Nuts/Seed

[honeybug]

Hi everyone. I'm the proud momma of a young nanday conure and African ringneck both a year old. They have yet to learn to crack nuts on there own. As soon as I give it to them they drop them when they realized they aren't already open for them. I've tried almonds, pine nuts, and pistachios all raw and unsalted ofcourse. I'm not sure if there the wrong size or if it's the way I'm presenting them. I've thought about maybe starting with sunflower seeds since they would be easy to open and they would maybe get the idea. However I've heard bad things about sunflower seeds , fattening , addicting ect. Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Thank you!
Chelsea.

 

[Kiwibird]

Try "showing" them by opening the nut with your fingers or teeth. Almonds (and similar or bigger) are WAY too big for birds your size to crack on their own. You could always give them a head start by cracking those sized nuts with a nutcracker so they had less work

 

[honeybug]

Hm okay I'll give that a go. Do you have any suggestions in nuts I could try? I thought they'd be to big but there shells were a bit softer that's why I had tried them.

 

[weco]

Hi Chelsea, KB's right about the nuts...can't speak to ringnecks, but the several nandays I've had never really tried very hard to open pistachios, unless they were half open & could get part of their beak on the nutmeat.....

You might think your guys have crusher beaks if they bite you, but looking at their beaks, neither species can do the same kind of damage a thicker, heavier built beak, like those of 'toos or macaws.....

Like KB mentioned, I've given my birds cracked/halved walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts, but they just normally dig the meats out, without trying to break the shells any further.....any of the soft shelled seeds, like the sunflower seeds you mentioned, pumpkin/squash seeds, even peanuts, but be sure they are human food grade seeds/nuts, lest you get some that may have some mold on them...and...you might want to stay away from the self-serve bins at some pet stores, because you are liable to bring home some unwanted meal/seed/flour moths.....now my birds will chase them down & enjoy the extra protein, but having bugs around the house is not the best invitation to friends who probably wouldn't understand anyway.....when I feed peanuts in the shell, I like to pop them back in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 150-200 degrees F just in case there are any lingering mold spores.....if you're a Southerner and partial to boiled peanuts, the boiling would take care of the spores.....

Good luck.....

 

[honeybug]

I see now that I have over estimated there beak strength. Thank you very much. I will pick up some of the seeds you mentioned. Thank you !