As I suspected...

[Z28Taxman]

That cheap Chinese scale I bought on Amazon isn't the most accurate thing on the planet.

I knew is wasn't the best since when I put the food dish on it and zeroed it out and let ditto step on it would read differently when he was toward the side of the scale vs. when I moved him toward the middle. It would weigh a gram more with the weight centered versus slightly off center. So I tried an experiment. I put a gold ring on it yesterday and it read 13 grams with it in the center and 12 with it toward the edge. Today, same ring weighd 14 grams in the center of the scale and 13 toward the edge. So unless Ditto has become an alchemist and managed to add a gram of gold to the scale....


I got curious as to wether it would read differently on different days because on sunday it said Ditto weighed 48 grams. So in an attempt to prove that he's not losing weight I decided to check the scale.

Nope no weight loss, today he's 50 grams.

[Soldiersprincess01]

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Glass-Nutritional-Scale-Silver/dp/B00F8LPBBE/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1412722071&sr=8-21&keywords=food+glass+scale

I have this scale that I use in my kitchen. I place a small cup and then a small play gym/ stand perch on it then zero it out before placing a bird on the gym. (I put the cup there to raise it up so I can see the screen otherwise the gym would cover it up). It seems to be very accurate as I got the same weight my vet did. This could be a good alternative if you don't like the scale you have.

[linda040899]

Weight with parrots will vary, depending on what time of the day you weigh them. :)
When I want to track the weight of hand feeding babies, I take the weight first thing in the morning before they've eaten. Food in the crop, as well as poop, have weight value! With Sierra, elimination has lowered his weight by .5 gram! My vet used to laugh and ask me if we were weighing him with or without droppings! :lol

When I weigh any of my larger parrots, I zero out the scale with the perch I'm going to use for them to stand on before I add the bird. I have a Salter scale and if I put jewelry anywhere on it, the weight doesn't change. I'm amazed, as this scale is about 8 years old and still functions accurately.

[Z28Taxman]

Weight with parrots will vary, depending on what time of the day you weigh them. :)
When I want to track the weight of hand feeding babies, I take the weight first thing in the morning before they've eaten. Food in the crop, as well as poop, have weight value! With Sierra, elimination has lowered his weight by .5 gram! My vet used to laugh and ask me if we were weighing him with or without droppings! :lol

When I weigh any of my larger parrots, I zero out the scale with the perch I'm going to use for them to stand on before I add the bird. I have a Salter scale and if I put jewelry anywhere on it, the weight doesn't change. I'm amazed, as this scale is about 8 years old and still functions accurately.

I weigh Ditto at 5pm when I fill his food dish. He doesn't eat much in the afternoon, he's usually napping and relaxing so he's got an empty crop. He usually poops before he comes out so he's as empty as can be short of first thing in the morning. When I weigh him I put the food dish on then zero it out.

I tried getting him to step on the scale without the food dish but that was a no-go. I found the one shiny thing he doesn't like, the platform on the scale. Anything else he has to look at the birdy reflection.

The bonus to weighing him with the food dish is that I can then weigh the dish later to measure how much he eats. Usually 3-5 grams between 5 and 8:30pm. That wouldn't be necessary if he'd just stop chewing everything to crumbs.:evil:

I don't worry about a gram or two difference but when it said 48 I had to check the scale since he's never been less than 49 unless he was sick. His before eating weight is usually betwwen 49 and 51 grams and on a full crop as much as 54, although the 54 was only once and he pooped while on the scale and it went back to 53.:rofl:

[linda040899]

although the 54 was only once and he pooped while on the scale and it went back to 53.:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
Oh yes! Poop has value as far as weight is concerned! Something you don't often think about but Sierra will lose .5 gram if he poops while on the scale. Remove the poop, re-weigh him and he's down .5 gram. It's those things that you don't think about that can affect the number you are looking at. One thing for sure, Ditto's weight is healthy! He's got a good appetite, that's for sure!

[Z28Taxman]

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
Oh yes! Poop has value as far as weight is concerned! Something you don't often think about but Sierra will lose .5 gram if he poops while on the scale. Remove the poop, re-weigh him and he's down .5 gram. It's those things that you don't think about that can affect the number you are looking at. One thing for sure, Ditto's weight is healthy! He's got a good appetite, that's for sure!

He does love to eat. that 3-5 grams only counts the avicakes and nutriberries, on top of that are the peas, carrots and pellets, or what he eats in the morning and after 8:30.

His eating habits are getting a bit crazy during his nightly out of cage time. He'll fly over to me on the couch for a minute of skritches and beak rubs. Then stand up, look around and fly back for a snack. Bring that back and eat half of it out of my hand, go get another one and eat that. Then he'll go back to the cage, take a piece up to the veggie bowl (not eat it) and go back down to eat more. After 15 minutes he comes back for half an hour of skritches again.

Good thing I gave up trying to figure him out years ago or I'd be in an institution! :rofl: