C_Olson
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 5/8/19
- Messages
- 4
Hi all, I'm new to the forums, but have been looking for some advice on how to help my black capped conure gain weight.
A little about my bird: she's about 2 or 3 years old (exact age unknown) and has bounced around a couple breeders/homes for most of her life before we got her in October 2018. She's a sweet little thing, but has always been underweight. We took her to a vet when we first got her even though she didn't show signs of being sick (besides the weight), and she weighed 69 grams with her keel well-pronounced. Her stool gram stain was normal, and no bloodwork was done. We figured she needed time to adjust and with more attention she would fatten up.
Fast forward to April this year, we took her to a different vet because she STILL hadn't gained weight, still at 69 grams. Her stool gram stain was slightly abnormal, so she was placed on antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks. Her personality perked up almost immediately: she was more confident and curious than before, she didn't nap as much, etc. So we thought, WOW! Maybe this is what was up all along. On our follow up, she had LOST weight (65 grams), and recommended a specialty blend of food (a high fat, high protein bar type deal) to give her in the morning to help her gain weight back. We've added it to her diet, and still aren't seeing much improvement.
She has unrestricted access to Zupreme pellets, and Kaytee Supreme parrot food, and now the vet-recommended fat/protein bar, with fresh veggies/fruits/etc throughout the day. She doesn't favor pellets over seeds or vice versa, but doesn't seem as interested in the vet-recommended food without a lot of fuss from us praising her for eating it. She has plenty of an appetite, but I'm suspicious she doesn't eat without us nearby fussing over her.
Is there anything else I can try to encourage her to eat more? It almost seems behavioral over medical at this point. Any ideas would be really appreciated.
Note: the next vet's follow up is in June where we plan on running the gauntlet of bloodwork to rule out any other underlying problems. But in the meantime, I'm still trying to fatten up my little bird.
A little about my bird: she's about 2 or 3 years old (exact age unknown) and has bounced around a couple breeders/homes for most of her life before we got her in October 2018. She's a sweet little thing, but has always been underweight. We took her to a vet when we first got her even though she didn't show signs of being sick (besides the weight), and she weighed 69 grams with her keel well-pronounced. Her stool gram stain was normal, and no bloodwork was done. We figured she needed time to adjust and with more attention she would fatten up.
Fast forward to April this year, we took her to a different vet because she STILL hadn't gained weight, still at 69 grams. Her stool gram stain was slightly abnormal, so she was placed on antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks. Her personality perked up almost immediately: she was more confident and curious than before, she didn't nap as much, etc. So we thought, WOW! Maybe this is what was up all along. On our follow up, she had LOST weight (65 grams), and recommended a specialty blend of food (a high fat, high protein bar type deal) to give her in the morning to help her gain weight back. We've added it to her diet, and still aren't seeing much improvement.
She has unrestricted access to Zupreme pellets, and Kaytee Supreme parrot food, and now the vet-recommended fat/protein bar, with fresh veggies/fruits/etc throughout the day. She doesn't favor pellets over seeds or vice versa, but doesn't seem as interested in the vet-recommended food without a lot of fuss from us praising her for eating it. She has plenty of an appetite, but I'm suspicious she doesn't eat without us nearby fussing over her.
Is there anything else I can try to encourage her to eat more? It almost seems behavioral over medical at this point. Any ideas would be really appreciated.
Note: the next vet's follow up is in June where we plan on running the gauntlet of bloodwork to rule out any other underlying problems. But in the meantime, I'm still trying to fatten up my little bird.