Trustdace

Thanks for all the advice you guys. All is well now. Like Dave says I don't think Congo likes or accepts the extract. But I heat it and spread it over her veggies and she's eating it whether she wants to or not.

Yeah I probably made things worse and I should've reacted differently:( It's just that Congo has always been such a sweet bird really. She is back to normal now and is actually eating the extract spread over her veggies. I am still wondering what would have made her act that way?? She was fine the whole day just until I gave her the evtract???:dry: :dry: :dry:

Here's the pic of my hand. It's not horrible but it did hurt.

Ok you guys I finally got what I have been looking for...African Palm Nut Extract!!!! Some of you know how badly I have wanted to get some of this stuff. I have read over and over again about how beneficial palm nuts are when we include them in our bird's diet. So after getting ripped off once before and another $40 later I got a jar of it and I will see how it goes. Now, I did notice something very strange when I offered it to Congo. I got some of the extract out with a spoon and grabbed a dab of it on my finger. It is oily and very runny I guess because it was sitting in my mailbox for 8 hours or so before I got it. It was a usual hot and humid Miami summer day that's why the extract was so liquid, I digress. Back to the point, I opened Congo's cage and let her taste the extract from my finger and she did not like it! She was acting spooked and skittish. I washed my hands off and I went back to her cage and I told her to step up but she didn't. I reached in to grab her and she bit the crap out of me drawing blood and all!! I will post a pic of the bite. She was halfway out of the cage and again I tried to get her to step up but she was hissing and lounging at me. My wife came over to see what the comotion was about and she was in shock to see how Congo was acting. At this point I wanted to calm her down and get her back in the cage so I took a few bites so I could try and grab her but I couldn't hamdle her she was agressive. Finally I took off my shirt threw it over her and I was able to grab her and stick her back in the cage. She's still acting weird and is very agressive. She has never EVER bit me or acted like she is right now. Is it the extract?? Please guys I need some help:(

My biggest concern would be pesticides and fertilizers in the soil.:ohmy: My advice is to b e cautious...better safe than sorry.

Yeah ernzzz let us know what's the real scoop on the food im curious to know. Thanks for the heads up.

That's a greyt looking chick you got there congrats!!!

lovethatgrey: I recently found a local aviary that carries harrison's 1 lb. for $11 and 5 lbs. for $38. The place is called Simbad's Bird House in Miami and they got some nice birds there but the prices are brutal!! In contrast, the bird food and supplies are very reasonably priced. I think they have a 25 lb. bag for $141. Tycos_mom: If your birds are eating Zupreem well then that's great. I have used Zupreem fruity like forever until now that I switched to Harrison's and my birds have done super well on it. Zupreem has a good variety of formula and their Avian Maintenance line is solid. The breeder I bought Congo from has been breeding birds for 27+ years and all types of birds from canaries and love birds to greys, macaws, and even Indonesian parrots and all he's ever used has been Zupreem!! On a side note, I think I almost got my hands on that African Palm Fruit Extract!!! I should be getting the package sometime next week from the UK. Hopefully I won't get ripped off this time around:unsure: .

lovethatgrey: I previously fed my grey Zupreem pellets and she ate them pretty well. Although she would eat the Zupreem the amount of wasted food on her cage bottom was too much so I thought to myself maybe she isn't eating them too well. I had heard about Harrison's and all the hype about the food but I was skeptical because I didn't want to spend my money on bird food that was going to end up on the cage floor. After hesitating for a very long time I finally ordered a 1 lb. bag of harrison's high potency coarse, I paid $15. But let me tell you that since I started giving her Harrioson's it has been an instant change exactly like you have noticed. She eats the Harrison's with virtually almost no waste and not only that her apetite for veggies and fruit has opened up as well! Her feather condition and beak has improved somewhat healthier. I have also noticed she is trying to vocalize a lot more often and her energy has skyrocketed. You did mention something else which I think is key "learning to read your grey". I feel that way too and that I can read her now more than before.

I always have pellets available in Congo's cage (Harrison's). That's what she eats all day long until I get back from work. The first thing I do when I get back is offer her micro-veggies and im constantly switching them up that way I can feed her a seven bean mix at least three times a week. As for fruit I offer them sporadically because she really does not eat them so well. The only thing she likes is papaya so that is the bulk fruit I give her along with melons, strawberries, and a few grapes. I usually give her fruits on the weekends early in the day. Then every evening I give her a good amount of seeds daily. I figure this way my grey is getting 100% nutrition and a diversified source of different foods.

The only thing Congo really goes crazy for is fresh cut ripe papaya chunks.

Nice trio of greys you got there.

sixwings wrote: Sounds good sixwings I will try that too. I got 2 lbs. of Zupreem that I will mix in with the Harrison until the Zupreem runs out. Then it will be strictly Harrison's from then.

chimaysmommy wrote: Yeah I must agree with you. Ever since I got Congo I always have pellets available for her 24/7 in the cage. I have heard her eat at night often. The breeder I got her from told me that although I should offer fruits and veggies daily it is highly beneficial that pellets should be the staple food and the major food source that she consumes. Even Harrison's says that their food should not be supplemented and that veggies and fruit should not consist of more than 10% of a grey's diet. Initially I thought 10% is a very little amount percentage wise but then again, "What's the use of a super premium food if your bird does not consume a substantial amount or volume of it?" It makes sense to me. I don't have too much time during the day like most of us here, so about 85% of the veggies I feed Congo are frozen. Frozen vegetables do not contain the same amount of nutrients than fresh ones. So why would I opt to feed my grey something with an inferior nutritional value in contrast to something 100% nutritious like the Harrison's pellets. I do feed way over 10% veggies and fruit though about 30% of her diet but I make sure that Congo eats her fair share of pellets first early during the day.

Dan what an excellent post. Like always I enjoy all your thread, posts, and replies. The best part about reading your stuff is that I become more educated and informed. Thank you; you are truly an asset to us in this comunity.

Thanks Erika;) Well its Friday and Congo is eating Harrison's like a trash compactor. I left a good amount of pellets in her food bowl and when I returned from work it was all gone!! I looked at her cage tray that I line with news paper and saw nothing but fine dust of what used to be Harrison's pellets. Her bowl had that fine dust of the pellets. One thing that has totally surprised me is that Congo eats this food and wastes so little of it, I mean close to nothing!!!:ohmy: When she was eating Zupreem the volume of waste was ridiculous. I would have to say that when I fed her a serving of Zupreem 35-40% was lost on the cage bottom. That's the reason I was so skeptical about Harrison's...I mean what's the point of buying a super premium food if you can't get your bird to consume a substantial amount of it? Since I have been feeding servings of Harrison's I would say the the loss is 10% or less. I think it even opens her apetite because she is consuming her daily portions of fruit, vegetables, and seeds completely. If Congo continues to consume the Harrison's like this it is probably the best food nutrition wise and value wise too. Sorry for the rant;)

I think Dave hit the nail right on the head. I must agree. I just switched my grey over to Harrison's yesterday and she's eating it very well. Until yesterday she was eating Zupreem very well and doing just fine. While I do believe that premium foods are better all these pellets are formulated to provide your bird with what they basically need to thrive. I think we should stick with a quality food that works for you and supplement our bird's diet with fruits, veggies, and nutritious treats. This is of course my own opinion;)

Excellent post TinyTimmeh!! Thanks for sharing your experience with Harrison's. I just recently switched my grey over to Harrison's as well:)

Alright bird people, im guilty, I did it!!! I bought the Harrison's high potency pelleted bird food. I invest a lot of time and my money $$$ on my animals because I truly want them to have the best. As keepers whatr else can we do other than offer our pets the optimum conditions? I digress. So I ordered a 1 lb. bag of Harrison's high potency formula and just recieved it today. I looked at the bag, read the ingredients, and I was sold:woohoo: Now, after spending $15 + on a pound of bird food :pinch: (boy im always complaining at dog food prices) the only question left to be answered was " Is Congo going to eat this? " I had just fed her the usual afternoon veggie fest: zuchini, cauliflower, baby lima beans, corn, and green beans. Initially I wanted to hold back saying to myself "she is full". But when I opened up the bag and took a whiff:huh: :huh: I decided to give this food a try! I fed her only 10 pellets...hmmm yeah its expensive:whistle: and set it in the cage. Congo looked at it and I was surprised! She went straight for it and after a quick examination bang she took a pellet. Congo seemed very interested and it seemed to me she was actually tasting the pellets holding one in her claws....she was chewing away and it looked to me as if she actually swallowed one or two pellets!! I was astonished at the feeding response WOW!! Keep in mind this was right after eating a large portion of veggies!!! So, after about six pellets her curiosity wore off and ignored the food but in a satisfactory way. In my opinion, Harrison's paased the test and met my expectaions...let's see how it goes from here on. The only regret I have buying Harrison's is: What am I going to do with 2 lbs. of Zupreem??:dry:

I have noticed the same behavior with my CAG IngeBorg. I know when she's doing the love bites and that's cool I allow her to do that. My hands are fairly rough so when she has tried to bite me hard I don't pull my hand away because I can take the bite and im afraid that if I do pull my hand away she could tell and therfore develop the biting habit. But now she has found that when she bites the very tip of my fingers it does inflict some considerable pain and she has bit me hard some times already. When she has bit the tip of my fingers hard I have yelled "OUCH!!" So now when she realizes that she bites me a little hard she says "OUCH" This went on for a while and I had to find a way to correct this biting. Just yesterday I went to grab her right wing and fan it out because she had got her feathers caught on the cage bars and she bit the crap out of the tip of my thumb. So I told her no! And I put her back in the cage. Now everytime she bites me I immediately place her in the cage and she gets no "out time". It seems to be working because she has kind of stopped.

dhorje where do you obtain these palm nuts? I bought a jar of African Palm Fruit Extract on the net some months ago but ended up getting ripped off and never recieving the product. They hit me up for like $50 on a 4 oz. jar. I have been combing the net relentlessly looking for African Palm nuts or the Extract but I cannot find it!!! GRRRRR!!! I have read about people using it and they say it is so beneficial for our birds. I know some people use the red palm oil but from what I have read it is nothing compared to the Palm nuts or the Extract. Would you please point me in the right direction as to where I can order some that will ship to the U.S. ?? By the way I am very sorry for your loss; Lucky:( Thanks.

Those babies are way too cute. I hope you can find the one with the bad leg a good loving home. I know I would take him/her in a heart beat!!!

Wow...If it were my bird I would find her a mate. But I am no expert or anything...

Oh no no...I know how to keep my animals safe. Most of us have dogs also and they could kill our birds way easier and there are more probabilities of that happening than the snakes escaping and getting her.:ohmy:

lol Judy...good more for me