My GCC named "baby"

[janiceann]

Hello everyone, I'm Janiceann and have a new green cheeked conures named baby. He will NOT eat pellets for me. I've tried blending them in with his seeds but all he'll do is pick out the seeds. I also give him greens & some fruits which he'll eat quite well, but won't eat any pellets. What to do ?? Help. Will he be OK on seeds, vegetables, fruits & snacks only ? I make birdie breads for him and he seems to devour them fine. I need some diet advice please. Thanks. Janiceann

 

[Rozalka]

Welcome to you both! Yes, this will be ok, pellets aren't necessary for the correct diet.

 

[Squeekmouse]

Birdie bread is a good alternative. I'd recommend trying other brands of pellets though, sometimes they just don't like some brands. My boys eat Harrison's adult lifetime.

My boys will happily eat ANYTHING if they see me eating it, so this is a trick you can try with Baby. Eat (or pretend to eat) a pellet or two and you may find Baby will want to try it also.

Another option is Nutriberries. Yoda and Trigger LOVE them, I hide them in foraging toys for them, treating them as treats because pellets are better for them.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome!

Just my personal two cents on pellets...

http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/

I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Another couple of ideas...
My ol' man is an athlete and health nut. He actually EATS all the good stuff, so it's always around. I find that tossing various stuff into the food bowls at random is good... the variations and differences seem to stimulate curiosity and attention.
The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!


I love your attitude... energetic, open-minded.

 

[Scott]

Welcome Janiceann and Baby!

Sometimes it is a matter of finding an appetizing pellet to be accepted. Many pet shops and vet offices offer samples, a low cost way of experimenting. GaleriaGila's Harrison's link includes a superb link to conversion, likely to work with any brand.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[Orin2017]

Hello,

Welcome aboard. I have a little female, female green cheek that looks just like yours. I feed mine Harrisons pellets. Because my wife started feeding her non-essentials, such as a couple thin apple slices per day, and chia seeds, mine tended to pick through her bowl and eat the chia seeds without significantly touching her Harrisons. This was a problem similar to yours. The end result is malnutrition. I phased out the chia seeds and now she only eats Harrisons. What these other people say about their birds wanting to eat whatever they see them eating is also true of mine. It’s a problem for me, often, because I eat onions and occasionally garlic, which she cannot have. Mine does want to eat what I eat, for sure though. Hope that helps. Just phase out the other stuff and get yours Harrison’s pellets. Can’t go wrong with Harrisons.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[clark_conure]

adorable...

one trick that worked on my youngest zod, make two feeding stations. One in the living room or den or where-ever you hang out a lot and one for the cage.

Now wherever your bird spends the most time, for me the den, make it seeds and pellets.

In the other place, for me the cage, I only put pellets.

IT MAY BE VICE VERSA FOR YOU.

Basically if the bird wants a snack it has to wait a bit or, try a delicious pellet.

worked for me, and I still give her seeds, but I cut back and monitor her weight.