﻿<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><channel><title>BirdChannel Forum / Bird Breeder Community / Health and Nutrition </title><generator>InstantForum.NET v4.1.2</generator><description>BirdChannel Forum</description><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/</link><webMaster>forums@bowtieinc.com</webMaster><lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 15:10:41 GMT</lastBuildDate><ttl>20</ttl><item><title>HELP URGENT</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic251388-15-1.aspx</link><description>Help my sister's budgie is dying, he was fine last night but this morning he was lying on the bottom of his cage, i think the problem might be a draft because today has been a cold windy day after a chain of hot still days. He is very pale not moving much and not eating, he ate an absurd amount of food last night but his crop is empty! He is just laying in her hand, he talks but he hasn't been talking yet today, I made him up a sick cage, he can't stand! Can someone please help I think he is gonna die! there aren't any vets open because it is Sunday!</description><pubDate>Sun, 05 May 2013 16:15:59 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>AshForever</dc:creator></item><item><title>zebra finch neck feather loss</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic251357-15-1.aspx</link><description>i bought two female zebra finches last week from my local pet store, but when i got them home i noticed that one had feathers missing on the back of her neck and you can see the skin. So i got some anti mite spray to see if it would help but so far nothing, then today I've noticed that my other female zebra has missing feather on the back of her neck too, i'm wondering if it would be too do with breeding as i have two males that have pair up with both females and started from what i can see are breeding.&lt;br&gt;Also the males are yet to have any problems. please help if you have any suggestions many thanks ed</description><pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2013 12:06:46 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>ed959lion</dc:creator></item><item><title>lady gouldian health</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic251063-15-1.aspx</link><description>i have a 1 year old lady gouldian who has been staying on the bottom of the cage for 2 days now.. is eating and drinking. is oon s76 for air saC mite control. she also always has poop on her feathers underneath. but always has. just didnt know if thats normal. what cud b causing her to stay on the bottom. shes not fluffed up either just acts like she cant get up there and is always looking like shes tryin to find a good sot to fly up but doesnt make it.. any suggestions</description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:45:44 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>moonpies</dc:creator></item><item><title>lady gouldian food needs</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic251062-15-1.aspx</link><description>what percent of fat and protein does lady gouldians need in their seed diet</description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:57:30 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>moonpies</dc:creator></item><item><title>Will bug products hurt my bird.</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic175316-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hi i been looking at the ridex bug killer that you just plug in to the wall. I am concerened it might hurt my babby bird of my cockitial. does any one have a clue it mintiens small animals. </description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:33:38 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>jcw232000</dc:creator></item><item><title>health insurance for birds</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic182513-15-1.aspx</link><description>Can somebody give me some information about bird health insurance? Do you have some? How does it work? How much does it cost?&lt;br&gt;Thanks&lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/Smile.gif" border="0" title="Smile"&gt;</description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:09:43 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Tygrne</dc:creator></item><item><title>birds magazine</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic250645-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hello everyone,&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Do you have any suggestions for any (good) Bird magazine? I'm looking for advices (after this forum of course :)) and would like to find a nice magazine. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Thank you for your ideas!</description><pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 2013 07:59:38 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>k.mar10</dc:creator></item><item><title>Beak problem?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic245108-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hello, I have a Severe McCaw and I was wondering if it is natural for his beak to chip off? We have only had Noki for a few weeks. Can you please answer if you know.&lt;br&gt;Thank you,&lt;br&gt;Loretta&lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/Tongue.gif" border="0" title="Tongue"&gt;</description><pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 00:55:45 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Love those birds</dc:creator></item><item><title>Foods to avoid..