Hello from California! :)

[Sagethelovebird]

Oh don't apologize for anything Wolf. Okay, he's starting to step up. I'll try and post a picture soon

[Sagethelovebird]

Yes I'm feeding pellets right now but I'll try to transition him to gloop while he's still young. And yes, I let him outside every day. I'll try that (just opening the cage door.) I should still be hand feeding?! I read that you should handfeed just to comfort them right?

[Sagethelovebird]

Oh no I have a huge problem! Yesterday morning, a rat found its way into my house and ripped open my bags of bird food and dragged it across the floor. I threw everything out because I'm not giving my bird ANYTHING a rat has touched. I was so disgusted and upset. So I ended up having to drive *pretty far* away. The only thing I had to offer to Sage was quinoa and some millet. When I came home, around 8 PM, Sage was sleeping. And he had left a skeleton of millet and a few beak marks in the quinoa. When I offered him his regular *pelleted* food, he completely gorged himself on it. He ate EVERYTHING I put in there. And now his crop is super full. Like he looks bloated...What do I do?!

[Wolf]

Relax and store your bird food in metal containers in the package that they came in. That will stop the rat from getting to it until you get rid of them. Put a bait out where no other animal can get to it or use a live trap or a kill trap as long as you put it where no other animal can get to it. You bird will be fine, but I would watch to make sure that he does empty his crop as pellets expand when they get moisture in with them.

[Sagethelovebird]

Okay I will get some metal containers. I don't even know how the rat got in! Sage keeps eating so much!!! Whenever I see him, he's eating and he won't stop chirping until I refill his bowl. Is he just overcompensating for all the food he didn't eat yesterday?

[Sagethelovebird]

Here's Sage

[Wolf]

Might I suggest that if you refill his bowl that you do it with cooked whole grains or fruits and vegetables? They would be healthier for him and will not dehydrate him the way that pellets might and they are low enough in protein and fat so that he won't get obese.

[Pajarita]

Oh, poor baby was hungry! Just as a future reference, if in an emergency, you can always give them human stuff like bread, cooked rice, baked or boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes, corn/peas/carrots from a can (although they are better frozen)... that kind of thing.

BTW, he is BEAUTIFUL! But, do you know if he is really a male? And did they tell you what mutation he is? Because his face is too pale to be a wild phenotype and he appears to have some kind of an ino factor...

[Sagethelovebird]

Oh yes Wolf, I will continue to offer grains and veggies to him.

[Sagethelovebird]

Okay, thanks for the list, I'm going to copy it to my notes! And hahah yes he's pretty. I don't know if he's really a male, the breeder I got him from just said she felt like he was. And no they didn't tell me what mutation he was. If it helps Sage had a yellow sister and another green brother but with a yellow face. When Sage was at like 5 or 6 weeks, he had such an orange face!