Morning Chop - size of food - NEW conure owner

Good morning all - I am a new GCC owner - Yoyito joined my family almost 2 weeks ago. I am especially curious and want to get his diet correct. The place that I bought Yoyito at of course sent me home with their favorite pellets and a bag of some mix that they make. They told me all about the CHOP and I have googled and read on here a lot about it.

Yoyito LOVES millet as I as I am sure all of you know about that, hehe. He runs to me when I have it in my hand - although still keeps his distance.

Yesterday, I created a chop with Cabbage, carrots, Broccoli, cauliflower, banana, strawberry, blueberry, finely diced red and green peppers. How small do you tend to cut your chop? The salad portion resembles what you would see in a Cole slaw that I gave him. I first placed it in a bowl near his pellets and water - he looked at it but did not seem too interested - so a little later I decided maybe he wants it on a plate so it is spread out more - when I took it out later I noticed he pecked the strawberry and blueberries a bit.

So I guess let me get to my question - how big do you chop everything? Do you find they prefer it on a plate as opposed to a bowl? I saw there talking to him and was eating an orange while we visited - he did keep eating his Pellets would grab a couple and then RUN down the the bottom of the cage (this was over and over maybe a little game or maybe he is ready to hang out with me?). I also moved his water and pellets to the floor of the cage as maybe that would be easier for him if he wants to eat down there.

He is so silly and jumps from perch to perch and is loving all of his toys I have given him. As I type this I hear him starting to wake up - lets see what he thinks of his breakfast!!

Sorry for the long post I just have so many questions about how to properly care for Yoyito and worry that he won't get what is needed in his diet.

Thank you all so much in advance for any words of advice you can give me!!!

Parrots are funny like that. Some like chop big chunky style and going down to pieces like the size of a match head, and everything in between. AND it can change ( parrots after all have minds of their own).

What I did was to offer big chunks one day, then smaller the next and smaller the next and repeat until you see what they like. Wasteful of produce, sure. But they literally will ignore sizes they don't like. My Salty likes his tiny, like what a food processer makes on the 'fine' setting, for most veggies, except for broccoli, which he like in chunky style.

I offer big chunks of stuff, so they csn use feet and beak.

But I can see the appeal of chop as well. As the sim is to increase diversity. But since my parrots eats lots of stuff , abd I don't want to waste energy chopping, or trying to store a d keep it edible. I keep things simple. I try fir 4-6 different things in the morning, and different stuff in the afternoon, but I also use up what I have and get different stuff st next shopping trip. My birds do have lush radiant feathers, that are smooth and glossy like silk.. so I think I'm doing good. But I'm always interested in doing better and trying new ideas too.

I roll the cages outside with bottom grate and doors all zip tied. When weather permits. In dappled shade and I stay with them. 15min - hour or more as my time energy permits.

We constantly talk about foods here, we are all trying stuff out and trying for a perfect diet. Before my current sick flock issue. I was feeding about 30% pellets, 40% seed mix and the rest veggies, leafy greens, occasionally fruit, egg, soaked cooked beans on a rough est. I'm not saying this is the best plan, or only plan, and some days half their diet was veggies they really love veggies . I've just started sprouting for the burds and myself.

A kitchen scale set to grams and weigh your bird weekly. Weight loss often first or only sign something is wrong.

Here are some articles
How should we feed our parrots?

http://lovinglifefromscratch.blogspot.com/2013/07/chop-all-things-good-for-birdie.html?m=1

I would try a combination (some really fine, and some larger bits).

Thanks! I watched him pecking around at it for a bit today....he picked up the broccoli and either thought it was too big or not tasty.....or may now want it back in a bowl. LOL.

I will keep testing things. He did eat a blue berry that I cut in half so maybe that's the size he likes. I did learn to give less at a time today - LOL.

Thanks for the suggestions!!

CoreyH said:

Thanks! I watched him pecking around at it for a bit today....he picked up the broccoli and either thought it was too big or not tasty.....or may now want it back in a bowl. LOL.

I will keep testing things. He did eat a blue berry that I cut in half so maybe that's the size he likes. I did learn to give less at a time today - LOL.

Thanks for the suggestions!!

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I have find that if the inner flavor hasn't been exposed when they touch their tongue to an unfamiliar object, then they are less likely to know if they like it and spit it out.


Noodles wouldn't eat plain berries until I cut them so that she could taste what was inside from that first test-bite lol!

Experimentation is key . You’ll find that they are pretty individual in their preferences and those preferences may change like Wrench said above. Some like things cooked better than raw, sliced in particular sizes or shapes, whole or halved. Some will only try new things if they see you eating it (works very well with my crew). Thankfully I have chickens that were willing to eat all the rejects that my flock turned their beaks up at lol.

Mine like things chopped up tiny - which has the added advantage of them not being able to pick out only the things they like and leaving the stuff that’s green behind (mine are offended by greenery and avoid it if given a choice - sigh).

Parrots are terribly wasteful, eat a piece of chop, drop to floor, pick up another of same item, on and on!! As others suggest, experiment with size, but be persistent with foods that are ignored. Might take years or decades before a specific item sampled and loved.

Lots of great advice in our Parrot Foods, Recipe, and Diet forum. Helpful threads:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html
Chop planning on grand scale. You can greatly simplify number of ingredients and of course size as desired: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/49831-chop-day-recipe.html