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For anyone who can help or lend some advice....My Quaker eats and eats and eats, Im having to fill his bowl at least twice a day. He's not fat or overweight which is a good thing but if he keeps going on he'll be a butterball  Ive got him on a parrot mix dont remember what its called....should I be tryin somethin else? I also think he is small for his age. I have a friend who has one thats 4years and he/she is BIG and mine is only 2 and he/she is half the size.Oh, the mix I give him he does eat a few of the stuff in it but he really loves sunflower seeds and I heard its not a good idea to let them eat just that. Any suggestions? -Isabelle |
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Hi Isabelle I don't have a quaker but I'm bringing this up in hopes that someone who does will see it. Are you feeding him fresh vegetables and things? He should really be having a variety of food. Basil, my Indian Ringneck,and Pepper, my tiel, eat better than I do! I give them a cooked grain mix with alfalfa flakes twice a day, plus they get a bowl of chopped, fresh veggies. In the morning they each have a small piece of my toast, and at supper time they have what I'm having as long as it's something that's good for them. I stay away from salty stuff (I don't use it either for myself) and sugary things, which basically means they don't get any prepackaged stuff. But they really love spaghetti or other pasta dishes, cooked veggies and meat ... especially fish. They get some fruit, but not too much as it is high in sugars. My avian vet said there is no need to feed them pellets as they are getting more than adequate nutrition from their diet. They do get some seeds, but more as a treat or snack than anything. Abby |
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Hmm I wish I knew what to tell you. I don't have that problem but only because my quaker usually eats with me . She has to sit right on the edge of my plate and just chows down, pasta is a real fave along with any kind of potato, greens, carrots. Cheerioes are loved too. Maybe you can get him interested in more fresh veggies? Mine will generally eat whatever I'm eating, demands it actually so If I'm eating something she can't have , Like choclate ice cream, I better have a good substitute  ! Soooo demanding. Good luck! |
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Filling the bowl twice a day is not excessive. My birds get fresh seed with some apple in the morning, that dish stays in during the day and they usually have another snack in the afternoon. Then at my dinner time the seed dish is removed and replaced by a dish of LOTS of veggies, fruits and part of whatever I have for dinner. That dish stays in for about 2 hours and they do a very good job of eating it. Then about 2 hours before bedtime they get a fresh bowl of seeds with a sprinkle of pellets, and some grapes or apple, and maybe a peanut or some other type of nut. A few times a week their night-time snack is a mix of dried fruits, including papaya, mango, raisins, apricots, etc. Work on introducing variety into the bird's diet. The wider variety, the better. |
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You know what? If it aint broke, don't fix it. You say the birds weight is fine now, makes me think he's doing fine, and no doubt throwing a variety out of his dish during consumption. As far as size goes they are all a little different, and it's possible you have a miniature, while your friend has a standard size. Add lots of fruit, and veggies, and don't worry, they look like ravinous little guys, cause they are not as picky as some breeds. Mine goes after his food too like he's not eaten in weeks, but he's fine, and his weight is good. If he gets over weight you can adjust his calories. |
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Hi Isabelle! I happen to have three quakers and have a suggestion you might try. Of my three, Pippin my normal green colored quaker is a tad chubby, but his weight has stayed constant and he's the most active of my flock. Periwinkle, his blue mutation buddy, is slim and eats about the same amount which is also the case with Baby Blue, my other blue mutation quaker. If yours tends to just eat one seed over all the others, you may try to get a seed mix that doesn't contain that or put him on a pellet diet. My M2 would only eat sunflower sead, throwing out all the rest on the floor of her cage, and when I went into the vet they could tell her nutrition wasn't what it should have been. I switched her over to the Zupreme natural pellets and shes doing much better. My quakers eat a seed mix with some on the Zupreme fruit shaped pellets mixed in. I would suggest starting to mix some pellets in with your quaker's food so he/she can get used to them and gradually switch him/her over to just pellets with some seeds as a treat. I also agree with Abby about including some fresh fruits and veggies. I usually get an organic veggie mix and mix in some rice in the morning and will in the afternoon cut up an apple or something. Also about quaker size - I've seen somr quakers that are of good weight for their size but seem giant compared to mine. Size is going to be relative since there are so many different bloodlines of quakers, not all of which create birds of the same exact size. If you're still worried about his size you should go to an avian vet for a check up and some blood work. If theres anything wrong they're sure to find it and point you in the right direction. Lots of luck with your little one! Always, Silverbutterfly and fids |
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