Hello from Boston

[seagoatdeb]

It depends what is in your gloop, just make sure you dont overdue the protein or the fats. I have found with mine that one day Gaugan wants only brocolli and carrots and will leave the rest of the veggies and the next day she likes sweet potatoes and squash. I let her eat what she needs, she seems to know what she feels like and in a weeks time she will eat a good variety. Sunny eats almost everything.

[seagoatdeb]

I weighed the frozen pucks of gloop I have. They're between 50 and 70 grams.

If Tanya can't get fat from eating too much gloop, then I won't worry about it.
(But I DO have a 300lb, vegan cousin. I suppose anything can make you fat if you're taking in more calories than you're burning.)

yes...lol...vegans can take in a lot of carbs and fats too. When I go vegan my weight stays the same. When I go raw vegan I tend to weigh a little less. I hope I didnt give you the wrong idea, because I dont know what is in your gloop. it is the fat and protein level you need to watch that you dont overdo.

[Pajarita]

Yes, Seagoatdeb is correct. The problem with been vegan is that as veggies and fruits don't give you a feeling of 'fullness' and most filling dishes need to be cooked from scratch, they tend to eat a lot of pasta, pizza, cereal and bread because they are easily available and make you feel full. But there are almost all empty carbs - thus, the weight gain.

But you are doing the Kashi gloop and you should have no problem with it although, for her, I would recommend a gloop more specific to her liver needs (more oats than anything else, barley second, kamut third, no brown rice, only red one, lots of artichokes and chopped broccoli, etc) And I would add 1/3 of a milk thistle, dandelion root and artichoke extract capsules to it.

[Navre]

Yes, Seagoatdeb is correct. The problem with been vegan is that as veggies and fruits don't give you a feeling of 'fullness' and most filling dishes need to be cooked from scratch, they tend to eat a lot of pasta, pizza, cereal and bread because they are easily available and make you feel full. But there are almost all empty carbs - thus, the weight gain.

But you are doing the Kashi gloop and you should have no problem with it although, for her, I would recommend a gloop more specific to her liver needs (more oats than anything else, barley second, kamut third, no brown rice, only red one, lots of artichokes and chopped broccoli, etc) And I would add 1/3 of a milk thistle, dandelion root and artichoke extract capsules to it.

Okay. I am using that recipe you posted in a thread a while back. I can add oats, and increase the artichokes and broccoli. I am currently giving her milk thistle via dropper, but I hope to get an exact dosage I can give in a syringe. The vet advised that it needs to be treated like a drug, and giving too much can have negative effects. "Two drops" is a pretty vague measure.

[Wolf]

The vet should be able to give an exact dosage to you.

[Pajarita]

I don't know of any negative effects from too much milk thistle except that it can give humans diarrhea but I don't know if parrots also get it (none of mine ever did) and, even if it did, it's an easy thing to spot and then all you have to do is reduce the dosage.

I don't like medicating birds in the beak, it's stressful to them because even when a bird trusts you completely, is used to been handled, and takes stuff from syringe with no problem, when they are sick or weakened, their instinct is to blend into the woodwork so any handling is stressful. I do it only if there is no other way of getting the medicine into them in the proper dosage so things like metacam, antifungals (which I've used a grand total of twice in all the years I've had birds) or if they need an antibiotic that cannot be put in the water. I give all supplements mixed in their food and water, including the milk thistle, dandelion root, etc. I mix the liquid extracts and aloe vera in their water and the capsules in their food. I believe it works as well as the beak dosing and it's much less stressful - it is more expensive though because you end up wasting a lot but I don't care - sheesh, I've even medicated with liquid Baytril in the water and believe you me when I tell you that is super expensive!

[Navre]

I'll put the milk thistle in the gloop, then. That seems to make sense.

[Navre]

Tanya is flapping her wings in her cage, kind of half hanging by her grass matt with her beak as she does. Ocean keeps asking her, "Whatcha doing?" and telling her "you're silly."

She also keeps telling her to "step down."

[Wolf]

I put about 1/4 of the eyedropper full in the gloop fo my budgie. Both of the eat the gloop which is why I use as much as I do. I have not had any side effects as far as I can see. That is 1/4 ml in a 3 ml syringe.

[Navre]

Tanya pretty much has to be handled daily to clean her bottom and to keep her feet clean.