noblemacaw
New member
- Sep 23, 2011
- 1,056
- 3
- Parrots
- Valentino - Red Fronted Macaw - Hatched August 12, 2012
Surprisingly Mihijo has been taking the changes to his diet very well. He is still begging for some of our dinner when we are eating at the table but he has been giving up more easily and will help himself to his own food and eat with us.
Every morning I take a eye dropper get a little bit of the flax seed oil, pry open Mihjio's giant beak and drip it on in. I hang on to his head upward and say "Drink it" until he swallows what is in his mouth. He has been very cooperative more so than my Illiger's Macaw Diego was.
I also added grains to his diet. I went to a health food store co-op and bought a bit of each kind of grain the vet wanted me to add to his diet and I sprinkle a little bit on his wet food and offer some in the third feeding bowl.
He began eating the different pellets right away. I just added them in there with his normal pellets. At first he picked out the normal pellets and cried for me to refill it so I put more of the low fat pellets in it and then later that evening after he was covered I heard him crunching away on those new pellets. Now Mihijo eats the new pellets with no problems.
All and all the diet changes are going well. Mihijo has never been a picky eater and never demonstrated fear or rejection of any kind of food. During these changes I weigh him every evening with full crop and every morning with empty crop and so far his weight is stable. Between empty and full crop can be between 20 to 30 grams more.
In mid november Mihijo will have more blood drawn and his numbers will be re-ran. It is my hope that I have lowered his cholesterol enough so I can take the next step and increase his exercise.
To try to help lower his hormones I have taken out the two toys that he does his "thing" with and I do not cuddle him anymore. I spend our one on one time playing and helping him move more for light exercise.
If anyone else has any other ways to lower hormone production I would love for you to post it. I have banned any singing to him and petting/cuddling but allow interaction with play and exercise.
Noblemacaw
Every morning I take a eye dropper get a little bit of the flax seed oil, pry open Mihjio's giant beak and drip it on in. I hang on to his head upward and say "Drink it" until he swallows what is in his mouth. He has been very cooperative more so than my Illiger's Macaw Diego was.
I also added grains to his diet. I went to a health food store co-op and bought a bit of each kind of grain the vet wanted me to add to his diet and I sprinkle a little bit on his wet food and offer some in the third feeding bowl.
He began eating the different pellets right away. I just added them in there with his normal pellets. At first he picked out the normal pellets and cried for me to refill it so I put more of the low fat pellets in it and then later that evening after he was covered I heard him crunching away on those new pellets. Now Mihijo eats the new pellets with no problems.
All and all the diet changes are going well. Mihijo has never been a picky eater and never demonstrated fear or rejection of any kind of food. During these changes I weigh him every evening with full crop and every morning with empty crop and so far his weight is stable. Between empty and full crop can be between 20 to 30 grams more.
In mid november Mihijo will have more blood drawn and his numbers will be re-ran. It is my hope that I have lowered his cholesterol enough so I can take the next step and increase his exercise.
To try to help lower his hormones I have taken out the two toys that he does his "thing" with and I do not cuddle him anymore. I spend our one on one time playing and helping him move more for light exercise.
If anyone else has any other ways to lower hormone production I would love for you to post it. I have banned any singing to him and petting/cuddling but allow interaction with play and exercise.
Noblemacaw
