Honey?

[Tammie]

Oliver is still reluctant on pellets. Can try to entice with drizzled honey on them?
Because if it is safe I can do that to get him to eat pellets.

 

[SailBoat]

Well, first read the contains that the pellets came out of. Is sugar listed? What percentage?

If no sugar, a little honey is a possible way of attracting him to the pellets. Just understand that you will likely now have to add honey all the time. And deal with a Parrot that could be 'Jazzed-up' on a Sweet High. And, you think he has energy Now!

What is Oliver current diet made-up of?

 

[Allee]

I use honey very sparingly in some chop, bread and mash recipes. A good trick to encourage reluctant birds to enjoy their pellets is to soak the pellets in one part organic 100% fruit juice to two parts water.

 

[Teddscau]

I find that nut and seed butter works well with Noah. The brand I got is human grade without any sugar or salt added, and it's called "Nuts for Nature." It's peanut-free and probably has lots of vitamin E, minerals, and B-complex vitamins. I'm just assuming this based on the ingredients since foods that aren't fortified don't list such vitamins, minerals, etc.

You could use a bit of honey, but I definitely think organic, human-grade, no salt or sugar added nut and seed butters would do a better job and would be healthier for Oliver. Plus, by mixing a bit of nut or seed butter (NOT PEANUT BUTTER) into his pellets, he'll consider pellets to be a higher value food item given the amount of (healthy) fats and protein present in the nut butter mixed in. Parrots place higher priority in consuming foods rich in fat and protein, rather than foods that are low fat and low in protein, even if the low fat food is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals.

Speaking of which, if your bird won't eat their healthy veggies, you could always purée it into a baby food consistency and mix some almond butter into it or something.

 

[Aquila]

I use coconut or palm oil personally, with an occasional sprinkle of PB2 (powdered peanut butter, without added salt or sugar! Be careful not to get the chocolate version)

The oil and powder pretty much make peanut butter, but I don't use enough really to make it pasty. Usually just the coconut oil is enough. I do it only in small little batches so I'm not wasting a lot, but it seems to have worked pretty well for my more picky birds.

 

[Teddscau]

What brand of pellets are you feeding Oliver (love his name, by the way)? I was able to get Noah to eat his Goldn'obles III as soon as I showed them to him. He'd been on an all seed diet since before he was sexually mature (two years of just seed), and he came to me in June. He took to sprouts and Goldn'obles immediately. It also only took me less than two months to get my budgies to start eating the Goldn'obles.

 

[Teknogeddon]

What about all-natural fruit juice? Mango Juice, Orange, or Apple Juice are really sweet but don't contain as much sugar. Maybe warm it up so it has a high smell, and then drizzle it lightly. Will be sticky, but honey is pretty sticky itself.

[ame="https://youtu.be/tBaFLLxWtIY"]Georgie the Hahn's Macaw Enjoying Mango Juice and Says MMMMMM - YouTube[/ame]
Look at him go!