Eating Habits

[harley]

I purchased my grey in August he is about 7 months old and a very particular eater. He will not eat anything I offer to him, he tries it and then he flings it he does love peanuts but I am scared to give them to him I have just recently started to add dried vegs and fruits to his pellet diet which it seems that maybe working. Any suggestions out there would be helpful. TKS

[loviechick]

Don't be scared to give your Grey peanuts, just be cautious. Peanuts being that they grow underground are I believe are a type of legume(could be wrong on that one) they have a nitrogen fixing bacteria that grows on them, and that bacteria, if fed in excess, can be harmful to birds. I give one of my Greys a peanut a day, but that's one of the only treats she will eat.

 

I'm yet to meet ANY bird that isn't a particular eater...my Sun Conure will eat every pellet except the banana ones LOL

 

Two things I would recommend

A) Keep up with adding the dried fruits and veggies HOWEVER make sure that they DO NOT contain sulfur or sulfites in the ingredients, this is harmful for birds. Sulfur and or sulfites are added for the preservation of dried foods, so you see it quite often on the labels of dried goods. If they have them, toss them, or keep them for yourself only.

 

B )Try making "mush mixes" for your birds. Beak Appetite makes several different varieties, along with other brands. The base for a lot of these mush mixes is oatmeal, rice, barley, cous cous, dried fruits and veggies, nuts, some good seeds like safflower along with other things. The benefit of these mush mixes is that they birds have a harder time "picking" out the "good stuff" that they may already like, like almonds for instance. Therefore they "get stuck" eating a bit of oatmeal, and rice, and may end up enjoying it! Also for another way to mix it up is you can go buy baby food and add squash baby food, or peas and carrots baby food to the mix so they can get more vitamins and such that way! If this is out of your budget and you're looking for something a bit cheaper, you can always add a bit of apple juice to the pellets just enough to get them soaked so they get mushy, and subsequently, harder to throw LOL

 

Good luck!<br><br>Post edited by: loviechick, at: 2007/10/24 23:20

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Harley, peanuts are fine in moderation,walnuts & pine nuts are a big favourite make sure they are human grade/quality.

Try offering cooked vegtables like carrots,sweetcorn etc.some parrots prefer them cooked insted of raw.

Keep offering fruit also, perhaps eat in front of your grey,they like to have a taste of what we are having.

 

Have a look around the bird food room there are plenty of good tips there.

[nevval]

Hi Harley, it looks like you've already gotten some very good advice. Our CAG, Hemingway who will be 6 months old November 8th, gives us alot of trouble eating veggies. However, if we let him sit on the table when we eat dinner, he will eat whatever we're eating. So, if you don't mind a bird on your table you might give it a try.

 

Valerie

[judygram]

Lovie gave you some excellent ideas and the others gave you some good ones too.

 

I second Valerie's suggestion of letting them on the table to eat off your plate, Josey does that and boy she can dig into some stuff too.

[harley]

Thank you so much for the advice I have already started trying those tips. Thank you talk to you soon.

[BMustee]

Yeah, letting them watch you eat the stuff you want them to eat is the best way to get them to eat...my grey was the same way.

 

Loviechick, you are right about the peanut, it is a legume. I know there can get harmful stuff in the shells so the best way to give them is already shelled human grade...unsalted.