Whats YOUR Grey's Diet?

[Journeyman]

Well, it seems that Cosmo and I decided on the food he likes, "ecotrition", by United Pet Group. I still feed him his broccoli, carrots, and the like... he now likes even more fresh fruits, pears to be exact. I think we're "getting it down."

[sixwings]

Not sure if everyone has heard of the food we give our parrots, but we give them Tropican and Tropicana for a treat. So in the morning they all get veggies or fruits, throughout the day they get their regular pellets, and then at night they get their treats and sometimes a little extra. We sometimes give them: shelled walnuts, shelled peanuts, unsalted crackers, goldfish crackers, red hot bell peppers, and a variety of nutritional snacks suggested by our vet.

[Codys Mom]

Rudy is still a baby 11 weeks old but so far she is eating Roudybush pellets, some seed,some Golden Feast,KayteeExact Formaula 2 times a day,theese veggies she likes so far...brocli, coliflower,kale, mustard greens,carrots,beans,peppers,zucini,she isn't to crazy over rice yet,fruits she likes apples,blueberries, blackberries,strawberries,and kiwi

my other 2 my Eclectus and Quaker will eat anything u put in front of them lol, they just love food

[udannefitz]

I can't seem to get Zazu to eat his pellets! I give him fresh fruit, veggies, pasta, and 'Power Grain" organic soaked beans at various times throughout the day and this he eats. I have cut back on them as I need him to eat more pellets.

 

Do those of you who feed the extra 'goodies' notice that their greys don't eat the pellets when you do?

 

I still once a while feed him by hand at night the Zupreme Formula that I have fed him since 5 weeks when I feel his weight has gone down too much.

 

As to pellets, I tried a colored 'fruit flavored' type from my breeder, that went okay a first then, no interest. Then Harrison's Coarce, first time moistened and he ate bout 2TBS worth, after that, dry or moiste, no go. Recently I tried Zupreme Spicey... first time moistened, ate it all again, then no go moistened or not.

 

His weight was about 490 grams when he was hand fed several times a day. Then went to 470's when we went to only fed in the evenings, now 460 if I don't feed him his nightly formula and around 474 when I do. It's hard to tell the weight as I always leave dry pellets and I know he does eat the pellets occasionally.

 

Any advise?

[Satchel]

I cannot get Tango to eat the pellets either. In the morning he gets a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and soak and boil. When that is gone (or he throws it all on the floor) I give him seeds. Then he gets bites all day long of whatever I am eating providing it is bird safe foods.

 

He is a small grey only weighing in at 370-390 grams. I am not an expert but I believe the starve him theory will not work and I will not try it either.

 

I have read somewhere that if your birds won't eat pellets try sprinkling it with some form of citrus juice like maybe orange juice. I haven't tried it with Tango because he gets so much other food that I don't really think the pellets are an absolute since they don't eat them in the wild.

 

My macaw however will eat anything given him or her.

[Luvparrots]

Ana Grey and Sully get fresh fruits and vegetables for breakfast every day. I also give them seeds and nuts for snacks through out the day. They are in foraging containers throughout the house. They also get a variety of pasta, rice and beans. I always have dried vegetables and pellets in the cages 24/7. Either eats much pellet foods but Ana Grey does crush them up every day so I am assuming she eats some. With the variety of foods I give them throughout the day, I don't worry about them. Their vet checks have been A-okay so their happy and that makes me happy!

[SamsDad]

WOW! I see this thread has been going for a while. Good info for people so I'll join in.

 

Sam's diet when I got him:

Seed mix. He was 14 months old and wouldn't touch anything else unless it came from a snack bag. I get the impression being raised around two young boys in he previous house that they shared their snacks with him. He wouldn't touch anything else. No fruit, no vegitables, not even a peanut in the shell or a juicy grape JUST SEED.

 

Sam after living with me for 6 months:

A complete opposite from 6 months ago! He has three dishes in his cage. Dish #1 is his origonal seed dish that I still put seed mix in for breakfast, but only about 1/2 inch deep and a peanut or two. Bowl #2 is at the other end of his perch and it contains pellets, currently Zupreem fruit blend and a couple NutraBerries. Bowl #3 is one I place in the bottom of the cage in a poop-free zone. This is his "forrage" bowl and is where I put veggies and/or fruit each morning and the bird friendly bits from dinner each night. It's also where we'll put treats like pizza crust, pasta, rice or bits of egg or cheese from weekend breakfast.

