First day home! Pellets or seed mix? Training?

[lia]

Hello! I just got the baby parrotlet. He’s a boy and I’m not sure how old he is but he just stopped eating with a syringe.

The cage is an old one my father had for breeding domestic canaries, I believe. It’s 64 x 31 x 36.5cm and it’s not going to be his forever cage. I’m still looking around for a new one. It’s still pretty empty and I bought one wooden perch since my nearest pet shop was completely out. I asked and I’ll be going back on Friday since they restock.

I wanted to ask do I feed him seed mix or pellets? They guy fed him seed mix so that’s what I’m continuing with since I can’t change it from one day to another. I only found one brand of pellets which is this one

And how do I get him to be more comfortable around me? I got him millet but he doesn’t seem that interested in it.

 

[wrench13]

Take it slow! Parrots as a general rule accept change very slowly. Doubly true with diet, and do not abruptly change his diet - they are more then capable of starving themselves if they dont like what is being served. Do it slowly over time, a few months say.

 

[Kiwi&Zeus]

Hello! I just got the baby parrotlet. He’s a boy and I’m not sure how old he is but he just stopped eating with a syringe.
View attachment 59670
The cage is an old one my father had for breeding domestic canaries, I believe. It’s 64 x 31 x 36.5cm and it’s not going to be his forever cage. I’m still looking around for a new one. It’s still pretty empty and I bought one wooden perch since my nearest pet shop was completely out. I asked and I’ll be going back on Friday since they restock.

I wanted to ask do I feed him seed mix or pellets? They guy fed him seed mix so that’s what I’m continuing with since I can’t change it from one day to another. I only found one brand of pellets which is this one
View attachment 59669

And how do I get him to be more comfortable around me? I got him millet but he doesn’t seem that interested in it.

When I brought Zeus home. He was off hand feeding at about 4 months. I kept giving him the seed mix he was used too at the breeder but immediately started introducing fruits in small frequent quantities to him. After about 15 days, I introduced fresh greens to him in small quantity once a day. After a month or so he was eating and sharing same things as another older conure I have. Though both conures likes and dislikes certain things. For eg. kiwi loves almonds and Zeus hates them.

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Hello! I just got the baby parrotlet. He’s a boy and I’m not sure how old he is but he just stopped eating with a syringe.
View attachment 59670
The cage is an old one my father had for breeding domestic canaries, I believe. It’s 64 x 31 x 36.5cm and it’s not going to be his forever cage. I’m still looking around for a new one. It’s still pretty empty and I bought one wooden perch since my nearest pet shop was completely out. I asked and I’ll be going back on Friday since they restock.

I wanted to ask do I feed him seed mix or pellets? They guy fed him seed mix so that’s what I’m continuing with since I can’t change it from one day to another. I only found one brand of pellets which is this one
View attachment 59669

And how do I get him to be more comfortable around me? I got him millet but he doesn’t seem that interested in it.

My parrotlet eats mostly pellets (not seed mix), though his diet is chop-based above all else. I'd honestly recommend seed over those colored pellets though, but that's just my opinion. If you want to feed pellets, then you should go for Top's, Harrison's, etc... the colored ones are often significantly less healthy. You also can't go wrong with a vegetable-based diet. Just remember that a huge (huge huge huge HUGE) aspect of choosing a diet is what the bird will eat. Offer both and see what he's more open to.

 

[Inger]

My Parrotlet gets Tops pellets, a seed mix, chop that has rice, quinoa, an orange vegetable, a leafy green, carrots, peas, green beans (I make a big batch and freeze). Then I add in fresh sprouts, microgreens, fresh veggies and some - but not much - fruit. I don't put any high water content veggies into the chop and also not broccoli because for some reason seems to go bad quickly when it's mixed in.

Parrotlets wean at 5-7 weeks usually. Mine had been off formula for a week (or two?) and was 7 weeks old the day in brought her home.

If your baby hasn't been off formula for at least a week (and even if he has) keep an eye out for regression and make sure he's eating. If they're sent home too early it can end in tragedy. There's a post here somewhere called "So you bought an unweaned baby" that can help.

 

[Free as a bird]

I wanted to ask do I feed him seed mix or pellets?

A natural seed based diet is always better than a pellet diet. Its processed, full of chemicals and other harmful ingredients such as colourings that are banned in many countries because they cause cancer. It's literally junk food

Humans have successfully been keeping parrots on seed based diets for over 5,000 years. Countless parrots all over the world lived healthy full lives on seed based diets. It has a lot of proof behind it, 5,000 years of proof.

On the other hand pellets are a new thing, it has no long term proof behind it like seeds do and are heavily processed as I already explained.

Many people replace seeds for pellets thinking that's it's better and it's those people and birds who have health issues. On the other hand parrots on natural diets have always lived long and healthy lives and will continue to do so

 

[LaManuka]

Hello! I just got the baby parrotlet. He’s a boy and I’m not sure how old he is but he just stopped eating with a syringe.
View attachment 59670
The cage is an old one my father had for breeding domestic canaries, I believe. It’s 64 x 31 x 36.5cm and it’s not going to be his forever cage. I’m still looking around for a new one. It’s still pretty empty and I bought one wooden perch since my nearest pet shop was completely out. I asked and I’ll be going back on Friday since they restock.

