Feeding

[wter5989]

Hi everyone,I know this topic probably has been discussed several times before, however I must have missed them, so, Rocco,my quaker, I got him 3 years ago an he was a mess, no hair,dirty etc... now he seems to be healthy,however he only has been eating seed, Tropic mix most recently,an I have started to introduce him to apples ,he seems to finally start eating them an enjoys,however ,I eat the rest of the apple everyday,so I don't waste it,lol mow I'm tired of eating apple ,is there a way to preserve that apple so I can quit eating them?
Question 2, can anyone give me examples of other fruits or food types he will eat? Thank you

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[Allee]

You could dehydrate the apples. Here's a great link posted by April/Kiwibird, it has easy instructions on dehydrating fresh fruit and veggies.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/62854-kiwi-s-summer-menu.html

One of my quakers was fed a seed only diet, the other had a healthy variety of foods at a young age, the avid seed eater was extremely stubborn about pellets and fresh food but with a lot of patience and tenacity on my part, she eventually agreed to give up her seed addiction and eat the good stuff.

My quakers like sweet potatoes, mashed are cut into strips and baked. They love fresh sugar snap peas, cooked beans, whole grain pasta, quinoa, brown rice, walnuts, a little cooked chicken, boiled eggs with shells, carrots, corn, sprouts, banana chips, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin, and pellets. Those are the current favorites but they will also eat broccoli, they prefer steamed over fresh, squash, kale, pomegranate, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cabbage, melon, cauliflower, and I'm sure there's more. They get fresh chop and pellets daily and all my birds get a dry seed mix at the end of the day. Their absolute favorite treat is birdie bread, any recipe.

 

[wter5989]

Wow, ok so fresh snap peas,cooked or uncooked?are most veggies cooked I have some squash now do I just cut some up,? So new to trying to train him to eat better foods than seed,I'm shocked that fresh food was stuff they lined lol I never knew for the 3 years I have had him,going to book an egg an make some brown rice, right now,lol and leave the shell on the egg really?wow,I'm so excited to hopefully get him trained on food,thanks again Allee

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[Allee]

You're very welcome, I'm happy to help. I LOVE quaker parrots!

All my birds love sugar snap peas, I just wash them and use a sharp paring knife to remove the strings for my smaller beaks, probably paranoid of me, I put a whole raw pea or two in their dinner bowls, I think the quakers like the crunch. I boil the eggs and slice them thin and leave the shell, they won't eat much but they get an egg once a week.

Does Rocco like pellets? The trick that worked with my stubborn, stubborn girl was soaking Zupreem natural pellets in 100% apple juice diluted with water, I heated the juice, poured it over the pellets and let it cool to room temperature, the pellets soak up the juice. My quakers eat dry pellets now but they still love the soaked ones.

You are probably going to throw away a lot of food at first but once they try a new food they usually put it on the like list. Let us know what Rocco thinks of the new menu.

 

[wter5989]

Zupreem natural pellets? Do most pet stores carry that I don't know if he eats pellets or if ever, he lived with a blind man an a disabled woman who used a huge glove to feed him an they also had an 18 lb cat that sit an stared at him daily,he was never allowed out,here at home now,his door is open 24 7, an if wants to can get out anytime ,he only gets on top of his cage he still is so dominate of his cage,I can not touch him without him biting, an he draws blood lol, ok enough of my story, I believe at that time he was 5 years old so he is now 8

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[Allee]

I remember Rocco's story from your introduction post. I bet he's delighted to be allowed out of his cage. Was Rocco his name when he came to you? I wonder if he was named for, "Rocky" played by Sly Stallone, if so, that's a perfect name for the little guy, if not, Rocco is still a cute name for a quaker.

Most pet stores carry Zupreem pellets. There are probably better pellets available than Zupreem but it's all my birds' favorite pellet. If Rocco will eat a better brand, that would be great. Here's a link that discusses pellets in a bit more depth.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/28242-ingredients-pellets.html

 

[wter5989]

Well yes his original name was rocco,my uncle names him Marco,I ask why he said he didn't seem to chatter much but did with Marco lol, I went back to Rocco an he sit up an cocked his head,I did it quite a bit,so I just went back to Rocco, ok going to check the pet store,an check it out,did you see the video of him laughing?I posted it somewhere a couple weeks or so ago

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[GaleriaGila]

My first avian vet told me that parrots have poor sense of taste and so judge foods mostly by color and texture. An exception, she said, can be hot peppers, because they can taste them. So my bird has gotten a great big green or red chile almost every day (plus pellets and other stuff). It's his favorite treat. Maybe you might try that. You can open the chile up and put seeds or whatever in there to get things started, I bet. Might be good to start off with a smaller pepper suited to your bird's size, especially if he would want to hold it... maybe a small Serrano or small jalapeno.

 

[MonicaMc]

Within reason, birds can eat just about anything that we can. Foods that are toxic or dangerous to dogs and cats are usually a 'no go' for birds, too.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html


I would say that fresh is best for *most* foods, but if you have a picky eater, it's best to try feeding foods differently to try and get them interested in it at least!

 

[Jlock1987]

My quaker can be iffy with new foods but wants to try pretty much anything I eat. I don't allow her the things she shouldnt have but some of her favorites are raw sqaush, carrots, pumpkin seeds, occasionally a small piece of cheeto bc she really really likes them but i feel like they arent the best for her. It's really just a trial and error thing. Definitely no onions, carbonated beverages, chocolate.

 

[flyingron]

I put the apple in a zip loc and put it in the fridge. Works pretty well. Actually, these days Bacca and I split breakfast. She gets a sliver of my toast (which she won't eat anything else put out for her until she gets) and a slice of apple. I get the rest of the toast and the apple.