Good News

[Muse]

Our Greybies' annual check up came a little early this year, with Mar having hurt his left leg which prompted a trip to the vet. Since it was almost time anyway, I just scheduled the appointment for both and had the yearly done in one trip. They both got the full deal, including blood work. I was kind of anxious as I made a decision some time ago to wean off any pelleted (read: processed) foods and go with basic natural and organic nutrition without artificial colors or additives. For about the last six months, the only 'pellet' they got was a very occasional Nutriberry and we are phasing those out as well.

 

Except for Mar having lost 8 grams due to his lack of appetite (or possibly ability to hold food with is non-dominant foot), the visit was very reassuring. And now that he has pain relief, he's been working full time to regain the weight by eating everything he can get his beak on. Fecal smears were normal, and I got the call today that the blood work looked "great"! This made me feel much better about their diet. And happy to know my kids are doing well, with the exception of Mar being a little lame at the moment, but he does have some pain medication and is on a "no play, 'cage' rest" order - which translated means he's spending all day with Mommy so he does not get antsy and try to climb or play from boredom. He's been an absolute darling about it, and is even taking the medication well with the help of a few drops of apple cider.

 

I also had their bands cut off. I know a lot of people disagree about banding, but Megan's banded leg was getting chafed and she constantly gnawed at the band. They will go back in a week or so (after Mar is healed) to get 'chipped' for security and in case of escape.

[Timbersmom]

Good deal! It is always a relief to get a good report

[JeffNOK]

Glad to hear progress is being made!

[Greywings]

I love hearing about their diet change and then having such great blood work results. Good reminder to get my flock their yearly on the schedule.

[judygram]

""I also had their bands cut off. I know a lot of people disagree about banding, but Megan's banded leg was getting chafed and she constantly gnawed at the band. They will go back in a week or so (after Mar is healed) to get 'chipped' for security and in case of escape.""

I chose to not have the band put on my grey for that very reason, I have it in my possession though.

Glad to hear the vet visit went well and I hope Mar's leg heals quickly.

[birdhouse]

Hope Mar recovers very soon. Poor guy! Maybe you could rough chop his food in a blender while he's on the mend?

 

But great news otherwise. It takes some research & work to fresh feed a healthy fid. So good on you!!

 

A 95% pelletless diet is actually not such a bad thing though. It's good to continue to feed some pellet(s) occasionally because they can be really handy. Like traveling or during evacuation or power outages from natural disasters which it seems like many more of us have been experiencing in recent years.

 

So it might not be the worst idea to let them keep the Nutriberries. I also feed my guys TOP Organic Pellets often enough to keep them from balking at them ...just in case. Since they're 100% human grade organic, I feel like they're a decent fit w/our mash diet.

 

http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/cart.cgi?group=537&child=541

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Great report about Mar! Hope all is well. Nancy

[Muse]

Hope Mar recovers very soon. Poor guy! Maybe you could rough chop his food in a blender while he's on the mend?

 

But great news otherwise. It takes some research & work to fresh feed a healthy fid. So good on you!!

 

A 95% pelletless diet is actually not such a bad thing though. It's good to continue to feed some pellet(s) occasionally because they can be really handy. Like traveling or during evacuation or power outages from natural disasters which it seems like many more of us have been experiencing in recent years.

 

So it might not be the worst idea to let them keep the Nutriberries. I also feed my guys TOP Organic Pellets often enough to keep them from balking at them ...just in case. Since they're 100% human grade organic, I feel like they're a decent fit w/our mash diet.

 

http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/cart.cgi?group=537&child=541

 

I noticed a change in the smell of the Nutriberries lately. And the birds seem suddenly less enamored with them. Are the two facts related? Probably. I know the orchard flavor ones used to make my mouth water when I opened the bag. Now they don't smell like fruit at all, they smell like old stale peanut butter. I contacted them and never got a reply. I suspect there may be some cost cutting in ingredients going on there with less fruit and more peanuts, but I don't know facts because they didn't reply.

Those TOP pellets look like just the thing! Thanks for the link and I am going to try some of those out!

