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Help with senior diet - allergies

puffyquack

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Hi, I'm super new here.

I a fostering a 28 yo green indian ringneck that is basically wild and is having gut imbalance issues. Basically, she can't handle ANY seed (even as a treat, I don't feed my birds seed) or any nuts. Right now, she's on 80% fresh chop three times a day with probiotic mixed in, and about 20% pellet. She gets papaya and banana frequently to manage the loose poops. She's currently on Zupreem which is great for my other parrots but she gets really stinky, sandy poops from it.

She's been to the vet many times and all they really say is that she has an imbalance in her gut flora so they put her on antibiotics. She will be totally fine and I'll get the stink under control enough to reintroduce pellets then BAM. Stinky again.

I know that there are most likely deeper medical problems here but she's already been to the vet more than the charity can afford. I'm trying anything I can to make her feel better at home.

Does anyone have recommendations for a different brand of good pellet? I want to try that before switching her to exclusively fresh food
 

Clueless

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Fuzzy

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You could try sprouting a mixture of grains and legumes to provide a complete protein... or add some cooked. My Orange-winged Amazon doesn't eat seed or pellets, only fresh food which includes sprouts, fruit, veggies, nuts and a very little cooked food (sweet potato, scrambled egg, grains and legumes). TOPs pellets is good - no artificial vitamins or additives, no sugar or soy. Zupreem does have added sugar which might mess up gut flora?
 

Hankmacaw

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You should take her off Zupreem and put her on a pellet such as Harrison's, Roudybush or another as recommended by @Mizzely. Zupreem, especially the colored ones, have sugar (too much) and one never knows just how much the dyes effect a bird. You might try some pumpkin (plain out of the can - not pie filling) to straighten up her poops. Papaya is great for them, but is called the poopy fruit in the countries where it is common.
 

Mizzely

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It'll be tough to figure out exactly what she's reacting to. If it's the artificial color, then Roudybush or Mazuei would be a good option (Harrison's has sunflower and peanuts, and Hagen has peanuts, which are a good food source unless she can't tolerate them).

I honestly might try a rice based food like FM Brown's Zoo Vital. They are peanut, corn, wheat, and soy free but do have artificial colors. ZOO-VITAL® Extruded Daily Diets - Brands - Pet Birds - Products | F.M. Brown's

 
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Hankmacaw

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puffyquack

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She's not on the Zupreem fruity because she's so sensitive to artificial colorant.... I can't even give her colored vine balls because she reacts to those Her previous owner had her on that and we got her off right away, she doesn't handle it well at all. The pellet that she's on doesn't have any colorant to them.

I'll definitely look into the supplements and the other pellet, thank you for the suggestion!!


Has anyone tried the pellets from Bird Tricks Store!
 

Hankmacaw

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Has anyone tried the pellets from Bird Tricks Store!

I believe that the Brid Tricks pellets are just another brand repackaged and sold under the Bird Tricks brand at a much higher price. I think that they are Tops pellets (which I don't like at all)???
 

Mizzely

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Ahh yeah if she doesn't do well with colorant than my suggestion doesn't work. Bird Tricks is repackaged TOPS which really is just a fresh food diet in pellet form... Doesn't have any added vitamins so is lacking. But for a dry food it might be a good option if paired with a supplement like Hagen Prime or Nekton
 

puffyquack

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Good to know! Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions!

Any recommendations for fresh foods to add to her chop, or chop recipes? I've been getting pretty much whichever veggies are on sale and adding in very little fruit to cut the sugar and making a makeshift chop with that.

Can I give her cooked rice? I know my quaker loves a little bit of pasta
 

Mizzely

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Here's my recipe, with some suggested veggies, etc My Chop "Recipe"

Rice is fine in moderation. I usually try to do a grain that offers a bit more nutrients (quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, etc) but not sure what she can have
 

juliashmulia

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Just seeing this thread and wanted to make a suggestion to the OP to have the bird tested for PDD/AG. His symptoms sound exactly like Si’s. Your vet should be able to do a simple blood draw and send it out for the antiganglioside antibody assay.
 
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