</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic239047-15-1.aspx</link><description>Can someone please tell me where to find a list of dangerous foods to feed pet birds. I cant seem to find a complete list.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:16:07 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>pamcor57</dc:creator></item><item><title>Yogurt</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic225288-15-1.aspx</link><description>My sun conure absolutely loves to taste a little of my Activia yogurt each day.  I know conures can't process milk, but is this enough of a milk product to keep him away from it?  He doesn't actually eat much, and I haven't noticed any ill effects, but if it's really bad for him I'll keep him away from it.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Same question with cheese.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Thanks in advance  &lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/Hehe.gif" border="0" title="Hehe"&gt;</description><pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 15:23:45 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Teq's mom</dc:creator></item><item><title>What about hemp seeds?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic248324-15-1.aspx</link><description>We have an almost 5 month old Green Cheek Conure (Buster).  We met a women who also has a GC (for 19 years) and said that her's just loves hemp seed and it makes its feathers shiny and healthy.  I never asked her how often they should be given this seed (and being kind of uneducated in this area) worry that because of the type of seed it is, if they should be given this in small amounts.  Thanks for your help!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Linda</description><pubDate>Sun, 09 Sep 2012 05:25:26 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>LKlimo</dc:creator></item><item><title>*Attention* Fire Season</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic247520-15-1.aspx</link><description>It's fire season and just wanted to remember everyone especially those in northern California that Keep your Fids in doors with an air purifier on. Here in Butte County we have a Fire that is 0% contain and it's very smokey, which is making it difficult for others and I with asthma to breath. So, I know it must be harder and our little ones.</description><pubDate>Mon, 06 Aug 2012 07:37:42 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>RedDragon1288</dc:creator></item><item><title>PELLETS V FRESHFOOD</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic246610-15-1.aspx</link><description>B.J's. PELLETS   V   FRESH FOOD&lt;br&gt;                      Edited due to new information. Oct 2012&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;I spent some part of my working life in the Grain, Seed &amp; Animal Feed stuff business. So here I'm going to let you into a few secrets. They don't print on the pkt.&lt;br&gt;The high quality Protein, Calcium &amp; some odd trace elements usually come from the Slaughter House, but after contacting friends still in the business. &lt;br&gt;I'm reliably informed that most pet bird pellet suppliers have replaced offal with other commodities for the Protein &amp; the Calcium. The Vitamins &amp; Carbohydrates,  come from the wastage from vegetable &amp; fruit packers, stalks, roots, pods &amp; leaves. Plus anything that gets shelled or damaged in the transportation &amp; sorting process. For instance, Maize, Peanuts, Sunflower hearts, Nuts, Peas, Beans etc. are dried &amp; crushed. This saves quite lot of money from the disposal costs to landfill sites &amp; makes a nice profit &lt;br&gt;Pellets are ideal for poultry, for which they were designed. They swallow without tasting. I've know chickens eat a dozen steel ball bearings without batting an eyelid. &lt;br&gt;Some birds like humans taste &amp; enjoy the texture of fresh food. Like us they have their own personal likes &amp; dislikes where food is concerned, once they have tasted Pellets, they know they taste like *****. &lt;br&gt;Even when you mix them it with things they do like, which rather defeats the object of feeding  complete dietary needs pellets in the first place. &lt;br&gt;Many suppliers who advertise pellets, never actually see their own product. It is mixed to their own recipe, bagged with their brand &amp; logo. &amp; delivered either direct to customers, (bird keepers) or to point of sale outlets.&lt;br&gt;I would not deprive any bird who enjoyed eating Pellets. OK...So it's up to you. &lt;br&gt;There's nothing in pellets that is fresh. Its all dried, preserved, etc.... When you feed fresh food,  IT'S FRESH. So it's up to you.. &lt;br&gt;</description><pubDate>Sat, 14 Jul 2012 08:12:14 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Bird Junky</dc:creator></item><item><title>THINGS YOU DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT SEED</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic246609-15-1.aspx</link><description>What you didn't want to know about seed.                               &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I spent some of my working life in the Grain, Seed &amp; Animal Feed stuff &lt;br&gt;business. So here I'm going to let you into a few facts . They don't print on &lt;br&gt;the pkt.