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Post by Morgan on Sept 19, 2020 19:21:48 GMT
So I did go and pick up some more Harrison’s High Potency Superfine in the meantime - I haven’t fed it since I only had Pig, Goat, and Monkey with me. I mixed a very small amount of dry seed with it to get them interested - and they all chowed down immediately. So whatever the case, they like it and recognize it as food right away. Maybe it’s positive peer pressure and some healthy competition. I think I am going to experiment over the next two months (or until the package runs out) and serve half Harrison’s and half seed for now, trending towards a complete diet of Harrison’s, supplementing with veg and sprouted seed as their packaging states - just to see if I notice any difference in my birds. I think Monkey came to me a little overweight, though it hasn’t changed much since I got her - maybe it’s just her body type. She weighs 38-40g on average (when I’m able to get her to stay still on the scale long enough lol) but has always had a little bit of a “chest”. yellowfacedviolet seems to have had good results, so if Monkey loses her chest properly following Harrison’s diet then I can use that as a basis for what her personal ideal weight should be (in comparison, Soul is about her size, maybe just slightly bigger than her, weighs about the same, but does not have a “chest” - and being the dominant female Monkey definitely hogs the food bowl and seems to go for the groats). In the meantime, I am going to keep looking for a seed mix I’m happy with or mix one myself - then regulate Harrison’s to a smaller portion of the diet. I figure feed fresh, variety, and all in moderation is probably the key to not stressing too much about their diet overall. Anyway, I’ll update you all if I notice any drastic difference in Monkey (or any of my other birds) including weight and energy levels, etc.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Sept 19, 2020 20:03:43 GMT
I'll be interested to see how this turns out. Good luck! BTW - I've got my first ever batch of seeds (about 2 TBL) soaking to sprout this morning. I had a bag of Hagen budgie seed that I used.
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Post by Morgan on Sept 19, 2020 20:22:14 GMT
I'll be interested to see how this turns out. Good luck! BTW - I've got my first ever batch of seeds (about 2 TBL) soaking to sprout this morning. I had a bag of Hagen budgie seed that I used. Yay! That’s exciting! I started soaking my quinoa too before I cook it since I was soaking/sprouting for the budgies anyway - they’re making me healthier too! And it cooks faster, lol.
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Post by Morgan on Sept 21, 2020 8:00:55 GMT
Another update! Okay, so I checked out Haith’s finally, and I can’t seem to find actual ingredients for any of their products anywhere - am I doing it wrong? Lol www.haiths.com/cage-and-aviary-bird-seed/bravo-budgie-seed/ - this one sort of has a list, but not in order of ratio. www.haiths.com/cage-and-aviary-bird-seed/special-budgie-seed/ this one just has extra canary seed and millet but doesn’t say what kind - and there appears to be something else in there too but not mentioned - looks kinda like flax? www.haiths.com/cage-and-aviary-bird-seed/budgie-tonic-seed/ - no idea what the tonic part about this seed is, the seed itself or something added to it? I was hoping to use them at least as a reference for mixing my own seed if necessary or to compare other brands to - and I’m very curious about the dry soft foods/egg food. www.haiths.com/cage-and-aviary-bird-seed/cede-budgie-egg-food/ Also, their mineralized grit is not soluble - is this an issue? www.haiths.com/cage-and-aviary-bird-seed/mineralised-tonic-grit-cahe01009/ Hezz? Thanks again, and in advance of this time, for always coming to my information aid! (And everyone else’s too!) Also checked out Higgin’s - has sugar very early in the ingredients list - i.e. way more than Volkman’s - which should only be in the dried fruit at least and can be soaked out - and my budgies at least pretty much ignore most fruit anyway. So, as far as commercial seed mixes readily available to me, Volkman’s is still the best. Lastly, I am already liking feeding Harrison’s pellets again - if not purely for weight management in Monkey and inability to pick out “favorites” from the mix (the birbs don’t pig out on it like they do their seed - each portion I serve lasts longer through the day - but they do eat all of it before I give them their soaked seed portion), then because training has instantly become much easier! Their soaked / sprouted millet bits are that much more enticing (training happens before giving them their soaked seed) after having only Harrison’s for the first half of the day. If Harrison’s had any major flaws as a pellet like artificial flavors, dyes, sugar, etc., I might feel a bit guilty about this being a factor, but I think going 50/50 might be a good option for my birds. My two pickiest veg eaters (they all eat veg, but Soul and Xephy a bit less) were much more interested in their veg today too! So far so good. Thank you yellowfacedviolet for mentioning it working for you, because I was wavering whether to go back to it at all. If Monkey loses her chest somewhat before transitioning to a completely Harrison’s-formatted diet I’ll probably just keep doing 50/50 with soaked seed, plus veg, egg, etc. because I still like feeding fresh sprouted seed. Just to be thorough in conclusion, I also offer unsalted dried seaweed along with their cuttlebone and mineral block for the iodine, I use calci-boost in their water once a week, a vitamin supplement sprinkled on their soaked seed a few times a week, and I have guardian angel on hand. I also have a soluble oustershell grit that I put in a separate dish off and on for a few days at a time because they usually ignore it completely. Just in case anyone has anything to add or sees any holes in my current method, or has any suggestions at all - please let me know! I especially wonder if I do need the cuttlebone and mineral block (which is mostly just calcium too I think, and the grit (has other vitamins too but I do use a supplement), and added calcium to their water once a week. Is that actually overkill? I know it’s their choice to chew on the cuttlebone and blocks and they don’t usually eat the grit anyway...
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Post by Hezz on Sept 21, 2020 20:05:25 GMT
I would not use that Haith's grit. From that link: Mineralised Tonic Grit is insoluble and acts as a grinding agent in the gizzard to enable complete digestion of all food. Good for doves and pigeons maybe, but parrots do not need this.
Keep the mineral block, cuttlebone and soluble grit in all the time. The birds use it when they need it - they can't use it if it isn't there. If you were to remove one, my choice would be the cuttlebone as calcium can come from the shellgrit.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Sept 22, 2020 16:26:55 GMT
Lastly, I am already liking feeding Harrison’s pellets again - if not purely for weight management in Monkey and inability to pick out “favorites” from the mix (the birbs don’t pig out on it like they do their seed - each portion I serve lasts longer through the day - but they do eat all of it before I give them their soaked seed portion), then because training has instantly become much easier!
Curious about the training becoming easier and what you mean by that? Of course everyone that has budgies wants the training to be easier!
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Post by Morgan on Sept 23, 2020 19:06:59 GMT
Thank you once again Hezz! I was thinking about the cuttlebone myself because I read that the longer it stays in the cage the more it could become contaminated just from being out in their cage environment. My budgies seem to prefer the mineral block anyway - but could that also become contaminated after a time? How often should I replace everything? They luckily haven’t pooped on their mineral block (except once, and I cut that portion out deeply and turned it upside down and cause they always seem to eat from the top end - and I moved it’s location) or cuttlebones, but after being out for a period of time could they start to absorb anything nasty from the cage environment in general? I’ve had the mineral blocks in there for about three months now, the cuttlebone about eight maybe? With confirmation I think I’ll remove the cuttlebone and replace the mineral blocks soon?
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Post by Morgan on Sept 23, 2020 19:27:26 GMT
tweetiepiesmom - well, they don’t seem to enjoy their Harrison’s as much as their seed, so I don’t know if that’s necessarily a good thing except that I know Monkey won’t overeat. They eat all of it before I feed them their next meal but they take more time with it. So compared to their Harrison’s pellets, their millet treats are that much more stimulating. Before they would still come to me for treats but now they come to me in the expectation of treats and seem to pay more attention to me as a whole - the bearer of good foods. I guess maybe just try it out for yourself if you are curious - but if your two boys are pickier eaters than my buds they may give you more grief switching over to the new diet in the first place. I also noticed that Harrison’s actually contains 12% fat, yet it helps with weight control and the birds don’t overeat. It sounds like the keto diet - except that could be dangerous in the long term (as is keto) for their livers - which I think I also read something about pellets being bad for parrots kidneys elsewhere online. So I’ve decided I won’t switch to a 100% Harrison’s diet at all and will keep feeding half sprouted seed - which I do for the second half of the day. I’m going with a balance of feeding all types of foods to see if it makes a noticeable difference in my birds overall vitality or not. If it doesn’t I’m going to delve into how to mix my birds seed from scratch - buying each type separately in bulk (which will probably save me money in the long run after the time spent researching is done).
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Sept 23, 2020 22:01:01 GMT
Morgan I'm interested in hearing your progress and what you decide. My guys are picky eaters but they will usually nibble before rejecting something. I still struggle with what the right thing is for them and then getting them to eat it.
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Post by Morgan on Sept 23, 2020 23:59:08 GMT
tweetiepiesmom - I think I may always struggle with what I’m feeding them! Hence the experimenting. I’m actually pretty happy with their diet currently but there’s always the nagging feeling I may be choosing wrong - and their health is so important to me! I just finished reading a book (out loud to the buds of course! xD) called the “Paradox of Choice” which is all about the psychology of how too many options can essentially drive us crazy and make us feel unsatisfied with what we do choose even after trying to do all the research to find the “best”, rather than just being happy with the best that is available. Maybe I should post it under the books topic - it was a very good read. At the same time, doing the research itself (for certain topics) and the experimentation itself is actually fun for me - and sharing my experiences for those who have less time and energy for those sorts of things also brings me joy. So on I will continue. :3
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Sept 24, 2020 0:15:03 GMT
Yes, Morgan I totally agree! I'm happy that my guys eat wheat grass, other grasses and basil regularly and will peck at new greens. As I'm sitting here typing this, both are nibbling away at basil. They enjoy the freeze dried chop and sprouts and those are convenient for me. I worry that the seed choice is not the best. I also worry that I should be giving them other things. Maybe I just worry about them too much!
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