Feeding a Senegal

[Strawfrawg]

I'm new to these forums and haven't covered all of the archives yet, so please forgive me if this has been answered elsewhere.

I am currently looking for my first Senegal chick and plan to feed Roudybush pellets. I remember seeing somewhere that Mike suggests feeding the medium-sized pellets because they are easy to count out and the larger pellets encourage use of the feet for grasping while eating, but I can't recall how many pellets I should plan to feed per meal. Suggestions? Should the amount change as the baby parrot grows? I plan on bringing home a chick who is just weaned and ready to go.

I should ask this, too...should I be looking for a 10-week old chick, like I did with my cockatiel, or is there a better age for a new baby to come home?

[Andromeda]

Welcome to the forums.

With a young parrot you don't want to restrict food; it should be allowed to eat as much as it wants. Just offer it, say, 10 pellets and keep an eye on the amount of food and if it eats them all offer a few more. Over the course of a few days or a week you should have an estimate of how many pellets you will need to offer per day.

It may eat more or less as it grows so just keep an eye on the food dish to see if you need to feed less or more. After it's an adult you can consider scheduled meals as opposed to free-feed (mine have access to food in the morning and then not again until the evening) but you don't really want to do that with a baby. Once it's an adult you can also weight it on a daily basis to make sure it isn't gaining or losing too much weight and adjust the food as necessary. A parrot on free-feed tends to over-eat a bit and can be slightly overweight.

I don't really know much about how old the chick should be; I'm sure someone else can help you out with that.

[Michael]

Where are you from? You may want to look into getting a rescue Senegal Parrot. There are many advantages to this that I can't get into right now. Check this out:

http://TrainedParrot.com/Gingersparrots

If you DO get a baby, feed unlimited pellets for at least the first 6 months. Between 6-18 months you can begin a gradual move toward a managed diet. Keep in mind that you'll have to feed whatever it was weened on for a while until it gets used to things before you can switch it to a pellet of your choice. Also you shouldn't be asking other people how much they feed. Every bird is different and has different requirements, even from the same species. What might be too much for one bird is not enough for another. You need to learn more about the general concept of applying food management and learn how to specifically tailor it for your bird.

[marie83]

Regarding bringing your baby home the age will vary, some breeders force wean but this isn't a good thing. Ideally the bird will be allowed to wean when its good and ready and be eating independantly without regressing for at least 1 week before it comes home to you. I don't know what age senegals typically wean but each will be individual.

[Strawfrawg]

Great advice from everyone, especially you, Michael. I'm just getting a ballpark idea for getting started. My cockatiel was an atypical eater and it took me some time to figure out what was best for him. I do plan to weigh my bird often, as I did with my last one. Weebo could become quite the chubby little guy during the winter if I let him (must take after his human mama). I have only been looking at breeders who are willing to *naturally* wean to my food of choice to make the transition easier and start my little buddy out right.

I said this on the intro forum...getting a baby is a personal preference, but I do donate to bird rescues and my I'm going to pass the info I've been given here to my mother, who is looking into getting a Senegal as well and is thinking of adopting an adult because of her age. FYI - In our area there is a "meals on wheels" type program for the pets of low-income disabled and homebound people. I donate food, toys, and cash for vet care. If you have a meals on wheels program in your area, see if they have a pet program. Most people only donate cat and dog supplies so there's a need for generous bird lovers.

I live in Columbia, SC, by the way. From New York and moving back there fairly soon.