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The Market&lt;br&gt;   &lt;br&gt;The only seeds, at the time of writing, grown almost exclusively for birds &lt;br&gt;are, canary, niger (nijer) &amp; millet sprays. All the other seeds are grown for &lt;br&gt;human consumption in one form or another. After these markets have been &lt;br&gt;satisfied. The rest referred to in the trade as, the "Leftovers". Are sold on &lt;br&gt;for animal feed. &lt;br&gt;Add to this the mill/silo clean outs, seeds with a low germination rate. &lt;br&gt;Anything that gets hulled in the transportation &amp; sorting process is &lt;br&gt;considered unfit for human consumption. For instance, maize, peanuts, &lt;br&gt;sunflower hearts, nuts, peas, etc. These can later be dried &amp; chipped to &lt;br&gt;make them into seed size bits for the bird feed market.&lt;br&gt;The next stage is selling on to wholesalers with bagging &amp; packaging facilities. &lt;br&gt;From them goes on to the bird seed merchants who buy in bulk or point of &lt;br&gt;sale size ready mixed packs. Usually with options for an extra polish &amp; &lt;br&gt;aditives like aniseed &amp; orange oil, &amp; extra colour in the form of chipped &lt;br&gt;chilli peppers &amp; rice for customer eye &amp; nose appeal. Many birdkeepers will &lt;br&gt;pay extra for a colourful sweet smelling bag of seed.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;What's not in Seed&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Seed is rather short when it comes to protein &amp; the fat content in some &lt;br&gt;cases is quite high. as in sunflower, saffron &amp; niger. (nijer) The little protein &lt;br&gt;you do get is low in minerals like, sodium, iodine, copper, calcium, iron, &lt;br&gt;magnesium, selenium &amp; zinc among others. It's low in amino acids &amp; the &lt;br&gt;vitamins A. B2. B12. E &amp; K. &lt;br&gt;It's well known that a pet budgie with nothing more strenuous to do than &lt;br&gt;stare at his own reflection all day. Can live up to 10yr or so on an all seed &lt;br&gt;diet plus an occasional treat.&lt;br&gt;The percentage of what seeds do &amp; don't contain can be obtained from &lt;br&gt;various "Ministry of Agricultural", web sites. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The Nutritional Bit&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A poor nutritional diet of seed only will leave a breeding bird susceptible to &lt;br&gt;various diseases &amp; health problems, like poor fertility, laying, egg eating, &lt;br&gt;desertion, none hatching, dead chicks &amp; sudden death due to gradual organ &lt;br&gt;failure.&lt;br&gt;A bird raising two broods a year could be too physically exhausted to carry &lt;br&gt;on,  Any chicks raised on such a diet will appear quite healthy as they will &lt;br&gt;have taken all the nutrients they need from their parents ever decreasing &lt;br&gt;supply.&lt;br&gt;An all seed diet no matter what the mix, even if its fortified with a squirt &lt;br&gt;from a can of vitamin oil,or dusted with mineral powder, which will soon join &lt;br&gt;the rest of the dust at the bottom of the bag. Is going to keep birds in a &lt;br&gt;healthy condition for the whole of their normal breeding life.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Too Much&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Neither is it natural for a bird to receive its full compliment of nutrients on &lt;br&gt;a daily basis in the form of additives. Some additives have been found to &lt;br&gt;interfere with the birds natural way of extracting nutrients from its food &amp; &lt;br&gt;there is no way of ensuring that any bird isn't eating more or less of the &lt;br&gt;additives than the others.&lt;br&gt;Some additives added to drinking water have been known to deteriorate after &lt;br&gt;a few hours. The long term effect is almost identical to the poor diet. &lt;br&gt;Birds can function quite well on this system, their breeding life can be good, &lt;br&gt;then gradually deteriorate as the years pass leading to early sudden death &lt;br&gt;due to nutritional overload, along with all the ills of the under nutritonal diets.&lt;br&gt;This is a waste of money &amp; a misconception of doing good. &lt;br&gt;A bird  may never fully recover from the organ damage caused by long term &lt;br&gt;over or under nutritional diet. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Earlier this year 2012 a well known wild bird seed supplier was successfully&lt;br&gt;prosecuted for knowingly selling seed contaminated with a toxic substance.&lt;br&gt;Some of you may also remember in 1974 a Mr B. died of (Vitamin A) poisoning. &lt;br&gt;As a health nut, he drank a large glass of carrot juice on a daily basis over &lt;br&gt;several years. The coroner said he had never autopsied a healthier corpse.       &lt;br&gt;                              Yours  B.J.</description><pubDate>Sat, 14 Jul 2012 08:07:07 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Bird Junky</dc:creator></item><item><title>Be careful when selecting wood perches</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic245876-15-1.aspx</link><description>Daisy My Caique Rubs her head on things often and not thinking about this, i put this perch in her cage that has siemi peely wood. I think she rubbed her head on the perch and piece of wood got lodged under her eye ring. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;This morning when i took her out i could see something brown up at the top of the eye and she was having a hard time keeping the eye open. Later on i was holding her and a flat piece of wood came out of her eye. We did another eye wash and it looks better, i am going to continue with the eye washes until i can see a vet on Monday, if need be. