Sidney

[Chantilly]

Oh and if you make the porrage (the oats and mushed banana) and she doesn't like it, try mixing apple sauce or honey and hiding some favourite treats in there, they forage for them, just a warning, be prepared for some huge mess and the cage needing a massive clean and even your walls after eating the porrage because she throws it everywhere

Haha awesome thatnkyou! Im amazed at the mess on the walls from mango and other fruits alone
But I would certaily love to make it and thats a great idea!

[Chantilly]

Today me and Sidney have had a chill-out day, been trying to get her to step up but I don't think she had much sleep last night because it was very windy and all you could hear was things blowing about outside, so she could hardly concentrate and she seemed tired.. Any tips on how to get her a good nights rest?

Anyway She's been eating very well but she's been regurgitating it back up and then eating it again (lovely I know ) eww.. But she hasn't done it for a few hours now, she's definitely more active and playing with her toys, I don't know if she's playing or aggressively attacking them (lol only joking, but it looks like that, she's just tearing them to peices).. Gonna need some new toys

She took a bath in her water bowl today, I was quite worried when I came upstairs and saw her feathers all clumped together and little black dots all over her, I don't know what the black dots were, but when she was all soaked she looked like she's plucked feathers out, but once shed dried her feathers went back to normal.. All fluffy and cuddly does anyone know what the black dots were? They where at the end of each feather and each feather looked as if it had been bitten off..??

That's today update love to hear your replies on this

Im not to sure about the feaather!
try covering her cage with towels of a night to help her sleep (so the lights dont bother her). Tilly gets covered around 7:30pm (1/2hour after dark) and uncovered at around 7:00am to 8:00am.
Tilly dosnt regurgitate so im not sure if thats normal and as for the black dots, i am not sure but it may have been dust or something from of a toy (a happy hut or something) that she soon preened out.

[BabyBird]

Today me and Sidney have had a chill-out day, been trying to get her to step up but I don't think she had much sleep last night because it was very windy and all you could hear was things blowing about outside, so she could hardly concentrate and she seemed tired.. Any tips on how to get her a good nights rest?

Anyway She's been eating very well but she's been regurgitating it back up and then eating it again (lovely I know ) eww.. But she hasn't done it for a few hours now, she's definitely more active and playing with her toys, I don't know if she's playing or aggressively attacking them (lol only joking, but it looks like that, she's just tearing them to peices).. Gonna need some new toys

She took a bath in her water bowl today, I was quite worried when I came upstairs and saw her feathers all clumped together and little black dots all over her, I don't know what the black dots were, but when she was all soaked she looked like she's plucked feathers out, but once shed dried her feathers went back to normal.. All fluffy and cuddly does anyone know what the black dots were? They where at the end of each feather and each feather looked as if it had been bitten off..??

That's today update love to hear your replies on this

Im not to sure about the feaather!
try covering her cage with towels of a night to help her sleep (so the lights dont bother her). Tilly gets covered around 7:30pm (1/2hour after dark) and uncovered at around 7:00am to 8:00am.
Tilly dosnt regurgitate so im not sure if thats normal and as for the black dots, i am not sure but it may have been dust or something from of a toy (a happy hut or something) that she soon preened out.

Thankyou I'll try covering her cage. I left a night light on for her and she slept very well.. She gets night frights sometimes

[Wolf]

I think that I would get a good magnifying glass with a light and inspect the bird. I would probably mist her so that she is good and wet first ( do this in the morning) and try to collect some of the dots if possible and examine them.

[BabyBird]

I think that I would get a good magnifying glass with a light and inspect the bird. I would probably mist her so that she is good and wet first ( do this in the morning) and try to collect some of the dots if possible and examine them.

I had a look with a magnify glass and the dots and just where she's chewed the ends of her feathers because she's moulting.. And the ends have just gone black and when she's wet the ends all clump together to make a small black spot I think it's that anyway..

Take a look at the feather she recently moulted..

[Wolf]

Off hand I would say that the black is the result of stress and is referred to as stress bars, also can be the result of an insufficient amount of beta carotene in the diet.

[BabyBird]

Off hand I would say that the black is the result of stress and is referred to as stress bars, also can be the result of an insufficient amount of beta carotene in the diet.

How can I prevent this??

[Chantilly]

Foods such as mango and spinach are high in beta carotene.
I would find out what veges and fruits are high in beta carotene and safe for birds and feed them each day.
Edit: here is a good list http://www.healthaliciousness.com/artic ... rotene.php I would stay away from the lettuses though.

[BabyBird]

Foods such as mango and spinach are high in beta carotene.
I would find out what veges and fruits are high in beta carotene and safe for birds and feed them each day.
Edit: here is a good list http://www.healthaliciousness.com/artic ... rotene.php I would stay away from the lettuses though.

Thankyou

[Wolf]

I have not done a nutritional breakdown on mangos probably because I can't afford to buy that many of them so my birds only get it infrequently, but spinach is way too high in iron to use much more than one a month if that often. You will find that for your birds carrots are probably close to the best source of beta carotene that you can find. Beta carotene is the precursor to vitamin A, but vitamin A is a fat solueable vitamin and builds up quickly in the body, so without a vets orders it is not recommended to supplement using vitamin A. Beta carotene can be turned into vitamin A without danger of giving too much and is the recommended way to supplement vitamin A.

If you read about the sun conure that Pajarita just got in the species section you will learn about what the effects of too much iron does to a bird. In this bird it was caused by cheerios which are fortified with iron, but too much iron from spinach or any other source still has the same result.