Requesting some advice

[SkyPie]

hi guys,

I have a 4-5 month old tiel that... well, I don’t think he has a medical problem, he just seems to suffer from being somewhat stupid.

I originally had him on Zupreem pellets but he had some weird looking poos so I switched him to Harrison’s high potency fine. Now, he loves them. I will mix it with seed and he throws out the seed and just eats the pellets. Yes, odd, I know.

He loves them so much, in fact, that he practically inhaled them and gets into trouble. He will eat so fast that he (I assume) gets them stuck, and he will bob his head up and down wildly. Sometimes he will bring up whole pellets, sometimes he won’t. Regardless he will just keep eating at the same pace anyway. I tried mixing them with seeds so that he would have to search for them and slow him down but he still finds them plenty quick. When I give him the pellets one at a time by hand he has no problems so I assume it’s just from eating way too fast.

I don’t want to change his diet because he really likes those pellets and I heard they were good quality... so I was thinking of changing sizes. I was not sure if I should go smaller (super fine, which I worry he will be bored with, he likes the cronch) or larger (coarse, which seems a bit big) so I was wondering if anyone had any experience like mine... Thank you!

 

[Sylvester]

What size pellets are we talking about here?

 

[Mizzely]

You could use some of the slow feeding methods for cats and dogs, like put a ball in the bowl, or spread it out on a plate. You could also use something like this: https://www.windycityparrot.com/all...-tinkle-turf-for-dogs-small-piece-p-3598.html

 

[SkyPie]

Harrison fine.


It’s the size recommended for tiels.

Also that looks like a good idea, thanks!

 

[Lady Jane]

There are dishes for dogs and cats that look like a maze. They slow down the eating. I would try one of those.

 

[Lady Jane]

Here is one slow down fish just to give you an idea. There are many styles.
Ethical Pet Slow Feeder 10-in Dog Bowl, Blue - Chewy.com

https://www.amazon.com/cat-food-bow...rh=i:aps,k:cat food bowls to slow down eating

 

[Monica]

Have you tried feeding sprouted seeds?

Ideally, he should be eating 50/50 seeds to pellets with fresh foods as part of the diet. Too much pellets could potentially lead to kidney failure or gout.

 

[Garet]

If he doesn't take to foraging toys, you can try crushing them for him.

 

[Hotpockets]

Maybe try mixing in leaves with his pellets? Just tear up some lettuce and he'll have to search through the layers to find the pellets.

Or if you're worried about mold from the moisture, dry leaves like bay leaves might work.

 

[KuraiKarasu]

I've noticed with my tiels that larger sizes do make them eat slower (since they have to work more for a bite) but too large makes them lose interest. You could probably ask Harrison's for a sample of the pellets one size up and see if that helps. Alternatively, hiding the pellets around the cage and under pieces of paper might help too. Foraging toys are also a great idea!