Stress Bars? Black Spots on feathers?

[Joshuwaaa]

Hi,

I was reading on some sites what might make Cricket bite so much and one suggestion was nutrition.

I go to the store and buy parakeet seed mix and parrot mix and combine them. He gets things like lettuce in there, banana, chilli, seeds, sunflower seeds and some smaller round seeds.

I read on there that a sign of malnutrition could be stress bars and black tips on his feathers. Now I'm sort of freaking out that I'm not feeding him properly and that he's going to die?!

I'm not sure how to show you a picture, I have an iPhone and instagram if anyone could look.

Do I need to get Pellets? or would fresh fruit and veg be better? am I over reacting? are they stress bars or just nothing?! aaaaaaaaaaah this is horrible.

Thanks

 

[Joshuwaaa]

I think I may be able to upload some photos. Here:

As you can see he has some black spots, and on his blue feather. I'm really worried. Can anyone suggest anything it might be?

 

[FutureDVM]

In my opinion, I think it would be good to add pellets to his diet. My personal favorite brand is Harrison's, although there are some other good pellet brands out there. When I first got my conure, she had more black marks than your bird. After switching her to the Harrison's pellets (along with a variety of veggies and other fresh foods) I have noticed a significant improvement. You can also try adding red palm oil to the diet.

 

[Joshuwaaa]

I've been looking for some pellets at tons of my local pet stores and nobody seems to stock any that aren't for wild birds or poultry.

I did ask one lady and she looked a little confused that I wanted pellets. I tried looking on Amazon for pellets but I couldn't find much.

I didn't know whether to keep his diet the same, but add more fresh banana, apple and such to his diet? Would that be any better? Pellets are like a rarity where I'm from apparently loll.

Thank youu

 

[FutureDVM]

Have you tried looking at other websites besides Amazon? Mysafebirdstore.com is a great site and I believe they ship internationally.

As far as the apples and bananas, I don't think you should necessarily add more. Fruits are good in moderation, but veggies will provide more nutritional value. It is especially important to provide them with veggies that are high in vitamin A. The nice thing about pellets is that they can help "fill in the gaps" as far as vitamins and minerals.

 

[Sc0tt]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Harrisons-Organic-High-Potency-Fine/dp/B0007LI108/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353520789&sr=8-2&keywords=harrisons+parrot+food]Amazon.com: Harrison's Organic High Potency Fine 1 Lb.: Pet Supplies[/ame]

I've ordered a bag of that that I'm mixing in with Zupreem Fruity and a blend of seeds/nuts as well and my Conure has been eating it like he's never eaten food before lol.

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Thanks for the links, I'll look into getting some pellet, its been suggested a lot and to hear it again kind of confirms that we should start using some.

Maybe just put it with the seed and such? and the veggies and fruits.

Thanks again.

 

[MonicaMc]

I don't see any stress bars... but I do see feather bronzing, and to a *very light* degree. However, I'm seeing these on the green feathers, not on the blue ones.

If you look at the two green cheeks (different birds) in the following photos, both have a higher degree of feather bronzing than your guy does!
Chicken and Kiwi | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
natureparrots | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Stress bars are as they sound... actual "bars" or "stripes" in the feathers.
100_0511.JPG | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/thistimearound/stressbars.jpg

Stress bars may cause a feather to be physically weak in that section, possibly resulting in the feather breaking at that point.
http://board.birdchannel.com/Uploads/Images/d877ca8d-e4d7-4c50-b653-8f0e.jpg


The difference between the two is that stress bars occur while the feather is growing where-as feather bronzing (i.e. the pigment of the feather getting rubbed off) occurs after the feather is already grown.
https://www.wellvet.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ART_BIRDGROOMING



That said, it would still be recommended to get him eating at least 50-75% of his diet as pellets, along with a small portion of seeds, sprouteds, and/or seeds as treats... and to greatly improve his fresh food intake! Try healthy grains and legumes (cooked or sprouted), a small portion of berries and exotic fruits and *lots* of vegetables! The bigger the variety, the better!


BTW, as far as stores go, you may want to check out this thread for help in places to order from?
http://www.parrotforums.com/off-topic/25165-any-uk-members.html