Juicing for parrots

[theocnoob]

George doesn't like to eat fruits or veggies except for maybe a few bites of apple. He does however love orange juice.

I was thinking I could juice some veggies and add enough orange juice to mask the flavor, and maybe he'd drink it.

I discussed this with his vet today, and she said that while it was better than nothing, she'd prefer that he also ingest the fruit/veg fiber. I asked how do accomplish this and she said to try blending instead of juicing. This is doable, I have the equipment for either option. My concern is that if the consistency is too soupy he'll be turned off. I'm hesitant to try to give him the soupy blender mix from a syringe, even though he'd be more likely to accept it, because he loves his baby mash from a syringe and maintaining a good response to that ensures that he will accept medication mixed into baby mash should it become necessary again someday.

Thoughts? Anybody here ever juiced for their fids?

 

[LilSprout]

Maybe you could try making it like chunky baby food consistency with lots of fruits and throw in some veggies like broccoli so the fruit covers up the taste? To make it chunky you might try adding a small amount of water and blending and adding more water until you get the right consistency and see if he likes it.

There are lots of articles about making juice and smoothies from veggies and masking the taste with fruits. Pears, berries and apples are pretty good at covering up vegetable tastes

 

[MandaExotics]

I am guilty of blending veggies into a liquid-like consistency and mixing it in with bean sprouts to get my cockatiel to eat her vegetables. Sad, but true. These juices are healthy for you too
Carrot Apple Juice is simply delicious. Green Goodness drinks can be good if you add the right fruit to it. I let my IRN drink some of my juices that are safe for her and make a mash of various produce whenever needed to mix in with whatever fresh food I'm feeding at the time.

 

[Tanya]

I know that it is possible to get diabetes from juicing fruits and veggies. Not common but possible. Blending is generally better because you will get lots of fiber in addition to all the sugar. (Modern fruits have been bred to have an extremely high sugar contact.)

Also, be very aware that blending and/or juicing will produce a liquid broth that is the perfect habitat for a wide variety of bacteria, yeasts and molds. Many of these come directly from the skin of the fruit/veggies. Not really a problem for the first one or two hours, but could become very dangerous if left out all day.

Tl;dr Blending is better than juicing and neither should be left at room temperature for more than two hours.

 

[TWR]

This may not work for George if he isn't used to hand feeding, but here's what I do. I make a blended green smoothie & mix it with finely ground Harrison's or Roundybush pellets. Because it's a little too thick, I add a little V8 Vegetable juice. You could use water instead if you want. Not too much though, I don't make it too thin. I have it thicker than say a porridge (oats). I warm it in the microwave to about the temp I'd use for handfeeding a baby. Then using a handfeeding spoon, each parrot gets his fill. This is particularly useful in the case of my Jenday as the only vegetable she eats otherwise is mashed sweet potatoe and the only pellet she'll eat is Tropican. In the case of my Sun Conure who loves eating his veggies anyway, it's still good to get these better pellets into him as he will only eat Tropican pellets. My Hahns eats well anyway, but just loves this handfeeding so she still gets her fill.

These same Parrots won't eat this if I put it in their bowl. They like it spoon fed.

 

[MandaExotics]

I know that it is possible to get diabetes from juicing fruits and veggies. Not common but possible. Blending is generally better because you will get lots of fiber in addition to all the sugar. (Modern fruits have been bred to have an extremely high sugar contact.)

Also, be very aware that blending and/or juicing will produce a liquid broth that is the perfect habitat for a wide variety of bacteria, yeasts and molds. Many of these come directly from the skin of the fruit/veggies. Not really a problem for the first one or two hours, but could become very dangerous if left out all day.

Tl;dr Blending is better than juicing and neither should be left at room temperature for more than two hours.

I don't typically give fruit to my dwarf hamsters because of the diabetes risk. That is the one thing I miss about having a syrian.

It's all about moderation. I wouldn't leave any type of fresh food out for much more than 2 hours anyway. There's typically a 4 hour period for bacteria within the temperature danger zone to grow. Why test your luck if you don't have to is the way I approach things.

 

[TWR]

@theocnoob if you're interested in the ingredients in my green smoothie, you can see it in this thread
Is this Green Smoothie safe for birds? | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Begone]

Like I told you in your other thread I do juice for mine every day and add this to their food, or we drink it together in the evening.
And don't buy it in the store, they are not good with added things and the juice has been heathen. You want fresh healthy juice.

 

[JLcribber]

Birds do not normally drink lots of liquids. Yes they drink water but they don't "feed" on liquids. There's no substance to it. Would also fill them up and lose their appetite to eat "food".

 

[TWR]

Birds do not normally drink lots of liquids. Yes they drink water but they don't "feed" on liquids. There's no substance to it. Would also fill them up and lose their appetite to eat "food".

If you make a homemade blended vegetable smoothie, there is a ton of substance to it. My homemade green smoothie is so thick with veggies that a spoon can stand up straight in it. Mix it with finely ground up Harrison's pellets and you have a food, not a drink. I find it very handy for the parrot that won't eat veggies in any other form (eg my Jenday). My Sun won't eat Harrison's Pellets, but wolfs this down - so it's handy for him too. My Hahns eats everything well, but loves this so she gets it too.

 

[Begone]

Would also fill them up and lose their appetite to eat "food".

I give mine juice after they had eaten their last meal, and they drink a lot of juice. And as I use to say, it take very small amounts of juice to give them all the vitamins and mineral.
And today when all veggies contains less and less vitamins and minerals, to give them juice is a much better way to make sure they get all they need.
And of course they get veggies to, the fibers are important to, but I'm not sure that to just give them veggies is enough. (and I'm not a fan of a pellets diet)