Picky Eater

[EkkieLu]

My 10 year old female ekkie Lucy is the most picky eater ever! Every morning I have to offer her 15-20 different items before she'll calm down and eat something! She is a serious foodie. I know Ekkies love variety but Lucy takes this to a whole new level. This morning she checked out apple, banana, peaches, orange wedges, grapes, pears, watermellon, kiwi, black berries, blueberries, unsweetened shredded coconut, Bing cherries, mango, carrots, celery, green beans, pears, garbonzos, sweet potatoes, corn, kale, spinach, scrambled eggs, boiled chicken, boiled shrimp, unsalted mixed nuts, peanuts in the shell, and unsalted pistachios in the shell, before finally selecting peeled pitted plums, raspberries and strawberries. If she doesn't want what is being offered, she throws it on the floor and then squawks loudly. I repeat the process until she says Thank You and settles down. We go thru this every day! Help!

 

[Atomiklan]

That is a tough situation. Lada is somewhat similar. She was and still is a fairly picky eater, but no where near that bad. I have found the things she usually always likes and offer those primarily with a few other things. Sometimes she only goes for the stuff she likes, sometimes she gets a little adventurous. I was worried about her weight for awhile and asked the vets recommendation on food. At one point we had her on some food that the vet wanted her to eat pretty exclusively to get her weight up. When asked about picky eating and getting her to chow down on it, he mentioned removing the variety. "If she's hungry, she will eat it." I thought this sounded cruel at first, but it was true. If you remove the options, she will eventually eat. The problem it seems is dealing with the associated behavior. You have spoiled her rotten

Others may have better advice, but I am inclined to either provide some food she usually favors, or try reducing the variety and leave the room when she is squawking. She should settle down and eat something once she realizes that's her only option today. Lada is 8 right now, I am dealing with some squawking behavior too right now. Its a tough situation and I feel your pain. Pictures - New behavior | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Aggie]

Oh my goodness. Im laughing but at the same time feel your pain.

Have you tried sprouted mung, chickpeas etc This is staple in my boys diet and has saved me from a variety of behaviours and health issues.

Only other thing i can suggest is try presenting food differently like on a skewer, in a sphere, different location etc. My boy wont touch strawberry in bowl but the one on my plate or skewer is much more appealing. Go figure. And maybe limit choice. She will eat if hungry its just that you might have to hear about the complaints. Personally we struggle here if echo is hungry. Its not fun!!

 

[EkkieLu]

I've been making up little platters with 8-10 different fruits and veggies each morning. She spends a lot of time throwing out what she doesn't want, but eventually eats something! She likes garbanzo beans! Never would have th ought of that one! I got 2 skewers that hang on her cage. i do a shish kabob of different goodies each day. I don't know exactly how much of them she actually eats, but she takes a couple hours picking it all apart! She's still picky but the screaming has almost ceased Yay!!! Thank you all so much. I hope this helps other pet parents deal with their spoiled feathered friends!