Hahn's Macaw diet

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 19, 2015

I just wanted to make sure I'm on the right track with Cosmo's diet. He's about 13 weeks old and was weened the week before I got him. He was given zupreem fruit blend pellets and a custom seed mix at the breeder as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. So I kept the same/similar diet when I got him home.

I'm feeding him:
Zupreem fruit blend pellets
Sunsations Conure/Cockatiel formula mostly the same as the macaw blend, but smaller size pieces.
And fresh fruit and vegetables every other day.

I've tried all kinds of vegetables, but Cosmo doesn't seem to want them. He does like his fruit, but I have to limit it because he had the runny poops.

He does seem to enjoy the pellets and the seed mix. I just want to get him to eat vegetables. So far I've tried carrots, zucchini, baby spinach, and broccoli.
I'm going to the grocery store today to pick up some stuff for him. Any suggestions?

JerseyWendy · Apr 19, 2015

I'd say the more fresh stuff (and/or cooked) you get Cosmo to eat, the better.

I'm personally not a huge fan of the Zupreem Fruit blend due to the added sugar and food coloring. If you can get him switched to Zupreem Natural, I think that would be a bit better.

Not familiar with Vitakraft diets, sorry about that. But we just added Vitakraft to this thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/28242-ingredients-pellets.html There you can compare the ingredients in most commonly available pellets.

Since I'm linking, I might as well give you these 2. Both are phenomenal stickies, and worth a look:
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

We also have numerous phenomenal 'chop recipes' listed. If you have time, and feel like it, you could always try something similar and see if he likes it. Here are some recipes to those (some are fancier than others)
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/34185-slop-chop-mix-ala-wendy-s-kitchen.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/51203-making-chop-wine-helps.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/49831-chop-day-recipe.html

Then there's birdy bread. Rather easy to make, and always a hit with my gang:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/28298-my-birdie-bread-macs-love-these.html
We have several different recipes, the one above is the one I make for mine.

Oh, and lastly, here's a recipe I cook for mine on a monthly basis. Of course you'd have to use considerably fewer amounts for Cosmo.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/22594-cook-portion-freeze-my-recipe.html

ChocoboFun · Apr 19, 2015

I actually asked my breeder if there was anything in particular they fed for fruits and veggies, especially if he seemed to have a preference. Their birds are currently fed cooked apple, sweet potato, and grapes as well as the pellets.

Have you tried asking your breeder what they fed? You can always use that as a base and put other things in the bowl with it to promote interest.

I've noticed with my parakeets, they are very picky on how they like things fixed up for them. They generally want things in strips, though today they accepted a chopped mix of kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc. today. Basically, give things in different ways, and just keep trying. It also seems to be easier at certain times of day, like their normal morning/afternoon feed times.

The links JerseyWendy put up are very good ones, and well worth the read.

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 19, 2015

Thanks for the links! I'll definitely try out that birdie bread. Just have to get most of the things in that recipe.

They supposedly fed Cosmo a wide variety of fresh foods. Broccoli, cauliflower, apples, carrots, eggs and turkey bacon. He seemed to have a hard time with the carrots, because they were still hard. I'll have to cook the! A bit more and get them softer.
I got some broccoli and cauliflower today, so I'll try that as well. He didn't like bananas for some reason. I tried giving him some the other day and stuck his tongue on it and basically said nah.

I'll just have to try different fresh foods in different sizes. He seems to like small stuff better.
As far as the pellets go, I'm not a fan of the fruit blend either. But I was I'm a pinch and that was what the breeder said he was eating so I wanted to make his transition less stressful as possible. I have 2 pounds of it, so when I run out of it, I'll try out the natural.
Thanks for the info!

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 19, 2015

JerseyWendy, I was just looking at the ingredients in the pellets and the Zupreem Natural has sugar in it as well. One thing I need to get is a gram scale. He weighed 120 grams at the vet and I'm sure he gained some weight because all he is doing is eating. If he's not in my arms or sleeping, he's eating.

funny how he'll grab a pellet, chomp down and only get part of it because the rest goes ricocheting in all directions.

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 21, 2015

I fed him some steamed broccoli and cauliflower today. I got it to the point where it was nice and soft and smashed it a bit in his bowl. I took him out of the cage and he ate off my fingers a little bit and then stood on the bowl on my lap and ate a little more. I then put the dish inside the cage in the 3rd food door and put him on it. He jumped off and wanted to come out again. So I closed the door and walked away for a couple minutes. I come back and he's chomping on his pellets and seed. Lol Should I maybe substitute the fresh food bowl with his regular food briefly so he eats more of the fresh stuff?

JerseyWendy · Apr 21, 2015

Lots of folks have luck getting their fids to eat the 'fresh' stuff first thing in .morning, when they're pretty hungry.

Also, some fids like it a tad bit warmed up.

