Seriously, how many pellets have you chewed on to get your bird to eat them?

[WannaBeAParrot]

'fess up y'all.

as for me -- more than I care to admit (although I don't swallow them). LOL.

 

[BoomBoom]

None is far but I should try

Ps. How is Pritti? Also, I sent you a private message.

 

[MikeyTN]

None! You just feed it to them with different methods and one of them will work! All different methods have been repeated countless times through many threads....

 

[Mudkips]

I only ate them to find out what they tasted like - I didn't want to feed my companion something that tasted terrible.

Good thing they taste OK!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I've tried any pellet I've fed to my bird, but not with the intention of getting her to eat it. More just out of curiosity. Lafeabers is gross and gritty, totally organic is gross/dry/grassy, harrison's is bland, Harrison's pepper pellets aren't spicy at all, harrison's power treats are kinda good, zupreem natural is bland and hard, zupreem colored pellets are disgusting, roudybush is bland/hard/gritty.

I make sure to try one of each lol

 

[Kiwibird]

I grew up with large parrots, and their "staple" food was always seed with lots of fresh produce (and all of them are now over 40, and healthy as can be, might I add). When my husband and I adopted our BFA, we were told he ate pellets. I wasnt too keen on feeding him something so processed in the first place, but i bought a bag of Zupreem brand for him to make his transition into a new home easier. I tasted one out of curiosity, and it tasted like crap. I immediately switched him to an organic seed mix in the morning and a cooked grains mix at night. Honestly, he eats far more of his fresh fruits and veggies than he does the seed or grain mixes, and in the vets words "he is one of the healthiest birds he sees". I don't eat processed foods myself, and I wouldn't subject my sweet little bird who has no choice in what he's fed to processed crap either. The seed/pellet debate is a long standing one amongst bird owners, but I firmly stand on the side that birds deserve a diet of foods found in nature. Plus, if your bird is eating a balanced diet of mostly fruits and veggies supplemented by seeds/nuts/table foods there isn't a problem to begin with. The problems with weight or nutiritonal deficiencies comes from parrots getting dry food (whether it be pellets or seed) and not much else. Neither are what they eat as a primary source of nutrition naturally (especially not pellets). I don't blame your bird for not wanting pellets, they taste horrible. Just get him a high quality seed mix, and put the effort in to feed him a lot of what he REALLY wants to be eating- fruits and veggies.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

I chewed a few Roudybush just to see how it tasted and it's not bad. I could survive on it if I had too. Molly & Cody dove right in without any issues. They also took to TOP's without any problems which I also tried and it tasted like dry gravel. I guess I've been lucky that my babies take to pellets pretty easily. I rotate the pellet portion of their diet every so often to keep them from getting bored. I guess one important note is they would not eat Harrisons at all.

 

[slowstitcher]

I tried one to see why my conure likes them so much - that's all he'll eat is pellets!! And seeds of course but I can't get him to eat cooked or fresh food of any kind.

 

[ann]

lol you read my mind. u used to try them in front of Oscar a parrot i once had. it worked! i was tasting lafebers. it was pretty bland, but they smell really weird weird when he dunks them. @copperarabian you sure know your pellets !

 

[Remy]

I use Harrison's High Potency (I haven't tried any others) and I think they taste bland but a little sweet. The spirulina taste is very noticeable, which makes me happy because it's so nutrient dense. I was curious.

 

[MonicaMc]

Never ate pellets to get my birds to eat them! That said, Zupreem Natural was bland and sandy like.... didn't like it at all!

 

[aConureLover]

Thanks so much for the research! I have never tried Chiquita's Roudybush, but he likes it. He's a little pig though, he likes everything, including banana dipped in Yoplait strawberry yogart.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

I've tried any pellet I've fed to my bird, but not with the intention of getting her to eat it. More just out of curiosity. Lafeabers is gross and gritty, totally organic is gross/dry/grassy, harrison's is bland, Harrison's pepper pellets aren't spicy at all, harrison's power treats are kinda good, zupreem natural is bland and hard, zupreem colored pellets are disgusting, roudybush is bland/hard/gritty.

I make sure to try one of each lol

So which one(s) of these gross, gritty, dry, bland, hard pellets do you feed to your birdy, if any?

