Making chop last longer

[Safamirza🤍]

Hello everyone our male cockatiel, Kiko is now a little over 2 years old and still the pickiest eater on the planet. We got him when he was 2 months old and he has always had a problem with food. He was on a seed diet before we owned him and he unfortunately hasn’t switched to veggies and pellets only. His main diet consists of seeds which I mix with some pellets. He eats millet or chips/popcorn for treats and eats spinach and coriander. he refuses to try any other veggie. Sometimes he will smell or lick a new veggie and then immediately walk away from it. I have tried chop made in food processor, hand cut, veggies given in diff shapes and sizes, and nothing works. He hates coloured veggies like yellow and red (but loves red spicy chips??) and only even TRIES green leafy things but ultimately refuses to eat. Once I took his food away during the time he gets the most hungry and put out only pellets and veggies. He tried to eat it but refused and then stayed hungry. I couldn’t see it for more than 1 hr and gave back his seeds. This also leads to a lot of waste of veggies.

Can someone please tell me how I can make my chop last as long as possible so I don’t have to keep making it and wasting it? Are there any specific veggies that birds best draw to? I’ve heard on this form that hot peppers are great but I don’t know how much heat a TIEL can handle and what kind of peppers exactly are safe for them.

Any help is appreciated

 

[wrench13]

The answer to the last question is - he can handle any amount of heat, its not a proportional thing, ie bigger parrots can handle hotter peppers. If he will eat only green stuff, try jalapenos, which are mostly green. My basic chop recipe is mostly hot peppers with varying amounts and types pf other veggies mixed in. I make a ton and then bag and freeze it in 3 day supplies. I mix in crushed Nutraberries so he gets some seeds in there and they help take some of the wetness away.

 

[Safamirza🤍]

The answer to the last question is - he can handle any amount of heat, its not a proportional thing, ie bigger parrots can handle hotter peppers. If he will eat only green stuff, try jalapenos, which are mostly green. My basic chop recipe is mostly hot peppers with varying amounts and types pf other veggies mixed in. I make a ton and then bag and freeze it in 3 day supplies. I mix in crushed Nutraberries so he gets some seeds in there and they help take some of the wetness away.

Ok thank u so much I will try the peppers then!

 

[Newbe]

I have the same problem, my 2 GCC and my 2 Jendays won't eat their chop. I add sprouts but most of it is left behind. Can I add unsweetened apple juice to the chop since they love apples.....

 

[wrench13]

Getting a parrot that was raised on pelets or (ugh ) seed is difficult. You just need to be persistent (which can be wasteful) and keep trying different things. Vary the presentation. Vary the contents. Lots of parrots find hot peppers to be tasty and the hotter the better, parrots have few, if any, taste receptors for the chemicals that make the heat, so what is blazing hot to us is merely tangy to them. To save some $$ make a base batch of chop ( i use a food processer), freeze the batch in smaller quantites ( I do 3 days supply in baggies) and thaw as needed. THen you can add stuff to the thawed chop to try and tempt them. Maybe add the seeds they like to it, all mixed up and then slowly reduce the seed content.

Here is my recipe for the last batch I made:

1 lb single ingredient pasta
1 cup steel cut oatmeal
3 cans no-salt corn
1 ea red and orange pepper
1 can lentils, rinsed and drained
1 head cauliflower
2 heads broccoli
2 bundles parsley
2 bags matchstick carrots
1 bunch kale greens
1 bag baby spinach
2 bags Brussel sprouts
14 large jalapeno peppers
5 big handfuls of habanero peppers
12 red hot chilies
1 lb green beans (cut into 1" pcs)
1/2 lb snap peas in pods (cut to 1" pcs)
1 bunch collard green leaves (no stems)

 

[Parrot-Gurl]

The thing is, you cannot just try something for a couple of hours. So for instance, if you chop veggies, including leafy green veggies, sprouts, kale, etc., then, you have to feed it every morning for two weeks or more. I give spinach only once or twice a week and only in small quantities as it gives too much vitamin A for birds which can affect their liver, but other greens like lettuce, parsley, etc. can be perfect. And, you put a declining amount of seeds within the chop mix. That means that, for instance, you add a tablespoon of seeds (potentially, in their 3 day batch) in their mix for the first week, then the second week, only mix in 1/2 tablespoon in their 3-day batch of chop. As they hunt for their seeds, they will inevitably get some chop in their mouths. You should offer no additional seeds other than what is in their chop.

