Bird Hunger Strike??!!

[pabeth]

My pacific parrotlet baby, I have had one week, was started off eating bird kibble. She ate that just fine, and then I also introduced to her some greens and fruit for treats/added nutrition. I found out that she LOVES millet seed and I use that as her treat for training. But now she's refusing to eat her kibble! The last few days I have come home from work and she acts starving and crazed and wants the millet seed. Her food dish is full and looks untouched. I tried to hand feed her the kibble, but she immediately spits it out. I put a few millet inside the kibble dish, but she will throw out all the kibble and pick out the millet seed. Do you think she forgot that the kiddle is edible?

My parakeet I had for seven years, came to me already eating only millet seed, picking it out, and she never would switch to kibble or eat greens or fruit. I took her to the vet who said just mix in the kibble and slowly make it less millet, but it didn't work and she got so skinny, that we ended up just feeding her millet and adding in vitamins to her water for nutrition. I don't want this bad habbit to start with my new bird. I feel that it is better to have her eat the greens and veg and kibble and a nice variety naturally then have to eat vitamin supplement.

I'm really upset my new parrotlet (Kiwi) is rejecting everything but millet seed. I don't know what to do. IF she forgot that the kibble and other stuff is edible, then I don't want her to starve, but I am not sure if she is just on food strike (like how dogs hold out for table food) and that when she gets hungry enough that she will eat her kibble.

What do you guys think? Do you think she could have forgotten that the kibble is food?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Well I doubt she's forgotten kibble is food. Are you feeding the same brand, though? They do have preferences and different formulations are different. I guess if it were me, and I have limited experience so weigh that in, I'd go back to feeding just the kibble and take everything else away (well, except water). Then add the fresh foods back in. Keep the millet for just a treat. This habit can't be that well established in only a week or two.

[Kathleen]

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1412#p5658

[pabeth]

Thanks for the comments. I am using the exact same food she was eating before, and so this evening I am only giving her kibble and no treats. It's so odd to see her shoving her head deep into the bowl and tossing it this way and that. I tried to offer her some kibble by hand and she totally ran up and started attacking and biting me. I think she's very angry with me that I won't give her the millet seed. She has been so sweet, but now it is like dr. jeckel and mr. hyde. The food size I got was for parrotlet size, but I crushed up the food a little smaller tonight and she sees to be digging and making a crushing sound with her beak every once in a while, and I hear it fall to the cage, but I just hope she is swallowing some too. I hope she doesn't scratch her eyes, she is seriously shoving her around the dish. Well I guess it is a good thing at least she is in the dish trying to feed on something. Maybe I will not give her millet for a few days. I've never seen a bird shove it's head into pile of food before.... She's been at it about 20 minutes now.

[phutch]

She knows that you will give in. You could try LaFaeber's Avicakes they are pellet and seed bound together by mollasses. In order to get one she will have to eat the other. They come in 3 different sizes. Good luck!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Maybe I will not give her millet for a few days. I've never seen a bird shove it's head into pile of food before.... She's been at it about 20 minutes now.

She's foraging, sort of. I would lay off the treats until she's eating well again. I doubt she'll hurt herself. Since this is not a long-establlished eating habit, I would guess it should be easy to "reset" her expectations and then be cautious with the millet. Don't give free access.

[pabeth]

My poor baby bird died! I'm so devastated. Last night she was bouncing around the cage and playing with her toys. She was digging and crunching her kibble and then I gave her some carrot and lettuce, she ate some. She was chirping but looked asleep, but my other bird does that too, so I just went to bed. I didn't think anything of it. Then this morning I uncovered the cages and she was sitting at bottom fluffed up and with her head under her wing and lethargic. Her poop looked different, runny black instead of normal. I took her to the emergency vet. She said she looked a little thin and didn't have good bacteria and had bacteria in her stool and gave her antibiotic and warmed her up and then gave me some antibiotic for 10 days. And they said give a drop of yogurt after the 10 days for a few days to help give her good bacteria. I told the vet how I took away her millet seed that she always had veg and kibble supply and water in her cage. the vet said that she wasn't getting the nutrients from the food because she didn't have good bacteria in her system, but other than being a little thin that she was a healthy bird and the antibiotic would help. I felt relieved and they put her in box, she looked better, still fluffy, but more bouncy and trying to climb out of the box. About half way home, she was chirping, so I wanted to hold her in my hand. she was in my palm and just started to go limp. I turned around the car and rushed back to the vet and then they look her back and came back 20 min later and said she died. They vet said maybe the shock from going from being warmed up to going out to the car might have shocked her weak system. I feel so bad. I was worried about my other bird, but the vet said that it wasn't anything contagious, I told her I had her a little over a week and she said that she was probably sick when I got her but pretend not to be sick. Just in case I did vinegar water rinse with everything, I just don't want my other bird to get sick just in case it was something and the vet was wrong. The vet did send me home saying she was okay and then she was wrong, so I don't want to take chances. She was a exotic animal vet and did birds, but i guess it is hard even for a vet to tell if they are sick. I didn't know she was sick. Her poop and her attitude seemed normal, until this morning, but I feel so bad. I just can't believe it. She was so smart. I am glad I took video of her and pictures. I am waiting for her to be cremated. I held her when she was gone, and it make it worse feeling. I saw her video today and crying because her eyes are so sparkling and she just playing and trying to communicate with me. I feel so guilty. I went over an over if I did something wrong, but other than taking away the millet, I cant think of anything. She always had fresh food, fresh water, and play with her and love her. I don't know why this happen to my bird. I am just depressed and heart broken. I think my parakeet knows something is different. I hope it wasn't because i took away her millet. It can't be, can it? My poor baby. I can't believe this happen. I am shocked.

[Pola]

I'm so sorry, iI know how you feel because my cockatiel died only a month ago i was really devasteted.

[Michael]

I'm sorry to hear about this. I don't think you did anything wrong. I ventured a guess when you mentioned this topic that the bird might be sick but didn't mention anything because it was totally speculative. Even if I mentioned it I don't think it would have changed anything.

You did quarantine the birds didn't you? You said you only had the new one a week so they should not have been at all together for this very reason. People, take the 1 month bird quarantine seriously. Sick birds or shocked birds will usually die within less than a month so you don't want them in contact with each other till you sure both are healthy.

I think new baby birds are very fragile and susceptible to becoming ill and illness in small birds is nearly a guarantee for death. Their metabolism is so quick that all these processes happen faster and by the time you find out it is really too late. I lost my first bird, a cockatiel, around the end of the first month I had it. We lost Duke about 5 months in. The cockatiel showed illness symptoms (looking in retrospect) for only 1-3 days and the budgerigar for about 2 weeks. I think people need to be particularly careful with their baby birds in the first year while they build up strength and immunity. Not that this is of much consolation but it's better to know within the first month/year if the bird is a strong or weak one and if it can be expected to make it for the rest of its life. Believe me, if it's bound to happen, it's better when it happens sooner.

Good luck. Please clean everything no matter what the vet told you. Hope you are ok.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I am so very sorry. I'm sure you did nothing wrong! Taking away the millet could not have caused this, it's more likely she was sick to start with and it just took that long for the symptoms to show. Fortunately I have never experienced a sick bird, but everything I've read suggests that they are very very good at hiding any symptoms until they are critically ill. You obviously were doing the absolute best you possibly could have. Wish I could say something that would actually help.