my new bird is not eating??

[tiombe]

have a new (to me) African grey. He is about 5mths old, and came from a friend. I have had him for two days and i am worried as he has only seemingly been nibling at his food. The previous owner explained that he would usually eat two small bowls of a soaked seed/bean mix and other things, whereas he has only munched on the same bowl and a few sunflower seeds the entire time he has been with me. I presume it is shock and nervousness as he settles. he oscilates between putting his head down if i approach to pick him up (so as to not let me put my hand by his feet to step up), and on other occassions letting me hold and pet him. I also have a white dover in a nearby cage and a himalayan cat. What i am not sure is whether his not eating much is just generally due to the transition in which case perhaps i give it a few more days and see how he does, OR if it in fact that he is feeling terrorized by the presence of a cat in the room. Are there any 'super foods' that he won't be able to resist as a way to help him transition?

 

Also, when the dove coos/calls Tiombe always shakes his head. I assume this is disapproval/irritation, but do others know?

 

He also insists on standing on top of the new cage i built for him (30"W x 20"L x 40"H). I built it before reading that it is unwise to have a cage where the bird can be higher than you. With him standing on top he is actually just lower than eye level, so in effect i suppose i am still higher (top of my head) than him. Whether this has anything to do with it or not, if i am able to pick him up (on my arm), and put him inside the cage he immediately scales the side and goes out the top again. If i close the top he does a lot of clicking (presumably disapproval). If someone can confirm: my sense is that it is good to generally keep him caged in during the day (while i am not there) as he seems to nibble more his food when caged inside; it also shows that i am in charge (i.e., i let him out on my terms, not his). Although i also assume that his uneasiness in being in the cage is due to the very new surroundings especially this new cage.

[Talon]

It sounds like he's sad about missing his old surroundings. Give him lots of love, patience and understanding. He needs time to adjust. go slow with him and give him lots of attention. Keep your tone of voice very upbeat.

 

Try feeding him out of your hand. Talon goes crazy over nutraberries. You could try that as a treat. Try anything that you are eating, (providing it's safe)let him see you eating it, then offer some by hand. If his appetite doesn't pick up in a couple of days, I would take him in to the vet. Greys can loose weight very quickly, and you won't even notice. Do you have a scale to weigh him on?

 

I wouldn't worry about him being up higher than you at this point. He needs time.

 

Talon does not like the cats and is uncomfortable with them being around. You might want to try keeping your cat away while he's adjusting.

 

Well, that's my advice for now. Good luck and keep us posted! <br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2007/05/16 19:16

[Guest Monique]

I would focus my concern primarily on the eating at this point. Try to feed him by hand as Talon said. I would call his former owner if he isn't eating tomorrow. Perhaps you are not duplicating his food exactly and birds can be very picky. A bird will actually starve itself before it will eat something it does not want to so this is very important. If you have a food scale to weigh your bird with this would be helpful to track his weight as he adjusts to your house. Reduced eating is normal. You just need to be sure he is eating and drinking some and not losing too much weight overall.

[Talon]

Excellant advice!!

[jtullos2]

Yes i would suggest getting a food scale. It will be great for now and good in the long run to help monitor the birds overall health. It helped put my mind to rest with my baby bird to see that he is starting to gain weight

[tiombe]

thanks all for your generous feedback. he is definitely eating as i have seen him and see evidence in his bowl, just that it seems to be about half of what the previous owner claims he was eating previously.

 

i have tried hand-feeding him but he sees to 'chomp and drop', getting seemingly nothing down the hatch. i have tried cheese, lettuce, grapes, and i first came to the conclusion that he was either mad at me as if to say, here is what i think of you and your lousy food! i will rip it up and drop it on the ground. Although he seems to not do much better when i watch him go at a corn on the cob wired to his cage. he chomps at it seemingly dropping 99% of it! Is my CAG missing something, not all there, too young for hand feeding, or simply nervous/upset with me (not wanting to eat in front of me). The irony is that somehow i see in his sunflower seed dish that he manages to have cracked open many of the seeds (presumably he has eaten the contents), so i am led to think, 'ok, he is not incompetent, and is capable of eating'.

 

these are the musings clearly, of a new African Grey owner...

[Talon]

It would appear that they drop most of what they are eating. But they do get some of it in. They are messy eaters. So I wouldn't be too concerned about all that is falling out of their beak.

I would recommend that you purchase a digital scale. You can find them pretty cheap if you look hard enough. Then I would weigh him daily for now to make sure he isn't dropping any weight.

 

And never be afraid to ask any questions. We have all been in your shoes before. There is such helpful advice here. SO keep up the questions!! It will only make you a better parent to your baby.

[tiombe]

thanks Talon you are very kind and patient, and helpful in your posts. i greatly appreciate it. anyone else for tips on easing your grey into hand feeding, and helping them with a better food retention ratio??

[Caspersmum]

Hi,

 

Talon's absolutely right - they are messy eaters - especially when they eat crumbly food like pellets, mainly because they haven't got cheeks around their beaks to hold the food in while they bite into stuff.

 

I've not had any concerns about Casper's eating, but I have a couple of observations that might help you - Casper loves cooked pasta - and I've noticed that unlike most of his food, when he eats pasta, almost all of it ends up indside him not on the floor! The same goes for a lot of soft foods - he likes eating houmous and thick vegetable soups off a spoon, and he likes eating mashed sweet potato, cooked rice and cous cous from a fork (or right out of my bowl if he gets a chance)- all of which are mixed together with whatever sauce I've cooked. With all of these he gets more food inside than out. It's all trial and error, and in your case, I think a set of scales will help to put your mind at rest

 

Hope it's all going well - and keep us posted,

 

Julia

[greylover]

It may be because he is missing his old surroundings.

[tiombe]

he seems to be doing much better now. In fact, unless i am mistaken i am almost noticing his belly starting to bulge a bit! I wonder, then, how to ensure the opposite as well: not to overfeed him. Is there an overall weight amount that serves as a good guide for different ages of CAGs, or should i feed until he is no longer hungry (with sunflower seeds there really would be no end!).

[Guest Monique]

Start weighing him regularly and measure his food. Then you can easily adjust up or down. You want to feel some "meat" on his breast bone, not so it is sharp. Greys are not a species of bird typical prone to obesity but that doesn't mean it can't happen....

[Talon]

Tiombe, Have you weighed him yet? And how is he doing? Sounds like his appetite has really picked up!

[CeasarsDad]

I think this is normal for Greys not to eat at first.. I saw this with our 20 week old Ceasar.. I kept calling the breeder I got him from saying.. "he doesn't look like he's eating much" He said... "don't worry. he'll eat" and he did..

 

Talon, Monique and the others that recommended you weigh the bird are right on.. This needs to be done almost daily and you need to watch that there is never a 10% drop in weight.. If there is GO TO THE VET ASAP..

 

To those that are reading this post that DO NOT have a gram scale.. First of all Shame on you.. Secondly.. GO BUY ONE.. LIKE NOW... Ebay or course..<br><br>Post edited by: CeasarsDad, at: 2007/06/10 15:28