The Pionus Diaries: The Max & Yoshi Story

[Dartman]

Well he left us a few weeks later but it was obvious he was sick too

 

[jh81]

Well, i noticed Yoshi really doesnt eat much pellets..
We have decided to put her back on a seed diet for a while, see if it helps!
I also gotten multivitamines and calcium stuff.. i’m a professional apothecarian now!

 

[Vittror]

I'm sorry Yoshi lost weight but it sounds like you're working hard to change that!

I think I've never replied before on this thread but how did the appointment at the vet go?

 

[Dartman]

They told me to give Nerd anything he would eat that wouldn't kill him to try and fatten him up. He always ate fine, just was skinny. So try different things to see what she really likes and give her lots of choices and even do the look how yummy it is before she gets some. Nerd watched us eat all kinds of food and I accidentally found out he loved spaghetti when he practically landed in the middle of a big cold pot of it I was trying to eat by myself one day.
After that he would do the baby bird wing shake when he knew we were making it and always get some or steal it off my plate. Lurch loved it too and would jump right in the middle of my plate with his dirty feet and help himself.

 

[jh81]

Yeah, i will be filling a HUUUGE bowl too

remember, they only got bad things like a little bit of seed and soaked bread im even considering putting her back on that for a while?

Well anyway, lets hope all the vitamin etc works

 

[jh81]

I'm sorry Yoshi lost weight but it sounds like you're working hard to change that!

I think I've never replied before on this thread but how did the appointment at the vet go?

The message above yours “we” would be me and the vet.
since bloodwork came up fine in january, they felt no need to do another one.

they suspect Yoshi simply doesnt like the pellets. Max eats them well, and with everything going on the past months, i failed to watch their food intake

So ive put Yoshi back on a seed diet, see if that helps, and then start working again on getting her back onto pellets and veggies

 

[scrape]

If they ate bread, maybe she'd like birdy bread?

 

[jh81]

I havent tried yet, Yoshi is wary of anything to be honest

I did feed her Pasta! Max will eat his heart out given the chance, so i allowed him to eat pasta with Yoshi close. She hesitated but ate it none the less, and they both seem to like it very much i use it now to give her the vitamins we got hopefully it will help

She gained a gram since i relocated them downstairs back into seperate cages. Makes me think there is hope yet

 

[Archer90]

Try rice and cuscus. My Pi love both, but cuscus only with vegetables or fruits.

 

[jh81]

Good idea!

i could use some healthy food too haha

 

[Archer90]

Of course you can, but tbh i dont know what i should get from healthy food for him, so i give up mostly on that.

Someone already metion it, but did you try to give them sprouted seeds? If my Pi have them in the Bowl, he is eating them first over anything else. And it is really easy to make.

I bought some wheat seeds ( or tarwe in Dutch) in petshop near my place and he really likes it after sprouting them. Second best seeds are sun flower, they have a lot of vitamines after sprouting and you can just take them from their seed mix. I didnt buy separate sun flower for sprouting, because they need to have a shell on them and it is hard to find this kind of seeds.

 

[tka]

Leia LOVES sprouted mung beans. They look like smooth little green beans.

You can also make them into a really tasty dhal. It contains salt so not okay for birds, but really good for humans.

 

[jh81]

Yes, ive tried sprouted seeds, we give them to the other birds as well.. They ignore most heathy stuffie But dont worry, i’m not one to give up easily

 

[Archer90]

My Pi is ignoring sprouted seeds when root is too big. From what i ve read the best seeds are when the root just start to grow. In this moment they contain the most vitamines and proteins. The bigger root is the less vitamines they contain. So if you didnt try it already, try give it to them when small white root appear on the top of them. Maybe this will help.

 

[finchly]

I think they will eat the sprouts eventually, keep trying different ones.

Sprouts are the healthiest food on the planet— for us, too.

Pionus are just picky. Mine love certain things but if they don’t like something, forget it. Ernie throws it in the floor. Angel says in Pi “I tell you and tell you take it AWAY this is not acceptable.”

 

[jh81]

Oh my!

Yoshi tried the swing today! It was nice to see some activity
I’ll be trying to weigh her tonight when i get home, see if she gained any *fingers crossed*

 

[jh81]

with the pasta, the rice, and placing Yoshi in her own cage.. she is now on 207g

Which is a wopping 37g weight gain in 2 weeks?? Could be the extra vitamins too ofcourse.. I noticed Yoshi's feather's are improving too, they are getting the same sparkle Max has!

Who, by the way, is a bit tougher to weigh.. he has no problems following the "step up" command. WUNDERBAR! the "Step down" command though.. thats a whole new chapter!

 

[Dartman]

Try putting a treat on the scale so he steps on to sit and eat it. My vet stuffs them into a paper bag and plops them on the scale. Once they're inside and can't really see they tend to hold still.

 

[jh81]

i have a basket which they go in

 

[finchly]

My vet stuffs them into a tupperware container