Mel Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Okay, he's putting his beak on my finger and bobbing his head like he did when I syringe fed him. He was pretty much denying the syringe when I stopped but I know he means he's hungry. I have been wondering if he is just playing with veggies and not eating them. Kinda like my daughter. I also give him seed mix and pellets. It seems he eats all the sunflower. I'm not real sure if he's eating the rest. I tried him with nuts that I cracked and let him dig in. He seems to like the different ones but I'm afraid to give too much. Should I put him back on the formula? Thanks, Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Mel if your worried about his weight & the amount he is eating you can go back to just a night feed.Perhaps try a spoon as opposed to the syringe.I would remove the sunflower seed from his mix,all greys would live on them if they were allowed.Feed the nuts in moderation.The best judge on the amount he is eating is to monitor his weight daily,keep a record & see if there is any big drops or if he is maintaining his weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycos_mom Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Yes Thats good advice I would give him some formula if he's hungry or mabie even spoon feed him some human baby food to give him the taste of different veggies he may eat them more if he start getting them from a spoon I did this when I was weaning my cocateil and now he eats all his veggies his favorites are broccoli peas beans and sweetpotatos he nibbles at all others but I figure as long as he eats some its better than none and he loves his pellets so I don't worry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted July 29, 2008 Author Share Posted July 29, 2008 Thanks for the adavice. I think I will get some baby food too. Anything to trick him into adjusting those taste buds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Like others have said if he isn't eating much on his own you can go back on a night feeding for a week or so to see if he just needed a little more time. Also, just because they bob on your fingers and food does not necessarily mean they need to be hand fed. We have a baby grey at the store that has been weaned for about a month or so now and he still bobs on fingers, and Elmo bobbed fingers and toys for some time after he weaned. I would not feed a seed mix with Sunflower seeds though...they will pick them out and before you know it that's all they will eat. I give Elmo human grade unsalted hulled sunflower seeds ONLY when trick training...never as part of his regular diet. I do give him a seed mix with Safflower, which does have the same fat as a Sunflower but doesn't have the great taste. They are harder to open than a sunflower and have a bitter resin inside the shell, so they don't go strait for them...it's actually the last thing in the mix Elmo goes for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_split Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Pynchon does something similar. He'll grab on to my finger lightly with his beak and bob his head rapidly up and down. Sometimes when he's done he says "oooh!" What is that? I figured it's just a lingering reflexive response from childhood, but I'm really unsure. He's about six months old and eats well on his own. It's kind of funny when he does it. I always ask him "what the heck was that?" lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted July 30, 2008 Author Share Posted July 30, 2008 This morning I put TBird on the play gym with the LEFTOVER seed and pellets. I added a bowl of frozen mix veggies which he seemed to eat/sample. No nuts or sunflower today. Later I returned him to his cage with fresh water and pellets only. He did not touch them. I bought some baby food veggies tonight but by the time I came home he was eating and is still working on the pellets. I'm sure he's given in to the hunger. I will offer him the baby food veggie in a little while. Two questions... 1- Is it alright to split up the variety of foods into seperate meals to make him give in to eating the stuff? 2-What kind of scales are you guys using to weigh your birds? Are they expensive or just kitchen scales? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 What kind of pellets are you offering? You could try weaning pellets...Almost all birds will eat them. I give veggies and fruit on their own ether in the morning or at night and keep pellets and seed in the cage all day. Here is a link to the kind of scales you should get. It should weigh in grams...not pounds. http://www.birdsafestore.com/equipment.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted July 30, 2008 Author Share Posted July 30, 2008 That is more money than I expected. Hmmm....my cousin has a scale very similar to the one in the picture. Perhaps I should tell him to give it to me. He doesn't need it!:evil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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