Fruits & veggies

[SimplyGrey]

I've had my adopted Grey for a few weeks now and so far, the only fruits and veggies he will eat are red seedless grapes, bananas and broccoli. He also eats his Hagan pellets and Goldenfeast seed mixture with no problems. I recently tried raspberries, but he doesn't like them. I'm going to try blueberries, since they somewhat have the same texture as grapes, and he LOVES grapes. He is not big on eating nuts, such as almonds or walnuts, and only gets one shelled peanut every other day at the most. My guy will also eat rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes and sometimes corn.

 

I guess it's all just "trial and error"when trying different fruits & veggies. And since my guy is only 3 yrs old, I hope he will take to more than just grapes, bananas and broccoli. I really worry about his calcium intake and would appreciate if anyone has any secrets on how to get fussy Greys to accept foods to provide the source of calcium.

 

Thanks

[CLB]

It seems things are always trial and error with these guys! They often like something one day and not the next, but keep trying. Grapes do not have very much value and should only be given once in a while. The same for white potatoes. Sweet Potatoes and broccoli are both very good. There is a ton of info on the food thread. Sometimes it is simply a matter of a texture preference or size..so chop, dice, steam and serve raw but keep trying!

[Ray P]

OH that grey eating thing.

They don`t want what they should have and want what they shouldn't have

[RaggaMuffin]

i personally do a "mash" which is a bunch of veggies and always sweet potato in a blender, or food processor which makes a gloppy mash of goodness. I do a huge batch once a month and portion it out in small bags, freeze what im not currently using, and serve it warm to my birds. They absolutely LOVE my mash. I always make it a little different every time but i always put sweet potato (cooked of course), broc, peas, kale, greens, carrots and then whatever else is on sale or looks good. sometimes i put a bean mix or ill put cooked whole wheat pasta. you can also add seasoning (no salt), stuff like cinnamon or some thing spicy... for some reason when u put all the veggies together they seem to enjoy it.

[stover123]

Hallo.

I personal like Dried food because its help decrease bone loss and reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and protect against certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer.

 

 

 

 

Beans & Pulses

Edited December 8, 2012 by stover123

[birdhouse]

A few weeks is no time w/the healthy diet conversion. So just keep trying different things different ways. Like you might keep trying other types of nuts such as Brazil Nuts which are high in calcium. Just please be careful about peanuts because they can tend to mold in the shell.

 

Then there are Palm Nuts which are a combination fruit & nut & a key part of Greys diet in the wild. Also great foraging for caged birds.

http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/FOOD_TREATS-PALM_NUTS.html

 

Sesame seeds are another calcium source. I get them at the grocery store. My guys like them sprinkled over their fresh food sometimes.

 

Broccolli is high in calcium. So are other green leafies like Collard Greens, Swiss Chard, Kale & Spinach. They're also high in iron, though. So it's a good idea to be careful how you feed w/pellets which should ideally have a balanced amount of both calcium & iron, aready. Too much of either can cause problems too.

 

Oranges are also a good source of calcium. Extra bonus if your guy likes them because then you can put juice on other foods to help make them more yummy.

 

And RaggaMuffin is very right about mash. Bite size bits often reduces waste, which is very nice. But it also hides all kinds of foods a fid doesn't necessarily think he wants to eat. It's a greyt way to sneak or introduce new foods into a fid's diet.

 

This is an interesting discussion on mash/chop. It might also give you some ideas about different types of food that might expand your grey's diet.

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?194243-Mash-amp-Chop&p=241139

[aerial.2000]

i do find what they might eat/like today they might not tomorrow and so I never ever rule anything out with Marco and what I find she just refuses to eat I can always hide it in some birdie bread

[Dave007]

It's always great to hear people say that their greys don't like the huge majority of available fruits. Fruits don't have nutritional value, are acidic and most importantly, those types of fruits aren't eaten by greys in the wild. A casual piece once in a while is good but only look at that piece as a treat, not food. Just because a grey will eat things, it doesn't mean it's good for them. Parrots love chocolate.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

While I have three birds of different origns, I learned quickly, to put out a " common" plate on top of cage that they all seem to congregate. Veggies, fruits, yogurt etc. Everyone waits for Kiki to test everything. Once she approves, they all pounce. I also learned that blueberries, raspberries really destroy the paint on the wall. Nancy

[Wingy]

Nancy they do make dehydrated blueberries and raspberries. I know Target carries dried blueberries.