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I am shocked that his happened and just wanted to warn other owners not to use perches with wood that splints off easily. I am so thankful she was not blinded. Trouble really does find caiques! ( I am sorry if you are seeing this on more than one bird forum, but i wanted to make bird owners aware as i think this is pretty important.)</description><pubDate>Sat, 16 Jun 2012 22:56:05 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>sweetpea1713</dc:creator></item><item><title>Love bird help</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic245317-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hi I have love bird that was 48 grams he's now 46  47 grams I've taken hin to 2 vets and the keep saying he's fine he is very bones. And very fussy he will not eat fruit or veg no matter what I try. I have him still on his Rudy bush mix . And he will eat that with bit of mashed banana with it . He eats sunflower seeds he just gets a little bite out of of it and drops it . I don't know what to do . I have wormed him as well</description><pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2012 07:29:25 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>cindyp</dc:creator></item><item><title>My Quaker is sick, need advice!</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic243824-15-1.aspx</link><description>My quaker Bugsy is sick. found him on bottom of his cage this evening after work head propped up panting and some head bobbing like petite seizures. incubated, tried Dextrose with no results after 3 hours. still panting, slight blueish tongue. wont take fluids. looks like he ate and drank today in his cage ok. Help? please, dont want to loose my boy</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:54:52 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>freed322004</dc:creator></item><item><title>Cockatiel laying eggs -- Everyone vs. my avian vet</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic154566-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hi fellow cockatiel owners,&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;This is my first post and I have a dilemna for you. My female tiel has laid 2 eggs in the last several days. In an effort to reduce the egg laying, I've reduced her number of daylight hours (increased darkness hours to 10+ hours).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I told my avian vet at For the Birds (www.forthebirdsdvm.com) in San Jose about it today -- we've been with her for years and she's got a heck of a lot of expertise on different bird species including cockatiels.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Everyone in this forum and other places online who own tiels have been telling me once your tiel lays an egg, do NOT remove it. My avian doctor told me today that cockatiels do not lay clutches and that they are (or mine is) a chronic egg layer (though my tiel has only laid a couple). Therefore, she said to remove the nesting material where she laid the egg as well as the eggs themselves to begin ceasing the behavior. Then she is having me bring in my tiel tomorrow morning for an exam and possibly to check her Leuprolide levels (I think she mentioned something with the letter "L").&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;What's frustrating for me is that everyone I've been reading online is saying one thing, and she -- an avian doctor -- is saying the complete opposite. I do not know who to believe. I'm going to insist on answers tomorrow at the exam but I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this tonight so I can sleep more easily (and my female tiel can too).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Your 'expertise' is appreciated.&lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/Smile.gif" border="0" title="Smile"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Sincerely,&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Lee</description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:15:23 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>sjbirdbrain</dc:creator></item><item><title>Budgies  laying eggs!</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic239542-15-1.aspx</link><description>[font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font]&lt;br&gt;My female Budgie Blueberry wants to lay her eggs on the bottom of her cage and elsewhere in my house! Blueberry refused the breeder box and broken two of her eggs. She has two cuttle bones, good bird seed, fresh water, available at all times, but still is breaking her eggs! What can I do to stop this behavior with Blueberry?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;cocolor</description><pubDate>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:27:48 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>cocolor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Any Ideas?? MY bird is destroying his feet!!!</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic180469-15-1.aspx</link><description>Ive looked and looked i cant find information anywhere, i have a pionus he is one year old and just started 2 days ago chewing on his feet to the point they are red and bleeding?? i have something called bumblefoot but everything cage wise is what it should be. Any ideas to why he could be doing this or what could cause him to be biting and picking at his feet.