Avoiding Solids?

[MarcusCAG]

Last night, things were a little crazy before I put the boys to bed and I didn't change out the papers in Marcus' and Beaker's respective cages (I'm evil, I know!). So this morning they weren't all nice and fresh like normal, and the big morning poopies weren't as apparent when I glanced over everything. I cleaned up Marcus' playgym and its papers, then I had plans to move onto the boys' cages. But while Marcus was out on the floor, he made this little poop that was kind of odd-looking... it was small, for one thing, and it was all white, it had none of the green in it. (He made another little poop since, and it had some of the normal green slender part in it, but it was still a little smaller than normal, and not so watery-looking.)

 

Anyway, concerned after that weird poop, I peeked in his bowl and realized he hadn't really eaten many of his pellets, which I had given him fresh last night before bed. He did eat his usual morning treat of a birdie cookie (homemade with organic corn flour and oat flour, a little peanut butter, pureed kale, pulverized roasted eggshell, an egg, etc.), but usually that's consumed along with a massive number of pellets. So I thought, hm. And I offered him (and Beaker) some garbanzo beans, which they often get in their grains/beans/veggies mix. Marcus kind of nibbled on them but ignored them for the most part.

 

Sooo... when he said "French fry!" in that familiar tone, I thought, aha! I put more garbanzo beans with some pellets in a mix with some organic baby food (fruit), carrot juice, and spirulina. These are all things Marcus normally gobbles down. He ate all the semi-solids and left the beans and the pellets! Now I am a little concerned.

 

Do parrots go through changes of "palate" like humans? I mean, should I be really concerned? Yesterday he did eat some pellets, he drank fine (he had some water this morning too), he ate an almond, he had a sweet potato with some banana and other things mixed into it, he had a couple of birdie cookies... so yesterday Marcus was eating 'normally'. Am I getting worried over nothing and this might just be a fluke (like he's thinking, pellets are boring today!) or should I keep that peeled eyeball on him and take action somehow if he keeps avoiding his pellets into the evening? I feel totally paranoid with this but I am a little worried and don't want to make little of it if it's something bad.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies...

Edited May 26, 2011 by MarcusCAG

[Ray P]

Our birds are a lot like us as today they have a taste for one thing and the next day it`s something eles.

And it`s fun to watch them when they have a choise.

[judygram]

I bet you will find it changes again but they can be as finicky as we can so I wouldn't worry about it and you can change things up for him too, show him you are flexible too.

[Birdnut]

I have also seen an occasional watery poop with no solid, as you described. Then poops returned to normal, and Moussa is fit and fine.

 

Marcus is probably fine, although I know you'll monitor his well-being, as you always do.

[Dave007]

The white poop is simply urination--it's white/sometimes clear, has very little green color if any and as a bird gets older it comes out consistently ( approx every 45 min to 1 hr) and throughout the day. Each amount is usually small. As far as him avoiding or tiring of certain foods, it's simply that he doesn't want them. Do you think that you can eat your favorite food --example steak, 7 days a week throughout the whole day?

As far as diet---greys and other parrots tire of different food concoctions periodically. Actually the items you're feeding your bird consistently isn't necessary nor is it ideal. You need to go back to the history of greys---African greys are wild animals. Your grey is a wild animal and will remain so until it dies whether he's a pet or not. In the wild, greys and other parrots don't eat sweet potatoes, organic baby food (fruit), carrot juice, and spirulina, homemade with organic corn flour and oat flour, a little peanut butter. This is information that's been passed down from parrot owners througout the years over long periods of time. Luckily, a grey won't get sick from some of these things. Another fact that's been passed down concerns pellets. Pellets are artificial and for the past 3 yrs many studies have been done and it's been found that many chemicals in pellets aren't as good as a person may think. They're man made.

Unfortuntly, many people take the most important vitamin enriched food that parrots eat and break them up and use it for training purposes. That item is nuts. Rumors have been handed down that too many nuts are harmful to a grey. Well, when a flock of greys fly off in the morning, the first place they go to is where all the palm nuts are. They eat everything in the nut including the oily substance that surrounds the nuts and they eat a lot of them.

Ever see a flock of greys flying and looking for food? None of them ever start looking for a pellet tree because they don't exist.

You should stop giving baby food and carrot juice. Peanut butter is alright but nuts should be given whole. Nuts are a natural food that's eaten in the wild. Veggies should be given whole/solid. Organic baby food (fruit) causes loose bowel movements. Any fruit does. So, very little should be given. Once a week at the most and they should be solid.

Are all of these nuts harmful? Well, I have 3 greys--Every morning each get 3 almonds unshelled, 1 walnut split in half and if I have some hazelnuts, they get them too and none of these items are given for training purposes. I give them because of their healthy benefits.

Edited May 26, 2011 by Dave007

[MarcusCAG]

The original post has been removed.

Edited April 1, 2016 by MarcusCAG

[MarcusCAG]

The original post has been removed.

Edited April 1, 2016 by MarcusCAG