Phoebes lost weight

[Solo]

I've been trying to switch her to a healthier diet..replacing her peanut and seed mixture with fresh foods and pellets. Almost 2 weeks ago I weighed her at about 960g, she's now about 930g. Im using a kitchen scale and when she moves it changes so my numbers may not be dead on. Could it be that she was a little chunky from the previous diet and is leaning out, or could she be plummeting? I've owned her for about 4 weeks and she's completely off the seed diet, and seems to be eating pellets just fine..she tosses 90% of her veggies, but I do watch her eat some and she gets some seeds and nuts as treats. Did I switch her too fast? She seems a bit gloomy today, but we've been having horrendous weather. Honestly I'd say she's been progressively getting more active as I've had her. Poops have been fine, a bit watery today but I started her on chop yesterday so that's to be expected. All passages are clear and feathers are perfect. I plan on giving her a bath to see if it brightens her mood again.

 

[Solo]

Update: got a more solid read on the scale at 938g. She's still lost some though.

 

[Flboy]

They feel the storms much more than we do, even my JoJo gets quiet as a storm moves in!

 

[Kiwibird]

It's normal for them to loose a little weight when going from a high-fat diet to a healthier diet. (IMO) many pet birds are on the "chunky" side because we humans perceive that to be "healthier". Really, they are designed to be more streamlined and aerodynamic. A beefy bird doesn't fly as well as a slim and trim one (in nature, that matters, and in nature, they also don't always have unlimited access to food all day every day).

However, you should be monitoring her closely in both weight and how much she's eating. As you transition her to more fresh foods, have you been incorporating any fruits? What about grains and sprouts? Also, when was the last time she saw the vet? Was she given routine blood/fecal tests to rule out any diseases?

 

[Solo]

She went in for a check up as soon as I got her..she has an appointment for a microchip, blood panel and fecal on June 2nd. She's also never had a playgym, she has built up a lot more muscle recently exercising her wings and climbing around. I'm inclined to believe she just slimming out, and I agree humans tend to view most animals in that aspect of chunkier='healthier'. I know the mood is because of the weather, I'm acting the same way so she's feeding off me and the storm. She's been getting bots of bread while I've had her, and her new chop includes brown rice, whole grain pasta and garbanzo beans.

 

[JerseyWendy]

28g in 2 weeks is quite a bit of weight IMO. Yes, they will lose some while being switched over to a healthier diet (at least 'most' do). Are you giving her nuts? My big macs get a good amount of various nuts in the shell. High in fat, yes, but my guys are really active, so I'm not worried.

What about NutriBerries or AviCakes? They can make fine treats and/or snacks.

I'd continue monitoring her weight. If this is weight lost due to changing her diet, she should hopefully be done losing now.

 

[Kiwibird]

Parrots are definitely affected by gloomy weather. If you live in an environment where it is frequently overcast, you may want to invest in a featherbrite lamp to cheer her up on gloomy days

And I would venture to say, if overall, she's pooping normal and active, it's probably her just getting down to the weight she 'should' be and I agree with Wendy that I would think her weight should be leveling off soon.

 

[Solo]

When I weighed her 2 weeks ago I couldn't get a solid weight..it was jumping between 50-60 cuz she was being a brat and wouldn't sit still for 2 seconds..lol..I'd say she lost closer to 15g. We've had a series of storms come through this week. She gets quite a few nuts, I've offered nutriberries (she shreds them and spits them out). I will continue to monitor weight..may invest in a better scale.

 

[JerseyWendy]

And as long as she's acting normally, playing and pooping normally - she'll be just fine.