</description><pubDate>Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:56:44 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>star_ligh</dc:creator></item><item><title>High Caloric Diet?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic237177-15-1.aspx</link><description>I have two H/R Cockatiels and have them both on a steady diet of pellets, seeds, fruits, veggies and eggs. Both have been doing extremely well until lately. The older one (18 yrs? ish) is losing weight and seems awfully skinny (compared to what he was 1 yr ago). Is there anything that I can add to his diet that would build up his weight? Otherwise, he seems as active and "full of beans" as he ever has. Any suggestions?</description><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:06:25 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>kyliee</dc:creator></item><item><title>Choosing the Right Pellet Food</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic219955-15-1.aspx</link><description>I am researching the best all around pellet diet for Macaws.  The major pellets that are available are from major pet store chains are Kaytee and Zupreem.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Does anyone have recommendations or know any internet companies for buying on bulk for two Blue/Golds.   I am looking for a well balanced diet that can be supplemented with nuts, fruits and vegetables.</description><pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:34:26 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Rick E</dc:creator></item><item><title>Sick Cockatiel</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic237092-15-1.aspx</link><description>One of our newest Cockatiel had been hen pecked by the 2 of the others. So we separated the 4, and then had too separated the sickest one from the remain cockatiel.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;However, things as they are, the sickest one is not drinking very little and fecal matter is stuck to his feathers and rectum.  We took him to the vet and he had gotten an antibiotic shot.  Not sure what to do next.</description><pubDate>Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:12:39 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>CharlieConure</dc:creator></item><item><title>J'ai besoin d'informations sur tarif mutuelle</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic234645-15-1.aspx</link><description>bonjour à tout le monde,je suis désorientée,je ne sais pas quelle assurance vais je choisir,je penche pour la swisslife mais je ne sais pas si elle est vraiment la plus adéquate à mes besoins puisque je souffre d'une maladie cardio-vasculaires et je subis un traitement qui coûte cher,c'est pour cela je veux bien me renseigner si le tarif mutuelle de swisslife http://www.assursante.fr/tarif-mutuelle.html me remboursera suffisamment ou non?&lt;br&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:03:15 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>rachelle07</dc:creator></item><item><title>chlamadaia pictasis</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic233800-15-1.aspx</link><description>I know someone who has a yellow naped amazon... Well recently the bird became ill and stayed on the bottom of his cage. Well she was concered and called a vet and the vet stated she was concerned about a lump on his foot and his chest.  After blood work and tests, she diaagnosed him with chlamadia pictasis....What should she do???? She cant bring the bird home its contagoius and shes scared for her life plus thereis another bird n the house... PLease help. The vet is calling her today.</description><pubDate>Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:41:01 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>keetlovebird</dc:creator></item><item><title>nutriberries  vs seed and pellet mixture</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic230091-15-1.aspx</link><description>I feed my bird plenty of fruits and vegetables, but as far as seed and pellets as part of her diet.How does feeding the nutiberries that have 30% pellets in them,instead of feeding seeds and pellets mixed as part of her daily diet.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt; My thought is the nutiberries have seeds and pellets in them, and omega 3 and other minerals.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt; So my question is... Can the nutiberries replace the seed and pellet part of my birds diet</description><pubDate>Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:35:06 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>javalone</dc:creator></item><item><title>Harrison's Pellets and Veggies</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic223426-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hello all,&lt;br&gt;I have some questions concerning a 3-4 month old Lovebird named Tweetie. Tweetie is currently on a diet of seeds (there's some sunflowers and a bunch of seeds I don't know in it) and occasionally millet. I am interested in transferring Tweetie to Harrison's Pellets. Does anybody have any experience with Harrison's? I see wonderful things on their website but of course they're going to say nice things LOL. &lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/Tongue.gif" border="0" title="Tongue"&gt;  Also, I can't seem to get Tweetie to eat anything other than the seeds. He shows no interest in anything (like lettuce, apple, etc). Does anybody have any advice on this subject? I would appreciate help in either category (Harrison's or the fresh veggies).