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

@ Kiwibird -- I agree with you about the fresh foods being the dominant part of the diet. In fact, in the past few days, Pritti won't eat any of the bird food products - pellets, pellet-berries, nutri-berries, harrison's power bites, millet, whatever.

@ BoomBoom -- Hi there. Pritti is doing pretty well, but still not quite himself. I think his infection is under control, but he is just acting really weird. But after today, I think it's having to do with his molt and hormones. He's been looking for boxes, going in, making nesting confetti, making crazy bird noises while hiding in dark spots, and he's still dropping feathers, sometimes 4 a day. Been dropping them since August. I have a little jar full of them and he's not a giant bird.

-----------------
I will say that I never "eat" pellets. But, over the past weeks, since he's been taking the oral medications (including oral Baytril - the pink thick liquid), he seems to be the most picky ever with his choices. Even his favorites he walks away from. To get him to try some of his pellets, I've actually been taking a bite (not swallong it) and then he gets all in my face that he wants some, so I give him one at a time like a treat. Then after 3 or 4 of these, he doesn't want any more. Until recently, he LOVED these Zupreem Naturals. So I've been hand feeding him to get him started on some of his favorite fresh food and then he'll usually keep eating. Except the past few days - it's almost like he is looking for food out of habit, but then not wanting to eat it. All he'll eat today and yesterday is some noodles and chick peas. He does seem preoccupied for a few days with feathers and cooing and rubbing his private parts on sticks or hands or whatever.

Hormonal, huh?

 

[thermodynamic]

'fess up y'all.

as for me -- more than I care to admit (although I don't swallow them). LOL.

They're just like Trix, except sugar content is reduced by maybe 99% and most kids do not care for ground up watercress and beats in their milk-drenched pellets...

Well, I don't know if it's 99% or not... it certainly tastes like there's 99% less sugar in them...

For the record, milk bone brand dog biscuits have the texture of newspaper. Well, the newspaper before it gets to the birdcage...

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

P.S. @ BoomBoom - I sent you a PM.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I've tried any pellet I've fed to my bird, but not with the intention of getting her to eat it. More just out of curiosity. Lafeabers is gross and gritty, totally organic is gross/dry/grassy, harrison's is bland, Harrison's pepper pellets aren't spicy at all, harrison's power treats are kinda good, zupreem natural is bland and hard, zupreem colored pellets are disgusting, roudybush is bland/hard/gritty.

I make sure to try one of each lol

So which one(s) of these gross, gritty, dry, bland, hard pellets do you feed to your birdy, if any?

I give Rosie Totally organic, and harrison's high potency fine sized. I plan to add some normal sized harrison's soon to see if she'll try them again XD

 

[008kenichijouji]

I feed my conure the Caitec Oven Fresh Bites, medium sized, but I've never ate one! I can't stand the thought of eating pet food, even if it's made of the same ingredients I'd eat... Haha, that sounds stupid, but the visual of the pet food bag and having it paired with my pets...I just can't eat it!

But anyway, my conure is the pickiest bird ever. She used to only eat birdseed, so I mixed crushed pellets around with seed to get her used to the look and feel, and maybe an accidental taste... Well, she just picked around the pellets!

So I just didn't give seed anymore, made her quit cold turkey, and after 1 day, she finally tried the pellets, and has never gone back to seed! Seed is now a rare treat, or for training purposes.

She also loves dried papaya as a treat. I found it in low sugar at a bulk food store for dirt cheap. I usually just train her with that because she's CRAZY for it. Also got her to finally try fruit by putting a few grapes on a metal kebob stick that I hang from the top of her cage, just above her food bowl (in case any falls, it'll go into the bowl!). I tell you what, now she's in love with grapes!!

 

[BoomBoom]

Hi WBAP,

I'm glad Pritti's condition is stable. I hope he gets back to his old self soon. Give him my regards.

PS. I did not get your pm for some reason...

 

[JasmineGCC]

Jasmines poop was light brown this morning which means she's eating her pellets - amazing!?! I've been giving her a few zupreem natural soaked in apple juice for supper then yesterday morning I gave her some soaked in water mixed with a little seed - the evidence is in her poop! So persevere - its taken 7 months to get to this point