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How to fatten up your bird?

jh81

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So..

I got a lovely, neglected Pionus. Very sweet little female. She’s healthy, but skinny to the bone :( probably because of the wrong diet before. (And coupled to the wrong male who maybe prevented her from eating?) Now, it took me a few weeks, but she’s on pellets. She’s not eating fruit and veggies (yet) and i wonder if there’s anything i can do to help her gain weight, preferably quickly? (I know, i know.. i have no patience) Because i really would like to turn her into this good looking miss sunshine!

and how much pellets should she, normally, eat? Like.. a soupspoon per day?
 

tka

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You don't want to fatten her up or for her to put on weight quickly. Just keep offering nutritious food and give her the chance to fly, which will help her put on muscle.

I would also recommend weighing her regularly to monitor her weight. How much does she weigh now? When you feel her keel bone, what do you feel?
 
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jh81

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I’ll tell you tomorrow, i noted it down and im in bed now :D

I figured, gaining weight is good? And ofcourse not obesitas fat.. but you know?
Actually, she flew today for the first time, but i can see she has troubles with it :(

You can feel her keel bone really good, at least the last time i handled her.. And ofcourse i will keep offering her all the good stuff, but i was hoping there was some ancient incantation or herb i could use that would instantly turn her into the perfect little Pionus?
 

sunnysmom

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Some nuts? Almonds, etc.
 

mythic55

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Trouble flying might not be 'weight' but instead muscle mass- lean muscle mass and muscle atrophy if were previously kept in sub par conditions. I agree- slow and steady, you dont want to stress the liver, which connects to pancreas, etc, with a high fat diet.
Do you have a scale?
Feel the keel bone?

Scale is a good idea for every bird owner- I weigh my birds often (multiple times a month). It is the first sign of illness or dietary faults.

-Soupspoon a day? I dont think you can 'measure' the amount.
Birds will pick it up, break it off, fling things, etc. So I would say give as MUCH as possible if she is eating. She will generally control her own intake, but dont let her think she is starving by giving a minimal amount :)
 

tka

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I’ll tell you tomorrow, i noted it down and im in bed now :D

I figured, gaining weight is good? And ofcourse not obesitas fat.. but you know?
Actually, she flew today for the first time, but i can see she has troubles with it :(

You can feel her keel bone really good, at least the last time i handled her.. And ofcourse i will keep offering her all the good stuff, but i was hoping there was some ancient incantation or herb i could use that would instantly turn her into the perfect little Pionus?
There is a magic spell but I'm afraid it won't work instantly. It's called "patience" and "compassion" and "love", and you have all of that :)

I can see from the photo on the other thread that she looks a bit skinny. When you feel her breast, you should be able to feel her keelbone slightly but it should have muscle on either side. If you can feel her keelbone easily then she could stand to gain weight, but you a) want this to be muscle rather than fat and b) want her to gain muscle slowly. Encourage her to fly as much as possible. This is the best thing she could do to build up muscle and stamina.

You don't want her to get fat - our captive Pionus are much less active than their wild cousins, and can easily be affected by heart disease and by atherosclerosis (a build-up of plaque in the arteries). Introducing a high fat diet can stress her internal organs like the pancreas and liver, and putting weight on too quickly can stress her joints.

I think you can give her some more good nuts - Leia loves almond slices. I would handfeed these only so that you can carefully monitor how many of them she's eating and so she'll also associate you with a special, delicious treat. I limit these to a couple of almond slices a day. You can buy almond slices in the bakery section of a supermarket or from health food shops.
 

jh81

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I give her 2 almonds a day, because she likes them :heart:

you Know, my tagline at work is “Ohh.. ik moet geduld hebben?” Which translates to “Ohh.. i need to have patience?”

No.. i dont have that :D the other things i can fake though ;-)
 

Lady Jane

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You could add cooked pasta to the chop for her also. Sweet potatoes too.
 
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