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Thank you!&lt;br&gt;&lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/BigGrin.gif" border="0" title="BigGrin"&gt;</description><pubDate>Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:41:52 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>TweetiesMommy</dc:creator></item><item><title>Life/accident  insurance</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic230511-15-1.aspx</link><description>Is there a company that sells life insurance policys for Birds in the US. Partiularly African Greys. I have a dog and would like to make sure I am insured if the worst happenns</description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:11:05 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>javalone</dc:creator></item><item><title>Wild Baby Bird Foot Problem?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic226607-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hi, guys! I haven't been here in such a long time :(.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;My problem is with a baby blue jay that we found this morning. I can't figure out what's wrong with him. He seems perfectly healthy except for the fact that his feet aren't working properly? I can massage them out (which is what I've been doing), but if he moves they just automatically clench shut. &lt;br&gt;As I said, the puzzling thing is that he's bright eyed, he's eating, and he's energetic... he tries to walk around and flap his wings, but he can't because of his feet, which in turn effect his balance.&lt;br&gt;Any ideas?</description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:18:17 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>GlitterParrot</dc:creator></item><item><title>pooping alot</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic214425-15-1.aspx</link><description>scooter my grey is 3 1/2 months old and seems to be pooping frequently is that normal for a baby? Some times watery but for the most part it is formed. should i have to worry about this or is it normal? he does eat alot, pellets, ultimat blend with fruits and nuts etc.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Thanks  scooters mommy</description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:41:09 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>dynalover</dc:creator></item><item><title>Molting</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic219291-15-1.aspx</link><description>I have a young Black-Capped Conure, about 7 mo.'s old, that has recently gone through her first molting.  It has slowed way down, but I'm not sure if she's finished.  My question is, when molting, what percentage of their feathers do they tend to shed?  All of them?  Only the ones that need it/that are damaged?&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;I ask for a couple of reasons: One, she has stress markings on her wings and back; Two, her mild plucking phase, that seems to have come to a stop, left her tail and outer part of her wings almost bare.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;She has her wings clipped, but will chew and eventually wear down the feathers that are left closer to her body.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Any suggestions?</description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:38:02 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Thisquietmind</dc:creator></item><item><title>Whats wrong with my conure?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic220859-15-1.aspx</link><description>Hey Guys&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;He has been itching all around his head for the last two days and this morning his sneezing woke me up.  He was sneezing constantly and vomited twice.. i gave him some water but he brought it right back up.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;I gave him some of his food and that seemed to settle him down.. he isnt sneezing or vomiting anymore but im still concerned.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;My vet isnt in until tomorrow and im not sure if this could be serious or not...&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Let me know if this has ever happened to you guys..&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Thanks</description><pubDate>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:54:34 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Kodie</dc:creator></item><item><title>Combining pellets?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic220050-15-1.aspx</link><description>I've been thinking about adding Roundybush pellets to Jasper's daily rations. He currently eats Zupreem FruitBlend pellets, fresh fruits and veggies, and receives Beak Apetit or Goldenfeast cooked foods regularly. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Jasper has no health problems that we know of, and when he was at the vet about two weeks ago, they said he looked great. Should I just not mess with what's already working? I just thought it might be a good idea to combine the nutrition offered by both, especially since there are no dyes in the Roundybush.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Or, am I barking (chirping?) up the wrong tree here? Is Roundybush a better pellet than Zupreem, or are they of similar quality?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I drive myself nuts thinking about my boy's nutrition :/.