Post by rainbowfeathers on Jan 29, 2009 10:06:49 GMT 10
Hi all.
Ok, here's my 2c worth, when it comes to the debate about whether one should feed their birds pellets or an all seed based diet (even if you provide a whole variety of veggies each day, bean mixes etc).
This is what happened to my male red-rump.
He is a normal colour (the wild type).
Early/mid last year, I started to notice how Hunter (my male red-rump) started to get these little yellow feathers all throughout his wing feathers.
I asked heaps of people and everyone, including the people who sold him to me, thought most likely it was just a rare mutation, a normal male with a pied or an opaline mutation in him.
Well this time I decided to listen to my gut feeling ....... I just felt that something wasn't right. Out of all the specialist, hard-workin, rump breeders out there, who spend their life-time creating mutations or whatever, suddenly I come along, purchase a $30 bird from a pet shop and it just happenes, that I score a rare mutation?
So, I decided to check with the expert (Avinet) ;D and he said he didn't think it was a mutation but rather a liver problem most likely caused by the diet.
My rumps were fed on seeds but I provided them a daily smorgasboard of fruit and veg, birdie cakes, bean mixes, sprouts, cuttle bone. millet spray etc etc.
Mike (Avinet) suggested to me to change his diet and wait till he moults next. If there are no yellow feathers anymore then it was the liver.
Well I thought the only other way I could possibly improve their diet was converting them to pellets, what else could I possibly do. They were already getting heaps of different foods. What else was there left.
Anyway, so I decided to convert them. I tried converting them once before but it was "too hard" and didn't work. So I took the belief, that if I can't convert them, then I just can't - they'll have to be seed-fed birds.
But after Mike's possible diagnosis, I thought it was time to try again.
First of all, I was trying to convert them onto passwell pellets. Mike said those pellets were too large for red-rumps and made some suggestions. I picked Vetafarm.
I ordered my first bag directly from Vetafarm and decided to join the vetaclub. I was on the phone with the guy for ages. We were having a chat about how to convert birds onto pellets. There were a few ways I could try, he gave me heaps of tips etc.
The dry pellet mixed with seeds and the gradually decrease the seed- method, did not work for me. I decided to go with the actual instructions on the back of the vetafarm maintenance pellets, bag.
This worked really well for me now and was 100% successful.
So I decided to convert ALL my birds.
I have 12 birds... 6 irns, 2 red-rumps, 2 scarlets, 1 lovebird, 1 gcc ....all on pellets.
Anyway, so after a lengthy moult, lasting a few months, my male red- rump has now completed his moult. He has been fed vetafarm maintenance pellets for a fair while now, as the base diet. All my birds still get veggies, fruit, sprouts etc plus the occassional seed , like a seed stick etc.
I am pleased to annouce, that my previously pied/opaline normal red-rump is once a gain a beautiful normal red-rump, male. Not a single sign of yellow in his with feathers, only where they are meant to be.
Ooohhhh, I love my vetafarm ;D ;D
But anyway, once again, Mike comes in for the rescue. Hmmm...maybe we should design Mike, his very own "super hero" costume!!?? ;D LOL
So anyway, the moral of THIS story is ;D ....umm ...will your bird be eating macca's again ...or will you dine him at a gourmet a la carte ristorantee?? Hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm?? ...;D;D
Ok, here's my 2c worth, when it comes to the debate about whether one should feed their birds pellets or an all seed based diet (even if you provide a whole variety of veggies each day, bean mixes etc).
This is what happened to my male red-rump.
He is a normal colour (the wild type).
Early/mid last year, I started to notice how Hunter (my male red-rump) started to get these little yellow feathers all throughout his wing feathers.
I asked heaps of people and everyone, including the people who sold him to me, thought most likely it was just a rare mutation, a normal male with a pied or an opaline mutation in him.
Well this time I decided to listen to my gut feeling ....... I just felt that something wasn't right. Out of all the specialist, hard-workin, rump breeders out there, who spend their life-time creating mutations or whatever, suddenly I come along, purchase a $30 bird from a pet shop and it just happenes, that I score a rare mutation?
So, I decided to check with the expert (Avinet) ;D and he said he didn't think it was a mutation but rather a liver problem most likely caused by the diet.
My rumps were fed on seeds but I provided them a daily smorgasboard of fruit and veg, birdie cakes, bean mixes, sprouts, cuttle bone. millet spray etc etc.
Mike (Avinet) suggested to me to change his diet and wait till he moults next. If there are no yellow feathers anymore then it was the liver.
Well I thought the only other way I could possibly improve their diet was converting them to pellets, what else could I possibly do. They were already getting heaps of different foods. What else was there left.
Anyway, so I decided to convert them. I tried converting them once before but it was "too hard" and didn't work. So I took the belief, that if I can't convert them, then I just can't - they'll have to be seed-fed birds.
But after Mike's possible diagnosis, I thought it was time to try again.
First of all, I was trying to convert them onto passwell pellets. Mike said those pellets were too large for red-rumps and made some suggestions. I picked Vetafarm.
I ordered my first bag directly from Vetafarm and decided to join the vetaclub. I was on the phone with the guy for ages. We were having a chat about how to convert birds onto pellets. There were a few ways I could try, he gave me heaps of tips etc.
The dry pellet mixed with seeds and the gradually decrease the seed- method, did not work for me. I decided to go with the actual instructions on the back of the vetafarm maintenance pellets, bag.
This worked really well for me now and was 100% successful.
So I decided to convert ALL my birds.
I have 12 birds... 6 irns, 2 red-rumps, 2 scarlets, 1 lovebird, 1 gcc ....all on pellets.
Anyway, so after a lengthy moult, lasting a few months, my male red- rump has now completed his moult. He has been fed vetafarm maintenance pellets for a fair while now, as the base diet. All my birds still get veggies, fruit, sprouts etc plus the occassional seed , like a seed stick etc.
I am pleased to annouce, that my previously pied/opaline normal red-rump is once a gain a beautiful normal red-rump, male. Not a single sign of yellow in his with feathers, only where they are meant to be.
Ooohhhh, I love my vetafarm ;D ;D
But anyway, once again, Mike comes in for the rescue. Hmmm...maybe we should design Mike, his very own "super hero" costume!!?? ;D LOL
So anyway, the moral of THIS story is ;D ....umm ...will your bird be eating macca's again ...or will you dine him at a gourmet a la carte ristorantee?? Hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm?? ...;D;D
but I know, that if you feed them with seeds, they only eat the ones they like so don't get a balanced, full diet with all the vitamins/nutrients they need plus they are high in fat, especially sunflower and safflower seeds, which they like to pick out first - so a fatty diet isn't good for birds with liver problems either.
I will have a look if I can get them at Pet Barn.
