Do You Need A Curtain?

[marce61]

A couple of days ago, I purchased a few small cups to hold fruit and veggie slices since Riddler seems to enjoy this addition to his diet in chunks while I try and dice a little smaller to make some of the cool diet adds you folks have posted.

I also bought one of those large green transparent "perch-type" cups, since he took to the little cups so quickly, I placed the green cup outside the cage and temporarily filled it with water while I was deciding what to put in there for him to test.

Well to my amazement he stuck his head under the water and splashed around a bit.....LOL.....OKAY....LOL...LOL..... you think it is a bird bath, but the cup is too deep....OKAY Buddy....no more water bottle spray!

Well I go back to the store in a snow storm :p and get him a bird bath.....He won't play with it at all :( , he will just drink from it....What Gives?

I have tried a little water/filled to rim ??????????

Also I can't get him to drink from the Water bottle (rodent) that I have his Vitamin water in......:(

Suggestions

[IceQueen30]

I have the same problem as you concerning the bird bath, my parrotlet really doesn't like it and the best she can do is drink in it! I think you have well done to remove him his 'perch type' cup of water, if it's type of cup I think it is, I heard that a parrotlet can drown in it if it's too narrow. Well a girl in a pet shop already told me that it's how she lost her first parrotlet :(

And what is the brand of vitamin you put in his water? I already tried Amino-vit with my lovebird and he never wanted to drink it because I THINK it had a bad taste (the water had a funny smell so I guess it had a funny taste too!). I know that an excellent brand of vitamins is Prime. I didn't tried it yet but all the breeders I know told me it is FAAAR better than Amino-vit. You can also try to put a smaller quantity of vitamins in his water if you cannot find a brand that has no taste. Another trick would be to put some vitamins in his eggfood if you give him some (it's the only trick that worked with my picky lovebird...). Whatever the case I know it's frustrating since those little vitamins are quite expensive! I hope some of these tricks can be helpful to you...:cool:

[marce61]

The vitamins came from the breeder. Hmmm....I never asked him....:(

It's a yellowish color powder I mix with water. It looks like Gatorade when the mix is complete. Riddler will drink it when it's in his water dish the problem is the cup is so BIG.....well you know we got to change the water every few hours with a P'Let! SO I thought the rodent bottle would be perfect....Honestly, I don't think he has a clue what the bottle is!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l88/marcelino_05/Vitamins.jpg


Yeah the green transparent cup is way too deep for a BATH but, it was hilarious when he stuck his head underwater.....just remembering sends me into a LOL...LOL....LOL

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l88/marcelino_05/MyBirds028.jpg

I got lettuce in it now...not going over too well today...tomorrow I am going to kale in that cup. I don't think he likes lettuce, he's not pecking at a piece on top of the cage either.

thanks for comments

[Py & Cosmo]

When I bought Py the store recommended Avitron vitamin drops - 3 drops daily in a full cage cup of water. Py bathes in and drinks this water...not my idea but he's OK with it. They did not recommend water bottles - they told me they leak frequently and if the little ball gets stuck it can prevent them from drinking. I'm out all day and felt I couldn't risk it - and I do remember my hamster getting a bath from his water bottle now and then...but I've never tried one - I know many people use them.
I also bought a "bird bath"...waste of my $$...he wouldn't go near it! :eek:

[Lizzle166]

I fill a small tupperware lid with water so Chi-Chi can splash around in it. It is shallow but gets her wet and she loves it. I also leave the cup (that I used to fill the lid) perched on the rim of it and she'll go in there up to her breast. and then turn around in the cup and sit there for a little bit. This is all supervised of course.

If he doesn't like to bathe in the bath, try different everyday shallow things. Maybe he'll pick one he likes and that can be his bath.

I could have sworn someone here has that green cup as a bird bath, but I could be wrong...

[marce61]

DItto: I wasted my $$$ on that bath and the water bottle! No big deal....I got the funny feeling that if I remove the bath and fill that green cup again with just water....he just might go for another swim...:D

Looks like I will put the VIT mix in the bird bath and let him drink from that!:rolleyes:

thanks for the comments

[IceQueen30]

I also have a water bottle similar to the bottle for rodents. Your birdie seems to be more scared of that water bottle than the vits themselves (since she'll drink this water in another bottle...). I have a bottle of water for rodents too and the first days I got my baby parrotlet she wouldn't drink in it either. What I did to convince her to drink in it is to bring it just next to her beak and I dropped a bit of water from it. After she saw the water fall she drank it it! I repeated the process 3 or 4 times during that same day and now she's drinking on her own in it :p

Hopefully the vitamins you gave don't look like it's Amino vits. This brand is liquid vitamins and it's a kind of dark yellow...and it smells bad! I guess that if you breeder gave you the vitamins you use it must be good quality!

[chapala]

Just a note on vitamins in the water. Is your P'let getting any fortified foods (seed mix, pellets)? If so, they already have vitamins added, and more vitamins are definitely not better. Just my opinion, but if you are feeding a good, varied diet, you do not need to add vitamins to the water. Also, there's always the danger that the P'let does not like the taste of the water with vitamins, so does not drink enough.

