My Ekkie just won't eat enough pallets

[Mr.Fazeli]

Hi, so here's the situation: I got my Ekkie, Magnus, when she was 3 months old. It appeared that the breeder was giving her a mix of seeds and pellets. My Ekkie is now 5 months old and just so stubborn. She eats pellets, but only a little bit, almost like a snack. Sometimes she rushes to the pellets and starts chewing them, but if there aren’t enough seeds, she won’t eat the pellets.

My vet advised me to start with a 50/50 seed and pellet diet for the first two weeks, then transition to 75% pellets and 25% seeds. During the first two weeks, she ate seeds and some pellets, but when the third week started, she only ate the seeds and some fruits. She’s also been constantly screaming whenever she sees or hears me, refusing to eat pellets entirely.

I’m tired. I’ve tried the Harrison method and this method as well.

The pellets I’m using are Zupreem and Psittacus. In my country, I can’t find other brands, but she seems to prefer Psittacus.

I’m considering going back to the 50/50 diet and giving her more time.

What's your opinion suggestion?

(Also, she has a respiratory fungal infection, which is currently being treated. This was caused by infected seeds, so now I literally check every seed and heat-treat them before feeding her.)

 

[kme3388]

Hi there, and welcome

I cannot comment on your specific parrot as I have no experience with her.

I do have 4 parrots. They all eat differently. I am a little careful with my Ekkie. At the end of the day he isn’t going to eat what he isn’t going to eat. I’d much rather have him eating red peppers everyday then to put broccoli in front of him, and have him not eat. On top of it he will toss food to the bottom of his cage if he doesn’t like it. He also will put his food in his water dish. Birds will be birds.

It really can take some birds forever to change their diet. My Jenday conure still won’t go anywhere near colored pellets. My Ekkie won’t touch most fresh food. He prefers red peppers. I feed my parrots a variety diet for this purpose. That way I know they are getting what they need. I do pellets (Harrison’s, or roudy bush). Seeds, and nuts are only for treats. All of my parrots would only eat seeds, and nuts if it were up to them. Since they do not fly miles a day like they do in the wild I assume eating only nuts would make them overweight, and cause medical issues. Vets are expensive. If I can avoid them by feeding a proper diet I myself do.

 

[Beepers]

Hi, so here's the situation: I got my Ekkie, Magnus, when she was 3 months old. It appeared that the breeder was giving her a mix of seeds and pellets. My Ekkie is now 5 months old and just so stubborn. She eats pellets, but only a little bit, almost like a snack. Sometimes she rushes to the pellets and starts chewing them, but if there aren’t enough seeds, she won’t eat the pellets.

My vet advised me to start with a 50/50 seed and pellet diet for the first two weeks, then transition to 75% pellets and 25% seeds. During the first two weeks, she ate seeds and some pellets, but when the third week started, she only ate the seeds and some fruits. She’s also been constantly screaming whenever she sees or hears me, refusing to eat pellets entirely.

I’m tired. I’ve tried the Harrison method and this method as well.

The pellets I’m using are Zupreem and Psittacus. In my country, I can’t find other brands, but she seems to prefer Psittacus.

I’m considering going back to the 50/50 diet and giving her more time.

What's your opinion suggestion?

(Also, she has a respiratory fungal infection, which is currently being treated. This was caused by infected seeds, so now I literally check every seed and heat-treat them before feeding her.)

I might be in the minority by saying this, but I don’t have a problem feeding my bird seed. That’s what birds have eaten for eternity. My bird also gets bird safe fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. I don’t see a need for pellets aka processed food. Always read the ingredient list, many have soy and other foods birds normally don’t eat. I would never force my bird to eat foods he wouldn’t eat normally in the wild. Pay attention to expiration dates, AND the time passed once opened. These two dates will likely differ. The importance of discarding old food is that the oil will become rancid. Pay attention to “suggested storage”. Some will say refrigerate, others don’t. To insure freshness, buy in small quantities and store in a Mason jar with a screw on lid, or an air tight pet food container. Heat treating might eliminate the nutrition in the seed. Might want to consult the vet about that. Wash and dry dishes daily. Glad to hear you took your bird to the vet, hope he’s feeling better soon! Make sure he gets re-checked to make sure he doesn’t need more meds.