diet

[schavon2]

i'm still experimenting and trying to feed my african grey, victor, a variety of foods....we've found some he likes,others he doesn't. 'discovered something about bananas today...i'd been peeling them and cutting them into chunks in his fruit dish, but he just tossed them aside. today i cut them into chunks with the peels still on, and he is voraciously eating them all!

anyway, he will sometimes eat black-eyed peas and white beans and lentils (cooked), tries most veggies (corn on the cob and chili peppers seem to be the favorites), eats a fair amount of fruit (loves plums), would have nothing to do with the chicken wings or leg bones, and doesn't seem to care for grains. i keep peanuts in the shell for special treats only.

i can't get pellets here in egypt, so it's just seed (sunflower) and whatever else i can come up with.

what do you feed your greys?

[schavon2]

oops...i see i should have posted this under feeding frenzy. hope folks see it anyway.

[schavon2]

pet shops here sell seed in bulk, and it's sunflower seed and a tiny budgie seed and a longer little seed they say is for canaries. fortunately, given the option, victor will try anything else on offer first. as long as i can keep him supplied, he really doesn't eat much of the seed. i'll look for the mash. i've fed him a recipe i found with different stuff with plain yogurt, but he didn't take to that too well. he took one taste and was wiping off his beak for the next 5 minutes. didn't touch it after that. i thought maybe he didn't like the consistency, as he didn't go for a rice, bean veggie mix i cooked up either. he seems to prefer foods he can pick up and hold.

[schavon2]

keeping pets is an industry in the states. not here. i was just there visitng family last month. i bought stuff for the dogs and toys for the cockateils, but i didn't get the grey until i got back to egypt. we're going again at christmas, so i can stock up on stuff then. but i'm pretty set on living off the local market here...for us and our pets. egyptians have been keeping birds for centuries so i'm sure we'll figure it all out.
he did eat some tuna this afternoon...big chunks that he could hold. it crumbled and made a real mess, but at least he got his protein

[crazeemama]

yams/sweet potatoes are good. Good source of calcium too. all squash with dark flesh = If he doesn't like mushy stuff only cook the legume/grain mix about 20 -25 minutes. you can alsoi add pasta to that mix not much but some. will get a bit tender but not turn to mush. drain and cool imediately if any liquid remains. also good are food 'toys' peas/snow peas in the shell
corncobs cut 2 inch or so thick in rounds,etc.
Get him used to eating sprouted foods too. These pack so much punch in them that it will make any shortages in other areas less of an impact.
My guys won't eat sprouts with tails more than say an inch long.
Experiment with different grains and seeds Even sunflower seeds sprouted are very nutritious! boy i wish i knew more about what you have availablee!

[schavon2]

i've got some seed set aside to sprout. it's not sweet potatoe season here, but victor HAS had some squash. he loves corn on the cob, but i hear it's not terribly nutritious. we have most everything available here people-food wise. egypt is not big on processed foods, which is fine by me. actually our diet is probably alot healthier here thn it was/is in the states...

he didn't take to the pasta too well the other day, but i'm gonna try again today with different combinations of stuff mixed with it,

shipping from the states takes a long time, then it's gotta get through customs, and often gets 'misplaced' there, so that's not really an option. we can order most anything on-line, but having it get here is another matter altogether.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Schavon: Did you notice our Feeding Frenzy section of the board....in there somewhere are recipes for "Birdie Bread" and Nutriberries, etc. You can add ingredients as you like to these recipes and they are nutritous.

Let us know what you think of the recipes.

Good luck.

Give Victor a big hug and kiss from Mrs. Birdy!!!!!

[sleeepy2]

Soy beans (sometimes called edamame) have a lot of protein, and Cleo loves them. Maybe you could find some?

[teri]

aslo there are magazines that you can purchase food, toys, etc. from and have it shipped to you. i think there also are websites that you can go to to purchases parrot items from.

[schavon2]

victor likes legumes...he's had white beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils. i'll look for soy beans, that's a good idea.

as i said, buying over the internet and shipping into egypt is not an option. we are required to pay a customs tax that is most often at least twice the value of what we've purchased. i prefer to live off the local market.