Conure passed, necropsy results and questions...

[Karigan]

I'm sure it's possible that the bird wasn't taking in what it needed from the food. Maybe a digestive problem or something. Humans with tapeworms eat an enormous amount but the parasites get it all... Is it possible that there is a birdie equivalent?

 

[MikeyTN]

:red:

The vet said she was 49 grams, the other bird is 69 grams and is smaller than she was.

I think this probably was a case like ruffledfeathers had. I know she was actually eating the food because she had plenty of poop in her cage fairly quickly and when we had her out she went about 3-5 times in 30 minutes.

Thanks again everyone. We will be more diligent about weighing now and see about getting more fresh food in his diet.

Did the vet say your conure was only underweight? Or did he also have any other problems with organs and such? When I got Rosie she was eating a diet of sun flowers and some safflower. She wasn't a enthusiastic eater, but still ate. Sunflower is a very fattening food but her organs were failing and she wasn't getting the small amount of nutritional value she had available to her.

Have you heard of Harrisons's pellets? If you have it available or are willing to order it online I would suggest you change your current conures diet to that. A lot of people feed Zupreem natural(the colored pellets shouldn't be feed) but I never would, the main reasons for me is that they loose a lot of nutritional value through their cooking process, and because they add sugar.

Also make sure to feed fresh food daily, a chop mix is a fast and easy back up for days when you don't have as much time.

I beg the difference with the colored zupreem pellets!!!! I first started using them over 16 years ago and I have been happy with them. When I take my birds in, they all get good results, they eat zupreem "colored" pellets. I have tried the natural color stuff and my birds wouldn't even acknowledge them. BUT during anytime when a bird have a low weight level, by feeding pellets does NOT help with weight gain!!!! You must supplement with high protein diets to help with weight gain. I dealt with that in the past after the virus break out. That's when I started the high protein formula I make at home to feed. And I added more seeds to their diet for the time being.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I beg the difference with the colored zupreem pellets!!!! I first started using them over 16 years ago and I have been happy with them. When I take my birds in, they all get good results, they eat zupreem "colored" pellets. I have tried the natural color stuff and my birds wouldn't even acknowledge them. BUT during anytime when a bird have a low weight level, by feeding pellets does NOT help with weight gain!!!! You must supplement with high protein diets to help with weight gain. I dealt with that in the past after the virus break out. That's when I started the high protein formula I make at home to feed. And I added more seeds to their diet for the time being.

When it comes to pellets I am a critic. At first I fed Rosie a mixture of lafeaber's, zupreem natural, and Roudybush. When I changed her to Harrison's it made a visible difference in her health and she started gaining weight much faster. My vet explained why those other brands are not as good for birds and I trust her. I get Rosie and Kenji's pellets shipped to me and don't mind the slight inconvience. I want to feed them the best that's out there, and the best fresh foods.

 

[weco]

Worms you ask.....going fishing ? ? ?

Why yes, as a matter of fact, companion birds that have access to outdoor ground surfaces, outdoor water puddles and/or where wild birds may have been can become infested with worms...hair worms, roundworms, tapeworms and thread worms are the normal parasites of this ilk that enjoy lunch with Pesky or Pollyanna Parrot. Infestations of this type can cause loss of appetite, depression, weight loss & even sudden death…..

To check for worm, an exam or maybe several exams of a bird’s fecal presentations is necessary…the reason several may be necessary is because sometimes worm eggs are not always present in every presentation (poop)…..

Recent additions to your flock that have not been vet checked are prime candidates for bringing in worm infestations and all of your flock needs to be checked.....

 

[Jtbirds]

Ok well a symptom of a horrible avian disease called proventricular dilation disease is eating a lot and not gaining weight and dropping weight. So if she was eating a lot and died of possible starvation then I could say this isn't ruled out as an option. I'd ask your vet to look I to it. My Hans macaw died of PDD and was stated starved but the other portion of the necropsy had shown that PDD was cause of death and starving was caused by PDD(technically meaning he died because a disease starved him). I'd ask about it I can't say that is what it is, but it could e something to look into.

I also forgot to add that this is very hard to catch even with weight monitoring as it will just change overnight sometimes.

Also very sorry for your loss..

 

[drlisaort]

I am so sorry for your loss. My heart hurts for you and your wife...

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Houson,
If you haven't already, check both water bottles you mentioned. They can get clogged, so for your other GCC, it's always a good thing to use a water bowl (you can get one with a cover or dome) in addition to having the bottle.

ABOUT PELLETS:
I would ask the vet if part of what s/he is calling starvation is "dehydration". Pritti was on the same diet of Zupreem Natural (non-colored pellets). He seemed "off" to me for about a day, and his droppings started showing too much liquid so off we went to the a-vet. Turned out he was 20 grams below normal and kidney function was shown to be decreased once the blood tests were in. So it was fluid loss. A-vet said that pellets are generally not good for a bird with Pritti's problem. (I didn't ask why, but I'm guessing it is because the nutrients are in too concentrated of a form.) (His normal is 184-185)

Also, I didn't see that you mentioned if the vet is an Avian vet or a general vet that "takes care of bird too." If you live in/near Houston, you should be able to find an Avian Vet practice to go to.

Blessings to you, your wife, and your GCC. P.S. please watch the other GCC for grieving. S/he will surely feel the loss too.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm with WannaBeAParrot there, I'm not a fan of water bottles, I prefer bowls!!! Even when I used to breed, I just eventually took off all water bottles and went with bowls.

