New Baby - Diet Problem

[maverickbull]

This might be a repeat Q... if yes; please guide me to any old threads.

I got a 3 month old chick. She (I think...) is a sweet one. Loves scratches want to be with us always. Only 2 days with me...!!!!

I need help in changing her diet. She eats only Sunflower seeds, Apples (little) & some corn. Very worrying

I want to change this. I know it is only 2-days I really can't do a drastic change yet. But I really want to change her to a healthy diet. This is my first grey and I hear they are pretty adamant when it comes to change.

Any tips on what I can do... I want to move her away from this high fat, high sugar diet to a good healthy fresh veggies, fruits & pellets kinda diet.

 

[Flboy]

Bumping you back into daylight! This link may help a bit.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

 

[Flboy]

Bringing this back up for you.

 

[Loko]

The link flboy shared is good, check that out. Some little tips are quickly soaking pellets in 2:1 water to fruit juice to make them more tasty and or mixing pellets with seeds so that she has to pick through the pellets when eating the seeds and maybe will start to like them. I hope youre successfull!

 

[Scott]

The good news is you have identified diet as a concern, are committed to change, and your baby is young. Not a Grey infamously set in their ways!

A tip in addition to the provided link is that parrots are flock eaters, and YOU are a member! Prepare a dish for your Grey and yourself, and take bites of various foods. Make noises of enjoyment, bob your head up and down. Sound silly but it often works!

It may be necessary to prepare what we call "chop" and find much of it jettisoned from the dish. Keep trying, they can be stubborn but eventually try something and love it.

 

[maverickbull]

Aaaah.. thank you so much... let me try this

 

[plumsmum2005]

Is she used to eating off a small spoon as this can help to offer her some 'good' things along with lots of encouragement.

If she is used to apples and likes them then grate some on the top of the chop, something familiar to get her started.

 

[DRB]

Agree on the flock eating. Perjo goes to her bowl to eat very frequently b/c she sees me eating just a few feet away.

Also introduce some healthy food into her diet as a treat, and make sure you associate the word treat (if that's the word you use for a treat). I give Perjo tiny pieces of scrambled egg a few times a week. I called it a treat at first but slowly introduced her to the word egg as well. She's knows it as both now, but the point being it's a nice tiny addition to a diet to help broaden what they eat

 

[maverickbull]

Guys... thanks to each of you...
somehow my previous message has gotten truncated... not sure why

the flock eating thing worked veggies - now she eats carrots... have moved from carrots to pumpkins now and today some beets also. I tried radish but it just went flying from the bowl straight out (GF made me clean it all up) the floor was a mess
fruits - from apples to pears, bananas - not interested in them (even the flock eating thing didn't work) worked like a charm with my other birds not with red though

I'm yet to try the soaked pellet idea... taking baby steps for now... waiting for her to stabilize on the veggies & fruits then will move to soaked pellets then will stop the sunflower seeds completely. For now have only reduced it for now.

I will post an update again in a couple of days.

 

[Scott]

Awesome! Don't be surprised to see foods consistently rejected until one day she becomes curious and tries something new. I've seen birds adapt to new foods decades* after offering!


*Two of my oldest Goffins have been with me about 27 years and have learned to like items just the past few years!!

 

[GaleriaGila]

My usual contribution... 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. 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.

 

[DRB]

Guys... thanks to each of you...
somehow my previous message has gotten truncated... not sure why

the flock eating thing worked veggies - now she eats carrots... have moved from carrots to pumpkins now and today some beets also. I tried radish but it just went flying from the bowl straight out (GF made me clean it all up) the floor was a mess
fruits - from apples to pears, bananas - not interested in them (even the flock eating thing didn't work) worked like a charm with my other birds not with red though

I'm yet to try the soaked pellet idea... taking baby steps for now... waiting for her to stabilize on the veggies & fruits then will move to soaked pellets then will stop the sunflower seeds completely. For now have only reduced it for now.

I will post an update again in a couple of days.

Perjo loves beets.

Keep in mind, red going in, red coming out. When she eats beets, tomatoes or watermelon (the three main red foods she eats) her poop has red in it for a couple hours. I've not read anything that says that is good bad or indifferent, so my assumption it is the natural way it should be.

 

[Flboy]

Guys... thanks to each of you...
somehow my previous message has gotten truncated... not sure why

the flock eating thing worked veggies - now she eats carrots... have moved from carrots to pumpkins now and today some beets also. I tried radish but it just went flying from the bowl straight out (GF made me clean it all up) the floor was a mess
fruits - from apples to pears, bananas - not interested in them (even the flock eating thing didn't work) worked like a charm with my other birds not with red though

I'm yet to try the soaked pellet idea... taking baby steps for now... waiting for her to stabilize on the veggies & fruits then will move to soaked pellets then will stop the sunflower seeds completely. For now have only reduced it for now.

I will post an update again in a couple of days.

My friend, I admire you! You came into this a bit over your head, as most of us! Realizing the need for help, you reached out, asked for help, and put it into action! You are doing an amazing thing for your baby!

 

[maverickbull]

Awesome! Don't be surprised to see foods consistently rejected until one day she becomes curious and tries something new. I've seen birds adapt to new foods decades* after offering!


*Two of my oldest Goffins have been with me about 27 years and have learned to like items just the past few years!!

Thanks Scott

Ha ha ha ha yeah... I have had IRNs before who love flinging just for the fun of it... even if they like the food in the tray but Red seems to do one upon them... cleaning is the only problem but yeah.. I'm ok to wait for her to accept new foods. Waiting for her to settle in then will start introducing more food and toys.

 

[maverickbull]

My usual contribution... 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. 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.

wow.. this is a new idea... let me try this too. I will try soaked pellets first then if that doesn't work will try this idea also. let us see what works

But I can use this idea for the other new foods. This seems interesting...

 

[maverickbull]

Guys... thanks to each of you...
somehow my previous message has gotten truncated... not sure why

the flock eating thing worked veggies - now she eats carrots... have moved from carrots to pumpkins now and today some beets also. I tried radish but it just went flying from the bowl straight out (GF made me clean it all up) the floor was a mess
fruits - from apples to pears, bananas - not interested in them (even the flock eating thing didn't work) worked like a charm with my other birds not with red though

I'm yet to try the soaked pellet idea... taking baby steps for now... waiting for her to stabilize on the veggies & fruits then will move to soaked pellets then will stop the sunflower seeds completely. For now have only reduced it for now.

I will post an update again in a couple of days.

Perjo loves beets.

Keep in mind, red going in, red coming out. When she eats beets, tomatoes or watermelon (the three main red foods she eats) her poop has red in it for a couple hours. I've not read anything that says that is good bad or indifferent, so my assumption it is the natural way it should be.

Red doesn't love anything other than seeds at this point in time ha ha ha... yeah... I read about the red color thing too. I'm happy as long as she slowly moves away from the sunflower seeds.

Let's see how I progress

 

[maverickbull]

Here's the progress report guys...

Sweet Potato
Pumpkin
Squash
Peppers (all kinds...)
Carrot
Radish (depends on mood)
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Apple
Pear
Grape (depends on mood)
Pellet (depends on mood)
Oats

I haven't cut her off Sunflower seeds yet. I will introduce more good foods and reduce the percentage of sunflower seeds and then finally stop.

She will eat the veggies only when they are mashed up... cut ones just fly out. ha ha ha ha

Thanks to all the tips you guys gave... every single idea worked in one way or the other. Hopefully I should be able to convert her completely to a healthy diet soon.