AFRICAN GREY PARROTS FOOD

[donnanorman]

I HAVE TRYED WORKING WITH PELLOTS WITH STERLIE AND HE WANT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM. I HAVE TRYED ROUDY BUSH, HARRISONS, BIG AND SMALL PELLOTS AND NOW I HAVE LAFEBER'S PREMINUM DAILY DIET FOR PARROTS. WHAT DO YOU THINK? HE WILL EAT THE LAFEERS NUTRA BERRIES REALLY WELL AND ALSO FRUIT AND VEGGIES. IS IT BAD TO JUST FEED THE LAFEBER'S NUTRI-BERRIES AND THA SEED HE'S BEEN ON IS NUTRIPHASE GOLD SO SHOULD I MIX THEM TOGETHER?

[BMustee]

You need to mix a little bit of the pellets in with his seed and little by little put less seed and more pellets in. Switching from seeds to pellets can take a long time to do so don't expect to much from the start.

 

You can try "Weaning and Convertion" pellets which are made for just this reason, or the Zupreem fruit pellets...a lot of greys seem to like them.

[donnanorman]

HI THANKS FOR THE ADVICE. I TRYED MIXING THE SMALL AMOUNT OF SEED AND ALSO ADDED THE HARRISOS PELLOTS AND HE WON'T EVEN GO BY HIS FOOD FOR TWO DAYS ALREADY BUT WILL EAT HIS VEGGIES AND FRUIT STILL. I'M ALWAYS AFRAID THAT HE MIGHT STARVE HIMSELF. DO PEOPLE WHO OWN GREYS USUALLY HAVE BETTER LUCK WITH THE ZUPREEM FRUIT PELLETS MORE SO THEN WITH HARRISONS OR ROUDY BUSH. DO I STILL MIX THE SEED AND PELLOTS TOGETHER WITH THE ZUPREEM ALSO AT FIRST? DONNA

[BMustee]

Yeah, mix the seeds and pellets still with the Zupreem or the weaning pellets (I like the kind made by Kaytee).

 

 

One thing you can do is put the pellets into a paper bag or something and let him "discover" them. My grey will start eating a new kind of pellet if he thinks he's not allowed to eat them and sneeks behind my back to get them. One more thing you can try is to hide the pellets under the seed so your grey doesn't see then till after he's started eating.

 

The veggies and fruit is the most important part of there diet so as long as he is eating them he is doing good.

[donnanorman]

I'M A BIT CONFUSED KAYTEE HAS WEANING PELLETS? WHICH ONE DO GREYS LIKE BETTER THE KAYTEE WEANING PELLET OR THE ZUPREEM PELLETS. MY BIRD SEEMS TO KNOW TO KEEP AWAY FROM PELLETS SINCE THEY DON'T LOOK FAMILIAR TO HIM. I'VE EVEN TRYED EATING SOME IN FROUNT OF HIM YUMMY, YUMMY, YOU KNOW AND I HAVE EVEN TRYED TO FOOL HIM AND CRUSHED THEM UP AND THEN MIXED THEM IN SEED. BY THE WAY YOUR SITE IS COOL. HOW OLD IS YOUR BIRD WHAT DO YOU FEED YOURS? THE BAG TRICK I WILL TRY BECAUSE HE HAS SOME SORTS OF PUZZLE TOYS THAT HE FINDS HIS ALMONDS IN AND I LOVE WATCHING HIM AND IT KEEPS HIM BUSY FOR QUITE ALONG TIME THANKS DONNA

[BMustee]

The Kaytee weaning and convertion pellets are different than the regular pellet. They have the consistancy of Cheerios and have a stronger fruit smell to them than the regular pellets. You don't feed them for the "long run" but they are good at getting birds used to pellets. They come in two sizes...the one size is for conures and are basicly small pellet balls, the other size it the size looks like red and tan cheerios. Some greys like the bigger ones and some like the smaller ones.

 

Elmo is almost two years old and I feed her a mix of Safflower Gold and Zupreem pellets with fruit and veggies every night. I use shelled unsalted sunflower seeds as a treat for good behavior or trick training because it seems to be the one thing she will do anything for. I'm lucky to have weaned Elmo onto the foods I want her to eat, but I have seen so many older greys at the store that would only eat sunflower seeds that have come around and eat better foods so I know there is a lot of hope for your grey.B)

[Carolyn]

You can also try to soak the pellets for a few min in warm apple juice, and offer them this way.

 

Carolyn & Mika

[BaxtersMom]

I have a parrot that was almost impossible to get to eat pellets and it has been a long road. I had to get tricky with how I presented them and hid them in other cooked foods. I have put them in scrambled eggs, pancakes, cornbread, I have also soaked them in apple juice like Carolyn said above too.

 

Little by little he began to eat them when they were fixed in a cooked food. It took about 4 or 5 months but now I can say he will eat them dry. It just took forever and you can't give up.

 

I had to try different kinds of pellets, flavors etc to see what kind he would like. I have 4 birds, 2 eat the regular pellets and 2 eat the fruity blend pellets. There is a thread in the bird food room titled "Free Food" and in there it gives you toll free numbers where you can call and get free samples. I am not sure if the phone numbers have changed or not but alot of companies will give you free samples if you ask. Good luck and don't give up.

[donnanorman]

you have been so helpful and your bird is still so young. When I got Sterling he was 12 and on a all seed diet. There was no veggies or fruit in his diet until I got him.Does your bird like baths? Where did you get the seeds at that you feed with the pellets? do you have to order them online? Thanks again

[donnanorman]

THANK-YOU FOR TELLING ME NOT TO GIVE UP WITH THIS PELLET FOOD AND PUTTING THEM IN THE MANY DISHES THAT YOU MAKE FOR THE BIRDS IS VERY HELPFUL ALSO. I WILL TRY. I HAVE CRUSHED THE HARRISON PELLETS BOUGHT THE ROUDY BUSH PELLETS AND MIXED IT WITH ALITTLE AMOUNT OF SEED AND HE PICKS OUT THE SEED AND WON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PELLETS. HE LOVES EVERYTHING ELSE WHICH IS NICE. WHEN I HAD MY COCKATAEL FOR THE EIGHTEEN YEARS HE WOULD EAT EVERYTHING. HE WAS ALWAYS TRYING NEW THINGS AND LOVING IT. THIS AFRICAN GREY HAS ME BEAT AT TIMES THEIR SO SMART. DO THEY DO BETTER ALONE OR DO THEY LIKE THE COMPANY OF OTHER BIRDS? DONNA

[donnanorman]

HI I HAVE HEARD THIS BEFORE AND ORANGE JUICE ALSO. I WILL TRY THIS ALSO. THANKS

[BMustee]

They do get stuck in their ways...and 12 years is a long time to get stuck on seeds. Getting him to eat fruit and veggies is a GREAT first step, and I think the most important. As everyone else has said keep trying new ways of getting him interested and give it time.