Bird obesity

[Janfromboone]

I recently purchased and read a book by Michael Sazhin -- The Parrot Wizard's Guide to Well behaved Parrots. I purchased the book because I've seen his many videos and well trained birds which seem to be able to be handled and fearless around anyone. They perform tricks for anyone. Here are some links.

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giyhDNlY1tU.

 

I was very impressed by the book which also addressed a problem I have with training Tobie. He won't eat a treat. Maybe a bite of apple but then he turns his head away. Michael sais that not taking a treat is the most common complaint he hears. He sais it is because our parrots are over fed and under exercised even when they are flighted. Usually left in a cage while we work they eat out of bordom. Because of reading this I looked up CAG weight on this forum and found that the Weights reported were usually 416 to 460 grams ( I am just recalling this now - If you look up the article the range may be a bit different) Tobie's weight is 510 to 520 grams. I have been weighing and recording his weight which was 511 the first weighing and today was 519 a month and a half later. I weigh daily and am reducing his food - from 50 grams of Harrison diet high potency course to 30 grams this week. He gets some raw vegetables also (Broccoli, carrots and cauliflour and greens from the garden). He is obviously not loosing weight and I am saving just a bit less than 50% on my bird food bill because he doesn't powder up the food in the bottom of the cage. The food pellet in the bottom of the cage are weighed and the powder in the bowl etc and it has gone from 25 to 5 grams of waste. My plan now is to take Tobie to the vet and see if he is truly obese and begin to reduce his food to whatever the vet feels is normal - if he is truly a fat bird. I assume that obesity is as much a problem with our birds as it is with us. I want him to live a long time. Anyone have any comments. Has anyone read this book. For someone so young and with so few years of experience I was highly impressed with this information and with Michael Sazhin.

 

P.S I realize that the first video is a bit hard to watch - but impressive don't you think.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Janfromboone

[judygram]

Jan, Tobie's weight may be normal for him, it depends on his bone structure, there are greys who weigh in excess of 600 grams and are not obese. You should check his keel bone, if you can hardly feel it then he is too fat but I would let the vet check him out for he is the one who truly knows if he is normal weight or not but I highly doubt he is.

[danmcq]

Hi Jan, GreYt to hear from you again!

 

If Toby has weighed that much since you brought him home. He is a large framed grey as Judy has said.

 

I personally will not feed Dayo or Jake less to ensure they are hungry for a treat. I just don't give that treat I use as an reward in their food bowls. An Almond or shelled peanut will get them to do anything I wish.

 

Professional trainers leave their birds hungry which is not a good thing to do to any bird, in my opinion.

Edited July 22, 2013 by danmcq

[katana600]

You can give us a book review once you have read the new book. The first video was too noisy and distracting and even knowing it was promotional, so there would be no bloodshed, I felt my stomach in a knot. Maybe it isn't my parrots who are reluctant to be in large noisy groups... maybe it is me. LOL. We gain insight in so many ways, I have learned so much from this forum and feedback helping me with Gilbert that any new knowlege has a potential for helping understand our parrots just a little more than we do now. Gilbert is underweight and he isn't much for taking treats. He is wary and since I really don't know his history, its hard to tell if that is his innate trait or a learned behavior. I look forward to seeing what you glean from the new book. My experience with a bird with a past is not necessarily going to coordinate with a person training a trusting young bird or even an older parrot in its original environment. I am definitely looking forward to learning more.

[Janfromboone]

Thanks for your response. I wondered about taking food away to encourage the bird to take a treat. Can't really see the harm if they don't loose weight. Tobie won't eat any thing - more than a bite, once - so training him with food reward is out of the question. He used to like oats and barley or bits of apple when he was a baby and I taught him the turn around and the wave and several little tricks. Glad to hear that he may not be obese. I'll check in with the vet too.