my Goffins sleeping alot/pellets/hormones

[Tanglwood02]

I adopted my Goffins, Sugar, 2 weeks ago from a parrot rescue. I took "her" to my new avian vet last week and had bloodwork run. The results were normal. I am still waiting on the DNA results because we are not sure of her sex. Also not sure of her age due to very sketchy background history and she doesn't have a band but he thinks she might be over 10 years based on the condition of how her pads are worn on her feet. I am wanting to put her on the very best pellet that has no soy or corn in it. The rescue was feeding her Zupreen Pure Fun and Christine's Chop. I started with Zupreen Natural (first ingredients listed are corn and soy) with the chop recipe from Phoenix Landing. She loves the chop. I've tried to switch her from the Zupreen to Tops (soy, corn, peanut free) and she will not eat it at all. The minute you open the bag the smell of alfalfa is very stong and I think that puts her off. I've even tried crushing it up and sprinkling some on her chop/mash. I am now trying to get her to eat Hari-Hagen Alternative pellets. They are much smaller than the Tops, no over powering odor, and look more like normal pellets and are also soy and corn free. The only thing I don't like about them is there is a small amount of peanuts in the pellets. Should I worry about the peanuts? I also give her a very small amount of seeds in with her pellets.

Sugar also does a funny thing with her tongue. She will take "bouts" of constantly running her tongue along the top of the inside of her beak. This lasts a long time and my vet said she does it because she is "horny". Another reason I would like to get her off the soy if the DNA results come back saying she is female. I know that spring is the beginning of hormonal behaviour. She has also started to nap alot during the day and she gets at least 10 hours of sleep a night. Could this be due to hormones also? Remember all her bloodwork was normal.

I've only been able to get her outside a couple of times since getting her due to our weather here not being warm enough yet. Knoxville, Tennessee. Home of having 4 different seasons in one day!

Any help from the members will be greatly appreciated!

 

[zERo]

I adopted my Goffins, Sugar, 2 weeks ago from a parrot rescue. I took "her" to my new avian vet last week and had bloodwork run. The results were normal. I am still waiting on the DNA results because we are not sure of her sex. Also not sure of her age due to very sketchy background history and she doesn't have a band but he thinks she might be over 10 years based on the condition of how her pads are worn on her feet. I am wanting to put her on the very best pellet that has no soy or corn in it. The rescue was feeding her Zupreen Pure Fun and Christine's Chop. I started with Zupreen Natural (first ingredients listed are corn and soy) with the chop recipe from Phoenix Landing. She loves the chop. I've tried to switch her from the Zupreen to Tops (soy, corn, peanut free) and she will not eat it at all. The minute you open the bag the smell of alfalfa is very stong and I think that puts her off. I've even tried crushing it up and sprinkling some on her chop/mash. I am now trying to get her to eat Hari-Hagen Alternative pellets. They are much smaller than the Tops, no over powering odor, and look more like normal pellets and are also soy and corn free. The only thing I don't like about them is there is a small amount of peanuts in the pellets. Should I worry about the peanuts? I also give her a very small amount of seeds in with her pellets.

Sugar also does a funny thing with her tongue. She will take "bouts" of constantly running her tongue along the top of the inside of her beak. This lasts a long time and my vet said she does it because she is "horny". Another reason I would like to get her off the soy if the DNA results come back saying she is female. I know that spring is the beginning of hormonal behaviour. She has also started to nap alot during the day and she gets at least 10 hours of sleep a night. Could this be due to hormones also? Remember all her bloodwork was normal.

I've only been able to get her outside a couple of times since getting her due to our weather here not being warm enough yet. Knoxville, Tennessee. Home of having 4 different seasons in one day!

Any help from the members will be greatly appreciated!

Lots of parrot products contain peanuts, and from what I know, cooked peanuts are relatively safe.

Not all birds take to TOPs, have you tried making Birdie bread? If you go the the recipes sub-forum there are many wonderful recipes on here.

I’ve seen cockatoos do the thing you described when being pet or hormonal especially. Though I don’t own a cockatoo
How long would you say she naps? Most birds nap 1-2 times a day, my flock has an hour long nap at least once a day.
I would aim for 12 hours of sleep too if I were you.

Good luck with your new bird! I bet she’s happy you adopted her

 

[ravvlet]

My birds have all hated TOPS; I have given up and have them on Harrison’s! If we ever get an eclectus or something we will go back to TOPS, but for now Harrison’s it is. There are many members who have fed Harrison’s for years along with fresh foods with great success!

It’s important to be sure any time you are considering switching foods to weigh your bird regularly to be sure they are eating enough. Two weeks is no time at all especially for large birds, and I am worried that it sounds like you’ve immediately changed their diet so soon after bringing them home. It may be worth it to consider slowing down a bit - these are a lot of big changes for a bird, and they don’t always like change!

 

[Tanglwood02]

My birds have all hated TOPS; I have given up and have them on Harrison’s! If we ever get an eclectus or something we will go back to TOPS, but for now Harrison’s it is. There are many members who have fed Harrison’s for years along with fresh foods with great success!

It’s important to be sure any time you are considering switching foods to weigh your bird regularly to be sure they are eating enough. Two weeks is no time at all especially for large birds, and I am worried that it sounds like you’ve immediately changed their diet so soon after bringing them home. It may be worth it to consider slowing down a bit - these are a lot of big changes for a bird, and they don’t always like change!

I've been feeding her the same pellets that the rescue fed her except that I make my own chop which she loves. I've not tried to cold turkey her with a switch on the pellets. I've been mixing the new in. I've thought of trying the Harrison's but it also contains corn, soy, and peanuts. I think I'm going to keep trying the Hari. The main reason I want it to be soy free is she is supposedly female. If the DNA test comes back that she is male then I won't worry about it but I am a firm believer that females in any species should not eat soy. Messes with the hormones too much. Also she is a small cockatoo. Goffins are the smallest of the cockatoos. But trust me she is as loud as the big boys! LOL! And I agree with weighing her weekly. I'm just waiting on the scale to be delivered. Thank you!

 

[Tanglwood02]

Lots of parrot products contain peanuts, and from what I know, cooked peanuts are relatively safe.

Not all birds take to TOPs, have you tried making Birdie bread? If you go the the recipes sub-forum there are many wonderful recipes on here.

I’ve seen cockatoos do the thing you described when being pet or hormonal especially. Though I don’t own a cockatoo
How long would you say she naps? Most birds nap 1-2 times a day, my flock has an hour long nap at least once a day.
I would aim for 12 hours of sleep too if I were you.

Good luck with your new bird! I bet she’s happy you adopted her

She naps a lot! I've noticed she is the most active from about 5PM till bedtime. And I mean she is into everything during that time. I made sure she got a total of 12 hours of sleep last night and will make sure she does from now on.