Teaching babies to eat greens and fruits

[CharmeC]

I have 4 parent raised baby lovebirds between 4 weeks and 3 weeks old. I've never been able to induce their parents to touch veggies and fruits. I want to make sure the babies adopt a healthier diet than the parents. Should I start introducing veggies and fruits to them or wait till they have been weaned?

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

i do not know

 

[Birdbabe]

Introduce now, so they will play with them and eat some while having fun!

 

[CharmeC]

With a small fruit like raspberry and blueberry, would you offer to them whole or chop it up?

 

[melissasparrots]

For small birds, I might chop up a blue berry until they figure out they can eat it. Otherwise, yes, start introducing fresh food now. Actually, when they are young and driven to wean themselves, is when they are most receptive to eating different foods. Once weaned, it can be harder to get them to eat other things. Just remember, give them plenty of other types of foods too. Don't try to force them to eat greens by only providing greens. Give seeds and pellets too and let the babies forage.

 

[Diesel13]

Yes, definitely start offering them the food now! What I've done in the past with baby birds I've weaned is chopping up a lot of different veggies and fruit into pieces and putting it all on the plate. I'd also occasionally mix in some seed and pellets. The key point though is after I put together the plate of food I would take the babies out and put them by the plate. Then I'd start playing with the food and even eating some of it to encourage them to crawl over and start mouthing and beaking the food. Most likely they won't eat the food right away so don't be discouraged, it may take awhile.

This is also something you can do with the parents! You could make it a family event and have everyone out. Who knows, the parents may end up trying the food if they see you and their babies enjoying it.

 

[CharmeC]

Do month old babies still have a weak bite? My four babies seem to be only capable of gentle nibbles when I offer them millet sprays and I don't think they're actually chewing up the millet to swallow. On the other hand, Monster now loves to eat kale, he and Yoyo both like to nibble on wheatgrass. None of the four seems to like blueberries and raspberries. Is it safe to offer them cabbage and broccoli? I used to avoid giving those to my hamsters and guinea pigs because they can cause bloating.

 

[melissasparrots]

Broccoli is great. Cabbage probably isn't a problem but there are healthier choices. 4 week old babies of most small species are just barely starting to get a hard beak. Official disclaimer...I have never bred lovebirds. However, parrotlets, quakers and cockatiels which are all plus or minus in the same range usually aren't doing much more than nibbling at 4 weeks either. Usually at about that age they are obsessed with flying and they waste a lot of food learning to forage and mostly just play with it. The day will come soon where you start noticing shelled seeds and crumbled pellets as they begin to really eat their food. Normally they have to fly for a few days or a couple weeks or so before they start getting serious about eating on their own.

 

[Shastasmom]

I do raise lovies and hand-feed the babies. I introduce them to veggies/fruits/breads, etc when they are about 4 weeks old. I put small flat dishes on the floor of their brooders with warmed veggies. I actually have been using the soak and cook mix by Sleek and Sassy that I add corn, grated carrots, peas, chopped kale, chopped sweet potato and chopped apple to. They really seem to like this mix. And, my parent lovies all eat their soft food every morning! I also offer the chicks spray millet. When they get a little bigger they are then given dishes of pellets. They are particularly fond of zupreem natural in cockatiel size or fruit blend in cockatiel size. My adults will also eat Roudybush pellets.

 

[CharmeC]

The babies are now 5 to 6 weeks old and sound like an out of tune choir of crazy seagulls at the first morning light as they beg for food from the parents every day... I've noticed that the parents are ignoring their begging more nowadays. Still the babies beg their parents for food so fervently all the time I thought it's gonna be another few weeks before they will wean. Turned out after I tried removing the parents to another cage this evening, the two oldest ones immediately headed straight for the food boxes and started eating pellets AND my veggie chop on their own like professionals! I guess I will have to let the parents back together with the babies later since the two youngest ones should not be weaned yet at 5 weeks.

 

[melissasparrots]

Weaning is usually a slow process, so don't be too quick to assume the babies are weaned just because they are eating some adult food. With small birds it can seem like overnight they are weaned. However, sometimes they aren't eating enough of it to support themselves fully and if they get a little bit hungry, they can crash quickly if left on their own. Unless you are seeing aggression from the parents, I'd leave them with mom and dad for a good week or more after they appear to be self sufficient. Lovebird breeders might chime in with their opinions.

 

[Shastasmom]

I agree with @melissasparrots . If the parents are not causing harm to them, then I would leave them for a good week or two before I assume they are truly weaned. I keep my babies an additional week to 2 weeks after they "wean" from the formula to ensure they are eating and maintaining their weight before I send them on their way.

 

[Happibird]

Good luck, sounds like things are working well for you! Keep up the good work!

 

[CharmeC]

Yesterday I put more veggie chop sprinkled with chia seeds, sesame seeds et cetra and both parents started eating! It was the first time I've ever seen them eat veggies, between them and the babies they swept the food box clean!

 

[Happibird]

Yummy food for all!!!!

 

[CharmeC]

It's such a pleasure to see both parents and babies gorging on my veggie chop! Today's menu is frozen pea/carrot/corn + parsley + purple cabbage + blackberry + wheatgrass sprinkled with mixed seeds: