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Extremely skinny- help!

anaberg

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I have a little pearly conure who I've always had trouble keeping weight on. She hatched one baby several years ago but I've been able to keep her from laying since then. This year she wasn't having it and I finally just let her sit on an egg to try to get her to stop laying because I was worried about the effects it was having on her little body. But it seems as though she has lost even more weight- her keel bone is very obvious and she is so skinny:(
She has a good diet of Harrison's, gets nuts and sunflower/safflower seeds (recommended for helping to put weight back on her) and is on a liquid calcium supplement. She's eating but just not reconditioning and I'm at the end of my rope of how to help her.
We do not have avian vets nearby and honestly every time I've brought my babies in I've been charged an arm and a leg to be told "we don't know", and have had to rely on internet advice and prayer...
So, does anyone have any experience with this, or advice that they can offer? Thank you
 

Shezbug

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Iluvbirds~

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Hmm, I suggest adding flaxseeds, hemp seeds and more protein to her diet. Use seeds such as pepita (pumpkin seeds), almonds and quinoa also to add some protein which will help her gain some weight. Also add some pearl millet as it could help. Best of Luck!

However do be careful in giving protein to parrots as captive birds usually do not get enough excercise.

:budgie2: :budgie: :bliss:
 
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Rebel

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I feed my conures this food, pellets and vegetables every day. Their favorite vegetables are snap peas, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots ,swiss chards and spinach.



To be quite honest, both of them are overweight. Ive cut back on this seed mix (assuming all the sunflower seeds in this mix is contributing to their weight) and offer them more pellets even though this food does contain some pellets.They are very active in and out of the cage so their hefty weight has nothing to do with being lazy.
 
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Emma&pico

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I would personally give her a seed mix too mine get it in foraging toys so they have to work for their seeds I don’t give in bowl bowl food is pellets and then veggies
IMG_4527.png
Seed mix mine have in foraging toys I then add sunflower seeds in other parts of foraging toys nutriberries are a massive favourite safflower seeds in paper rolled up
IMG_4526.png IMG_4525.png
None of mine ate nuts until posie came but now they get pine nuts as treat for training

Posie skinny I can feel and see her keel bone when she came here about a month ago I honestly don’t think she had much other than her pellets getting her to try other stuff is a mission but she’s getting there and adding all stuff mentioned above she put weight

I don’t personally my opinion think that parrots should be a full pellet diet I do believe to keep some fat on seeds should be part of their diet I am not saying mine perfect diet at all and others might disagree with why I do it
but

I do pellets in evening going into morning they are then out foraging for pellets seeds treats banana chips nuts nurtiberrirs etc in foraging toys while out of cage
then they get veggies in afternoon 2/3ish until about 6 when back in cage
then foraging outside again while I clean papers and fill up foraging toys in cages (I don’t fill up foraging toys every day in cages I do that every other day more so they don’t get bored of them and I know keeps them happy days I am at work )
change water and pellets back in bowl

some foraging toys mine have in cage
IMG_4528.png IMG_4529.png IMG_4531.png IMG_4530.png
@Mizzely has some fanatic little cups I don’t have a picture of for foraging
 

Mizzely

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Aside from the food - is she able to fly?

What Harrison's are you feeding her (lifetime, high potency, etc)

How much is she actually eating in a day?
 

Jayced!!

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Alongside all of the food recommendations, I'd really encourage going a farther distance to try and find an avian specialist. One thing I know about Pearly Conures is that they're one of those Conure species that are prone to ABV and PDD, which is honestly what this is making me think of. @T. gillii Might be able to give some insight on weight management in Conures with this sort of issue- though he had a Dusky.
 
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