in.
As long as he's healthy and not bleeding out, then the tail feathers may not be a big issue. If you are concerned you can take him to an avian vet for a checkup.

As far as throwing out the food... what about feeding him fresh food in the morning, then the seeds at night? Or, as I previously mentioned, trying a mix for smaller birds?


He might even be interested in foraging activities that make him work for his food! There's a lot of ideas out there!

Foraging for Parrots
Parrot Enrichment


Enrichment For Your Parrot
 
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xBirdLover97

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Monica, I took your advice and got him these pellets: Bird Diets: Harrison's High Potency Fine Bird Food. These were what you were thinking I should get?
I'd recommend a slow weaning off of the seeds at first and introduce a pelleted diet. Offer both in two seperate bowels... and at certain times of the day REMOVE the seeds.
I tried doing the method above to introduce his new pellets. I have been at this for about 2 weeks and I haven't made any new progress in getting him to eat his new pellets, he still throws out all his sunburst seeds and is now starting this behavior on his new pellets. I have been keeping a close eye on him whenever he goes to throw them, and I came to the conclusion that he thinks his seeds are a toy and not food. Because he does not bother to stop and break open the seeds, but whenever he comes across a papaya he stops and takes the time to eat it.

Also I was wondering if you could give me any tips on introducing new toys to him, because whenever I get him a new toy he is terrified of it and will not go near it for a few days until he realizes it will not harm him. I am scared to put in his new foraging toy because I don't want him to be scared of it and never try and use it.
 

Monica

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Yes, that's one of the pellet brands that's recommended.


Try grinding the pellets down into dust, then mix about 50/50 with seeds and add enough water to make a thick "paste". You can then make little pellet/seed balls or "cakes" and see how he likes those.


Put new toys 5 or 10 feet away from the cage, however far away that he's not afraid of them. After a few days, move it a *little* bit closer (i.e. not more than a foot at a time). Repeat again in a few days. Once it's been next to the cage for a few days, try hanging it on the outside of the cage.

Or.... have the new toy on a table and surround it with treats and food. Let him choose to go closer to the toy for the rewards.
 

Milo

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Don't waste your money on supplements. Converting him to a healthy diet is going to be the best thing and will get him all the nutrition he needs. I'm guessing that at least part of the issue with the tail feathers is diet related.

Looking at your video, that is A LOT of food! Figure out the amount of food that he eats in one day, and then replace part of it with the pellets. Patience is the key. You're going to need to actually measure out the food he eats. Start with two tablespoons (which still might be a bit much) and go from there. Start with replacing part of those two tablespoons with 1/4tsp of new pellets and go from there. He has to learn that this is food, and he has to have the motivation to try it. Right now think of it as a choice between a healthy meal and fast food. You can also take out the food overnight and then only offer him the pellets in the morning for a bit to encourage him to try them.

If he's interested in what you're eating you can try putting the pellets on a plate and pecking at them with your finger to get him to investigate
 

Mdbbirds

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Hi, just joined because I had never heard of canary winged parakeets or Bebe parrots until a couple months ago and surprisingly now I have one that I saw for sale needing re-homing because the person got the bird in January not realizing she really didn't have time for it. Sadly the bird is a year and a half years old and this is its 3rd home...and final one. I have had numerous parrots but just not this species so am anxious to learn all I can. The prior owner never fed pellets but when I gave he/she some, it knew exactly what they were and gobbled them up eagerly. This bird clearly had a breeder that taught it to have a great diet and the one and only time it tossed seeds was when I gave it the brand my prior birds got. Then the prior owner brought the seeds she had been giving it and to my delight, it was the only brand with good healthy seeds whereas I resorted to buying shelled, raw, salt free seeds from a health food company. When one of my parrotlets broke part of his beak, I trying shelling the sunflower seeds and was totally grossed out by how rotten they were. Now my little Kiwi eats like a fantastic eater and adores fruits. Bravo to the breeder on the diet but perhaps not so much on taming...or is that a reflection of prior treatment or normal behavior issues? I will be posting lots of questions there. It's sad to hear of any place that doesn't start any parrot on pellets since it can be challenging when they don't recognize them as food. I am calling out all Bebe/canary winged parrot owners to share their experiences. Will say that Kiwi is sure different than all the others I have had. He can be super sweet or a brat but he's in his forever home just the same.
 

Monica

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It's hard to say if his behavior is due to species or from previous care. Possibly even a combination of things.


There are a lot of breeders who do not feed pellets, yet they have healthy, happy flocks. Sprouts and/or vegetables make up a large portion of their flocks diet. If the breeders feed sprouted seeds, then they feed about 50/50 seeds to vegetables/other fresh foods. This may vary, maybe it's 30/70 one week, 60/40 another. If the breeders don't feed sprouts, then they still feed *a lot* of vegetables.
 

schnitzle

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Our canary-winged parakeet was raised by the shop owner not her breeder, and was weaned onto a seed (with some dried fruit) pellet mix.
It was pretty light on the pellets and she doesn't seem to eat them much at all. Since we've had her home we've been offering fresh fruit and veggies every day as well as some sprouts and a legume mix. She seems to eat a tiny bit of everything with mangos and blueberries being her favorite.

Our avian vet recommended we try Harrisons Super Fine pellets because they're small and resemble millet. She seems to like them pretty well.
So we're starting a weaning off of seeds process that takes around 6 weeks. She'll munch a couple of TOPS pellets too. But really, she doesn't eat a large quantity of any one thing. She can be picky and throws things down, but we just keep offering.
 

Cat The Great

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Hi! Welcome Mdbbirds! My canary-wing was hand raised by a bird dealer and was weaned onto Roudybush pellets. She is willing to eat a ton of fruits, but not so much on the veggies. :p She can very picky and stubborn on food and getting her way. She throws little tantrum fits and can be very tempermental. Other than that she is a very sweet bird and is willing try new things. :xflove:
 
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