Stubborn parrot

[Rosie01]

Hello, I’ve got a Senegal, whose approximately 6 years old according to his ring. He was give up by a previous owner. He’s very stubborn and was from a seed diet. He had 3 bowels of seed, different brands for food when I got him. I’ve been trying hard to convert him. It’s taken about two years for me to finally get him to eat vegetables. I’m trying to open his range of veg up but he’s getting a mixed bowel every day and he’s starting to eat more so I’m pretty positive with it.

I need help with his base diet, he won’t eat pellets. I’ve tried lots of different brands and he won’t touch anything. I’ve tried different methods, everything suggested on here. Harrison’s, tops etc... are no good. I’ve even tried Marlene Mc’cohen tops brand that has some seeds mixed in but he only eats the seeds. He spends all day picking out the seeds. What do people advice?

He eats nutri berries, I fed him seed only ones and slowly converted without him realising. For pellets it’s impossible. I weighed him constantly on the pellets and he was losing weight quickly and had to change him back.

Thanks for help and advice!

 

[LaManuka]

I once had a mature age cockatiel who point blank REFUSED to even recognise pellets as food. I tried every recommendation from my (most excellent) vet, online and by the pellet manufacturer and she pretty much would have preferred to starve to death rather than eat them! Her fellow cockatiel would happily munch away on his pellets but she was having none of it. Finally what worked for me was grinding pellets into powder in a mortar and pestle and sprinkling it over her seeds to get her accustomed to the taste. Et voila! Within days she converted over and ate them like she had been doing so all her life!

 

[fiddlejen]

Does your Senegal like to Chew on things? My stubborn budgies... well they Still have not Converted -- but they will eat pellets as an adjunct to their diet. I tried every method - (including the sprinkle-with-powder method) - and nothing worked. But they are big CHEWers. (Especially Calliope!)

So, one day I got a big thing of lefeber's "parakeet food" (which is pellets), ground it up to powder, added "goodies" (ie little bits of their favorite seeds), mixed with water and cooked as waffles. Then I sliced them, and baked in low oven until they were very hard. I clipped these to the walls for Chew Toys, which the budgies happily went to work destroying. After some time (can't recall if weeks or days), I noticed they were occasionally going into my Conure's cage and actually Eating some of her Pellets!!!

So from there we have progressed somewhat. At this point - IF i mix pellets into their Food in their Regular food dishes -- they still will not eat them. However, they have a couple other food dispensers, from which they Will each Lefeber's pellets.

Also, my Sun Conure will pick around any pellets in her food bowl. (This is My fault. I believe Petco had her on good pellets. However I did not trust, since the food advice from different petstore where I got budgies, had Not been good advice. So I started her on a seedmix and by time I realized what I should've done it was too late, I had spoiled her already!) But for my Conure, I have a Separate, small food bowl, other side of cage, which I keep filled with pellets. She won't eat pellets from her food dish - but she happily eats them from her pellet-bowl, as a sort of snack. (She really makes me think of someone eating Doritos!) Sometimes it needs refill once-a-day, sometimes once-a-week.

(The pellets I use are Harrison's, and Lefebers. Sunny likes Harrison's, and I like their ingredients well enough, but the budgies still doN't like Harrison's at all.)

 

[Scott]

Harrison's conversion protocol effectively weaned my flock of eight from partial seed and mediocre pellet diet in ten days. I believe it to be workable with most any pellet. The goal is to carefully modify behavior, not starve into submission.

My strategy for broadening a parrot's fresh food palate is to capitalize on their "flock feeding" nature. Prepare two bowls of "chop," one for you, the other for your Senegal. Serve both simultaneously, begin to eat from yours. Make "mmmm" sounds, bob your head in delight. Sounds silly but fun! Another tip is to offer a repeatedly scorned food by hand. If they appear interested, hold on tight until they begin to nibble or tug. Reason for this is they will often do you the favor of accepting and immediately let it drop. Somehow mine seem to connect this method with something worth trying. And never give up offering! My female goffins tossed pear overboard for nearly two decades before nibbling. Now it is one of her favorite fruits!!