2wks w/Oscar - Food Suggestions?

[lmh]

Its been two weeks since Oscar found his way into our home and hearts. He is adjusting/settling very good. I wasn't sure how it was going to go for this 289-30yr old...but he is doing great! He is definitely a very mild mannered, well behaved bird. He is becoming more vocal and mumbling a lot. He has a lot to say, just hasn't quite told us 'what' is on his mind yet. He did say a small sentence 'I wannnna cracker!' Usually he just says one word at a time. He babbles looong things but I cant figure out what he is saying? lol

He isn't a big chewer or toy player...yet. Hoping to get him sparked up for more playtime! He nibbles delicately on the hanging toy, and nips at the shredding stuff...but doesn't go crazy.

He loves to come outside of his cage and sit and see what is going on. He doesn't have a lot of interest in 'stepping up' onto anyone. As soon as he does, if you move to walk with him, he flies back to his cage. I would love for him to sit with me in the other room on a perch. Definitely need to keep working on this with him.

I haven't seen any aggression from him. He makes a soft hissing weird sound when I reach over him at night to close the top of the cage. He is fine when I reach over to OPEN it, but closing it at night is a different story. lol Perhaps its the shadows? Or perhaps he is just mad I closed it??

He got is first bath today!! I used a fine misting spray bottle. He didn't love it, but didn't freak out either. (whew) He kept walking away from me, but then would come back - then leave, then come back. (he saw that I put a 'cracker' on the table next to me). lol Its a start!!
I hardly ever see him preen so it was nice to see him sit there and stretch out his wings, shake 'n fluff everything up -- then to see him shiny and sleek afterwards was wonderful!

Still cant get him to eat anything other then his seed/food and 'crackers' (tortillas). ggrrr Tonight he tossed the pasta out of his bowl. He took a vanilla wafer piece from the kids but that is it. I have tried fruits and veggies. He will eat bread also.
What is your Zon's favorite food?? What should I try? Should I offer a couple different foods in the bowl or just one at a time?

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

With Zilla I try and try and try again. I chop everything super fine and mix it all up, take the seeds out of her cage for an hour or two so all she has is the "chop"

I make my own varied chops, whole wheat pasta, brown & wild rices, 15 bean mix, various veggies chopped small.

Birdie breads are a good way to get some good stuff in them if they like bread.

Lots of good recipes in the diet & nutrition section on this forum, and most can be adapted to what you happen to have on hand and made different ways each time to "change things up" so they don't get bored.

Tonight I made wild rice with grated sweet potato and finely chopped dandelion greens and Zilla chowed it down. She usually doesn't eat anything leafy & green or sweet potatoes unless they are french fried.

 

[lmh]

I will give that a try. I wasn't sure if I should remove the seed...or if I should try more then one a time or mix a bunch of new things together. The dish that used for his new foods is a different one that is used for his seed...and he doesn't ever want to go near it. Maybe I will remove the seed and put the fresh food in the empty seed dish. The third dish is a clear one, not the stainless steel like the others and its smaller. I am not sure if he is afraid of it?? He came with it, not sure when he acquired it - maybe he just hates eating from that area of the cage. I wish I knew more about him. We will figure it out.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

I would never take his seed away for more than an hour or two, but if he doesn't have seeds to eat for a short time he isn't going to die in a couple hours. And maybe he will be hungry enough to try something new.

 

[lmh]

He ate mashed potatoes tonight!!! yipppeee!!
I took out his seed bowl and emptied it - I put in a mix of pasta, peppers, fruit, veggies etc. He didn't touch it. He looked and looked and he got his beak really close but he didn't try or touch anything.
A bit later when the family was eating dinner I took my plate over to him and offered some mashed potatoes. He was sitting up on top of his cage and he put his head towards me but didn't take it from me. I put a little blob of it on top of his cage on the wide edge. I sat back down and watched him - he ate it! So I gave him a bit more and he ate it up fast!
Tomorrow I will try mashed sweet potatoes.
I am thinking of putting a little bowl on top of the cage - he spends most of his day outside of the cage so he might 'check out the bowl' and what is inside more often if its near him.
And he LAUGHED today also! First time I have heard him do that!! He also let me hold him but then he flew back to his cage. Perhaps if I hold a 'cracker' in my other hand I can hold his interest longer.

 

[Hawk]

My Zons are both a bit fussy when when it comes to fresh fruit and veggies. You may notice in time, and all my parrots and past ones have done this, dunk their fruit and veggies in water before eating. They make a fruit and veggie soup in their water bowl...Ha ha.. Sooooo, I decided to to add another dish, water dish in their cage and place fresh water, fruit and veggies in there. They eat them now, or bob for them I should say. parrots do not have your typical saliva gland so they are always, well almost always, dunking food in their water before eating. One way to get them to eat their veggies and fruit huh?

 

[Hawk]

I will give that a try. I wasn't sure if I should remove the seed...or if I should try more then one a time or mix a bunch of new things together. The dish that used for his new foods is a different one that is used for his seed...and he doesn't ever want to go near it. Maybe I will remove the seed and put the fresh food in the empty seed dish. The third dish is a clear one, not the stainless steel like the others and its smaller. I am not sure if he is afraid of it?? He came with it, not sure when he acquired it - maybe he just hates eating from that area of the cage. I wish I knew more about him. We will figure it out.

make sure the water dish isn't far from the food dish as they love to dunk and wet the food sometimes before eating, especially veggies and fruit.
if they have to walk to the other side of cage where water may be with their food they get discouraged and won't eat the veggies and fruit.

 

[JerseyWendy]

My Amazons are not fussy at all about food, in fact they're little piggies when it comes to any and all food. (I had the advantage of introducing them to a big variety from the time they were babies - I'm sure that made a huge difference)

Please have a look at this thread, it's loaded with great ideas and techniques on how to get your bird to try 'new' things.
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

 

[ImmunoGoblin]

Another idea - make a hanging "kebob" of fruit and vegetable chunks. It makes food kind of an interesting toy. Usually they will get to work shredding it up and may eventually figure out that some of it is food too

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Zilla loves to shred anything I put on a kabob, it makes a great toy for her to shred and toss food around! I figure it gets her to taste some new foods and gives her something to do in the afternoons while I'm working though, so I still give them to her! I also still hang leafy greens in there for her to shred and toss out. Some day she might try actually eating them, but for now it just keeps her busy.

 

[lmh]

Thanks!
I will try the kebab thing...it might spark some interest. He isn't one to play or mess with the toys that are hanging in his cage. He barely touches them, in fact, he only messes with ONE of them. BUT he might just love that FOOD is hanging in his cage.

Hmmm.....He has two bowls (came with the cage) that have the built-on slots for them to sit in, food/water on opposites sides of the cage. There is one small clear one that is mobile. Looks like we are gonna have to do some shopping and some redecorating!

Back in the day, when I had my CAG, I never had a problem with food. He was acquired as a baby so he grew up with all kinds of food to eat, toys to play with, training was a breeze etc. I am finding that having an older/rescued bird is much different. I feel like I don't know anything about parrots anymore.
Thanks for all the input and advice everyone!!