Houson, I hope you guys get some closure on the main cause!

 

[Echo]

I beg the difference with the colored zupreem pellets!!!! I first started using them over 16 years ago and I have been happy with them. When I take my birds in, they all get good results, they eat zupreem "colored" pellets. I have tried the natural color stuff and my birds wouldn't even acknowledge them. BUT during anytime when a bird have a low weight level, by feeding pellets does NOT help with weight gain!!!! You must supplement with high protein diets to help with weight gain. I dealt with that in the past after the virus break out. That's when I started the high protein formula I make at home to feed. And I added more seeds to their diet for the time being.

When it comes to pellets I am a critic. At first I fed Rosie a mixture of lafeaber's, zupreem natural, and Roudybush. When I changed her to Harrison's it made a visible difference in her health and she started gaining weight much faster. My vet explained why those other brands are not as good for birds and I trust her. I get Rosie and Kenji's pellets shipped to me and don't mind the slight inconvience. I want to feed them the best that's out there, and the best fresh foods.

I agree that some pellets are better than others and some species benefit more from a specific one. For example, my Grey gets the Harrison's High Potency. The most important is that SHE LIKES THEM AND EAT THEM. My Conures won't touch the Natural Zupreem but will eat the Fruitblend. Zupreem is a good company with good pellets, if they are eating the Fruitblend, it is way healthier than not eating pellets at all.

I mean, I eat Ezekiel bread mostly (made with sprouted grains no flour), it is VERY good for you.....however Ezekiel also make the low sodium kind. Less salt the better right? But hey it's not as good testing to me so I tend to eat less of it and supplement with other food instead. So I get the regular kind now.
Same for birds. Eating quality pellets is already a very healthy food for your parrots! How much healthier you gotta be!!! If they don't eat it, it's a waste for you and an unhealthy diet for your bird.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I beg the difference with the colored zupreem pellets!!!! I first started using them over 16 years ago and I have been happy with them. When I take my birds in, they all get good results, they eat zupreem "colored" pellets. I have tried the natural color stuff and my birds wouldn't even acknowledge them. BUT during anytime when a bird have a low weight level, by feeding pellets does NOT help with weight gain!!!! You must supplement with high protein diets to help with weight gain. I dealt with that in the past after the virus break out. That's when I started the high protein formula I make at home to feed. And I added more seeds to their diet for the time being.

When it comes to pellets I am a critic. At first I fed Rosie a mixture of lafeaber's, zupreem natural, and Roudybush. When I changed her to Harrison's it made a visible difference in her health and she started gaining weight much faster. My vet explained why those other brands are not as good for birds and I trust her. I get Rosie and Kenji's pellets shipped to me and don't mind the slight inconvience. I want to feed them the best that's out there, and the best fresh foods.

I agree that some pellets are better than others and some species benefit more from a specific one. For example, my Grey gets the Harrison's High Potency. The most important is that SHE LIKES THEM AND EAT THEM. My Conures won't touch the Natural Zupreem but will eat the Fruitblend. Zupreem is a good company with good pellets, if they are eating the Fruitblend, it is way healthier than not eating pellets at all.

I mean, I eat Ezekiel bread mostly (made with sprouted grains no flour), it is VERY good for you.....however Ezekiel also make the low sodium kind. Less salt the better right? But hey it's not as good testing to me so I tend to eat less of it and supplement with other food instead. So I get the regular kind now.
Same for birds. Eating quality pellets is already a very healthy food for your parrots! How much healthier you gotta be!!! If they don't eat it, it's a waste for you and an unhealthy diet for your bird.

I'm ok with starting a bird on a different type of pellet, it is better than seed. But we should always strive for the best in the long run. This is just my opinion and I feel strongly about it. I honestly don't care what pellets you feed your Own birds, like you said quality pellets are better than seed. I do care very much what my own eat though

 

[sodakat]

I have one bird who MUST dunk his dry food in a water bowl. His life would be much less rewarding with only water bottles. I also have 2 birds who prefer to bathe in water dishes. I use both water bottles and water dishes so they all have choices.

Regarding seeds: my personal opinion is that birds enjoy hulling seeds. Small grasslike seeds are not fattening and offer a time consuming foraging opportunity for those birds who will eat them.

If you look at the ingredient list on Harrison High Potency pellets, which IMO are probably one of the best pellets made, you will see that the first ingredient is sunflower seeds. All the ingredients combine to make a healthy food, but even so I believe fresh foods should be the major part of any bird's diet.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Ok well a symptom of a horrible avian disease called proventricular dilation disease is eating a lot and not gaining weight and dropping weight. So if she was eating a lot and died of possible starvation then I could say this isn't ruled out as an option. I'd ask your vet to look I to it. My Hans macaw died of PDD and was stated starved but the other portion of the necropsy had shown that PDD was cause of death and starving was caused by PDD(technically meaning he died because a disease starved him). I'd ask about it I can't say that is what it is, but it could e something to look into.

I also forgot to add that this is very hard to catch even with weight monitoring as it will just change overnight sometimes.

Also very sorry for your loss..

My bird had something that mirrored the symptoms of Chlamydia. Kept losing weight rapidly,even though she was eating and acting fine. Like JT id be curious if it was something more serious of a bird disease nature.