I keep the dry food mix in my birds' cages 24/7, but I remove the cooked/fresh stuff after several hours in the AM, so it doesn't spoil. Then I offer it again in the evening. Works for me that way. Of course I understand that it's quite time consuming, and 'most' good people can't go with this routine due to work schedules.

In any case, I'm really tickled to hear you had Cosmo nibbling some of the goodies!!

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 21, 2015

Yeah, he seemed to like it. Just only in a real small quantity compared to his other food. When I get home from work, usually 6:30 am, he's still sleeping so I try to take a nap for about 4 hours. Then I feed him and clean the cage when I wake up usually around 11. He seems to get up about 7:30/8. Maybe I'll steam the veggies tomorrow right when I get home from work and carefully put it in his cage before I take a nap.

I've never seen a bird eat and poop so much. But then again my friends parrots are getting into their senior years.

My one friend has an OWA that they have for 33 years that someone found in an apple tree 2 years prior. So no one really knows exactly how old he is. And my other friend has a 17 yr old quaker. When Cosmo poops, he puts them to shame.

First time I've seen a parrot poop brown. Usually what I have seen from others was green. Guess its OK, cause the vet checked it out.

Doublete · Apr 21, 2015

I couldn't get Loki or Chiqui to try their chop mix at first... So I mixed it with some baby food (banana strawberry worked), warmed it all up jut a bit, and mixed it together. Chiqui required spoon feeding the mixture and now it doesn't matter what I put in her bowl she scurries to it and chows down. Loki picks through but something is better than nothing!

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 23, 2015

Well today I took out all the dishes from the cage to clean them, while I steamed his veggies. I replaced the water dish first and then put the dish with the mashed up broccoli/cauliflower in there and purposely delayed put his dry food dish in for a little bit. Low and behold he started chomping on it. Not a whole lot, but more than he has eaten of it in the past days. Plus it was still warm. Baby steps. I'm going to stop at the store tomorrow and pick up some other veggies and fruits for him for the week. maybe sweet potatoes and apples to start. Any suggestions of what else to try that might peak his taste buds fresh food wise?

JerseyWendy · Apr 23, 2015

Way to go, Cosmo!!

All of mine - with no exception - go GA-GA over sweet peas. You could give those a try. And also cooked and mashed yams.

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 23, 2015

JerseyWendy said:
Way to go, Cosmo!!

All of mine - with no exception - go GA-GA over sweet peas. You could give those a try. And also cooked and mashed yams.

I'll see if they have some in the organic section at the grocery store. I know they have them frozen, but I'd rather not if I can get fresh.

Thanks Wendy!

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 26, 2015

Couldn't find any fresh Sweet peas but I did find yams. I also picked up a mango and an apple. I was going to get Cosmo out of his cage, to take him to his new playstand I built for him, and I just had to pause and turn back around because he was eating the semi-mashed yams I steamed for him. Was holding a big chunk and looked at me wierd when i wslked in the room.

It's going on 2 and a half hours since I made them, so I was about to throw them out after I got him on the play stand. Oh well, I don't think an extra half hour would hurt.

JerseyWendy · Apr 26, 2015

HAHAHAH!! You go, Cosmo boy!! Nah, an extra 1/2 hour won't hurt one bit! I'm so happy to hear he's trying the fruit of your labor!!

We haven't been able to get fresh peas anywhere either, so we resort to the frozen bags for the time being.

EdgesofTwilight · Apr 26, 2015

And when I went back, there was a big mess at the bottom of the cage. So he was eating it when I wasn't looking

I'll have to pick up some frozen sweet peas then. Still picking the yams out of my hair when he decided to shake a piece all over the place.

EdgesofTwilight · May 1, 2015

Picked up some frozen sweet peas and also grabbed some fresh pears and corn on the cob as well. With the corn, should I cut it off the cob? I've seen some slice up the cob and feed it to their parrots, but he seems to like thing in smaller pieces. Maybe slice and quarter it?

JerseyWendy · May 2, 2015

If Cosmo is holding food with his foot already, you can just cut chunks, otherwise I'd cut it off the stalk for him.

EdgesofTwilight · May 2, 2015

I know the corn is not that nutritious, but its something different and more so a treat. He's starting to hold stuff with his foot. At first he wasn't and wasting everything. Now he tries and is getting better at it.

AirtransCrash · May 2, 2015

For fresh peas, growing sugar snap peas in the garden is really easy and they produce quite well. If you garden if suggest planting some. Just 6 plants will produce a ton!

EdgesofTwilight · May 2, 2015

AirtransCrash said:
For fresh peas, growing sugar snap peas in the garden is really easy and they produce quite well. If you garden if suggest planting some. Just 6 plants will produce a ton!

Cool thanks! Unfortunately I can't have a garden, since I live in an apartment.

I might have to suggest my friend add some to his garden!

Hahn's Macaw diet

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Is a "raw" diet for parrots possible?

Baby sweet corn

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