 

Sam starts at his seed bowl eating the good stuff out first (sunflower seeds). He'll travel over to the pellet bowl and crunch away there and a little later he'll forrage in the bottom bowel. His cage has a direct view of the kitchen and he gets VERY excited when we are fixing dinner. He peeps and begs knowing his forrage bowl will return with a new treat that the rest of the flock is eating.

 

It took a while to convert him, he was stubborn and only wanted seed at first. I thought he'd never change but I didn't give up. EVERY day he got pellets and veggie/fruit in his bowls, even if every bit got thrown out. Sure enough after a couple months I noticed signs he was trying new foods. First a came apple chuncks then few carrot chunks and one or two peas. Then I noticed some pellet dust in the bottom of the pellet bowl and occasionally I'd hear the crunch-crunch of a pellet being eaten. I reduced the amount in his seed dish once I saw him starting to eat other things. My origonal plan was to eliminate the seed mix altogether, but I've changed my mind. He's soooo good about eating a wide variety of foods now that I don't worry about him have some seed every day. I couldn't expect more from him. I think he actually enjoys going from bowl to bowl to forrage for all the different stuff.

 

His favorites dinner items are mashed potatoes, spaghetti with a little sauce and any rice or pasta dish we fix (light on any sauce). As for vegetables he loves broccoli, which is odd because for the longest time it would go straight to the cage floor if it was in his dish. He likes peas and carrots and in season a chunk of fresh corn on the cob! He'll eat that till its plastered all over his beak!

 

So, I'd say its 20% seed mix, 40% pellets and 40% fruit, veggies, pasta rice and other food. 0% beans. He won't touch beans. Oh well... can't have everything I guess.

[particle77]

Earls Diet:

 

40% Harrisons High Potency (easy to get in a bowl)

5% Roudybush (In a foraging toy)

10% Zupreem (In another foraging toy)

10% Dried fruit (in Foraging Toys and as treats)

5% Seeds (As treats)

5% nuts (provided only partially cracked, requires effort to get)

15% Fresh Fruit/Veggies (easy to get in bowl)

5% Beans (easy to get in bowl)

3% Pasta (easy to get in bowl)

2% Chicken/Eggs/Fish (easy to get in bowl)

[shantanu]

Hey..

 

Thats a very thorough diet you're giving your grey.

 

I too am a grey owner. Mine is a little baby who has recently started eating on his own. Though he still enjoys eating Bird Food mix through syringe. Hes around 4 months old. I have named him Joe. I wanted to know how you prepare the oatmeal breakfast. What are the ingredients.

 

Thanks

 

Shantanu

Edited April 20, 2010 by shantanu

[Greywings]

The important part is to use a non fortified oatmeal to avoid getting too much iron in their diet.

[reggieroo]

Murphy has a bowl of Tidymix seed & a bowl of fresh fruit/veg in the morning, come the evening he gets a bowl of Rob Harvey tropical soak mix. Throughout the day he gets various snacks of what we may be eating like cheese, a piece of toast or pasta.

 

Sometimes I will give him cooked pulses instead of the soak mix & also a standard parrot seed mix instead of the Tidymix to stop him getting bored of the same food.

[Dusty]

Dusty gets

 

1 bowel - water

1 bowel - 2 tbs pellets (Avi-Plus complete breeder and Avi-Plus Maintenance)

1 bowel - various Fruit and Veg, berries, etc.

1 bowel - 2 tbs (two Ice cube blocks defrosted) cooking mix (corn,lentils, peas,sprouts,beans,rice,etc) sprinkled with 1 tbs dry seeds.

(I made pot full of cooking mix once a week and freeze the rest in ice-cube trays)

Handrearing formula at 7am and 6pm.

6pm small meal of human food for supper (salad, noodles, rice, etc) no salt or oil.

 

Treats are: Cheerios, popcorn, dried fruit, toast, muesli clumps, etc

[Greywings]

Varies from day to day and what fresh ingredients are available. This morning a good seed mix with chopped fresh Papya with seeds, some yellow Mango, chopped baby Spinach, finely diced green Apple, some English Peas, pieces of Walnut and some shredded unsweetened Coconut topped with a Blackberry.