Junk food

[Roxhum]

do your birds prefer junk food? Pampa is a good eater so he is getting a good diet, I am not worried about that. However, Pampa joins me every night while I eat dinner and breakfasts on the weekends. I will offer him all the healthy foods, veggies and fruit, all he wants is the carbs. The tortilla chips, cheese, toast, toast with peanut butter even better. He just drops the broccoli and the grape,which normally he would love. As soon as I sit down for dinner, with him on his special stand we use just for this purpose, he wants chips and bread or whatever is the least healthy food on my plate. Are your birds junk food junkies?

 

[JLcribber]

Of course. They all love sugar, fat, salt just like us. That doesn't mean they should eat it.

What you run the risk of is that your bird "will" stop eating the good stuff and hold out for the junk if you keep exposing him to it. Out of sight. Out of mind. Eat your "junk" somewhere else.

 

[Brittany0208]

I'm in the same boat with Java. Even if he has food in his bowl, he'll stop what he's doing and chirp and stare me down until I share. The longer I ignore him, the louder he gets. I don't eat as healthy as I used to, but that's going to change. For both of our sake.

 

[Mizzely]

Yep, sugar, salt, and fat are appealing because they actually have a fraction of the taste buds that we do. So those things contribute more flavor which is pleasurable for them, just like humans.

Jingo is a terrible junk food eater. He steals it; he'll even go through dirty plates or the garbage to get it. And because of that, he's now bad about eating his pellets. After no issues for years, I went through ALL of the pellet brands, literally spent hundreds of dollars, trying to find a pellet he'd eat again. He's finally eating some Hagen Tropican but it was a battle. So I don't share any junk food anymore

 

[TikiMyn]

My rescued Tiel was a Terrible eater. I don’t eat a lot of unhealthy stuff but then a year of so after him coming home, I ate chips in front of him. He came running immediantly. I didn’t know why, as it had been a struggle to get him to eat Apple and carrot over the course of that year and he never tried anything else. In my suprise I offered him a piece and he ran off with it Tiki KNEW when I had junk food, and so does Henkie only Henkie doesn’t actually want to eat it thankfully. Fëanor loves to take a nibble of whatever I am eating, no matter what it is.

 

[Crazy4parrots]

Of course. They all love sugar, fat, salt just like us. That doesn't mean they should eat it.

What you run the risk of is that your bird "will" stop eating the good stuff and hold out for the junk if you keep exposing him to it. Out of sight. Out of mind. Eat your "junk" somewhere else.

This is why i have never offered Baylee junk food. Its like dogs once they try human food they will refuse dog food.
Also i dont eat junk food at all.. from time to time i will eat potato chips but thats it.

 

[cassiesdad]

Yes...if our birds can beg, borrow, or steal junk food, they'll do it.

Recently, we had potato chips here at the house...leftovers from a picnic...usually they're not in the house at any time. Anyway, I walked into Mlton's room with a small handful of them...he IMMEDIATELY KNEW what I had...and started begging for them...naturally.

I broke down and gave him one tiny piece of a chip...he carefully and slowly ate it...and when he was finished, he said, "I LOVE MORE"...he didn't get any more, which bummed him out...

 

[LSA]

Charlie, YNA, lived for decades on a diet of Goldfish crackers, Ranch dressing and graham crackers. He died the week before moving in.

Rescues OFTEN come with terrible diets and have never had much other than seeds and junk food!

When the crinkle of a bag is heard, the younger conures perk up thinking chips are on the way!

 

[Roxhum]

I will be more mindful of what I share with him. I thought whole grain toast was okay for them? He gets very little of that type of food. Is a piece of a corn tortilla bad? Not a chip but the tortilla you heat up for tacos? I guess I didn’t think what I wAs feeding him was so much bad as just high in carbs. I thought cheese was okay, in small amounts? He has never had a potato chip but did get a tortilla chip with melted cheese on it. I feel judged.

 

[LSA]

All birds love tortilla chips' cheese and anything else dairy. You're not being judged! You should have read the responses to my giving Sherman,WCP, a bite of potato chip!

 

[Crazy4parrots]

I have read on FB people that give pizza to their parrots! :0

 

[Mizzely]

No, no judgement! I have always been that person that allows some cheezits, tortillas, etc. Until it bit me in the butt

 

[Mizzely]

I have read on FB people that give pizza to their parrots! :0

Jingo will straight up fly away with a whole slice of pizza if given a chance.

 

[LSA]

Just tonight, I was eating a spicy burrito in the birdroom. Some of the birds, conures and budgies, were hanging on their cages looking like "Fine you give us pellets and seeds. We want what you're having."

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

I feel judged.

It's ok I understand, I'm in the same boat. Echo loves junk food and moving back with parents hasn't helped. He loved cheese too. You have to be extra careful not to give them too much thou.

Echo will grab as much junk as he likes if I let him. And he's super slow eater when he has healthy stuff in front of him. It can be an uphill battle but I'm slowly making progress. It's easy to kill them with kindness so to speak and that goes for all pets. Some pets are harder than others to change bad habits but you just have keep fighting the good fight.

 

[Roxhum]

Thank you all, I appreciate your responses