Some Goofy and B.B tidbits.

[michael]

For starters, Goof decided yesterday morning to pick himself through to the skin. I'm not really sure what prompted it this time, except one behavior I did notice was that he appeared very hyper, almost like there was something in his cage after him. Matter of fact, even before Beeb's came into the picture, I noticed this behavior a couple times last year when he really tore himself up. Gosh...I was really hoping the surgery for the cist would be the cure ..... Needless to say, both are going in this week for their 6 month checkups. Hopefully, the ecollar remains off the list of remedial suggestions. ....... B.B on the other hand, seems to be cruzing along just fine. He's even sprouted a few new fuzzies! I have a feeling though his preen gland may be acting up, as the feathers in that area look kinda trimmed. Lets just say his sexual appetite is the size of Texas. Poor little guy, he's almost always preoccupied with mating. Still, i'd like to find ways that might help raise the threshold of him crossing into the state of reproductive oblivion. So far, we keep no clothing or any other attractive items out where he can zero in on them. Now, if we can only find a way to hide the couch and our lovely kneecaps!..........

I must add, since Beebs came into our lives, things have been far more lively for everyone. There is absolutely nothing like the sound of two birds chirping away in unison bright and early every morning! Really, if I could afford it, the swell of a lovebird songfest from an aviary would fill our very home today. Its enough to send shivers down your spine! Good shivers that is!....Well, enough fantasy....I better start a new batch of birdybread to help reduce the veterinary trauma. Might even take a few nibbles myself..........

[Anneka]

Not good that Goofy started plucking again
Have you tried eliminating certain food products from his diet?

Here is some info:

You should never give your bird the following:

-refined sugar
-refined white flour
-dairy products (with the exception of non- or lowfat organic yogurt)
-salt (but if blood work shows low sodium, occasionally a little salt in the diet may improve plucking. If sodium is normal, then adding salt could harm kidneys)
-fried foods
-chemical preservatives
-chemical dyes
-artificial flavoring

Start by NOT offering the following foods to see if there is improvement:

-soy
-corn found in packaged foods/mixes or manufactured foods. Organic table corn used as a vegetable should be OK. Corn causing the most allergies is dent or field corn.
-spirulina
-wheat
-peanuts
-sweet potato
-sunflower seed
-semolina

IF the plucking CONTINUES, then you may also want to try removing the following gluten grains:

-rye
-barley
-spelt
-kamut
-oats in some cases
-wheat

If plucking stops after taking away rye, barley, wheat, spelt, kamut and oats, you can try slowly reintroducing them later, after the plucking has stopped.

Other foods that you may want to eliminate are members of the nightshade family:

-sweet peppers
-potato
-tomato

After eliminating any foods from the diet and leaving them out for several weeks to months, you can then slowly add them back one by one and watch for any reactions. If you don't see any reaction to reintroduced food, then an allergy to those foods most likely isn't a problem.

Diet to try is:

-Organic WHOLE grains soaked for 24 hrs and then sprouted or lightly cooked (amaranth, quinoa, millet, spelt, kamut, barley, rye)
-Organic WHOLE legumes (lentils has more protein, mung and adzuki are most easily digested) soaked for 10-24 hrs and then cooked. Boil for 10 min, then simmer for 20 min. If you sprout legumes, sprout until you have at least 1/4 " tails, preferably longer.
-Organic greens and veggies in season such as dandelion leaves, collards, kale, carrot tops, radish tops, dark leafy lettuce, bok choy, celery, cucumber, mustard greens, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, beets, cactus leaves, okra.
-Organic fruits in season such as apple, papaya, mango, pineapple, banana, fig, coconut, berries, melon.
-Finely minced garlic: for a small bird only about 1/8 of a clove, for a large bird 1/4 clove, mixed into food a few times a week, NO more than once a day.
-A small bit of FRESH ginger no more than a few times a week.
-Supplement with a small amount of powdered alfalfa (you can purchase capsules. Suggested amounts: 1/8 capsule for birds up to 250 g, 1/4 capsule 250-500g, 1/3 capsule 500g-750 g, 1/2 capsule 750g-100g)
-Also supplement with a tiny bit of kelp. It's best to add a small amount of kelp to a recipe that lasts a few days. On a daily basis, the amount of powdered kelp would be like what you may fit on the end of a pen. A suggested amount of powdered kelp is: 1/10 of 1/4 tsp. per day for a medium sized parrot...that's how tiny! For a plucker, you may try giving kelp daily for about 6 weeks and then after that time give kelp 3-4 days of the week. Kelp can help to stimulate a sluggish thyroid but it has been found that too much kelp or if given daily for a long period of time, it can inhibit thyroid activity, which could possibly lead to plucking. Which is why the small dosage is so very important!
-A quality refrigerated cold pressed flaxseed or hempseed oil OR unrefined palm oil a few times a week instead of flax or hemp seed oil
-Quality probiotics
-A squirt of apple cider vinegar on fresh foods (approximately 1/4 tsp for birds up to 250g, 1/2 tsp up to 500g etc)
-Raspberries: use fresh or frozen thawed. Mix a few daily into fresh foods. Put through food processor is you need to.

A holistic approach is usually needed, so besides diet:

-Take parrot outside for at least 20 min. of sun and fresh air, more is better, weather permitting of course. Be sure that your bird has adequate shade on sunny days.
-Daily exercise. Have your bird walk, maybe go up some stairs. Flap its wings on a hoop. If it flies, work on flight training. Supply plenty of activities and projects in its cage to keep busy/active.
-Bathe your bird several times a week. If it doesn’t' like baths, don't force them but gradually work on making bath time a good thing.

