Changing the diet

The day I got Keelin he was a Seed Junky, and still is. I mean there are some colored pellets in his food, but let's face it, he always goes for the sunflower seeds, the peanuts and the other small seeds. I've been reading that a bird that eats only seeds can get over weight and sometimes sick.

Now, Millie came to me and she eats a healthy ZuPreem pellet diet with some fresh veggies. My goal is to switch Keelin to that! I have an appointment with the Vet on Monday so I am going to follow up this question with him, but I wanted to get a head start with you guys.

How do I go about changing Keelin's diet? Should I just empty his bowl and fill it with the Pellets to see how he does, or do I slowly transfer him over to the Pellet side? I am not to worried about him eating the fresh veggies, he loves eating fresh stuff, just not sure how to go about the pellets.

Thanks in advance!

Ryno

I have à pilgrim parrot i reçues & the lady told me he eats just those black seeds. I took them out put in pellets & so far its going well. I also eat with my birds & it makes me eat healthier.

Hi there! If I understand correctly, it sounds like you want to switch Keeli from his current pellet brand to a new one? If that's the case, I'd do a smooth, long-drawn out transition. You want to mix the current and new over a period of several weeks or months. The ratio of new pellets mixed should be tiny, increasing in volume as time progresses. This ensures that Keeli continues to eat and gets acclimatized to the new food.

If you can get both your birds on a primarily fresh produce diet, that would be ideal - at least in my opinion. The less processed food your birds eat, the better for them. You must however, round out the fresh produce and provide additional vitamin, probiotic and mineral supplementation to make sure they get complete nutrition. My sun conure eats primarily fresh fruits and veggies, but I have not eliminated seeds and nuts from his diet. I think some fat is important. He also has a bowl of pellets which he munches on when he wants something crunchy but he's not big on them. Mineral blocks and calcium chews are also good to have around. I realize that this isn't part of your question so I apologize for volunteering this info. In the end, we make personal choices based on out specific situation so go with what best suits you and your birds.

Good luck and regards from me and Boomer!

Keelin is eats Kay-Tee brand Conure Seed and Pellet, it is mostly seeds and that is about all h eats. However he does eat some fresh fruits and the occasional arisen. The hope is that I can get them both on a Pellet diet with daily fresh veggies and fruit.

What I'm gathering is to slowly introduce the new pellets in with the food he already eats, and slowly begin weening him off the old stuff.

Yes slowly mix in the pellets with seeds, as gradual as it needs to be. Until he eats pellets confidently. You don't want him to starve from a harsh transition.I would not eliminate nut and seed from their diet. I'm in the camp that it is beneficial to them in moderation with a rounded die if fresh produce.

I'm planning on adding Nutraberries into the daily diet as well, I agree that the nuts an seeds are stil beneficial to them.

Keelin will dictate how this will go. When I got Jojo, he was on canary seed! Day one he took to pellets. I use a combo of Zupreem, Tops, and sprouts. But nothing mixed. Cage and two different play areas are all set with different treats. I found this to be great for introducing new stuff! When I first introduced Tops, he got so upset, he almost moved out! By using the play area to introduce new stuff, by the third or forth time, he is looking for his 'special' treat.

Should i be giving Opie & Georgie nutraberries also. I give them yogurt. Opie's not big on yogurt. He does love mac n cheese & garlic mashed potatoes. What should i do about his hormones?

I think it's always a bit more difficult to convert older parrots that have developed strong opinions about appropriate foods, they can be very stubborn. Be prepared to toss a lot of food at first, the benefits of a healthier diet is worth the patience and effort required. Most birds will develop a taste for their new foods and even come to prefer them. Here is a great link on converting birds to a better diet.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

denine said:

Should i be giving Opie & Georgie nutraberries also. I give them yogurt. Opie's not big on yogurt. He does love mac n cheese & garlic mashed potatoes. What should i do about his hormones?

Click to expand...

denine, please have a look at the following list of safe and toxic foods. I think you'll find that your parrots may not make the wisest decisions when it comes to diet.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Keelin is only about a year and a half or so. I think the transition will be smoothe. More like I hope, lol

It's really according to the bird, some are willing, some not so much. Keelin's age is definitely a plus.

Thanks Alee for the tips. Ive had Opie 14months now. He's the first bird i've ever had. It took me awhile to grasp that Opie had to trust me first. All i knew was when i was a little girl i use to watch this show called bereta & he had an UC & i'd stay when i grow up i want that kind of bird & god blessed me. I love him sooo much.

Trying getting the pellets and moisten them up and roll them in seeds and try to feed Keelin that way. Of course you need to remove the pellet after a while to prevent bacteria growth.

He's actually been eating the pellets, he likes the red one the most that I've seen. I got a picture of the 3 of them together preening each other but I don't know how to post them on here!

That's good if you can move him onto a pellet for his base diet that would be ideal.

jiannotto9492 said:

That's good if you can move him onto a pellet for his base diet that would be ideal.

Click to expand...

Ideal would be fresh veggies, fruits and whole grains as a base diet.

thekarens said:

jiannotto9492 said:

That's good if you can move him onto a pellet for his base diet that would be ideal.

Click to expand...

Ideal would be fresh veggies, fruits and whole grains as a base diet.

Click to expand...

I've always been told to do pellets as a base and offer veggies, fruits, and grains throughout the day.

So, it appears the Keelin is feeding Millie, is this normal?

You have an UC. Does he like to take baths? He'll eat grapes, cheese, apples. Not any vegetables. His nails scratch my arms so bad my md's think i'm cutting. Suggestions Please.