Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!bu-cs!encore!maxzilla!kaufman
From: kaufman@maxzilla.Encore.COM (Lar Kaufman)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: It's all your fault! (was Re: Hookbills)
Keywords: Baby Cockatiel  Cute
Message-ID: <4120@encore.UUCP>
Date: 7 Nov 88 15:49:59 GMT
References: <599@dinorah.wustl.edu>
Sender: news@encore.UUCP
Reply-To: kaufman@maxzilla.UUCP (Lar Kaufman)
Distribution: na
Organization: Encore Computer Corp, Marlboro, MA
Lines: 55

In article <599@dinorah.wustl.edu> mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary Leibach) writes:

>Well, I decided to try the petshop that had been closed on a previous trip,
>it had an animal hospital attached, and looked clean.  There I met an
>adorable, hand-fed, twelve-week-old pied cockatiel... No problems getting her
>to eat, she hasn't stopped since I got seed in her seed cup...
>
>She is a grand champion seed thrower (Olympic caliber at least...
>
>I am very happy with baby Cally, and glad I got her.  Thanks to the net for
>all of your articles, please keep them up.  I do have the odd question or
>two though:
>
>	1. How do you get the seed husks out of her cup?  Currently I dump
>the contents onto a sheet of paper, take it outside, and grab big handfuls,
>sprinkle them back on the paper blowing like mad to get rid of some of the
>husks.  This is time-consuming, and dependant on the weather.  I have to
>do this nearly everyday due to the large quantities she eats.  Is there a 
>better, faster way of doing this?
>	-Mary
>
A primary natural function of hookbills is to spread seeds around.
They do not eat all they get access to, as you already noticed.
However, you should probably resign yourself to some wastage. If you
continue to recycle seeds, you run the risk of allowing mold cultures
to develop in the seed. All birds are at risk to aspergillosis, caused
by exposure to the aspergillis mold. This can rapidly degenerate into
pneumonia, and death. I recommend that you completely discard the
wastage from the seeds, and thoroughly clean the food and water cups
daily. (I use extra cups, so I can wash one set while others are in
use.) What you can do is to feed smaller quantities, more often. Also,
if you use small quantities, the bird is forced to eat a wider variety
of seed in the mix, rather than simply picking out the favorites; this
will provided a healthier, more varied diet. 
  
You should be aware that the common practice of simply providing seed
mix for the birds does not provide a balanced diet for the bird. You
should also supplement the food with bits of spinach, cauliflower,
snow peas, squash, corn, and the like. Raw is best. Another technique
that some birds accept is the use of a pelleted diet. Products such as
LeFever's pellets and Purina Bird Chow for Small Hookbills are very
healthy and produce no wastage in the form of hulls, etc. Some birds
don't like them, unfortunately, but I would try them if I were you.
Start them out by mixing pellets with the seed, and then gradually
reduce the amount of seed. I wouldn't go exclusively to pellets, of
course. Smart birds enjoy their dietary variety just as we do. 
 
BTW, you did right to buy from a clean, well run business. Sloppy,
ill-run pet stores are inhumane and a blight on the world of pets.
 
 -lar


 Lar Kaufman   <= my opinions          Fidonet: 1:322/470@508-534-1842 
 kaufman@multimax.arpa    {bu-cs,decvax,necntc,talcott}!encore!kaufman