</description><pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:22:43 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Green_Cheek</dc:creator></item><item><title>Wild Birds</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic183976-15-1.aspx</link><description>Is it a bad idea to feed wild birds?  I heard that bird seed you buy in the store is bad for them.</description><pubDate>Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:35:58 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>PeteZaHut</dc:creator></item><item><title>Maroon Bellied Conure</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic218956-15-1.aspx</link><description>I just started giving my 6 month old baby conure apples.  She loves them however her droppings become runny.  Is this because she is not use to the apples?  She has been eating a little bit at a time since Wednesday.  It is only after she eats the apples her droppings become runny.  She is also on kaytee exact rainbow pellets.  I brought her to the vet wednesday and she said she looked healthy and to give her pellets that are not colored.  I have ordered those online as I cannot find them in stores here.  What other fruit/vegetables can I give my conure? </description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:30:32 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>mamie1019</dc:creator></item><item><title>what is the best healthy and nutrishus leafy food?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic217262-15-1.aspx</link><description>i have heard that too much spinach and parsley has too much oxyfolic acd or something that will distroy the kidneys if eaten too much and the organic letttuce in our garden is getting old!! &lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/BigGrin.gif" border="0" title="BigGrin"&gt; please help!!</description><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:08:42 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Sweetlums</dc:creator></item><item><title>what is the best healthy and nutrishus leafy food?</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic217261-15-1.aspx</link><description>i have heard that too much spinach and parsley has too much oxyfolic acd or something that will distroy the kidneys if eaten too much and the organic letttuce in our garden is getting old!! &lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/BigGrin.gif" border="0" title="BigGrin"&gt; please help!!</description><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:08:13 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Sweetlums</dc:creator></item><item><title>Water Bottle help!!</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic200109-15-1.aspx</link><description>SO my cockatiel likes to bathe in her water bowl, which gets very gross, drinking the same water you bathe in! So i bought her a water bottle and after several months still wont drink out of it or touch it for that matter. I keep it above her water dish. So does anyone have any ideas what to do!? thanks &lt;img align="absmiddle" src="http://board.birdchannel.com/Skins/Bird Talk/Images/EmotIcons/Smile.gif" border="0" title="Smile"&gt;</description><pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:23:23 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>cockatiel lover</dc:creator></item><item><title>Frightful Night-Terror</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic215086-15-1.aspx</link><description>Let me start off by saying I am posting this simply to share an experience and to help other learn from it.  Please keep judgmental responses to a minimum.  Thanks!&lt;P&gt;Quick summary/update since my last post months ago:  Anya (our cockatiel) has been very healthy and happy for several months.  We switched vets due to a bad experience with our last one.  Our new vet, although very expensive, is also board certified.  Additionally, the facility is open 24 hours.  At her recent well-bird checkup, all looked good.  The bloodwork showed a slight deficiency in calcium and protein, but we have a follow up in 3 months, and the vet did not feel that we are feeding her wrong.  She was probably malnourished when we bought her.  Now on with my story...&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Last Wednesday night Anya had a Night Terror.  It was only her 2nd time since we got her.  The first time was several months ago.  We woke up around 3:30 to find her terrified and thrashing about.  We turned on the light and sat and calmed her down.  Once she relaxed enough, I opened her cage to let her out.  She had broken a couple of blood feathers and was bleeding.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;We called the vet, but our primary vet is on maternity leave, and the nearest avian vet was a long way off considering the hour and travel time.  The blood wasn't too bad and actually stopped pretty quickly.  I put a little styptic powder on her to help stop the bleeding.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;***I have since learned that this is very bad to do.  Its ok on their nails, but can seriously burn their skin.  She suffered a minor burn under each wing from this error, but the vet has since said that she is healing ok.  Please learn from my mistake.  You should only apply pressure for 10-15 minutes using a tissue.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Anyway, we cleaned her up and decided that her blood feather was not severe to warrant the middle of the night trip to the vet.  She went back to sleep and all was well.