Whats YOUR Grey's Diet?

[danmcq]

I do not think they start them on seed diets, from what I have watched at my breeders and read on other breeders websites.

 

My breeder for example, when the clutch was around 8 or 9 weeks old started offering zupreem fruit flavored/smell pellets,veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds and a bean/veggie/rolled oats,seed mix she cooks up by the 10 gallon pot full and offered them different things on different days or times.

 

My personal opinion is that a seed based diet with them eating veggies, fruits, legumes etc. is a very good diet that provides all the nutrition, protein, vitamins and minerals they need.

 

In fact, if you read the ingredients of pellets, they contain sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds etc. along with synthetic vitamins added.

 

So, I kinda of like watching them "Work" to crack open the shells of the various seeds and nuts and rip up the fruits and veggies. :-)

 

It sounds like by providing them with the veggies, fruits and other items you are doing fine.

[lovemyGreys]

Dan my two boys were started on a seed diet along with the fruit & veg etc.. I too struggle to get them to eat pellets.I think many UK breeders prefer a seed diet,they are not advocates of pellets.Any uk breeders, care to commit ?

[Talon]

Dan, I agree with you. I have been fighting with Talon for 2 years to get her on a pellet diet. I bought 12 different brands. I did manage to get her to eat some of the Roudybush mini's IF I mix it in with the parrot seed mix from the pet store. I do about half and half.

She was on Zupreem fruit pellets when we got her from the breeder, but she decided one day, she no longer liked them.

I do give her fruits and veggies. She loves the dried veggies that come from Dr. Foster and Smiths, and their fruit mix. She will get fresh as well, whatever I have on hand.

[battle]

thanks Tee

awesome meal!

[battle]

agreed

fresh fruit dauly good for us - very good for our parrots

[battle]

well guys it seems as if I've got this right the and i'm lucky, coco eats anything loves her pellets in South Africa we have a maintenance diet which is a all rounder

everyday she gets freshly sliced apple and carrots - goes berserk about them, then a mix of sliced beans, carrots, broccoli, spinach, NO sunflower seeds, some cooked chicken, no BREADS.

she's wonderful and is even starting at just under 6 months starting to talk, cluck and loves her toys

awesome parrot!!

 

thanks for your post

[Lusya]

I was reading about CAG’s diet and I am confused now. Are seeds ok?

 

Izzie eats some pellets (for now I am feeding her with Pretty Bird… Our vet gave us a sample of Harrison’s but she didn’t like it). She also gets veggies (carrot, cucumber, tomatoes, sweet potato etc) and fruits (grapes, apples, some oranges). She likes fruits and veggies which do not get on her beak (she hates bananas and other “soft” food). She also gets some seeds mix that she loves!

 

So, my question is what is the proportion of food? How much veggies, fruits, seeds mix and pellets should be given a day?

 

I will really appreciate any suggestions since I am new to Grey’s world and I really-really want my baby to get the best!

[battle]

hi

not too worry i'm also new to the African grey world but have learned this:

if its bad for you then its bad for the parrot!

ie no coffee, chocolate, alcohol, fried foods ie chips or crisps. my bird vet tells me that sunflower seeds are not part of her normal diet so don't feed her yet others do, I've chosen not too.

 

she needs fresh fruit and veggies daily with a maintenance pellet to eat and fresh water each day.

i do this morning and evening so as to ensure that there is no bad food around her.

 

regarding quantity i give her small handful each morning and evening of the fresh food and fill her bowl with the maintenance pellet.

 

due to the heat in my country, food goes off quickly so i chop up loads of carrots, broccoli, spinach, cabbage into small pieces which then get refrigerated and i give her a small handful each morning and evening. she likes corn as well.

she then gets freshly sliced apples, or whatever fruit is available except avocado. shes doesn't seem to like pears but i don't spoil her too much with choices.

also a little boiled chicken she likes too, pasta without any sauces.

shes sometimes eats from my plate but because i enjoy spicy food, don't let her get too much

 

hoping all this helps

[Lusya]

I was actually looking for a different answer; I am more concern with a proportion. As of right now I know what to feed (veggies, fruits, pellets...) and what is a no-no. I was wondering if someone could provide me with some kind of proportion between seed mix, pellets, fruits and veggies.

