Hi from Malaysia!

[SnowPhoenix]

Pajarita, I think you've taken my words completely out of context. I merely said I disagreed that pellets as a whole are bad for parrots, and never once did I ever say I was going to feed it to Phoenix now (?!). It seems like you've come to assume that I'm not caring well enough for my parrots, simply because I threw out the idea that pellets can have its own benefits and certain brands are nutritious (maybe not completely, since a full, complete diet for a parrot would require a lot of food rich in moisture as you've suggested).

Also, just because I have read contradictory things and that you have an idea that opposes mine, it doesn't make us both right or wrong. I do plan on cooking for my parrots - maybe not the 'gloop' that is paraded on this site like the next bible for parrot nutrition, but I will follow my vet's advice. Reading three books on avian medicine doesn't make you a vet, it just makes you a what I quote someone said to me recently when I told them about this post: a 'Google Doctor'.

I'm not trying to downtrod you or anything - but I notice this habit in forums. The forum veterans believe that what they have discovered during their years of being in a certain hobby is absolutely etched in stone/their word is law, and refuse to accept the idea that there might be a different opinion or some recent up-to-date information that has altered the landscape of a hobby on its own (and yes, birdkeeping is a hobby besides being a lifestyle change that requires a lot of care and commitment).

Half the ingredients needed for gloop aren't even available in my country. I know I can make-do using different types of veggies, fruits and even freshly ground nuts. This doesn't mean I'm discrediting your way of feeding your birds, but I have to admit - when you first stated that I had to start preparing a newly turned five-week-old chick for solids a.k.a. weaning, even I was shocked if not a tad irritated. I know you're human and can make mistakes, but I'm starting to think this just isn't the forum for me.

Sorry. But if everything here is focused on a one-way stream of thoughts and not open to any other ideas, then I don't see the sense in asking questions or contributing my own ideas on this site.

In the meantime, I will let Phoenix decide by himself when he should be weaned, which is usually between 8 to 10 weeks of age, and I'll try him on soft fruits and veggies first. I'll move on to millet and soaked pellets/soaked seeds next. And I'll consult my vet. Sorry - but ultimately, even with all your experience to back you up, you're still an anonymous face behind a screen to me. With a vet who's actually experienced in this area and who's been practising for almost 40 years now with birds, I feel a lot more secure trusting him since he's more up-to-date with parrot nutrition and husbandry.

Thank you for your time.

[Pajarita]

No, I am not taking your words out of context. You stated that you were of the opinion that pellets were not bad for birds and the reason you gave for this opinion was what other people had told you. I merely listed the reasons why I thought that pellets are not the best dietary option for parrots based on what I discovered through research. I don't go by what other people tell me, I do my own research because I've realized that most people just repeat what other people say without actually checking out the facts thoroughly, including avian vets. And, speaking of avian vets, you will have to forgive me but I SERIOUSLY doubt your vet has 40 years of experience in parrots because, if he has, he should call Guinness! The whole 'certified avian vet' thing was 'invented' here in USA and I don't think there are any avian vets here that have practiced that long (just to give you a point of reference, the whole thing started in 1985 and they didn't even have actual textbooks then, it was more a group of what we now call 'exotic practitioners', vets who treat animals that are not dogs, cats or farm but who have no formal education or certification). I started keeping parrots back in 92 and did not even know there was such a thing as an avian vet until a few years after (and I had to drive hours to get to one they were so few and far in between! And boy were they expensive!!! -which was, most likely, the reason why they came up with the 'certification' thing)

Also, there was no assumption anywhere on my posting as to how you are going to feed your bird, just the 'con' position on a debate about pellets as the best food for parrots expecting you to provide the 'for' position -which, not to make a fine point, you did not (derision, contradiction and subtle insults make great reading but are not really arguments). And I never claimed to be a vet or even mention anything about that! I merely pointed out that avian vets do not study parrot nutrition and that's God's truth! Avian vets don't go to school for it, they study under another avian vet and from books so they can pass the exam in order to become certified and the books they study don't cover parrot nutrition -and all you have to do to verify this information is go to a store where they sell them and look through them (you don't even have to buy them -they are super expensive!) - but I do like the "google doctor" thing even though you meant it as an insult... it has nothing to do with the argument or what I said but it is cute!

Furthermore, if you think that people who feed gloop are the 'veterans' who don't accept any 'new' information, you REALLY REALLY need to do more research about parrots diets and how they have evolved because it's exactly the opposite! Gloop IS the new information and pellets are the old! (The first studies were done on cockatiels back in the early 80's and the first pellets were made in the mid 80's based on the results of such studies -they were Roudybush and Harrison's). Same as putting soft foods in a cage for a baby is the more progressive way of doing it (it's called abundance weaning, check it out and you'll see) and it doesn't mean you are not supposed to handfeed, it's merely an offering so the bird gets used to seeing the food there and, in time, starts trying it. I would never suggest you stop handfeeding at 5 weeks of age, or even 8 or 10! As a matter of fact, in my personal experience with parent-raised cockatiels, the babies don't really come out on their own until they are about 12 weeks old and the parents still supplement their food intake for about 4 to 6 weeks after that so, if you want to follow nature (which I think it's the best way to go), weaning should not really start at 8 - 10 weeks of age. In any case, in abundance weaning -which is the only method I recommend- you feed the baby until the baby rejects the handfeeding itself.

How you feed your bird is your decision. All I can do is tell you what I have learned and why I made the choices I've made while, at the same time, exhort you to do your own research - which should not mean asking other people or even avian vets but going to scientific sources like field biologists and ornithologists as well as studies. Because, if there is one thing that experience has taught me is that you can't really trust what other people say... it's just too easy for people to lie and still sound as if they know what they are talking about.