Food and house

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Omnicromm
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:07 pm
Location: Guatemala

Food and house

Post by Omnicromm »

Hi peole how are all of you? well i have some questions about the food i am giving to my IRN, here is the thing when i picked up them they where in a sunflower only diet (by the way they dont even have a plate the guy only drop the sunflowers at the unclean bottom of the cage) i gave them sunflower only diet for 2 or 3 days and started to introduce them to more healty food, now i am giving them a mix (the one my mother use to grow amazons, lovebirds and cockatiles) this mix have a bird seed mix plus people seed mix (i dont know the names in english but are them that come to eat as a snack with a varity of seeds) plus pennut (they does not eat the mix without pennuts) and a few pices of old dogs food (just a few for the proteins) all of this is blended or crushed(first you wash the pennuts and human seed to avoid the salt and i buy the low fat version of it) ( i am not sure about the word i have to use to describe it) well they started to eat this mix very quick and without a problem i add some vitamins to the water the only one i can get here so i change the water twice a day to avoid the bacterial grow because the vitamins; but as far as i know this mix has to be combined with a fruit and vegetable diet i see how my mothers birds take very quick the fruit, the vegetables are more challenged to take for them, so i am placing some fruit i started with orange and/or bananas but they are not eating it, they play a little bit with it and after that they kick the fruit out from their cage i was thinking in take the food out for a day or two and put only fruits but my mom said that was a torture plus of that they are recovering from a very bad diet so its not a good idea so any of you have ideas how to introduce them to fruit and vegetables? or is a good idea to left them at their plate and let them to play with it hoping some day they will start to eat the fruits and vegetables? there is some fruit or vegetables that they prefer than others? i can see their feathers are in a very bad shape ( i dont know how to describe it in enlish but they show the bad nutrition they have) so i want them when they moult to have better feathers and of course a good healty sytem (this is my priority because we dont have avian vets here)...

my other question is about the house; the amazons and the lovebirds like to have a woodbox inside their cage so at the nights they go inside to sleep or at the midle of the day to take a nap; i could remember some amazon from my childhood that even if you say her name she does not go out from her box until the nap time ends; anyway is a good idea to have this woodbox inside the cage for the IRN? or they prefer to sleep in a pearch like they are doing now? i am worry about our wheater now because we are in our cold days so i am not sure if the nights are too cold for them i am using a heater when i feel the night is too cold but since we are a tropical country i am not sure if what i feel as too cold is going to be too could for them and i see my mom birds goes to their box when the night is too cold... there is wild amazons at some parts of my country but not at the capital city because our weather they live at the hotest parts so i am not sure about the IRN wheater necesities right now i am beteween keep the heater or place the box for them so maybe someone with more experience could help me with the desition

thanks a lot for any help guys

Alex
nil
Posts: 415
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:06 pm
Location: Athens-Greece

Post by nil »

hi Omnicromm

fruits and vegetables are necessery in their diets.
they must eat a lot of them everyday because only a seed diet gives a lot of fat and less of vitamins and trace metals.
my birds eat various of them, like apple,pear,orange,banana,pomegranate,grape,appricot,peach,cucumber,carot, fresh corn on the cob, broccoli lettuce and more.
i think you must give him fruits and vegetables everyday, in small pieces in a bowl (about 1 cm) and big pieces hung from him cage.
i hope he ll start eat them with time.
Apple (like grany smith) and fresh corn in the cob are most desirable.
Also a multivitamin with minerals and amino acids supplement and a calsium stone.
do your birds stay outside of house?
if they have used before , they can live at low temperatures (until O C)
you can try with the box too see if he use it.
Omnicromm
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:07 pm
Location: Guatemala

HI

Post by Omnicromm »

Thanks a lot for your answer, well i know that the seed diet is not the best, at first i gave them only sunflower seed (because that is the only thing they were eating) now the are eating all the seeds i give to them, of course vitamins suplements for the water too, i sitill have problem with the fruit i will try with apple to see what happens the corn is a little bit more difficulte but i will try to find natural corn now they are allowing me to intruduce my hand into the cage without fly like crazies! but i have to move in a very very slow way i am happy with it!!! with time they are going to allow me more or take something from my hand!!!