[danmcq]

Hi Lusya,

 

I guess the first question would be, how what portion does he presently eat of seeds, pellets, fruits and veggies?

 

If he is eating pellets fairly well for example, you may what to slowly decrease the amount of seed mix you provide daily and increase the pellets, fruits and veggies. But, monitor his weight carefully to ensure it does not start dropping. If it does, and goes down 10%, you may need to start giving a little more seed.

 

It just depends on what your goal is. Do you want to completely try to convert him to pellets? Then do as I described above and hopefully he will convert.

 

Then you can offer seeds or nuts as a treat or reward. :-)

[Tee]

I was told that a seed diet is not healty for any bird, seeds can cause them to become over weight. You can buy a bag of Nutriberries at most pet supplies stores and they can have one berry a day as a treat once a day. Their diet should consist of one fruit about the size of a large grape once a day. If it is eating vegetables I wouldn't worry about the percentages!

 

There is no set amount of pellet food that they should eat. I keep the pellets in my grey's cage as a back up, in case my schedule gets a little hectic. Usually if I keep her in fresh vegetables(mash recipe)she eats very little of the pellet food. As with people and potato chips, I think she just likes the crunch. I hope that this helped a little.

 

Tee

[danmcq]

Hi Tee,

 

Your right, a "Seed only" diet is not healthful or natural. But a balance of all is normal and healthy.

 

Good information you provided on balance, which is very important. :-)

[Lusya]

The problem with Izzie is that she LOVES seed mix (especially seeds, she liked to crack them) and she avoids pellets. She does eat it but I am not really sure if she is getting enough.

[danmcq]

You could try cutting down on the seeds or if your home most the day, just leave the pellets bowl and no seeds for a few hours and see how he consumes them.

 

Some birds may never switch to a pellet only diet. The pellet websites all warn to track their wieght carefully if you are trying to convert them to pellets.

 

This is something you will need to experiment with on Izzie and see how he does. Each Parrot is different in this department. Much like people, just refuse to eat certain things and puke at the thought of it :-)

[Lusya]

Thanks!

I will try to monitor Izzie's weight and eating behavior.

[Tee]

We got our 4 year old grey (Rosie)from our son a few months back. He told me that the bird's diet consisted of Kaytee's seed blend and junk food. When I told him that I was going to change her diet, he told me that I could try, but he didn't think she would go for it. The first few weeks I gave her less seed and more of a variety in foods each day.

 

I know that it always doesn't work, but I had to do something! Before the airline would let the bird on the plane (CA to IL), it had to checked with the vet. The vet told my son that the bird was way over weight and to change her diet. The weight is just too much on their legs and heart. I had to think of it as if I was over weight and had to stand on my legs for the rest of my life. We let her out of the cage a couple of times each day to keep her active. I haven't had her weight checked yet, but she now dances when I say "Happy Feet"!

 

We have only had her for a few months, but I couldn't imagine our house without her!

[Jazz]

Hi - to add my view... Our avain vet that we have taken our birds to for the past six years has always stated that a pellet diet (in their opinion Harrisons organic) is best for our birds. They may not be a natural found product in the wild, but if they have everything diet wise that our flock needs, it makes sense to me to offer these to our parrots as they offer a balanced healthy diet.

 

Alan Jones (local vet), who I believe may have a very good international reputation believes this so who am to argue.

 

My own take on this subject is that if a pellet diet is offered, this should form the vast majority of your birds diet if they eat the pellets. It should really only be substituted with daily fresh fruit and veg.

 

As i previously mentioned, this has worked for the smaller parakeets that we have and now works brilliantly for Obi our CAG.

