|
|
Post by rose on Dec 19, 2012 8:30:21 GMT
First of all, a big thank you to Barrie and Hezz for their weak black tea recommendation for Marshie (see PALE DROPPINGS thread)!  The boyz have been tea drinkers now for I think a week (unfortunately forgot to make a note of the day I started) and there does seem to have been an improvement. The droppings still tend to be a little watery though, and pale in the daytime (still not at night, for whatever reason). So I was wondering whether I could carry on with the tea for a while? Or should I switch them on to espresso now! ;D |
|
|
|
Post by Ryan.W on Dec 19, 2012 13:29:04 GMT
shouldn't do any harm too continue with it, and if it's making a improvement one more week can't hurt.
|
|
|
|
Post by rose on Dec 19, 2012 17:13:18 GMT
Thanks for the advice, Ryan!
|
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Dec 20, 2012 0:51:20 GMT
I agree it can't hurt to continue with the tea, especially if it is giving results. I am glad for you, Rose, that it is working. Not sure if this was brought up with the other thread, but with the "boyz" on a more vegetable-based diet, their droppings will be more pale than with a seed-based diet. The extra greenery tends to turn the poo slightly green and therefore paler. And also more watery.
|
|
|
|
Post by rose on Dec 20, 2012 8:39:47 GMT
I agree it can't hurt to continue with the tea, especially if it is giving results. I am glad for you, Rose, that it is working. Not sure if this was brought up with the other thread, but with the "boyz" on a more vegetable-based diet, their droppings will be more pale than with a seed-based diet. The extra greenery tends to turn the poo slightly green and therefore paler. And also more watery. Thanks yet again, Hezz! I'm not entirely convinced the tea's producing results now - some days/nights seem better than others - but it's enough to think that it does seem worth persevering longer. The thing is that the boyz' diet hadn't really changed from what it's always been when I first noticed the paler, more water droppings a couple of months back - except less fresh grass as it was getting towards the end of the season. I'm now experimenting with letting them have veggies (broccoli, sweetcorn and spinach or rocket) every other day ... Seems a shame to deprive Ian for longer as he seems to be bouncing with health at the moment (the avian vet first suspected a fatty lump - then when he examined it more carefully he decided it was muscle!  . |
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Dec 21, 2012 1:07:34 GMT
Have you brought this up with your vet, Rose? He/she may have a better idea than we do.  |
|
|
|
Post by rose on Dec 21, 2012 8:41:26 GMT
Have you brought this up with your vet, Rose? He/she may have a better idea than we do. I haven't, Hezz, because Marshall's droppings were the reason I took them to an avian vet in the first place (nearly an hour's car drive away - a stressful day for us all!) and, after examining them under anaesthetic (  ) and doing a microscopic analysis of their droppings, all he could come up with was they were overweight. Also, he wanted me to switch them from seed to pellets to help them lose weight - which, having looked into what people thought here and elsewhere, I wasn't very keen on. Which is now why they have Trill mixed with canary seed + millet & Trill Toppers etc are totally banned! I suppose, all in all, I don't have much confidence the vet could tell me anything else. He is an avian one, but he seemed pretty young and possibly not wildly experienced? And I don't want to put the boyz through the stress of another trip to deepest Swindon, just to hear that (a) they should be on pellets, and (b) he can't find anything obviously wrong! Anyone who could hear Marshall shouting away at the moment would think he was absolutely fine! ;D |
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Dec 21, 2012 10:40:30 GMT
Oh, I see. Doesn't help much, then, does it??? I suppose the only other thing you could look into is limiting the amount of seed they have access to, and making sure they have plenty of veggies once they finish what they are allowed. I tried doing this with mine, but quite frankly, I felt that while they ate the grass seeds and veggies meantime, as soon as the seed was returned to them, they pigged themselves.
|
|
|
|
Post by barrieshutt on Dec 21, 2012 20:14:38 GMT
A budgerigars staple diet is seed but do supply a chioce of millets, plain canary, groats or oats , millet sprays , cuttle bone , iodine block, oystershell grit and give fruit and veggies a miss for 4 weeks...........do make sure water is fresh daily and cannot be fouled
|
|
|
|
Post by rose on Dec 21, 2012 20:27:22 GMT
Oh, I see. Doesn't help much, then, does it??? I suppose the only other thing you could look into is limiting the amount of seed they have access to, and making sure they have plenty of veggies once they finish what they are allowed. I tried doing this with mine, but quite frankly, I felt that while they ate the grass seeds and veggies meantime, as soon as the seed was returned to them, they pigged themselves. 'Pig' is the boyz' middle name, so I don't think I'd have any better luck than you in that, Hezz! |
|
|
|
Post by rose on Dec 21, 2012 20:30:35 GMT
A budgerigars staple diet is seed but do supply a chioce of millets, plain canary, groats or oats , millet sprays , cuttle bone , iodine block, oystershell grit and give fruit and veggies a miss for 4 weeks...........do make sure water is fresh daily and cannot be fouled Many thanks for the advice, Barrie. They do get all of the above (apart from millet spray, since they've been dieting!), and still at the moment weak black tea instead of water (yes, definitely fresh daily). Do you agree it's OK to keep giving them the tea for a week or two more (they've been on it for about ten days)? And you don't think they'll get even fatter without veg to fill them up? |
|
.
) and doing a microscopic analysis of their droppings, all he could come up with was they were overweight.