How much fruit/vegetables?

[jenb416]

Hello,

I'm a new owner of a 6 year old CAG. I just got him 3 days ago. The prev. owners fed him a seed mix only and occasional banana and crackers. I just ordered some Harrison's high potency course pellets that I'll introduce him to. He loves bananas and carrots. My question is how much fruit and vegetables should he get every day? Like if I'm giving him some baby carrots and broccoli, how many baby carrots and how many stalks of broccoli should he be given to eat at one time? Also if he does take to the pellets well, does he need to have pellets AND a seed mix accessible to him all day and then the fruits/vegetables a couple times a day? Do I just let him eat as much pellets and seed mix as he wants? Does he even need seed mix if he eats pellets? Thanks!

[Greywings]

I think it is best to offer a variety, you would not want to eat the same things every day. Better nutritian and more to keep that brain occupied when you give him choices. A few pieces of different vegetables and less fresh fruit than veggies. You can put a little lemon juice like a dressing on the fresh foods. My birds get both a good seed mix and fresh foods. I also cook for them and offer some chicken bones, Tuna, scrambled eggs and I soak benas & seeds to sprout and feed them as well. You can have fun showing your bird that many things are good and tasty so you are not stuck with a picky bird who will only recognoze one thing as food. That could be a dangerous thing in an emergency when what he may be used to is not available.

[Dave007]

As far the amounts of veggies--trial and error. He'll show you how much he wants by ignoring what's left. Same goes for carrots. Check the amounts after 2 to 4 hrs of giving. large amounts or smll amounts have nothing to do with the health of the bird. Some birds are nibblers. Others eat everything quickly. Fruit--look at fruits as you would treats. Fruit has no value. It's acidic, and goes right thru the body. No nutrition in fruit.

Veggies--the darker the better. No avocados. If you eanna leave the pellets in all day, that's your choice but the bird needs constnt food always available. I told you why already. Some people love pellets. Others hate them and others are neutral. Just remember that no matter what kind of pellet you get it has a few small amounts of chemicals and artifical color. The choice is yours. None of these things will badly affect your bird.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Dave007

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I give them a variety of fresh seeds and pellets topped with three peanuts and half a slice of buttered toast. Fresh plate of fruit and veggies. One fruit, two veggies. Its pretty much destroyed when I get home, but I went thru the time of throwing all fruits and veggies at the wall! Sunflower seed are limited.I never went crazy when we were arguing back and forth about healthy stuff. I DID suffer with the arguement about blueberries and raspberries! They painted the walls! It did take off the paint. Oh well. I can paint again was my attitude.They are crazy for carrots, green beans, peapods, bananas, oranges, grapes, bueberries, ... just a few suggestions. Nancy

[jenb416]

Great, so when offering the veggie plate if I was giving carrots, green beans and broccoli today would you put like 5 baby carrots, 5 green beans and 3 broccolis? Or would you give more or less of each?

[Timbersmom]

That would probably be a lot more than Timber would eat. On his skewer, I have a baby carrot, a broccoli floweret, a small piece of cauliflower, and three pea pods. He never eats all of it. You bird may be a better eater. You have to determine the amount by trial and error. If he eats it all give more, if he doesn't, cut back.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I use to feed three birds, but my Amazon escaped recently. I would provide six veggies times two, plus one fruit.( two different veggies) .They shared the same platter. Nancy