Now, if I had a sick bird, or one coming from years on a poor diet that wasn't yet eating good food, I'd consider adding some powdered vitamins to the food, not the water (though I prefer natural supplements, see below). Some vitamins can be toxic in excess amounts, namely Vit. A and Vit. D3. Vit. A in food comes in the form of carotenes which are not toxic, and the body (in humans too) converts the carotenes to Vit. A as needed, no excess. Artificial Vit. A is toxic in amounts greater than needed, as is D3 which ideally comes from sunshine.

Alternatives to adding vitamins are to add high vitamin/mineral natural supplements, like a tiny amount (tiny pinch, 1/16" of a tsp or even less) of organic powdered alfalfa (can be alternated with organic powdered barley grass) to the food daily.
Reta

[Py & Cosmo]

I don't give vitamins every day - a few days a week is all. Py will not eat pellets - his usual daily mix is Volkman's for parrotlets...as well as 'greenery'...and the occasional piece of pasta!

[marce61]

chapala: Is your P'let getting any fortified foods (seed mix, pellets)? If so, they already have vitamins added, and more vitamins are definitely not better.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! :o

Good Point!
I may give him the vitamin water one day a week out of his regular dish. Riddler gets fruit, veggie, seed mix with mini-pellets mixed in by hand everyday. So he may not need the Vitamin mix....breeder probably gave me as a precaution against him not taking to natural foods.

Thanks for the Comments!

[IceQueen30]

Yup, indeed if your birdie eats some pellets I wouldn't worry with vitamins. Mine is eating lots of pellets and starts eating some veggies and seeds so I don't give her any vitamins at all. I only give vitamins to my mom's lovebird who's too picky to eat anything else than his seeds!

[Pado]

My Vet told me not to use over the counter vitamins especially the water soluble kind - they can do more harm than good. Its best to feed a varied diet.

There is a great thread from catfish - he works for a Veterinary and posted banter between Avian Veterinarians - here is a sniped from that thread on Water-soluble vitamins.

http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showpost.php?p=9652&postcount=4

[chapala]

Plus many pellets are over-fortified and supply too much Vit. A and D3, both of which are toxic in excess. Birds (humans too!) cannot overdose on Vit. A from fresh vegetables and fruits, because the body converts carotenes found in the food to Vit. A as needed. Any excess carotenes are not toxic and are excreted. Not so with artifically supplemented pellets if the amounts are too high.

According to my sources, Harrison's pellets do have the supplements at reasonable levels. Many other pellets do not. It's probably not that important if like me you feed a very small portion of the diet in pellets (none to the P'let), but to many people who feed pellets as the primary diet, it is not good news for the birds.
Reta

[marce61]

Thanks for the C'ments!
I think I am not going to worry so much about the green water..:)

I think I am using Zupreem mini-pellets, that I sprinkle into his seed mix and in his fruit and veggie bowls. I have his food in plastic grain/pasta containers (labeled) to remove the "food smell" in my apt and to keep the food reasonably fresh, but, I am pretty sure that what the pellets are.

Riddler initially ignored the mini-pellets by themselves in a small dish at the bottom of the cage, however, he eats everything I put out for him, NOW, .......I am not sure how much of the mini-pellets he's eating and frankly I do not want to mix more into his seed mix using the theory of spreading the pellets into every dish hoping he eats a few pellets everyday will be enough since he appears to not care for them.

But getting back to the point you've raised, he gets a well balanced diet everyday so I should just chill on this issue and......

get back to budgeting $$$$$ into that Windy City Cage that you folks have been RAVING about.....$119.00 on the internet last night..... :D ....SO MUCH ROOM....LOL

[chapala]

Hmmm, Windy City had the price up to $129 when I bought two cages a few days ago (one for a friend and one for Cello), and just now I checked and still $129. There may be other sites selling the same cage for $119, but it doesn't seem to be Windy City.

[marce61]

Yeah .....$119.00 on this page:

http://www.windycityparrot.com/page/Windycityparrot/CTGY/Corner

then when you click on it, its 129.00,
http://www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=19302242001

that's weird, not that I would squabble over 10.00 when I am getting free shipping...??????

[LyndaM]

Yeah, I think they raised their prices Jan 1, but forgot to change the original link.

[Pado]

Its still $119 at this site:
http://www.budgiecages.net/windycityparrots/budgie-cage-32x21x35-119.php (http://www.budgiecages.net/windycityparrots/budgie-cage-32x21x35-119.php)

Similar Cage - same size - single door - on this site for $158.95
http://www.discount-bird-cage.com/single-flight-cage.html

Here's the above cage double sized: for $319.99 64x21x35
http://www.americas-pet-store.com/details/prodid/738.html


I have never ordered from these sites - I just saw these prices on line -

and the ultimate bird cage :cool:
http://www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=18301381004&Category_Code=cagesbreed&Product_Count=4

[LyndaM]

[quote=Pado;13649]I have never ordered from these sites - I just saw these prices on line - and the ultimate bird cage :cool:

LOL! OMG, can you imagine one of our little guys all by himself in that cage all decked out in toys!!! Too funny :D

[Pado]

Instead of letting the birds out we'd be dragging a chair into their cage to visit with them :D