Weighing your bird?

[bonesamon1]

This is my firsy post, Thanks! I have a 14 y/o BlueFront Amazon. I have a digital scale, the flat kitchen type with about a 6" sq pad for weighing meat. Bean my bird is not digging standind on anything having to do with the scale. I even tried tareing the scale with a milk carton on it with some milk in the bottom, and a towel covering the scale. No dice!! Any ideas would be a help. Thanks.

 

[henpecked]

Welcome to the forum. Hope to see more of you and your BFA, I cut 2 triangle pieces of ply wood with a wooden dowel between them. It sits on the scale as a perch and the birds don't mind step up on to it. It needs to be a routine that your bird will accustom itself too.Just make a simple perch that fits your scale. The flat surface on most scales doesn't work well.

 

[bonesamon1]

I think I understand what your describing. But I really appreciate your response. Thanks alot. When I figure out how to post a pic, I will try to get up a pic of my buddy. Thanks again for the warm welcome. Hope to talk again soon. Thank You.!!!!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

 

[Niner10Tango]

I purchased this scale online about 7 years ago online. I think I paid around $40-50 and never had a problem with it. It did come with the perch and it's easy to clean. I just did a google search for avian scales. Welcome to the forum.

 

[lpolliard]

Bribe him with treats to stand on the scale. I have a similar scale and I can place Chico on it and he will stay still. Place him on the scale and distract him with a favorite treat. Soon he will learn to step on the scale for a treat.

 

[torrap]

Welcome, I am pretty new myself but that's what I did.....
View attachment 7808
Work fine, she loves stepping on it almost every morning.

 

[bonesamon1]

Thanks for the replys. I will make, or buy a little wood perch to stand on the scale, and use the bribery method. Should work if its tall enough and he does not see the scale. Thanks for the welcome's.

 

[KBEquine]

It took me a while to get any of ours on the scale, too. Two will step onto the perch that came with the scale, one will step on the flat surface because I ask him (but he doesnt' like it) and one requires a trail of safflower seed onto the flat part.

One flies away at the very sight of the scale . . .

A little trial-and-error and you will get there.

 

[forbey]

This morning I was read a blog entry by BirdTricks.com, they made a suggestion that would work great in my situation as well as trips to the Vet. Skittles will barely get out, or off, of his cage. To get him to stand on a perch or scale would be next to impossable (with hopes of correcting this in the future).

The suggestion was to prepare the bird's travel carrier or cage, then weigh the cage and write the weight of the carrier on the the outside. Place the bird in the cage/carrier and weight it with the bird in it, then subtract the empty weight from the "with bird" weight. (Make sure the cage is weighed clean, without food and water; then make sure the bird weigh in is under the same condition.)

The vet's office could then do the same thing without having to worry about their office assistants getting bit.

Forbey

 

[Mayden]

This morning I was read a blog entry by BirdTricks.com, they made a suggestion that would work great in my situation as well as trips to the Vet. Skittles will barely get out, or off, of his cage. To get him to stand on a perch or scale would be next to impossable (with hopes of correcting this in the future).

The suggestion was to prepare the bird's travel carrier or cage, then weigh the cage and write the weight of the carrier on the the outside. Place the bird in the cage/carrier and weight it with the bird in it, then subtract the empty weight from the "with bird" weight. (Make sure the cage is weighed clean, without food and water; then make sure the bird weigh in is under the same condition.)

The vet's office could then do the same thing without having to worry about their office assistants getting bit.

Forbey

Our vets put Merlin in a plastic box type carrier thing that they use. They pretty much did this, weighed the box, put Merlin in, weighed it again. Subtracted weight and got his current weight. I thought it was pretty ingenious

It's a good idea if NEEDING to weigh, but weighing in a carrier/box seems less than ideal on a daily/regular basis. I'd rather work on getting the bird accustomed to the scales.

We put a small treat on, zero the scales and then get the birds to step on. They happily munch the treat (which is less than a gram anyway) and then weigh them. Charlie just steps up and down onto things readily anyway, so he's a dream to weigh.