Hello! I got my new cockatiel, Alfie, today. I also took him to the vet for his first wellness visit today as well. His previous owner left him malnourished. I'm going to try and get him on some good pellets (Harrison's) and Volkman's no-sunflower seed. I'm also going to work on getting him used to some veggies as well. I was wondering if anyone else had some tips for fattening up a tiel? His next visit is in a month, and we're hoping he's healthy enough for his blood tests then.
I've heard really good things about Oatmeal. It's packed with carbs and protein (if I remember correctly), so it's not too bad a food for birds needing some weight on them, especially when it's offered warm.
Spray millet is another good treat. Healthy but a fun way to add on some grams
Interesting, I haven't heard anything about the oatmeal. I wonder what brand would be best and how often. Oh yeah, he's definitely gonna get some spray millet love haha.
Me either. He also had some super dry legs. We ruled out Scaley leg mites with a scraping, so the vet thinks it's due to the malnourished problem. He's very docile and super sweet. Kept flirting with all the technicians. *insert eye roll* LOL
I just wanted to pop in and give everyone an update on Alfie. We're still working on trusting my hands, but he's definitely improving. He loves eating and seems to have gained weight. His next vet visit is November 11th, hopefully the vet likes the progress!
Your new bird is a beauty! You mentioned the dry legs. Bennie had dry skin, too. My avian vet suggested beta carotine. You can use the same soft gels for humans. Just make a tiny pin prick in a soft gel and put a drop on the bird's food. They seem to like it. Once in a while I would give Bennie a soft gel (they like to bite soft things like that) and just wait until he punctured it and take it away. That way he'd get a little but not too much. It is better to control the drop yourself though. One time Bennie bit one and it squirted the gooey red stuff on his face and neck feathers. I had to clean it off so it wouldn't eat too much.
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