I wanted to ask do I feed him seed mix or pellets? They guy fed him seed mix so that’s what I’m continuing with since I can’t change it from one day to another. I only found one brand of pellets which is this one
View attachment 59669

And how do I get him to be more comfortable around me? I got him millet but he doesn’t seem that interested in it.

Firstly let me say that I am speaking here as a member, not in my capacity as a moderator. Is a pelleted diet perfect? No it is not. Is a seed diet perfect? No it is not either. Parrots in the wild eat a very wide and diverse range of foods. Very often those foods are eaten in their sprouted or "green" state in the plant's life cycle rather than in the form of the high calorie dried seed mixes that are commercially available. Pellets are not all that new, they were first developed by the veterinarian Dr Theodore Lafeber in the 1970s, in order to cover nutritional deficiencies caused by a captive bird's inability to forage for all their nutritional needs in the wild. Nor can a captive bird burn off all the energy found in a calorie-dense majority seed diet, which can and does cause illness such as fatty liver, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Personally I feed pellets, some seeds, lots of fresh veg and not so much fruit as it's again high in calories. And @lia, I would offer you a few articles written by some highly qualified and very dedicated avian health professionals for your consideration ...

What Should My Parrot Be Eating? An Introduction to the Parrot Diet

If you are new to having a parrot in your life, you probably have some questions regarding the proper parrot diet for your new companion.

currumbinvetservices.com.au

Pellets: To Feed or Not to Feed

Parrot nutrition is a special area of interest for me and one about which I am fairly passionate. The foods that a parrot eats will literally determine his experience, physically and emotionally, t…

pamelaclarkonline.com

Diets for Healthy Birds

Seeds are not an appropriate or natural diet for birds and will not give your pet bird a full lifespan with good health. A good diet boosts the immune system and helps the bird ward off illness.

veterinarypartner.vin.com

 

[saxguy64]

Welcome to your and your new little one! I agree with the above thought about such a young bird. Stopped eating with a syringe from the breeder isn't always a perfect indicator. Good breeders will be sure that their babies are fully weaned on their own schedule (abundance weaning) and on solid diet for a at least a week or more before letting them leave. Others, and there are many of them out there, are more concerned with the almighty dollar, and force wean, before the baby is physically or mentally ready. Regression is common among those birds as they're suddenly in a new scary environment, so going back to formula feeding until they're ready to wean on their own may be required. (Anything new is scary, even in the best conditions)

Well said above, @LaManuka ! I'm no sort of expert, but I think I would add my take on the subject, based on my personal experience and research. Adopting my first ekkie caused me to begin some pretty exhaustive research as their requirements are soooo different.

While yes, there's a longer history of people feeding captive parrots strictly seed diets, that doesn't equate to "better" or increased lifespan. In fact, more recent studies show them having had shorter lifespans due to nutritional deficiencies in a seed only diet.

That said, I'm not against seeds. Depending on the species, I believe they do have a place in their diet, but as PART of it, not to exclude everything else. Everything in moderation, right? To be honest, only one of my flock will eat more than a couple pellets in a day. They all get a small amount of seed mix that have a few pellets in them (different mixes because different species have different needs) as supplement in their diet, that also includes lots of veggies (again tailored to their nutritional needs based on species. - Ekkie diet is quite different from a grey, which is different from an amazon) and other elements like grains, beans, etc, and occasionally some fruits. My ekkie also gets a couple Top's pellets because it's a way to get some greens into him since he's generally not a fan of green foods. He'll tolerate fresh green beans on occasion, and rarely a little broccoli, but more often than not, anything green gets tossed My zon and ekkie don't need the high calories, nor the hormone inducing sugar that fruit brings to the table. Variety to ensure all of your bird's nutritional needs is the most important thing.

Something to also consider... The member above who ceaselessly demands that seed only diet is the best because it's natural and devoid of additives doesn't have a completely valid argument. Truth is, their own choice of seed mix (as shown in their previous posts) is "fortified" AKA supplemented with vitamins and such ("chemicals") because it doesn't provide everything necessary otherwise. I'll take advice from a highly educated, experienced avian vet over a random person on the internet on their soap box every time.

 

[Bird Mann]

I feed both seeds and pellets., I do not give the colourful pellets. I give Harrisons super fine which looks just like millet seeds and I mix them in with a good seed mix.
they eat it all. Don't expect your birdie to start eating everything right away. It may take a few days, a few weeks or much longer. It might help if he can see you eat it - lol you can do this with fruit, and veggies. Broccoli buttons, sweet bell pepper(cores with seeds are coveted) strawberries, etc
shreds of red cabbage, carrots apples....let him see you nibble on it
that might help get him going. Be patient. Buy the smallest pellet
package there is so it's fresh. One of the best advice I got was Harrisons super fine pellets look just like millet seeds and can be blended into their seed mix I did that and they eat them and like them. for me the pellet serves to be there as a vitamin to ensure they are getting what they need if they are being picky.

There are many great chop recipes here. Fresh is always best.
That can be prepared and frozen to save time and money.

I also make sprouted seeds, germinate some seed mix or get some
soak seed. My guys love that.

As for millet, think of that as cookies, and sunflower seeds as chocolate bars., those are high fat high value foods I keep for training and treats.
If you give your bird access to these items all the time - chances are that is all they will eat.

My parrotlets favorite food is bell pepper cores loaded with seeds!