Feeding Lovies Fruits/Vegetables

[Ange]

Mango and Pickles love their food. They have a serious love for cheerios cereal and toast and go to town on both. They enjoy millet seeds/spray as well.

I keep reading that they need vegetables and fruit in their diet, but I have tried all sorts of each, and neither bird will go near any of it. Is it absolutely necessary for them to have fruits and vegetables...and how do I get them to start eating any of it?

 

[fltsfshr]

mine won't eat veggies either except for an occasional carrot or a piece of celery. Those are enthusiastically shredded. I don't know if she eats any though or just tears it up. She likes half a grape or a thin slice of pear.

One thing she really likes, I think she picked it up from my parrot, is a very small piece of pork. Sunflower seed size. That surprised me.

fltsfshr

 

[IcyWolf]

Just keep trying, don't give them a lot if they aren't eating it so you aren't wasting so much, but try giving them a piece or two of a couple veggies each day. When we got Billie, our conure, he was a typical junk food junkie. He wouldn't touch pellets, fruits or vegetables, but would fly straight to my boyfriends hand to steal a cheese stick :52: Anything deep fried or otherwise nutritional void, he loved but would let his veggies sit untouched. I just kept giving them to him everyday and I don't know whether it was seeing us eat it, seeing our other bird eat hers, or just a sudden change of heart, but one day he went from eating no veggies to eating whatever was put in his dish. As far as the pelllets, I ran out of seed the one day so I gave both birds only pellets, and wouldn't you know, by the end of the day they were both munching away, except billie still won't eat the purple or orange ones :/

 

[Ange]

One thing she really likes, I think she picked it up from my parrot, is a very small piece of pork. Sunflower seed size. That surprised me.fltsfshr

Your birds eat pork...now isn't that something. :O) I thought for sure Mango and Pickles would like lettuce, but they turn up their noses at that, too. Thanks for your answer.

 

[Ange]

Just keep trying, don't give them a lot if they aren't eating it so you aren't wasting so much, but try giving them a piece or two of a couple veggies each day. When we got Billie, our conure, he was a typical junk food junkie. He wouldn't touch pellets, fruits or vegetables, but would fly straight to my boyfriends hand to steal a cheese stick :52: Anything deep fried or otherwise nutritional void, he loved but would let his veggies sit untouched. I just kept giving them to him everyday and I don't know whether it was seeing us eat it, seeing our other bird eat hers, or just a sudden change of heart, but one day he went from eating no veggies to eating whatever was put in his dish. As far as the pelllets, I ran out of seed the one day so I gave both birds only pellets, and wouldn't you know, by the end of the day they were both munching away, except billie still won't eat the purple or orange ones :/

Thanks. I shall keep trying. Birds like cheese??? Is that normal? :O)

 

[IcyWolf]

I don't think it was the cheese so much as the breading around it because he goes nuts whenever he sees or smells anything deep fried. I can only assume that his previous owners gave him lots of junk food. Being vegan, our birds usually only get veggies and fruit as far as people food goes but occasionally my boyfriend(not veg) will splurge and get something with animal products in it. They have even eaten some of my meat substitutes that I get but I try to limit that since they say soy isn't very good for them. I'd be worried about pork too, isn't that really high in salt? I guess it doesn't matter if it's just tiny little pieces though.

 

[Ange]

I don't think it was the cheese so much as the breading around it because he goes nuts whenever he sees or smells anything deep fried. I can only assume that his previous owners gave him lots of junk food. Being vegan, our birds usually only get veggies and fruit as far as people food goes but occasionally my boyfriend(not veg) will splurge and get something with animal products in it. They have even eaten some of my meat substitutes that I get but I try to limit that since they say soy isn't very good for them. I'd be worried about pork too, isn't that really high in salt? I guess it doesn't matter if it's just tiny little pieces though.

I find that very interesting. I am not sure about the salt in pork, though I'm inclined to agree with you. I don't eat red meat...chicken and fish mostly for me. And that very rarely.

I've heard that Lovebirds like boiled eggs...do you know if this is true? I suppose I could try Mango and Pickles to see. Am I suppose to cut everything into small pieces, or will they eat bigger pieces. I just gave them some apple a wee while ago, so I am interested to see if they will eat any of it.

They both like to drink my tea...and tonight Mango ate a couple of pieces of white rice from my dish.

 

[IcyWolf]

Egg is supposed to be very good for birds. I was actually just talking about that last night. I would like to start giving our birds some hard boiled egg but since I don't eat eggs we never have any. Luckily there are a lot of people in my area that have pet chickens and sell the eggs so I'm going to have to get some soon, I just refuse to buy eggs from a grocery store.
Be careful with tea, make sure it's decaffeinated, caffeine is very, very bad for birds.

 

[Ange]

Egg is supposed to be very good for birds. I was actually just talking about that last night. I would like to start giving our birds some hard boiled egg but since I don't eat eggs we never have any. Luckily there are a lot of people in my area that have pet chickens and sell the eggs so I'm going to have to get some soon, I just refuse to buy eggs from a grocery store.
Be careful with tea, make sure it's decaffeinated, caffeine is very, very bad for birds.

That's good to know about the eggs. I do eat eggs so having a supply for Mango and Pickles won't be a problem. Moe gets the eggs straight from a farm...a little more expensive, but they are good eggs.

Also good to know about the caffeine. I do drink decaf, and they don't get a lot of it. Pickles usually takes one sip if I have a cup with me, and has had enough. Mango drinks it, but not as often as Pickles.

Thanks ever so much for all your help. :O)