Lovebirds diet

[HeatherS]

So we have had our two little friends since the 14th of march (this past month) when we purchased the birds from the pet store they were being fed a seed only diet of Vita prima wholesome nutrition cocktail and live bird food…..
About a week after having them we bought pellets to switch them over to a daily pellet only diet because I read that pellets were healthier than seeds…. We bought zupreem fruit blend…
Currently weekly I mix a freezer bag with about 60% pellets and 40% seeds and put about 3 tbsp worth in a food dish each morning with about a tbsp of whatever fresh food I am trying to get them to try…. So far they only like apples

Looking at the ingredients of the pellets and seeds I’d think I should give them both on a daily basis because of the benefits they both bring to the table?

Well I purchased a food processor this morning because I learned about chop last week to get in all the veggies they need daily …. Do I continue trying one vegetable at a time for days on end to see if they like it or start chop with a couple at a time?

With all the different info at once I I don’t know where to start…. Can someone tell me if what I’m doing is right or if I should be doing something else? If I start the bird chop should I base the ingredients off of what the current seeds and pellets lack? Or is it ok to have some of the same ingredients in chop that are listed as ingredients in the seeds n pellets?

Oh and currently they are on oasis vita drops to make up for not yet having a well rounded daily diet

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The chop I make for my budgies would be good for lovebirds too. I start with Bird Strret Bistro Hearty Vegetables cooked food base. (On Amazon). I prepare a while bag at once and freeze in portioned ziplock bags with 3 days per bag.
I add 1/2 cup each of the following dry ingredients to the base before cooking with enough additional water per packages:
Tricolor Quinoa
Brown rice
Acini di pepi tiny pasta
One 1 Oz bag of Kaytee dry bird greens
While it's cooking, I chop up a large head of broccoli, two large red bell peppers and a can of kernel corn. If you have any other fresh or frozen veggies you want to add just chop them up. Any veggies you want to add. Chopped sweet potato, green beans, and zucchini are good choices.
After the dry ingredients are cooked, I add the chopped veggies and corn and mix thoroughly and let cool then portion into ziplocks. This lasts me about a month for 19 budgies.
It's delicious human grade food. I taste it because my birds only eat good stuff!

 

[HeatherS]

What’s the reasoning for the bird food cook base when you adding the dry ingredients u use as well as all the fresh veggies?

 

[HeatherS]

And do they still have a pellet and or see diet aside from the chop u give them?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The base us a wonderful mixture of many dried vegetables and grains and legumes so you don't need to gather the ingredients yourself. I add the three dried ingredients to stretch it because I have so many birds and I don't know if it contains quinoa or the tiny pasta. I add the fresh chopped vegetables because the base needs more veggies.
I would still feed pellets in the evening and chop in the morning once they are eating the chop. You can't leave cooked food in the bowl for more than four hours.

 

[HeatherS]

Ty

 

[DonnaBudgie]

It may take a while for them to start eating the chop but keep giving it to them every morning when they're most hungry and it shouldn't take too long. I would warm it up to between 80 and 90 degrees to make it more tempting. If you warm it in a microwave for a few seconds mix it up well and take its temperature before feeding it to make sure it's not too hot.

 

[HeatherS]

Thank you so much for all ur help! I think for this week I’m gonna get them to try a couple more veggies independently to see more of what they like because so far it’s just apples and carrots they have liked and next weekend I’m gonna start making the chop

 

[ChrisH123]

Those are some great questions! You can start making chop right away. I personally feel that they try more things when it's chopped small and they have to work around the different foods to try to find their favorites. If your bird isn't diving in, try saving a favorite seed or nut and mixing a small amount in the chop to lure them to it.

You can also try sprouts. Many birds who like seeds take to sprouts because they look so similar (but are WAY more nutritious). You can buy sprout mixes formulated for parrots to make things a bit easier in the beginning. I've personally been using Sprout People blends for years. I still use them and now even add a few other seeds to give an even bigger variety.

I don't use cooked pasta, rice or beans as a "base" to my chop. Raw veggies, greens, fruits and sprouts are far superior nutrition wise. BUT if you're having trouble getting your bird to eat the chop, putting a bit of those things in can also make it more palatable for them and get them trying other things. But they shouldn't make up the majority of your chop. You can always slowly take away the things you don't want them eating so much of, once they're used to eating chop daily.

Feed chop (or whatever mix you want them to start eating most) first thing in the morning when they're most hungry. Keep in mind portions too. Because if they're getting too much food, they're just going to eat their favorites and not get enough variety. I've attached a small chart showing where to start portion wise (of course quantities depend on a birds activity level and species, so it's just a starting point. See how much they eat in the first few hours and adjust accordingly).

My Meyers gets about a Tablespoon of chop with sprouts in the morning and a 1/2 Tablespoon of dried mix of veggies, greens and fruits with a few pieces of nuts in the afternoons that goes into their foraging toys. This gives them some motivation to be active during the day.

Mine also get pellets later in the day after they've eaten all the other things I really want them to eat. To ME, pellets are a back up for any nutritional gaps there might be in their diet. But it depends on your goals.

Good luck with your cuties! Let me know if you want any other details or pics.

 

[HeatherS]

Thank you so much I’m going to go over this again in detail…. I finally got a kitchen scale from Amazon the night before last… so starting yesterday I weighed there food intake…. They ate more fresh food than usual so I got really excited u til I did the math… I read each bird should be consuming around 45 to 60 grams of food per day and our 2 babies ate a total of 49 grams combined yesterday of fresh food pellets and what little seeds we gave them… I guess it’s progress tho… I just really worry about them getting everything they need…. I’ve continued all week giving them a variety of veggies at one and even though I read not to offer fruit everyday … because they eat so little I’ve been giving them a thin apple slice with there veggie plate in the am …..
After I chop everything up I put it on a regular glass plate for them…. So far the only hits are apples and carrots… they did pic at the broccoli a little… didn’t show interest in romaine sweet potatoes strawberries blueberries or bananas …. I’m not sure if I should keep offering them together but separately or do the chop…. Any advice would be appreciated… on and my son has tried to get the on the kitchen scale to weigh them but that ain’t happening even with millet… they just are not warmed up enough oh and I’ve been sprinkling an avi cake on the fresh food daily all week because by itself there was no interest … I have nutriberries but have not introduced them yet…. I’m afraid I’m doing to much at once but it’s because I’m worried about their intake