Guest briansmum Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 how do you tell if your grey is over weight? i always thought you should be able to feel their breast bone but if it is too pronounced/sharp then they're underweight, so that is what i have gone by. i can feel brians breast bone but it's not poking out. anyway i ask because he seems to be gaining weight but i can still feel the bone the same as i could before even though he looks to be "filling out". he was on average 475g AD (after dinner- i have to weight after food as he just wont sit on the scales long enough in a morning) but now he's averaging 490-500g AD he has a good diet- his fill of harrisons, fresh fruit and veg, organic baby food, nothing too sweet or salty and about 20 sunflower seeds a day. i haven't increased the amounts at dinner so i know it's not due to how much he's eaten that day. as i said i can see he looks broader. i thought they stopped growing at about 5 months. do you think brian could be a bit podgy or is he just filling into his body and turning out to be a big well built grey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 Well Beccy, that's only an increase of 15 to 25 grams. Unless you feel you need a vets opinion at this point, I would monitor his weight for a few weeks and see if it continues to climb. If he is fairly active and flying around, he could just be building muscle, which is heavier than fat. He probably has stopped growing as yo suggest, but just as we humans, when we stop growing, we do continue building muscle mass depending on job, exercise etcetera or we gain weight from excess caloric intake. :-) Same with all creatures...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 I agree with Dan beccy just keep an eye on his weight.One of my greys Alfie varies but is usually around the same weight as Brian, he is just a big boy, bigger than his brother & my female, i have seen his mum & she is a big grey, maybe brian is taking after one of his parents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest briansmum Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 he is very active, always flying and climbing, it never occured to me he could be buildng muscle (doh!) across his breast and "shoulders" seems wider, but he doesnt feel fat so thats probably what it is. i don't think he needs to see a vet, i'll just keep monitoring it over the next week and if he gets even heavier then maybe a trip to the vet would be good to rule out any problems. can parrots get glandular problems like humans that effect their weight? LOL not that i think brian has one, i'm just curious. i've had a good feel of him all over (much to his dislike) and his chest is quite firm which would suggest muscle not fat right? and he has good strong legs too. what would be signs to look out in an overweight grey? fatigue? trouble flying? what about physicly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 Panting heavily after any activity beccy would indicate an overweight bird, or really fat birds dont perch right, their legs kind of spread out as if their legs cant carry there weight ! I'm sure that doesnt apply to brian If his weight fluctuates up & down after monitoring him then maybe a visit to the vets just to settle your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loviechick Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 Wow you have a HUGE Grey!!! My biggest CAG is 366g, and my other one is 300, but the vet said they're both fairly small in bone structure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 Most times, it has to do with the size of the parents. There's small, medium and large boned greys. If a grey is bought from a private breeder and that person will actually let you see the parents ( which most don't do ), then it's easy to figure out. All of my CAGs are large boned. The smallest is 540 grams--the largest is 606 grams. In case you're interested, no matter what size your grey finally winds up to be, it will make no difference in general traits of a grey. The only minor difference will be that smaller boned greys will be a little more agile and quicker when trying to avoid a person grabbing them. Slick little devils, right? Dave<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/09/28 21:13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest briansmum Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 thanks tracy, theres certainly none of that, he's very active and the only panting he does is at me when he's very excited. wow dave you have HUGE greys! and thanks for the info that size doesn't matter. but i never would have thought it did, i was just checking brians eyes weren't bigger that his belly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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