Nutriberries & waste

LaurenB

New member
Oct 28, 2014
191
0
Pennsylvania
Parrots
Green Cheek Conure - Tiki //
Sun Conure - Nacho //
Indian Ringnecks - Kermit and Beaker
Hello all!

I have some questions regarding nutriberries.

First, let me start by saying that I adopted my conure from a family who had her for 5 years. They weren't sure how old she was when they got her. They gave me a container of what they fed her which is some cheapo brand "Parrot Food" with a picture of a macaw on the front. They told me she only eats the sunflower seeds and peanuts. They never gave fruit or veggies, but she did have one of those treat seed sticks and a cuttlebone.

Obviously I knew I needed to convert her to a more nutritious diet. So I started with zupreem pellets which she will eat, but is not crazy about them. I discussed her diet with my vet, who highly recommended nutriberries for a bird that will not eat pellets. So currently her diet consists of different flavors of nutriberries and zupreem pellets. I also sprinkle some oats in her dish, one yogurt treat per day, and some crumbled multigrain rice cakes. I also give her fresh fruit daily (so far only likes blueberries, grapes, strawberry, kiwi, and banana. She will also take exactly ONE bite of cooked corn if she sees me eat it. Otherwise she won't touch any veggies. I stuff a shreddable box once per week with blueberry millet and sunflower seeds and peanuts... So if she wants those she has to work for it!

Anyway, I see people on the forum saying nutriberries are only a treat, and a lot of people make their own bird food and "chop" and their birds just LOVE their fruits and veggies. It makes me feel like maybe I'm not doing a very good job :( But coming off a 5 year diet that consisted of sunflower seeds and peanuts, is what I'm doing at least acceptable?

Also, my question about the nutriberries... I thought "hulled" meant the seeds are taken out of the shell so there is less waste? Because Tiki still splits all those tiny seeds open. After watching her eat one day, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the nutriberry was crumbs was on the ground. Is this normal?
 
I have the same problem with my Amazon. He was a rescue and then I adopted him. He was on a crappy seed diet and won't eat pellets, but he loves nutriberries. I have started to offer him a dish of freshies in the morning and afternoon. Morning is usually eggs and a bit of fruit. (He wanted what I had) I reduced his seed slowly over two weeks time to just pellets. In the evening he gets a little egg and turkey with some veggies mixed in. I'm rambling but. When I first got him home I noticed that he only eats maybe 3 bites of the nutriberries. The rest is on the floor. So I only give him one in the morning now. And he's actually a little more peppy and gets excited about his fresh food.
 

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