about the box thanks a lot i will try then to place it to see if they use it! for now i am placing them in a room closed and if the temparure goes lower that 12 or 13 C i am placing a heater! no they dont have time outside at all, i am sure the importer just boght them to someone and sell them because the conditions i found them i am pretty sure this guy does not care about them only about the money

anyway thanks a lot know that they can handle 0C in natural make me thing that they can handle our 10 to 13c in the cold season!

thanks a lot for your help! :D
nil
Posts: 415
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:06 pm
Location: Athens-Greece

Post by nil »

i think with patience and time you will tame and learn him to eat fruits and vegetables.
try also with peppers, green,red and chillies.
have you any pics from your bird and his place?
Janet
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:51 pm
Location: Tasmania, Australia

Fruit and vegetables

Post by Janet »

Hi,

My birds LOVE grapes. They would rather have grapes than anything else except maybe pomegranates. They also love peas in their shell, apple, corn, peanuts in their shell, puffed corn (or unsalted, unflavoured popcorn), dried cranberries, dried figs, and kiwifruit (chinese gooseberries). They are supposed to eat spinach but they tend to toss it out of their bowl to get to the things they like. They also like dried papaya, coconut (a little bit) and banana occasionally.

I have little foraging toys. You put dried fruit or nuts in them and the birds enjoys trying to get them out. I also have a hanging skewer thing and they like their corn cobs on those.

They sometimes like tomatoes and cherries but won't eat strawberries, melon or pear.

I would suggest trying them on different things to see what they like. Not all birds like the same things.

I put their fruit and vegetables in their cage in the morning after they have had a bit of a play outside their cage. They usually head straight for their bowl, ignoring their seed bowl.

I struggle to get my birds to eat any protein (meat, fish, eggs). I mix it up with polenta and make a sort of protein bread thing. I also make a polenta loaf with dried fruit in it. They love that, too.

Good luck,
Janet
Dolphinheart
Posts: 109
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2008 4:55 am
Location: Perth WA , Australia

Post by Dolphinheart »

Hey Alex
i would love to hear peoples responses to your question

"my other question is about the house; the amazons and the lovebirds like to have a woodbox inside their cage so at the nights they go inside to sleep or at the midle of the day to take a nap; i could remember some amazon from my childhood that even if you say her name she does not go out from her box until the nap time ends; anyway is a good idea to have this woodbox inside the cage for the IRN? or they prefer to sleep in a pearch like they are doing now? i am worry about our wheater now because we are in our cold days so i am not sure if the nights are too cold for them i am using a heater when i feel the night is too cold but since we are a tropical country i am not sure if what i feel as too cold is going to be too could for them and i see my mom birds goes to their box when the night is too cold... there is wild amazons at some parts of my country but not at the capital city because our weather they live at the hotest parts so i am not sure about the IRN wheater necesities right now i am beteween keep the heater or place the box for them so maybe someone with more experience could help me with the desition "

I have one IRN that i got several months ago who i got from a lad who got bored of her at 9months ... i have tried one of those tent bed things but she jsut went wild and woudl not go to taht side of the cage for days so took it out. Mind you our baby has taken to the tent with ease and loves it. I wonder if i should keep trying withthe older one or jsut leave it until our winter and see if the cold drives her to it!!!

What do people have to say about that part of Alexes question i wonder
Omnicromm
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:07 pm
Location: Guatemala

Post by Omnicromm »

Thanks for all of your answers!!! well yesterday i tried with apples!!!!! and it works great for Kiwi!!!! he/she eats the apple!!!! but Daikiri just play with the apples and drop it! at other posts i found out that some of the owners give fruit and vegetables in a 2 or 3 days periods so that is what i will do for the next i will try with corn and apple now they are eating seed, nuts and pennut so i am thinking in try every 2 or 3 days the offer them fruit/vegetables to make them have a good variety in food...

well dolphinheart i decided to try to left the box inside to see if they go inside to sleep at night like the amazons and lovebirds or they prefer to be outside like cockatiles.

i am looking now some agresive behavior and i am not sure why it is, from time to time kiwi pin his/her eyes and open the peak agains daikiri i am not sure why this is... some ideas? as far as my conclusions are kiwi is younger than daikiri

i will try to post pictures of them asap!!

thanks for the help people!
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