Gcc refuses to eat pellets!!

[SashaElijah]

Hello all,

I recently changed Elijah's diet from seeds to pellets. However he refuses to eat the pellets. I always have to put some seeds in so that i'm sure he'll eat something. Any advice on how I can get him to like them? Will he starve if I just stop putting the seeds in? His diet consist of veggies and fruits too but that's only when i'm home. I would hate for him to go hungry while i'm at work.

 

[SashaElijah]

Also I switched him to Roudybush pellets

 

[veimar]

How big are the pellets? Maybe they are too large? My conure eats only tiny pellets of the size of a seed and doesn't touch any bigger ones. I buy parakeet food for him.

 

[DannyA93]

what i did to get them to start eating was soak the pellets in a little bit of low sugar 100% apple juice and sprinkled a little bit of seeds of top so he would go in for a bite and hopefully accidentally taste the pellets(or juice) and viola!! not a single bite left in that bowl that day. then once they start that you can start putting less and less juice in them and TA DA! a healthy pellet based diet(

 

[SashaElijah]

I bought him the medium sized one's.

LOL those sugar fiends! thanks for your suggestion

 

[kimn818]

Wow! Thanks DannyA93! I'm picking up my yellow sided today after work and he's on a mix of seed and pellets with fresh fruits and veggies right now at the breeder... I'm not sure if he eats more seed or pellets, so this little tip may be helpful in making his diet seed free for the most part.

 

[witchbaby]

I was able to get Bandit to eat her pellets by pretending to eat them myself. What I recommend is having breakfast together every morning. Sit down with a bowl of pellets and a bowl of veggies and dig around in the dishes, crumble up the pellets, and act really excited. She'll be eating them on her own like a champ after a few days of this routine. It sounds ridiculous, but it works.

 

[DannyA93]

No problem! even worked for my little budgies I use the "eating the food myself" trick a lot too both work quite nicely

 

[kellie]

Glad to see you switched him over! Size of the pellets shouldn't be an issue. I've given Lukah both medium sized and small sized and he eats both. I took all the seeds out of Lukah's cage and then put pellets in. I had to hand feed him them a lot in the beginning, but once he figured out they were food he liked them.

Like someone said above, you can pretend to eat one yourself and then hold it out to him for him to try. You can also try dipping them in water to make them a little softer and then offering it to him!

Good luck and let us know if anything works!

 

[BoomBoom]

I don't think it's the end of the world if he refuses to eat pellets. A varied diet of fruits, veggies and sprouts, supported by vitamin and other supplements, nuts, seeds and some animal protein is far superior in my opinion. What's important in the mean time is he continues to eat. So don't fret over the seeds till he has transitioned gradually.

 

[Mekaisto]

This is the technique I use, If the other methods mentioned above are working, great

First, mix 50% pellets 50% seed in his bowl. Try to use smaller pellets, if you can. He will rummage through the mix, trying to get his seeds. In the process, he'll taste the pellets, and over the process of this transition, he'll recognise the pellets as food. Use this mixture for the first week.

For the second week, use a mixture of 60% pellets, 40% seed. Offer this in two separate bowls (both bowls will have the mix though).

For the third week, use a 70% pellet, 30%seed mix. Offer this in three separate bowls.

Continue this trend until you notice your bird eating the pellets willingly.

This is the technique we use for transferring new birds over to pellets, but it is not foolproof. If you ever notice your bird losing excessive weight, offer seed and seek an avian vet's advice.

 

[MikeyTN]

I have done the mixing too but here's a method I've given quite a few times and it have worked for others who tried it.

I personally wait a month after the bird have been in my care before I make any sort of changes. I leave a bowl of pellets in there all day everyday. In another dish I put just fruits and veggies. During evening time I put just a table spoon full of seeds, but half for your size of parrot. Next day I start the process all over again. During anytime you see them eating pellets, do not give anymore seeds!!! No seed treats, nuts, other treats, etc. during this period of transition. Wait a month or so before offering treats again in moderate amount.

 

[MonicaMc]

Here's a thread I put together with some ideas on converting birds to better diets!

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html


Personally, I really like crushing the pellets into a powder like form, mixing in some water (or organic fruit juice) making it into a paste and mixing that with seeds. You can then feed this in little "cake" forms or in balls for the birds to munch through, They have to 'eat through' the pellet paste to get to the seeds, and end up trying it!