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;We checked on her again in the morning, and when we got home from work.  She seemed fine.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Two days later (Friday), we came home late from a movie and she was covered in blood.  The poor thing must have re-injured her broken feathers and there was blood all over her perches, in her food, in her water (so much so that it was dyed red).  I was terrified, as I don't know how much blood they can lose, but I didn't want to learn.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;We immediately took her to the emergency room with no thought.  The vet on staff knew enough about how to treat broken blood feathers, and already had access to her files, etc.  She stopped the bleeding, removed the broken feathers, and calmed both Anya, and us down.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;We got her to bed around 3am, and she was lethargic all the next day (as you can imagine).  By the end of the weekend, she was back to her old self and we were able to give her a bath.  The amount of dries blood in her feathers was really sad, but now she is looking pretty as ever.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;We have always been back and forth on the nightlight issue.  We have decided on a "compromise".  We put one in the room, a small one in a big room, at the other side, and half hidden.  This allows for enough darkness to let the birds sleep without being cranky, yet does not leave them in total darkness.  We hope to never have to go through that again.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;If anyone has any other stories of cockatiel night terrors, please post here.  I would love to know if there is a tried and true way to reduce them.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;We learned a great deal from our first true "emergency" test, and will obviously do things much different next time.  I hope this helps someone else be a little more prepared for their first emergency.</description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:09:25 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>JimACNFH</dc:creator></item><item><title>Sarcosystosis</title><link>http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic176717-15-1.aspx</link><description>Our African Grey, Zazu, seemed not-himself yesterday.  He was fluffing his feathers, closing his eyes, and not sitting on one foot.  I wasn't overly concerned until he began shaking his back and forth and regurgitating.  He is 11 years old and has only regurgitated once before (that I have seen).&lt;P&gt;Being that there is basically no after-hours/weekend avian care in Orlando, we rushed him to the nearest emergency vet in Tampa (2 hours away).  After examining him, they suggested we leave him for the night so that they could do some tests.  They did fecal tests, radiographs, and started him on antibiotics and crop feeding.  The radiographs showed nothing abnormal and no metal - good news.  The fecal tests showed bacteria, namely E. Coli.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;This morning, they told us he was bright-eyed and alert, eating some, and had not regurgitated again - more good news.  They also called in their avian specialist to examine him and decided to do some blood tests that could be done on-site.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;I received another update from them a few minutes ago.  First, they said he is not eating and vocalizing like they would expect.  This doesn't really surprise me.  Whatever they are feeding him, it's probably not his normal food, and he is scared and stressed.  I don't expect him to eat a lot right now, but if they are concerned, I am concerend.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;They also said that the first blood tests shows his red cell count is low - not anemic low, but low none the less.  Until the labs are open tomorrow, they can't do the blood tests they would really like to do, so we are kind of stuck.  He is probably going to stay another night.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;They told me about several things that may have caused the regurgitaion, but right now, they can't pinpoint any one thing.  One of the things they mentioned is sarcosystosis (&lt;A href="http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/sarcocystosis.html"&gt;http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/sarcocystosis.html&lt;/A&gt;).  This is still low on their list of possibilities (thank god) but it has me freaked out because we had a roach problem a few months back.  While I never saw any bugs in his food, I know it's possible they may have come in contact.  Also, my sun conure died very suddenly about a month after the roaches were gone.  I didn't get a necropsy, but they said her lungs were filled with fluid and they suspected organ failure.  I told the vet about this, but being that Zazu is kept inside and his food is sealed before I buy it, they aren't particularly worried at this point.  Also, Zazu has had no problems breathing.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;So...my question is: has anyone had to deal with this??  The vet told me if he has sarcosystosis, the prognosis is not good.</description><pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:14:22 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>JackandZazu</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>