[Muse]

Great report about Mar! Hope all is well. Nancy

 

Thanks, Nancy. He had a 7 day course of Meloxicam, but is still favoring the leg a bit. He did better for a few days, but a couple days after his last dose (today) he's turning down almonds and things he has to hold in his foot. So back we go next week. He's been the biggest clingy little cuddle bug, though. The vet said soft tissue injuries sometimes take a while to heal. I will be glad when he's back to being himself.

[danmcq]

GreYt update and good to hear all results are normal. Perhaps you could hold food item for Mars when having those cuddle times to assist in his dining process while that soft tissue heals. Good choice on getting them back on a more natural diet.

[Timbersmom]

Interesting you said that about nutriberries Muse. Timber is, unfortunately, a nutriberry bird. I tried every worthwhile pellet and got a resounding "no way." He would eat the nutriberries so that is what he gets. He also gets a lot of other things, so they aren't the total of his diet. However, he hasn't been eating them well since I started the new batch. Very interesting to see someone else has similar concerns...

[Muse]

Interesting you said that about nutriberries Muse. Timber is, unfortunately, a nutriberry bird. I tried every worthwhile pellet and got a resounding "no way." He would eat the nutriberries so that is what he gets. He also gets a lot of other things, so they aren't the total of his diet. However, he hasn't been eating them well since I started the new batch. Very interesting to see someone else has similar concerns...

 

I tried three bags, the last from a different store in a different state, even, because I was thinking that the first two were maybe old and stale or stored improperly. It gets really hot in Texas and I thought maybe if they were left in a warehouse, or in a back room of the store that wasn't climate controlled, that may have accounted for the difference. All of them smelled the same, and the smell was nowhere near what they used to smell like. About that time, the fids started getting less excited about them. When I opened that third bag, I called the number and left a message. I have not heard one word back. Maybe after the holidays I will try to call again and see if they will give any insight on why the product changed? We noticed an extreme change in the Sunny Orchard and the El Paso berries' aromas.

 

I was looking up the ingredient list and noticed propylene glycol as an ingredient in Nutriberries. Although it is considered relatively safe, it is not allowed in cat food. I don't want my birds eating it either. I really liked the sound of those TOP organic pellets and am going to try those next.

 

I am moving away from processed foods for everyone. I bought a book of recipes for the cats and dog (soon to be dogs). Things that are turned into "slurry" and then baked into kibble can't be that nutritious.

 

We had organic popcorn popped in organic coconut oil tonight. No salt, no butter and it tasted GOOD. I am learning to like new things and eating things I never thought I would. I guess that is one more positive in my life from having these birds.

[Muse]

Thanks, Dan!

 

I have been, and he's getting a little extra mommy-time. He's been super-clingy and SUPER cuddly. Even with me. (He is always cuddly with Daddy except during hormonal times). I am loving that but still wish he was feeling better. I notice he is still holding things with the left foot to enable him to support his weight with the right. He will go back to the vet this coming week and we will see how he is doing then. At least his appetite picked up! That had me worried.

[birdhouse]

We had organic popcorn popped in organic coconut oil tonight. No salt, no butter and it tasted GOOD. I am learning to like new things and eating things I never thought I would. I guess that is one more positive in my life from having these birds.

 

That is a side effect/benefit of fresh feeding the fids ...assuming you're a "good" eater. Better diet, better variety & better overall quality. You can't help but learn tons about nutrition in general along the way. Sometimes you may not want to know... lol but it really ends up being good for everyone.

 

...& anyone you happen to share with. think I'm going to try your popcorn recipe. TU

 

Have to say w/everything I've learned about nutrition, I've yet to feel like I've come close to mastering it for the dogs, though. So good luck & I'd love to hear what you eventually work out.

 

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10666

 

As it happens, I need to restock my TOP pellets. After I mentioned it here, I went looking & it seems like they're very hard to find at the moment. The company is small & apparently a little messed up. So I'm really hoping nothing drastic has happened.

 

Unfortunately, products tend to come & go & change all the time. So when I bumped into this somewhere along the way I bookmarked it. But I haven't done anything else, yet.

 

http://www.eclectusparrot.com/pelt2.shtml

 

Tell Mar I hope he loses the gimpy leg problem, soon. But I hope he'll still keep some of those extra cuddles for you.