Greenwing specific diet?

[Screech]

Beaker has been a bit on the lean side, so much so that we've had the vet give him a good looking over. The only response after blood and culture test is that he needs to eat more nuts. I was already offering him what seemed to be a lot of nuts (nearly two cups a day).


I rarely get to speak with someone experienced with greenwings, but what I hear seems to contradict the suggested diets I read online, which describe diets not much different than a blue and gold.

It seems to be that what I see online doesn't reflect real life. I would be very happy if you could share your experiences with your GW's eating habbits and dietary needs.

 

[svheartsdesire]

Good Morning...my buddy Ivan came to live with me two years ago(he's a GW)there is a real good (and not inexpensive) Avain vet in the area...full work up and out we went with Harrisons pellets and a probiotic,and two vitamins all for daily use...he was four at the time and fairly well set in is ways food wise..ie. the only fresh stuff he likes is grapes..cut in half...sometimes potatoes or a piece of apple..any way I only feed nuts as a treat...no peanuts...and mostly in the shell type...gives him something to do..anyway in all my reading I've never run across a diet with so many nuts...for a sunday treat Ivan gets his handful of pellets and a egg stired up and microwaved for 15 seconds..then chopped up a bit to help it cool...it's just what we do...he's gained over a 100 grams and is now at 1300grams and six years old ...you will find other good feeding tips on this site...hope this helps..Bill

 

[Birdman666]

Mine gets a variety of nuts every day, including two (non-shelled unsalted) peanuts in each treat cup, I give her four pistacios in each treat cup, and then usually a walnut and a pecan in each, in addition to fruitblend pellets, and a little bit of seed mix, and three nutriberries per treat cup.

She also gets fresh fruits and veggies...

Bananas, apples and grapes seem to be the favorite, and tomato.

Potatoes (any!) and rice, of course. She loves it.

Broccoli, pea pods, corn, etc.

A little bit of fish and chicken if we are eating it. Not much. Just a taste now and again.

She's been well birdied, and her blood tests have come back in the perfect range. So I must be doing something right...

It's my understanding that the two species that need a bit more fat in their diet are large macaws and large toos.

I have to limit the amount I give my amazons and my CAG. Not my big macs.

 

[Screech]

So I've had some time after reading both your posts to change strategy a bit, so definitely thanks for your feedback!

I didn't get a chance to weigh him today (we tried twice; he just begs to be picked up so hard), but from feeling his keel I can tell he has put on a noticeable amount of mass there - not really a ton of progress, but perhaps what is to be expected after a week of just simply encouraging lots of eating. Since Wednesday, we've changed strategy a little bit, encouraging him to eat more often by handing him a sliced apple or other fruit and changing his water often. My theory is that a little appetizer inspires him to eat something from his bowl of pellets or his mixed bowl of various dry ingredients and seed / nuts. He only had 5 or 6 nuts today, but he sure is doing a much better job of covering up newsprint.

 

[Screech]

Progress! I don't know if a single factor made a difference, but I'm suddenly noticing huge comeback in weight. Maybe the clicker training payed off?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Awesome! Thanks for the update.

My Ripley (GW) eats quite well. Huge variety of food, including pellets, several Goldenfeast blends, homecooked meals, birdy bread, chop mixes, raw fruits and veggies, AND a large amount of nuts (both shelled and unshelled).