Should I give my lovebird just seed?

[scraff]

Hello,

We have a lovebird which we got about 3 months ago. He was hand raised, spoon fed. Just before we got him he was put onto seed, which he has taken too well.

When we give him food other than seed, he does try it. He will sit and chew a spinach leaf, or carrot etc. But even if we chop/grate the food up into tiny managable sizes, Im worried he isnt actually eating it.

He seems to "chew" it for a bit, which looks like hes trying to "shell" it like he would seed. Then evenually (after about 10/20 seconds while "chewing") it just drops out his mouth, n he goes for another piece. And ends up with just bits of carrot or whatever all over the cage floor. He will try and eat, but im worried that if we give him mostly veg he will starve as he doesnt seem to know how to just swallow it without trying to shell it.

I know its not good feeding just seed, and i dont want to feed just seed.

Anyone one else had this experience? Can you offer any tips? Thanks!

 

[Rio Mom]

All seed is definately bad. Seed is very fatty, it would be like you or I eating an all potato chip diet. Have you tried offering some pellets? The fruits/veggies can take time, just keep trying different ones, different cut sizes, eat some in front of him and show him that it's good/safe.

 

[Remy]

What about making it into a mash for him?

Puck does that behavior a lot when he's not particularly hungry. He does eat some, but also drops a lot. It depends on what it is, and how hungry he is. He'll spend hours mushinga nd cracking the seeds of dried figs or of rasberries (LOVES them) without eating a lot, but when he's hungry he does eat them. (His new snack is fresh raspberries, btw, he eats them like little apples!)

Do you know how to tell if the bird has food in its crop or not?

 

[scraff]

What about making it into a mash for him?

Puck does that behavior a lot when he's not particularly hungry. He does eat some, but also drops a lot. It depends on what it is, and how hungry he is. He'll spend hours mushinga nd cracking the seeds of dried figs or of rasberries (LOVES them) without eating a lot, but when he's hungry he does eat them. (His new snack is fresh raspberries, btw, he eats them like little apples!)

Do you know how to tell if the bird has food in its crop or not?

Thanks for the info. He defo doesnt mind eating the food, he loves chewing at it, and hes not shy of new foods.

I gave hime some pellets and quinoa lastnight (one at a time, while purched on my knee) and watch him eat them, and it just ended up with a mass of crumbled pellets and broken quinoa on my knee. Is this something they have to learn? Or should he have picked this up by now?

And I will have to give him a raspberry see how he takes to them! He seems to take better to veggies than fruits, mustnt be a sweet-beak

No, How do you tell if they have food in their crop??