Exercise for parrots

[Aidualc]

I have a bit of a problem that I hope people can give some advice on. Rio (a grumpy senegal) has a bit of a bad habbit of chewing feathers.. this goes up and down in intensity, but there are never bald spots or anything, so I don't necessarily think it has any repercussions health wise, but I would like to see him happy and with all his feathers. Furthermore, this chewing has complicated matters as he chews his flight feathers. This has resulted him becoming a bit.. um.. chubby. He is still within range of a healthy weight (162 g) but I am considering whether his feather chewing could get better with some proper exercise- like it it helps people both physically and psychologically. Seems to make sense to me. However.. being he has chewed his flight feathers he doesn't really fly- I mean, he can kind of hover to the floor, but that's about it, and this is not something he enjoys at all (understandably enough). He does play with his toys in his cage, but that just doesn't seem to be enough and when he's outside the cage, he mostly just sits. So my question is.. how do I help a stubborn parrot, that doesn't really have the ability to fly, to get some proper exercise?

 

[Flboy]

Hi, what is his diet?
You can do the crazy man fake flying, running around your house, getting him to do a lot of flapping! Will help you both!

 

[Aidualc]

Ah, of course I should have put in his diet. I consists of 40% seed blend (Tidymix) and 60% mixed vegetables every day. I am getting some pellets (Harrisons) for the birdies to try over the weekend. I have tried giving them before, but none of the dinosaurs wanted any of it.. however persistence is a game I'm willing to play !
Hah.. I could try that.. although I'm sure I'll get way more exercise than him.. but I guess that wouldn't be that bad !

 

[SailBoat]

I have a bit of a problem that I hope people can give some advice on. Rio (a grumpy senegal) has a bit of a bad habbit of chewing feathers.. this goes up and down in intensity, but there are never bald spots or anything, so I don't necessarily think it has any repercussions health wise, but I would like to see him happy and with all his feathers. Furthermore, this chewing has complicated matters as he chews his flight feathers. This has resulted him becoming a bit.. um.. chubby. He is still within range of a healthy weight (162 g) but I am considering whether his feather chewing could get better with some proper exercise- like it it helps people both physically and psychologically. Seems to make sense to me. However.. being he has chewed his flight feathers he doesn't really fly- I mean, he can kind of hover to the floor, but that's about it, and this is not something he enjoys at all (understandably enough). He does play with his toys in his cage, but that just doesn't seem to be enough and when he's outside the cage, he mostly just sits. So my question is.. how do I help a stubborn parrot, that doesn't really have the ability to fly, to get some proper exercise?

The largest muscle mass in Parrots are their Chest muscles as a group. Those muscles like our leg muscles are massive and any use quickly drive the heart and lungs (air sacks) which drives blood in mass to those muscles and at the same time to the body as a whole.

I would recommend that you take a look at the first Thread in the Amazon Forum that is Titled: I Love Amazons - ... It is highlighted in light blue. Near the front half of that very long Thread is a Post Titled: Re-Starting a Shut-Down Amazon. Now, simple insert Parrot and you will find that it and the vast majority of other Posts will cross-over to a wide cross-section of Parrots.

In short, anytime you can get your Parrot to use their Wings, even just active Flapping will help, as pointed out by my good friend.

 

[Aidualc]

Awesome, thanks for the pointing to the post.. not completely familiar with how the forum works yet, but hopefully I'll get there!

 

[GaleriaGila]

My thoughts on pellet conversation...
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. 30-ish years ago, Harrison's was still a small company. My vet was actually able to talk to Dr. Harrison about my bird's species and status, and they decided on the High Potency. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff. My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic.

I like the flapping around the house idea... or maybe I just want a video of you two!

 

[Aidualc]

Oh.. the interval thing actually sounds like a good idea.. I might give that a shot. The problem is last time I tried crushing the pellets and mixing them with egg food.. but if it was mixed enough so they couldn't pick out the egg food without eating some of the pellets.. they just wouldn't eat it altogether.. clever little dinosaurs. Heh.. I shall keep you updated on the manic house-running-wing-flapping exercise !