Human-bird bond and the impact it could possibly have ???

[Thingamagigs]

If you go over the thread thoroughly you will find where Chilli says her birds breast bone does stick out and she is definitely underweight

I'd just go to a different vet. Either way this vet was wrong not to apply her knowledge to the bird in front of her, not a stock standard idea of a sun conure. I wouldn't just get a second opinion I would just switch vets.
The lady Chilli saw is an "Associate Veterinarian" at BBV and has only just very recently joined the ranks of "avian specialist" after being a vet for only 5 years in total. So she doesn't have the experience to back up her new title. I know in most cases, people fresh out of learning are prone to falling back to textbook strict ideas... she has clearly in this case combined her textbook knowledge of extra protein = bad, with her textbook knowledge of strict sun conure weight range... and has completely ignored the reality of the situation. Experience would have told her that this bird in front of her would need extra protein to increase weight for the time being and then a review in a couple of months would allow her to balance out her intake to avoid any future laying behaviours. She didn't apply her knowledge directly to the patient, just a general idea of a "sun conure"... and for that reason I wouldn't be back to see her again. I have worked with enough different vets over the years to know there is a huge difference between someone who has a true talent for veterinary science and someone who was just smart enough to study veterinary science.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Please take note of the foods i suggested for sun conures. I think commonsense should prevail here.

What diet the Vet has suggested is what i also recommend when a female sunny matures. In fact all non breeding parrots should be maintained on healthy low protein balanced diet.

The bird is underweight. There is no maintenance, it requires a weight gain. Common sense should indeed prevail!

 

[Abigal7]

Is her wings clipped? I know some people are against clipped wings but if your birds is real active it would cut down on calorie burning. I think getting a second opinion is a good idea. Seeds, pellets, fruits and veggies are important. I say a vet that said I can feed my Green cheek conure some throughly cooked skinless chicken meat for protien. He said I didn't need to feed her a bunch of it and to keep pushing the fruits and veggies. Getting a second bird is no guarentee they will like each other. They could hate each other. So getting a new bird mostly means also getting a new cage etc. Good or bad can come out of them being in the same cage. First you would have to quarantine a new bird. Also if they bonded real well then they would not want anything to do with you. They are not like pet ferrets or rats in the aspect they still will like being around humans. I have one green cheek conure right now. As a child I had a green cheeked conure and a cockatiel in seperate cages. Maybe the idea of a another bird helped them some but they were not friendly to each other. You can decide down the road if a second bird is needed. Conures and not extreme like cockatoos (which you would probably need more then one).

 

[MonicaMc]

However, is not a higher protein and perhaps a bit of fat required for a young, growing conure?

Is her wings clipped? I know some people are against clipped wings but if your birds is real active it would cut down on calorie burning.

On the flip side, exercise builds muscle. Lack of exercise may only lead to an overweight bird. It's better to have muscle than too much fat.

 

[Pedro]

Being underweight & thin are two different things. Chili could be underweight because she is only 12 months old, hasn't filled out yet, is only a small bird & is possibly flighted.

Pectoral muscles should be convex meaning rounded out. In a healthy bird you should be able to feel the keel bone.

In a thin bird the pectoral muscles would be slightly or very concaved & the keel bone would protrude & feel rather sharp.

I don't need a Vet to tell me what to feed my parrots. Or whether they are thin or fat. I know that myself. Not being able to actually see Chili, in all honestly i can't say one way or the other if she is underweight, nobody can. Looking at her pics i would say not. She looks healthy to me. All i can say is 88 grams is not unusual for a young smaller bird. I am only giving my 25 years worth of experience of breeding & hand rearing sun conures.

I have a very healthy RS eclectus parrot, she is only just on 300 grams she should be 400 grams. However she has plenty of meat on her bones. She just had a bad start when she hatched & is a very small bird.

Just a little story that a well known breeder of RTB Toos advised my friend to feed her underweight baby. 1 teaspoon full of peanut butter in each feed. She almost lost that bird listening to that rot. The baby was not underweight at all. It was the usual weight drop for a bird ready to fledge.

 

[Chili]

Thank you everyone!
Sorry haven't logged on it a few days.
All your information is very help full and I am
Proud to announce ... Chili's current weight is 90g! That's 2grams gained!
I weigh her in the morning before she has been fed so hopefully it's her wright rather than food weight!
I've been feeding her extra nuts a few seeds heaps of fruit and vege brown rice and pasta!

 

[nightinday]

Louis is alone for now and he doesn't seem to be angry with this fact. In fact, he seems to be really agressive when he sees other bird but I'm ready to buy him a mate whenever he will show me that he needs it (why not, another cutie in my house is welcomed )
With eating there is no problem. He will eat anything. When he doesn't want it, I just show him that he can eat it by putting it near my mouth and pretend to eat Today is going to be his first pellets day because up to today he was only eating seeds,fruits and veggies.
With weight I guess you should give your bird "oily" stuff, like nuts or abacca.