Hungry Little Macaw. Need Advice!

[Blancaej]

So Savannah is doing great but here lately, she seems really really hungry! When I give her breakfast or dinner, she races to her bowl, practically running. LOL. I give her Fruit, nuts & cereal for breakfast with some nutriberries. I also have pellet in her cage all day for when I'm not home. When I get home I make a mix of fruit, veggies, sometime of starch and a little protein (some days) up for her (depends on what we're having for dinner). She does get snacks here and there. But I wonder if I am giving her enough. I'm so used to feeding Quincy who is much smaller then Savannah.

I am going to start a birdie corn bread I used to make Quincy years ago and also I'm thinking about a chop or mash. I hope to get that started this week sometime and maybe that will satisfy her better. Does anyone have any guidelines on how much I should be feeding her? I don't want to over feed her but I certainly don't want to under feed her either. Anyone have a good mash or chop recipe??

[roxynoodle]

Well, I think since she has pellets all day, she's not starving :) However, she likes the other foods better. You may have to not give her as much of the other stuff to ensure she eats her pellets as well.

[plax]

Each Macaw is an individual. But my Salsa just LOVES warm oatmeal. Among other things, he also really likes celery sticks and oranges. When it comes to food, though, Salsa will eat about anything. I try to make certain that a significant portion of his diet is pellets. He just adores the treats though :D

[Blancaej]

Thanks Audrey! I've noticed since I've been feeding her a nice variety of things, she hasn't been eating per pellets as much. So there is food in there all the time, but like you said, I think she likes the "other stuff" better. I will have to work on this!

Tony - Thanks for the food suggestions. Savannah seems to like just about anything, too! There are a few things she dumps out of her bowl. LOL! But what 4 year old minded kid wouldn't. :D

[roxynoodle]

My birds will all eat their other stuff before they will eat most of their pellets. Pete and Merlin especially only eat a few pellets until about an hour before bedtime and then they will finally eat their pellets when they know they aren't getting anything else!

[Blancaej]

Ah! Good point! I should just let her finish and see if she turns to the pellets!

[jtbirds]

Well on this train most greenwings I have found to be big eaters and drinkers... Sure sizes comes to play but it is still very odd and somewhat excessive and yet weight sometimes does not increase greatly. My Reuben and mny greenwings I know eat just the same way as salsa and savannah I don't see it being an issue just as long as they are eating the good stuff to! And my greenwing drinks about a large bowl of water a day, plus he dunks all his food!

[Blancaej]

So it sounds like she has a healthy appetite! LOL! She seemed less frantic to get to the food dish tonight and I noticed she nibbled on her pellets a lot more during the day today while I was at work. I think you are right JT, as long as she is eating the good stuff I guess I shouldn't worry to much. If she's hungry, I will just let her eat! I am looking forward to making them some yummy birdie corn bread. Quincy used to love it and I know Savannah will enjoy it, too! Oh, Savannah loves to dunk her food, too! :th_biggrin:

By the way, I am going to try taking her to work with me for the first time tomorrow. Wish me luck!

[Turquoise]

Oh boy! You have to get photos of Savannah's work day visit!! :th_biggrin: Hint~Hint~ I love photos, especially when they are of our fiddies 'out & about'. My ekkie Leyla Belle is my best one for eating almost everything I put in her bowls. She does the usual tossing of some of the stuff, I think that is just a routine for her. She loves the fresh foods mixed in with the cooked things. She eats very little pellets, but ekkies on average need more fresh foods than dry.

My Catalina boys sometimes make me wonder if they eat anything from day to day. I can't see much disappearing from their bowls at times, but they are quite content & healthy. So I don't worry anymore & they take spells of eating the pellets. I have like 5 different food bowls in each enclosure so I can put things separate to give them the choice of variety without as much stuff tossed looking for their favorite foods. :th_LOL:

Ruby Jewel eats her fresh/cooked foods first, then she goes to her nut mix bowl. She does eat pellets as long as they are dunked in her water bowl which I have on the opposite side of the enclosure so she has to work at it. It does not deter her from the pleasure of dunking in the least. She is still getting used to the different way I fix things from her breeder's way, but she is a hearty eater & doesn't turn down much of it. I have noticed she likes the largest pieces of pellets best compared to the boys. I can understand that since her beak is so much larger. :th_hehe:

[roxynoodle]

My reasoning behind wanting them to eat a fair amount of pellets each day is then I know they are getting all the vitamins, minerals, protein, etc that they need, and in the right amounts. I don't feel confident in providing everything with all fresh foods, especially since 2 of my birds are pretty picky.

[Blancaej]

De'Andrea - Thanks for sharing how feeding goes with your birds. Hearing how others do things is so helpful! And yes, I will be posting photos of Savannah's visit today. So far things are going really well!

Audrey - I can totally understand that. Especially if you have picky eaters!

[yvette]

My guys have pellets at all times as well.
I do make a lot of bird bread, muffins and treats. My grey loves fresh foods...brown head too.
kiki is still not trying fresh stuff. She is stuck on pellets and nuts only!

I try and rotate foods, switching it up often.

[Blancaej]

Thanks Yvette! It seems every bird is different. I think rotating foods is always a great idea!

[roxynoodle]

If Merlin got her choice all she would sit around eating nuts, corn, pasta and other grains, lol! Ok, she likes Nutriberries and sweet potatoes as well, but isn't big on veggies as a whole.

I have a feeling Pete might eat potatoes chips, drink beer and watch TV all day :th_biggrin:

[Blancaej]

Audrey - :th_LOL: I'm sure there are more then a few parrots out there that would prefer chips, beer and watching tv all day! :th_biggrin:

[rowansilverskye]

Id be happy to share my mash recipe,if you'd like.Ive done a bit of rescuing and seen my method of feeding greatly improve my Birds health.Let me know :)

[Blancaej]

Denise - I would love that! You can PM me or post it here for others to see. Thanks! :awesome-smiley-emot

[roxynoodle]

If he learned to use the phone, he would also order pizzas!

[Blancaej]

:th_loltears: Only a bird person could actually picture this in there head! LOL! I can see it now...Pete dials up and says. Pete want a pizza! :th_biggrin: