Seed Diet!

[Redstorm1721]

Hi, I have been trying and trying for my Tiel and Budgie to eat differant things but they won't eat anything but seed?I worry about that,because I know its not good for them to eat just seed? But there is nothing I can do to change them to new foods? I have tried everything from baby food, to apples and you name it I have tried it. Maybe I am not doing something right? But they just will not eat differant?Anyone have any ideas? I would love to hear them. Maybe they will only eat seed? But what a boring life that is? Okay well let me know please? Gail:confused:

[birdgirl]

maybe you should try eating the foods in front of them(yes even the pellets) and saying "YUMMY this is soooooo good!!!" then offering them some. this is how I got Hamlit to eat new things.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Gail, Unfortunately, converting from seed to pellets, etc., is a very very slow process.

First you have to mix in the new form of food with the seeds a little at a time, then eventually work up to 100% conversion. I know I sound like a recording, but I tried doing that then gave up and started nutri-berries and they immediately converted. Nutri-berries are expensive, so if it is not in your budget, keep trying to work in the pellets, I have known it to work for some people.

Anyway, it's worth the effort, because your birds will be healthier and I was told they will live longer without the 100% seed diet.

Just a suggestion.

[Redstorm1721]

:confused: Okay what are nutri-berry? is it pellets? seed? I am not sure of what they are, and am willing to get anything at this point. Although I had 2 budgies and they were 16 when the past away,The only thing they ever ate was seed. They lived pretty long lives. They were in 2 different homes before I adopted them! But they were just fine on seed. They also never took anything else. But I will try eating in front of them like you said okay well I will let you all know,thanks for the info!

[Mrs.Birdy]

www.lafebers.com give nutritional info on nutriberries, etc.

[birdygirl]

Nutra berries are balls of seeds. They also have peices of dried fruit in them. They have vitamins in them as well. Also a converting tip. If you or someone you know has a bird that already eats peelets conversion will go much faster. Sophie my pi taught Pumpkin my budgie to eat pellets now she scarfs them down.

[birdgirl]

I use to give Hammie Nutra berries but he didn't like them at all I should try them again though as a treat

[Redstorm1721]

For telliing me what they are! I tried to go to the site that Roseanne gave me but my put won't let me. I went to the store and looked for them,I didn't realize thats what they are? I thought they were just a treat? Is that all you feed them? Or should you give them other things for seed?

[birdygirl]

The company says that you can feed them just this but I give it only a sa treat. Sophie and Pumpkin both love these for budgie you crumble them up and and parrots and tiels eat them as is.

[Redstorm1721]

Okay,so they eat it just as it is? Okay when I went to the store they were 19.00 for a very small bag? wow that is awful! But they must be great. Today Pearl the tiel,she was trying to eat her pellets. How cute,but they are too hard for her I think? Well alright well try and get some on payday. Bye.

[Jenny]

It might help if you get "samplers" of many different types of pellets, because some birds hate one kind but will love another. At least at my vet, they have little bags of different kinds whcih they give out to people for their birds to try. My budgies took a while to convert, but eventually they ate it, so just keep trying. What I did was not mixing in a little more each time, because I found that they just picked out the seed and ignored the other. I put in only pellets for a few hours, and then their old diet the rest of the day. On budgies and tiels though, seed is perfectly ok though its' much better if you can supplement it with fruits and veggies, otherwise they can get fatty tumors etc. Pellets arent' necessarily better for those types of birds. How have you given them the fruits and veggies? Does Sunni eat that type of thing? If she does and the other birds see her eating it, they will be more likely to try it, like other people have said. I'd clip (with a clothespin or something) a few leafs of lettuce, very thin slices of carrots ( I use an apple peeler to get them really thin) and other things to their cage, as well as clip big slices of apple to the bars. Many people have said that their budgies ignored fresh foods when they fed them any differently, which is certainly true of mine! Good luck, and don't give up feeding them certain foods just because they don't eat it after a few days. Oh, one last thing, are you sure they were $19???? I've never seen them that much here,except for the big huge tins for macaws and 'toos, and don't buy them at the pet store if they are. You can order them off the internet much cheaper if you have to.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Jenny,
Thanks for the great advice about giving fruits and veggies....I am going to try it this way....I will let you know if I have success. My Pi will take green beans and asparagus, but no fresh fruit, yet. My tiel and budgies just shake their heads and ignor anything fresh. But I will keep trying it your way.

Gail,

$19.00 sounds right for 3 lb. bag. Should be $6.99 for 10 oz.

Again, thanks Jen for the great advice,

Roseanne:D

[Jenny]

Your welcome! One way to "trick" bird into eating fresh fruits nad veggies and any other healthy foods is to make them into "muffins" which has worked every time on my birds, even the budgies will eat them! All you do is get a corn-bread recipe, and buy some pellets, many different fruits, vegetables (frozen works), pastas (cook it first!), beans, rice, fruit juice, cheese- anything. Sometimes I even dump cans of baby foods in. After you've gotten everythign, you use the recipe as the model, but substitute all different things for the ingredients as well as add other things (so that it really isn't anywhere close to cornbread in the end!!!). I use a coffee grinder to crush up the pellets really fine, adn substitue about half the corn meal for the "pellet powder". I omit the sugar and salt, and instead of water I use fruit juice or V8 or something similar, etc. Just substitute healthy bird foods for other things but keep the egg and the other "main" ingredients which make it rise, etc. etc. After you have a big gloppy mixture that's not too liquidy(if you have a food processor that would be a huge help, but otherwise just grate everything really small so it's "unnoticeable"!), roll it into small balls and put them on cookie sheets. If your dough is really liquidy, you can add oats, healthy cereal, more wheat flour (not white), ground egg shells, or anythign else whcih makes it firmer. Then you bake it, but obviously you'll have to adjust the time some. Since your'e not using a specific recipe and it's different every time, then the batches turn out different every time, sometimes better than others. To make it all even more appealing (especially if you have budgies!) I roll each dough ball into mixed seeds before baking. Last step- feed it to your birds! They will think it's just bread, and if they don't want to try it you can just eat it yourself in front of them- I've even eaten them myself, and though theyr'e not really that delicious, it made Kirby want to try one immediately! This way you know your bird is getting many healthy foods and isn't picking out just the fruits/veggies/ etc. that he/she likes best. Tell me what your birds think of this if any of you try it! One last thing, start with small servings of each ingredient b/c you'll be suprised how much dough you get after adding everything if you don't! You'll end up with way too many "muffins" which will just go bad before your birds have eaten all of them. ...and sorry this was so long!

[Redstorm1721]

Thanks great advice! I have some good news about Pearl. I made homemade chicken soup,I gave her some it was the creamy kind(no milk) It was nice and warm,I also added some pellets,she ATE THEM ALL YEAHHHHHHHHH. I am so happy. She was scared before and didn't hardly eat. You know when its all new they are scared. She sits with me often now, and prens me and herself. I am so happy with my baby's they are eating better. Pretty girl "well she's a different story. I am still giving her all differents things? well, I will let you all know! Thanks again for such great advice! Gail

[Jenny]

That's terrific! :D I guess maybe to birds pellets by themself is like humans eating cereal plain from the box, not as tasty. Who knows? I'm so glad that Perl is getting tamer! Congratulations! :)

[birdygirl]

They just need spicing up!!!

[Redstorm1721]

They are both trying new things. I found that they both love eggs,scrambled that is! Hope to find more things? I have been giving them alot of things? we will see