Expected daily weight gain for 7 week old pionus

[TwistedSerpent]

Hello, I've been looking around a lot but haven't been able to find anything listing out the normal range of daily weight gain for young handfeeding parrots.

I've had my pionus for a week now and while he hasn't gained weight, he hasn't lost any either, hovering within a gram or two of 230. He's taking between 20 and 35 cc's per feeding three times a day, with him refusing before I say he's had enough.

Should I be seeing weight gains, or is it still a little early and he recovering from the stress of the move? Several places I've read say he's within the average amount of food intake at his age, and his formula is being mixed to the instructions on the container (Kaytee Exact - to a cake batter if not a little thicker consitance).

 

[IcyWolf]

I'm sorry, I don't have a weight chart for Pi's but I wanted to say, if he's not loosing any weight, I wouldn't worry too much. Feel around his keel area, does he feel like he's a healthy weight? Some birds are naturally much larger or smaller than others of the same species so it can be hard to go just by weight. Also, check the color of his skin, it should be a light pinkish color, if it's reddish or even purple he may be a bit dehydrated. Thick cake batter consistency seems to be a bit thick but everyone has their own preferences when mixing their formula. As long as he's not dropping weight, has good body mass, isn't dehydrated, continues to eat and acts normal, I think he is just fine

 

[TwistedSerpent]

He doesn't feel underweight to me, nor looks dehydrated, eating and acting normal especially now that he's getting settled in. His breeder said he looked a couple weeks older then his siblings instead of a couple of days, so he's a pretty big boy.

Was just a bit concerned, everywhere I read says they must be gaining weight or else you're not feeding enough, so in order to give him more I would have to throw in another feeding which doesn't seem quite right.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Al_96789]

I'm no expert, but my 16 year old Pionus is around 230 grams. She was sick when she came to me, she's a rescue, and her weight dropped to 195 grams. I obviously don't know what is right for a young bird, but 230 grams doesn't sound too bad from the things I've read. Good luck with him.

 

[Al_96789]

From a book I bought:

"If your Pi is young, he will gradually gain weight until he reaches his adult weight, about two years of age. As long as your bird's weight falls within the normal range - somewhere between 225 and 275 grams - you may stop recording the number once your bird stops gaining."

What kind of Pi is he?

 

[TwistedSerpent]

He's a bronze wing - I have no previous experiance with this species but with what the breeder was saying and the stats you quoted he sounds like he might reach the top end of that spectrum!

 

[Clifford666]

Yes dear--------!
Pets are like the friends.!
They need proper care!
I think they should be consistently checked and weighted.
7 weeks results indicated the progress of your pet towards a successive health.