(I don't remember where I got all this info from, but I think part came from the Avian Web)

[michael]

Anneka!................This is enough to keep me busy for the next two years!.... I absolutely appreciate you sharing it with me! I do though remember some content being as that from the Avian web site. Regardless, the nutritional strategy you mentioned is about the best method when trying to determine if there's any food allergies. While we have already instituted some dietary changes, both lovies for the most part prefer a diet that does more to eliminate possible suspects than warranting have to remove them. If anything, in addition to unsolicited seeds and pellets, if we could get them to adhere to a diet higher in "live foods", perhaps this might help to better influence their behavior. ....... You know, they are a bit lazy.....mostly my fault for providing too many scritchies?....I do take them outdoors sometimes, and they are also loose indoors for 6-8 hours daily. It sure would be nice to have a sunroom. Maybe I can up with a giant cage.............

[Anneka]

Anneka!................This is enough to keep me busy for the next two years!....

LOL, that was VERY funny but I was kind of expecting this

It is not easy to deal with feather plucking. You think the problem is over, and then all of the sudden s/he starts plucking again. It is very discouraging for the owner and also puts a lot of unnecessary stress on a bird because each plucked feather has to be replaced.

That list I gave you is long, I know, but I'd suggest starting at least with the following:

1. Completely eliminate peanuts and sunflower seeds and that includes not just whole nuts/seeds but also crushed, so reading ingredients on a label is important.

2. If possible, start taking Goofy outside on a regular basis, weather permitting of course. He, especially needs real sunlight.
If it is not too hot, let's say max 75 F, let him stay in a full sun to make sure he does not go in a shaded area. If it is warmer, then you need to provide some shade.

They sell those inexpensive tiny cages in pet stores (for finches/canaries ). Such a cage would be OK for half an hour to an hour of staying outdoor. Or you could check Craigslist to find a bigger not expensive cage.

3. A warm spray bath (or a bath if he prefers one) every day. Plain water is the best if the plucking is not too serious or maybe consult your avian vet what s/he thinks about using AviX Soother on Goofy. It is a water based spray with pure aloe vera.

One of the last issues of Bird Talk magazine had short stories about birds who pluck feathers and about their owners - how they deal with the plucking problem. Most of them said that the important thing was to just accept the fact that their bird was a plucker and not to stress too much about it, because that is the last thing you want to do, to add more stress to already a somewhat stressed bird.

I promise, no more long lists
Lots of little hugs to Goofy.

[LovelySydney]

Michael I made birdy bread for my Oliver the other night and I took it out of the oven to let it cool off and I come back in the kitchen and guess who's trying to cut himself a piece - my boyfriend! I said "no thats birdy bread!" and he said "so? It smells good" LOL. Needless to say he didnt want any once I told him there was seed in it but it definitely smells like a tasty treat!! My Oliver LOVES it!! Anneka - good diet post, something I'll need to print out.

[michael]

LOL, that was VERY funny but I was kind of expecting this

It is not easy to deal with feather plucking. You think the problem is over, and then all of the sudden s/he starts plucking again. It is very discouraging for the owner and also puts a lot of unnecessary stress on a bird because each plucked feather has to be replaced.

That list I gave you is long, I know, but I'd suggest starting at least with the following:

1. Completely eliminate peanuts and sunflower seeds and that includes not just whole nuts/seeds but also crushed, so reading ingredients on a label is important.

2. If possible, start taking Goofy outside on a regular basis, weather permitting of course. He, especially needs real sunlight.
If it is not too hot, let's say max 75 F, let him stay in a full sun to make sure he does not go in a shaded area. If it is warmer, then you need to provide some shade.

They sell those inexpensive tiny cages in pet stores (for finches/canaries ). Such a cage would be OK for half an hour to an hour of staying outdoor. Or you could check Craigslist to find a bigger not expensive cage.

3. A warm spray bath (or a bath if he prefers one) every day. Plain water is the best if the plucking is not too serious or maybe consult your avian vet what s/he thinks about using AviX Soother on Goofy. It is a water based spray with pure aloe vera.

One of the last issues of Bird Talk magazine had short stories about birds who pluck feathers and about their owners - how they deal with the plucking problem. Most of them said that the important thing was to just accept the fact that their bird was a plucker and not to stress too much about it, because that is the last thing you want to do, to add more stress to already a somewhat stressed bird.

I promise, no more long lists
Lots of little hugs to Goofy.

Michael I made birdy bread for my Oliver the other night and I took it out of the oven to let it cool off and I come back in the kitchen and guess who's trying to cut himself a piece - my boyfriend! I said "no thats birdy bread!" and he said "so? It smells good" LOL. Needless to say he didnt want any once I told him there was seed in it but it definitely smells like a tasty treat!! My Oliver LOVES it!! Anneka - good diet post, something I'll need to print out.

Anneka. No need to make any promises here. As far as i'm concerned, everything you've mentioned is right on cue. Rest assured, I will gladly take it all into consideration.

LovelySydney. Glad to hear your Oliver loves birdybread!....Both my birds really prefer brown rice. Kind of strange huh?......Whichever the food/treat though, nothing beats the excitement of a parrot who waits so "impatiently" for you to hand it over, then afterwards shares with you a fair amount of beak grinding. ...... Say, maybe you can serve up some birdybread to your boyfriend by simply leaving out the seeds..............

[Chickobee]

Ha Ha! Last time I tried my birdy bread and it was good. I don't put any seed or pellets in it anymore like I did at first--just fruits and veggies. I started adding some cinnamon and they like it, and it smelled so good I tried it. I have to say I would prefer a bit of sugar in it.

[LovelySydney]

HAHA I know right? - I figured I had mashed up veggies in there and some fruit, so without the seeds I guess its pretty healthy!!