Another problem I have found when I was learning to feed parrots. I used to fill my birds' bowls with way more than they can eat so much of the food ended up being thrown away. If we don't typically overfill a plate with food for us to eat, and a plate is about the size of our heads, then you wouldn't for your bird. You watch to see how much they eat and only put enough in their bowls that they can eat at one sitting. So, for instance, for a cockatiel, you might put about a tablespoon of chop and feed them twice or three times daily (I only feed my birds/fosters twice). I found that my African Grey will throw everything she doesn't eat out of her bowl, where my Amazon just eats until she has had enough and lets the rest sit there. I also don't put food out for them to graze, especially seeds but not pellets either. I will give them a piece or two of fruit with their chop (not mixed in) and an almond. For dinner they will get a blackberry or large blueberry or razzberry.

For cockatiels, I will add millet into their chop, as well as smashing pellets into it (only when I am trying to convert them into healthy food). This hopefully means they are getting a well-rounded meal.

Lastly, I give my birds other "treats" (almonds or cashews or even walnuts or pecans, but never peanuts - sometimes, instead of adding to their bowl, I will hide it around their cage as foraging treats) as well as Bird Street Bistro which I give as their evening meal (this is a great food that you can also add to their chop to get them to eat chop, by the way, cause all birds love it).

I worked with the Florida Parrot Rescue for over 14 years and have fostered many types of birds. And I have found that with cockatiels, it generally took me about a week and a half to completely convert them!

Good luck!

 

[Parrot-Gurl]

I have the same problem, my 2 GCC and my 2 Jendays won't eat their chop. I add sprouts but most of it is left behind. Can I add unsweetened apple juice to the chop since they love apples.....

I would not add apple juice. Again, it is a matter of giving them the item you are trying to switch them off of, but declining the amount over time. When you feed chop, they won't convert right away. It may take a week or a month. Just be sure to not put more than a tablespoon per bird in their bowls. Also, don't leave them food out to graze (pellets, seeds, etc.). Because they get all their nutritional needs met with a good chop recipe, they don't need to graze. Treats, such as almonds or other nuts, nutriberries or even fruit, can be given by hiding them around the cage for the birds to "forage". I only give my birds about 20% of their food intake as pellets. See my previous remarks to a poster here.

 

[Thechoplady]

I sell frozen chop at local bird shows near me. I always tell my customers to take their favorite fruit and mash it up and mix it into the chap. The fruit will sweeten it a bit and it can also act as a binder so you can put some of the seeds in there as well. That way when your bird goes to eat the seeds he can’t help but getting also some of the chop along with it gradually decrease the fruit and seeds until all your left with is just regular chop. Whenever you’re doing a diet conversion it’s really important to have a gram scale and weigh your bird every day. You don’t want your bird, losing too much weight as a birds have been known to starve themselves to death. As a general rule if your bird is like most birds and a tiny bit on the overweight side, you don’t want them to lose more than 10% of their body weight, but of course you would want to check with your vet first. If your bird does not like fruit, you can also try using mashed sweet potato as the binder instead of the mashed up fruit. Hope this helps!

 

[ScottinSoCal]

I always tell my customers to take their favorite fruit and mash it up and mix it into the chap.

I run Scooter's veggies through the food processor when I'm fixing her food. A bag of kale salad will last about a week in the fridge, and she likes it freshly chopped. I don't mind washing the processor every day.
As an occasional treat I'll cut a slice of apple into chunks and put it through the food processor with her kale salad. She loves it, and it's no worse for her than getting a slice of apple as a treat - something she gets every day.