 

From my limited experience, from what I have read and learnt many parrots just like humans favour different foods, but for rule of thumb and to ensure your parrot is as helathy as can be, a pellet diet may be the best way to go.

 

All the best

 

[Lusya]

I ordered some free samples (thanks to the forum! where I've got all the phone numbers). When it comes I will let Izzie try all of them, maybe she will pick something. I try to reduce the amount of seed mix, but she seem to like it. I guess I need to cut it down slowly B)

[danmcq]

Hi Tee,

 

LOL - Happy Feet - I love it.

 

It sounds like you have done a great job and provided a lot of love and care for your new Grey.

 

How is your Grey taking to the Pelletes?

[Makena]

Makena eats pellets, fruits and veggies. His treats are dried pasta and some occasional popcorn. We have never given him seeds or nuts, we figure there is enough of that in the pellets themselves.

 

Every morning Makena gets 1/2 of a papaya and 1/2 a cup of a veggie blend (soybeans, carrots, peas, green beans and corn). He gets the same thing at night. He has no problem polishing off the whole thing!! Makena definitely eats more than a grape's worth of fruit. He eats a whole papaya everyday!

 

I figure if we provide him with lots of healthy options it is up to him to choose what he wants. He gets lots of exercise and we monitor his weight very closely.

[Nychsa]

Hi Mekena,

 

My vet recommended to me that I should feed a mixture of fruits, veggies, dairy and occasionally some meats and to infuse pellets as needed (but not make that the main dish). He encouraged me to give Bella a very diverse diet to include walnuts and nuts that any other nuts that are not salted (but to go easy on empty calories such as peanuts).

 

What I've found with both my Conure Jiggy and my CAG Bella is that how I feed it is just as important as what I feed (let me see if I can get this typed out as I'm being furiously preened right now by my lovely Grey who seems to think I need to be cleaned up!): I've found that since creating foraging opportunities, both of my birds prefer to forage rather then eat from a consistant location. So, in one bowl I may have one thing, then in another something else, in the hanging dixie cups I might put something else, and then I hang kabobs. I mix it up every day so nothing is in the same location twice, and sometimes I won't put anything in a familiar location at all. I also have toys they need to open for food such as a little box I bought at Michaels. At first I put walnuts in the box and left it open, after a couple of times doing that, I closed the lid partially and propped it open with a walnut, and now I close it. Next step is I'll latch it (which both of htem should be able to open). Foraging seems to be what they have a good deal of fun with, so if I can combine feeding with foraging - the better!

 

Bella does eat what is on my plate as well, and she drinks a variety of juices such as pomergranite juice. Her all time favorite is milk and I'd have to say her favorite dish is shredded cheese.

 

Cheers!

Terri

[chapala]

So many approaches to feeding our Greys! AFter doing lots of research, I really like the diet recommended by Feeding Feathers Yahoo forum. They have excellent information in their files, and the owner/moderator is excellent in answering diet-related questions. This diet leans heavily towards fresh foods and sprouts, and if pellets are fed (I do feed a small amount of pellets), they are kept to no more than 20% of the diet. Some vets recommend an all pellet diet, because it is preferable to the nutrient deficient all seed diet. However, I think some vets don't take into account that some people will take the time to learn about diet and prepare fresh foods for their birds. Anyway, I highly recommend the Feeding Feathers site for good diet information!

Reta

[Guest Sandy1]

wow

i have lot to learn on feeding einstien.

I give her a mixture of seed and i give her oatmeal and cheerios and she likes scrambled eggs and cheese(don`t know if is save on the cheese)and she gets bananas and apples and brocolli and string beans and she like spaghetti or noodles.and she love popcorn also.and pretzles and chips.not all this the same time

what do you think

sandyB)

[lovemyGreys]

Your doing well, maybe try & introduce some more fruit & veg

[Guest briansmum]

yep sandy sounds good, be careful with the cheese, not too much of it. steady on the pretzels and chips too. salt is not good for them

 

but lovemygreys is right, some more fruit and veggies would be great