Could my Jardine break open pecan shells?

[Mechanical8dragon]

Was just in walmart, and they had these small bags of pecans still in their shells... I thought of buying them, but wasn't sure if my Jardine's parrot would even be able to crack that shell? If she has a chance of doing so, I thought it would be a great activity for her, and since she doesn't seem to enjoy chewing on her wood toys, a great way to keep her beak trimmed down. She LOVES pecans (and any other nut/seed for that matter, not surprised) and I have a bag of almonds on my desk and every time I pick it up she's right there at the front of her cage wanting one, she KNOWS her nuts are in there. LOL

So yeah... would these pecans be something she could tackle without it seeming impossible? Or am I completely underestimating the power behind my little bird with a big beak? I know they're from walmart, but I'm not lucky like other people who have whole food stores, or organic stores near them and I don't know where I could order nuts even. xD

 

[EdgesofTwilight]

As long as they're unsalted and no additives, they should be OK. As for cracking the shell, not sure. I tried giving my Hahn's pine nuts in the shell and he just gives up and tosses them.

 

[RavensGryf]

Hmm, judging by how HARD Pois can bite ..... and a larger Poi no less LOL:18:

I wonder though, if her mouth opens wide enough for a pecan shell.

 

[Giggleagain]

Whack the shell with a hammer, but only hard enough to crack it. That might give your poi the chance to get to the treasure inside. My 2cents worth

 

[Mechanical8dragon]

haha well I had planned to at least chip a tiny bit out of the shell, just so she can actually see there is goodies inside and its not just some bland looking brown ball xD.

I was just curious if she'd be able to finish the job.

I guess in the end the only way to know for sure is to just try it right?

 

[RavensGryf]

I'd say absolutely yes! Whether or not she finds it 'worth it' or not to go full strength is another story . She's quite young isn't she? I was thinking that although her beak is very strong now, it might not be 'as' strong as a mature adult? Idk, just a guess.

 

[Mechanical8dragon]

She's 4 yrs old, according to the petstore owners (who had her since she was a baby) so I'd say her age should be fairly accurate. How that age sits for her particular species in terms of maturity, I'm not sure, but I know for a parrot in general that is pretty young.

 

[RavensGryf]

She's 4 yrs old, according to the petstore owners (who had her since she was a baby) so I'd say her age should be fairly accurate. How that age sits for her particular species in terms of maturity, I'm not sure, but I know for a parrot in general that is pretty young.

Oh, that's right. I was thinking at first you had a baby. 4 is plenty old enough to have full biting power

 

[Kiwibird]

Chiming in late, but I think it's always a great thing to encourage them to crack nuts (even if the need a little human help- i.e. we half-crack it first to give a head-start). Good mental and physical exercise for them and a totally natural behavior!

 

[Birdman666]

They can, but why not just crack them a little bit to get them started, and let your bird pry them open and take it from there?

 

[Mechanical8dragon]

Yeah I went and bought the bag today. Took a hammer to it, real lightly and it easily shattered a good chunk of the shell LOL Didn't want to take THAT much out but sure, why not. She doesn't seem overly interested it in, but I think maybe she just ate so she's not as hungry for it she pulled one whole pecan out of the area that I cracked open and nommed on that but doesn't seem interested enough to work for the other nut in there.

We'll see how it goes in time I suppose @_@ heh

edit: Oh, nope... she's all over it now. She just didn't want to touch it on my hand cus I was directly involved. Pretty sure she still doesn't give a rats rear end about me. xD