New B&G

[JBassset]

So, I just posted in the general forum announcing that yesterday I took in a B&G named Romeo who needed a new home.

His previous owners loved him but didn't know how to care for him. He was fed a pretty steady diet of lunch meats, french fries and some cheap seed and "fruit loops" blend.

NEVER any fresh fruits or veggies. He's a nice guy and in really good shape over-all. He's obviously in a high stress mode after being put in a box and driven two hours, left in the box while his cage got scrubbed and assembled and then a new home with a stranger!

I'll have some questions but the goal is to do better by this beautiful boy. Right now I'm not pushing him so he's getting his normal crap diet seeds blend with Roudybush for the Conure mixed in. He's got some fresh fruits and veggies as well. NO MORE LUNCH MEAT!

But what do you all feed your big birds? Any brands to look for or avoid?

 

[BeatriceC]

Charlotte gets 100% fresh food. I make a mix of rice, pasta and veggies for her breakfast and a birdie bread packed with fruits and veggies for her dinner, and she gets fresh fruits, veggies and nuts to snack on in between. She won't touch pellets at all. She's not the biggest fan of fresh veggies, but she's warming up to them. I don't worry too much because there are enough fresh veggies in her bread and pasta/rice mix that she's getting the nutrition she needs. Before she would eat a lot of that, however, I did mix baby food purees in with her pasta, to sneak it into her.

 

[happy410]

As far as pellets, Tesla eats Zupreem Natural pellets. He also gets the fruit and veggie flavored. He will pretty much try any food we give him. Apples, pears banana, pineapple, sweet pot., baked pot. Peas, beans, scrambled egg. They like to hold and open fresh green beans or snow peas.
Since he's not use to these types of food, it will take some work. It's amazing what they will try if they see you eating it first saying how yummy it is.
Of course Tesla does love a little bit of things he shouldn't have but an occasional french fry or piece of pizza crust is a treat.

 

[Loko]

It is an amazing thing what you did, and the diet definitely needs changing! But, make sure that with a drastic switch like that, that everything stays stable. Eating large amounts of meat for a time and then suddenly not could potentially cause a drop in iron among other mineral levels in the blood, so just make sure the transition is going smooth with your avian vet. Chances are he will be fine but it is good to keep in mind when switching diets, in humans as well!

 

[SilleIN]

I don't know which brands you have in the US, but I would look into pellets, which have a reasonable phospforus/calcium balance. A lot of brands have too much phosphorus compared to calsium. You should look for 1 part phosphorus to 2-3 parts calcium.

I use Nurtibird P15 Tropical for my 3 macaws. The pellets are about 60-70% of the diet. The rest is fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds all depending on the bird.

I recently got a 22 year old scarlet on a seed diet. I too soon put too many changes into his diet, so he ended up getting a diarrhea. I now feed him about 50/50 pellet and seed/nuts. I can't give him fruit or veggies until he has had time to adjust to the pellets first.

As Loko mentioned, too many changes too soon may cause an inbalance, which could be harmful for the bird.

And congratulations with your new family member

 

[Loko]

Some of the best brands in the US are Harrisons, which I use and many vets seem to recommend, along with Zupreem, GoldenFeast, and Kaytee is good without the coloring. I think Harrisons High Potency may be good for this situation but consult with an avian vet. Of course fresh food too, chop is great.