Why doesn't my Yellow Crowned Amazon eat any fruits or vegetables?

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

So about a week ago, we adopted a yellow-naped and a yellow-crowned Amazon. The Yellow Naped will eat blueberries, kiwi, taste some dinner that I made, taste a bit of Naked vegetables/fruit smoothie. My yellow-crowned won't eat anything aside from her pellet, millet spray, and nutri-berry treats. She also won't even bother looking in the treat dish and trying dinner.

What do you recommend? I would like her to be getting a diet with plenty of variety.

Thank you so much!

 

[roxynoodle]

It's possible she's never had them before.

You can try giving her some cooked veggies. My birds seem to prefer them cooked instead of raw. Or try cutting them into very small pieces. I have pretty good luck eating new things in front of them and making yummy sounds and saying stuff like, "Ummm, this is sooo good!" And then offering them some of mine.

Keep trying though. Sometimes it takes birds a really long time to try new foods. My amazon loves his veggies and fruit now.

 

[lizardsmells]

Kazi was like this when he came here. Although all the birds at the rescue are given fruits and veggies along with their pellets, Kazi wasn't a fan. So I had to show him how awesome they were and then I had to figure out how he likes them. For instance, he loves butternut squash, but it has to be warmed and lightly mashed otherwise he wont' touch it. He loves blood oranges, but only blood oranges and they better be cut into little triangles for him or he won't touch them. He like green beans and sugar snap peas as long as they're cooked exactly 10 seconds in the microwave and no more. Sweet potatoes have to be cooked through, but not too much, and cut in slices which are then cut into quarters. He's very picky and it's taken a LOT of wasted food to figure out what he'll eat and how, but it wasn't too hard to do and he'll try anything once as long as I try it first a few times and really exaggerate how good it is. He always wants what I'm eating, even if he doesn't like it. Once I was eating 6 blueberry donut holes and he had a fit wanting to taste one, so I let him. He stuck his tongue to it and pulled it back. He then had to go taste everyone the same way to decide they were all crap and he didn't want any of it.

so the best advice I have is to eat it in front of her and offer it to her in a few different ways.

 

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

Oh, I was just giggling a bunch!!! These birds.. I guess I will need to try different presentations like you did and see what works!!! Also, thanks for the suggestions! I will try squash, blood oranges, and green beans for sure!

 

[roxynoodle]

Kazi was like this when he came here. Although all the birds at the rescue are given fruits and veggies along with their pellets, Kazi wasn't a fan. So I had to show him how awesome they were and then I had to figure out how he likes them. For instance, he loves butternut squash, but it has to be warmed and lightly mashed otherwise he wont' touch it. He loves blood oranges, but only blood oranges and they better be cut into little triangles for him or he won't touch them. He like green beans and sugar snap peas as long as they're cooked exactly 10 seconds in the microwave and no more. Sweet potatoes have to be cooked through, but not too much, and cut in slices which are then cut into quarters. He's very picky and it's taken a LOT of wasted food to figure out what he'll eat and how, but it wasn't too hard to do and he'll try anything once as long as I try it first a few times and really exaggerate how good it is. He always wants what I'm eating, even if he doesn't like it. Once I was eating 6 blueberry donut holes and he had a fit wanting to taste one, so I let him. He stuck his tongue to it and pulled it back. He then had to go taste everyone the same way to decide they were all crap and he didn't want any of it.

so the best advice I have is to eat it in front of her and offer it to her in a few different ways.

Wow! I'm amazed you were able to discover all this, lol!

Maybe you should come here and cook creatively for Merlin as I'm still having trouble getting her to eat most fruits and veggies.

 

[Molcan2]

Lizardsmells, I too have felt your pain. I thought only Rome was that picky. Apparently Kazi has also earned a princess title, Umm... better make that prince - don't want to give him a complex. In the begging she wouldn't hardly eat anything I gave her. Well of course that was because I was giving it to her wrong, once I learned how to properly prepare her food to her specifications it was smooth sailing.

Beako_N_Kiwi, it may just take a little bit of time and a few different strategies. Hang in there you'll find something that works.

 

[Mozzie]

Also he may still be settling in as you have not had him very long. I know when I first got my BF Amazon, she did not eat well at first until she was more comfortable. So I would just keep trying, one of these days he will probably surprise you.

 

[lizardsmells]

Kazi was like this when he came here. Although all the birds at the rescue are given fruits and veggies along with their pellets, Kazi wasn't a fan. So I had to show him how awesome they were and then I had to figure out how he likes them. For instance, he loves butternut squash, but it has to be warmed and lightly mashed otherwise he wont' touch it. He loves blood oranges, but only blood oranges and they better be cut into little triangles for him or he won't touch them. He like green beans and sugar snap peas as long as they're cooked exactly 10 seconds in the microwave and no more. Sweet potatoes have to be cooked through, but not too much, and cut in slices which are then cut into quarters. He's very picky and it's taken a LOT of wasted food to figure out what he'll eat and how, but it wasn't too hard to do and he'll try anything once as long as I try it first a few times and really exaggerate how good it is. He always wants what I'm eating, even if he doesn't like it. Once I was eating 6 blueberry donut holes and he had a fit wanting to taste one, so I let him. He stuck his tongue to it and pulled it back. He then had to go taste everyone the same way to decide they were all crap and he didn't want any of it.

so the best advice I have is to eat it in front of her and offer it to her in a few different ways.

Wow! I'm amazed you were able to discover all this, lol!

Maybe you should come here and cook creatively for Merlin as I'm still having trouble getting her to eat most fruits and veggies.

You would not believe how many pounds of food I prepared for him before figuring out what he'll eat reliably. I'm grateful for the dogs, they ate all the food Kazi wouldn't. The butternut squash alone took half a 5lb squash before I finally figured it out. I also had to pretend to REALLY love a lot of stuff I only barely tolerated. And once was never enough. He had to be shown several times before he believed it. He's no fool.

I was determined to get that bird to eat some veggies and different fruits, so I just set to. The veggies have been easier than the fruits. He likes apples, blood oranges and bananas as long as I hold it so he can eat it and as soon as there's no 'fresh' place to bite he won't eat any more unless I break it off and expose more fresh banana. That's it, though. He's not interested in much else fruit-wise.

He is so picky, it's unreal. But it's kind of funny too. He loves dried blueberries but offer him a fresh one and he looks at you like you've offered him a turd. I've tried sneaking those in all sorts of ways, but he's just not interested unless they're dried.

 

[roxynoodle]

My additional problem is Merlin can't see well. The showing her how good it is doesn't work like it does for Pete and Rowdy.

But, I have cut carrots every way carrots can be cut, and served raw, steamed and mushier. No dice most of the time. Every once in awhile she shocks me and eats a bite or two of one. She now stopped eating broccoli, which she did eat at first. She likes granny smith apples, but not much in the way of other fruit either. She loves spaghetti, bread and brown rice. She did eat some of the pureed squash I made her last week. May try that again with some other stuff, but she's also quite hormonal so I want to watch it with the soft mashes.

Your post had me howling with laughter though, lizardsmells

 

[AiSell]

Don't worry about that my bird don't want to eat them too!