I am not going to lie and say this isn't harder then I thought

[Melandkids]

Josey my rehome B&G has me stumped. I think I have the brand new parent issue where the baby is screaming and everyone that holds it can make it stop but the brand new mom. I have tried every fruit and veggie possible. She has nibbled on a couple but no actual eating. I went to the farmers market and got everything..lol. I will keep trying. I am trying to switch her diet over to pellets instead of the seed mixture they had her on. She looks at me like I am crazy. She is playing and giving me kisses but will not let me touch her. I did get to give her one bath when my daughter's friend who speaks Spanish and is a male came over to help me. This is the part I am really getting scared about .. When he got there she ran across the cage and almost attack him to get on his arm. I want her to be happy. She chatters, she plays, she is eating and grooming. But I want her to bond with me. But I have to say I learned never ever curse around them. I tripped over my grandbaby's carseat and fell and said a curse word.. She never says anything but Spanish usually till I cuss.

 

[MikeyTN]

Yes they pickup the bad things quicker then anything else. But you just got her not very long ago so be patient with her. Have you tried leaving a bowl with pellets all day. Then the other bowl you put fruits and veggies in and at night feed minimal seeds.

 

[Melandkids]

Thanks. I will leave pellets with her all day tomorrow. If she is outside the cage she knows how to open the doors to her food! Isn't that smart? But then she slings the pellets on the floor so I put locks on them. She isn't happy about that

 

[MikeyTN]

They can be smarty pants...Willie purposely shuts the door on my head and laughs....I use locks on their cage too cause they learn to open locks quick so padlock was the way to go....lol

 

[JerseyWendy]

Here is a link for you that may help you ease the transition into pellets and healthier foods.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/23367-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

 

[crimson]

sometimes it's not as easy as it looks. I've heard people switching their bird/parrot from seed to a pellet diet in 10 days.
It's months later for me and all my birds act like I'm the weird one,lol.
I know I've done it correctly.

I switched to Higgins seed, and also offer pellets now,but hands down they still prefer seed.some of my birds are now eating the pellets though, but it took quite a while to switch over, but they have always loved vegetables,fruits etc....

just give it some time.

 

[emmett518]

My birds will turn up their noses at new foods the first couple of times I serve them. Eventually though, they try them and usually like them. Keep trying things, and eventually they'll probably start eating them.

I avoid pellets, or only feed them as treats. I hate the idea of feeding processed, grain-based Purina dog cow kinds of stuff to my birds. Considering I feed a varied diet, I don't worry much about not doing commercial foods. My guys eat whole grain, homemade bread, occasional peanut butter on whole grain crackers, fruits, veges, dried fruits, oatmeal, 5 grain cereal, Shredded Wheat without sugar, homemade yogurt, occasional raw meats, and nuts in the shell.

The other thing that I've tried that works for me, is that I puree up a pile of veges, fruits and cereals, and serve the mush. That way, I can introduce new foods without the birds getting fussy, and no matter what I serve, it pretty much all looks the same.

Here is the link to the article.

The Veggies War

Finally, food choices vary from bird to bird. My Blue and Gold eats like a truck driver, and will eat anything that goes in my mouth. He will climb up my leg, and help himself to the plate in front of me. The Greenwing is fussier than a 5 y/o spoiled brat. The rescued scarlet loves pretty much anything. And the African Grey goes in phases. Loves certain things, then hates them for weeks.

Good luck, and keep at it!

:red:

 

[davisn456]

I guess I'm pretty lucky to have one of those B&G's with a "truck driver" appetite! I do keep a small amount of Harrison's pellets in Frankie's cage all the time, but each morning I give her a bowl full of veggies, then when I get home from work I give her about a handful of a seed mix that has dried fruit, nuts, etc. She also sometimes eats whatever I'm having, some occasional pasta, beans, even a little bit of fish or chicken once in a while. She gets a bit of almond butter on bread as a treat sometimes, and I give her either dried or regular fruit, like melons, oranges, apples, etc. There's a few things that she picks through in the seed mixes and throws to the side, like hot peppers, dried pineapple, and shockingly, she doesn't like cashews. I thought that was a bit weird. But, for the most part, she eats a good variety. The previous owner had her mostly on base seed diet from what I understand, but gave her lots of other things like I do. There didn't seem to be any transition time. She liked the veggies right off the bat, and I go ahead and keep the pellets in there to round out whatever vitamins she may be missing. She loves to soak the pellets and make her birdy soup though...so that water gets changed pretty often.

 

[Alwese]

Why do we feel we have to switch every bird over to eating pellets? My three macaws have had the choice between nuts, fruits, and pellets for a decade and have not suffered any ill effects. My B&G I got at 20 y.o. likely had nothing but pellets and now eats mostly the fruits and nuts. The other two will sometimes chew up the pellets, I think mostly for the joy of grinding up something rather than actually eating it. My birds all are non-pluckers, have good color and no health issues. They certainly don't get any pellets in the wild

 

[U2gal]

The best way I've converted a bird to pellets is by offering pellets all day long and only once its night time they get seed. For one hour. Works every single time. And gets them eating veggies and fruits and sprouts I offer. Etc.

 

[U2gal]

I feel pellets rounds off the diet. Fruits and nuts is not a very healthy diet. They lack a lot of important nutrients.

I feel if my guys get picky, that during their picky times, if they eat pellets, itll be ok.

If I didn't feed pellets and only fed healthy produce and sprouts, etc, and suddenly my flock decided to go picky. I'd be worried sick about if they're getting all the right nutrients or not.