Little Update & Playing With Food?

[charlieboy]

Thought I'd update you guys a little bit since it's been a while!

My semester is now started for real, and though the workload stresses me out I believe I'll make it through! Charlie does well while I'm away & I spend as much time as I can with him, I love the routine we share

We left him alone overnight for the first time, and even though my mom came to check on his food & water (she was at her boyfriend's place not too far from ours) and I left him with the radio and lots of toys it made me feel like a bad parront At least he didn't seem too unhappy when I came home though, I made sure to make him understand well that I'll always come back home for him!

He is destroying his T4W toys in a record time!!! I definitely have to get some new toys for him to shred to pieces soon It makes me so happy to see him so hard at work!

Today was the big weekly cleanup, but he cheered for me all the way through by singing his little boy songs! He is starting to molt, which somehow provides him with very interesting toys too; his own shed feathers...

A little concern is that from time to time his poops are watery or scarse, but most of them are normal. Nothing else abnormal. Keeping an eye on this...

I keep trying to feed him vegetables, and I'm super happy that he seems to try them, but they always end up on the floor! He seems to be enjoying playing with them more than actually eating them, same with his occasionnal small almond slices. I'm just hoping he does eat his veggies too and not just play with them.

Is that how your fids eat their veggies too? Do you think he recognizes it more as a toy or as a fun food? Haha Please enlighten me & thank you!

 

[charlieboy]

 

[Tara81]

Thought I'd update you guys a little bit since it's been a while!

Is that how your fids eat their veggies too? Do you think he recognizes it more as a toy or as a fun food? Haha Please enlighten me & thank you!

There are so many ways to get your fids to eat their veges. You can trick them, eat the same food, pretend to eat the same food, mix the veges with other things . The bird learns from their parronts , parents, and siblings what they should eat while their young. If she is playing with her food, chances are she is tasting it and will eventually eat it (unless she doesn't like the taste).

I dehydrate veges and hide them in foraging bowls for my parrots as special treats and foraging fun. Here is my dehydraed fruits and veges all packaged. Alsing is checking it out.

I mash cooked vegetables with cooked quinoa so when they eat the quinoa , they also eat some of the veges in the process that is stuck to it.
Here is some semi mashed veges with cooked quinoa ready for the freezer!

I have had to trick the most stubborn old rehomed seedaholic tiel by mixing sprouted seeds with dry seeds to get him to taste wet foods and become used to them.
Here is a photo of organic seeds being soaked for sprouting.

You can trick train a bird to bite a piece of kale for a treat of millet to get them to at least try tasting it. You can hide a branch of millet inside a leaf of kale.
You can finely chop up pieces of kale, brocolli floreets so they look like little green seeds, and shredded carrots, drying them off very well in paper towel then sprinkling over seeds to get them to recognize it is food (but I think you can skip to the next stage of just having it in its own dish or plate)
.
You can use a skewer and put pieces of apple, carrot, kale, brocolli on it, a vege kabob. Birds love to chew things that hang in their cage, after all!


You can place food on a toy mirror or in front of a mirror so when they play with it, they see their reflection eating/playing with it

Lastly you can try making bird safe muffins, with 1 cup veges, 1 egg, 1-2 cups almond/whole wheat flour/cornmeal, seed mix(2-4 tablespoons), ground pellets 1/4 cup, 2-3 bananas. mix add water if too dry. place in mini muffin papers. Bake at 280-300 degrees for 20-40 minutes (check with toothpick every 10 mins). place on skewer or in foraging bowl.

 

[Lady Jane]

is your cockatiel ever cute. Spoil away! I always say the trick to get birds to eat veggies is in the presentation. Serving them in a bowl all the time must be boring. Skewers are good. Clips hold greens from cage top. Forage toys can have food inside. Don't forget to sprinkle a little millet seed on top. Have you made birdie bread yet? I put mostly the Orange veggies in it for vit. A. Also I get the mixes sold on amazon.

 

[rockoko]

Cutie pie Charlie!

 

[charlieboy]

There are so many ways to get your fids to eat their veges. You can trick them, eat the same food, pretend to eat the same food, mix the veges with other things . The bird learns from their parronts , parents, and siblings what they should eat while their young. If she is playing with her food, chances are she is tasting it and will eventually eat it (unless she doesn't like the taste).

I dehydrate veges and hide them in foraging bowls for my parrots as special treats and foraging fun. Here is my dehydraed fruits and veges all packaged. Alsing is checking it out.
View attachment 296765
I mash cooked vegetables with cooked quinoa so when they eat the quinoa , they also eat some of the veges in the process that is stuck to it.
Here is some semi mashed veges with cooked quinoa ready for the freezer!
View attachment 296766
I have had to trick the most stubborn old rehomed seedaholic tiel by mixing sprouted seeds with dry seeds to get him to taste wet foods and become used to them.
Here is a photo of organic seeds being soaked for sprouting.
View attachment 296768
You can trick train a bird to bite a piece of kale for a treat of millet to get them to at least try tasting it. You can hide a branch of millet inside a leaf of kale.
You can finely chop up pieces of kale, brocolli floreets so they look like little green seeds, and shredded carrots, drying them off very well in paper towel then sprinkling over seeds to get them to recognize it is food (but I think you can skip to the next stage of just having it in its own dish or plate)
. View attachment 296762
You can use a skewer and put pieces of apple, carrot, kale, brocolli on it, a vege kabob. Birds love to chew things that hang in their cage, after all!
View attachment 296764

You can place food on a toy mirror or in front of a mirror so when they play with it, they see their reflection eating/playing with it

Lastly you can try making bird safe muffins, with 1 cup veges, 1 egg, 1-2 cups almond/whole wheat flour/cornmeal, seed mix(2-4 tablespoons), ground pellets 1/4 cup, 2-3 bananas. mix add water if too dry. place in mini muffin papers. Bake at 280-300 degrees for 20-40 minutes (check with toothpick every 10 mins). place on skewer or in foraging bowl.
View attachment 296763

is your cockatiel ever cute. Spoil away! I always say the trick to get birds to eat veggies is in the presentation. Serving them in a bowl all the time must be boring. Skewers are good. Clips hold greens from cage top. Forage toys can have food inside. Don't forget to sprinkle a little millet seed on top. Have you made birdie bread yet? I put mostly the Orange veggies in it for vit. A. Also I get the mixes sold on amazon.

Thank you so much for all the tricks!! I've tried to sprinkle millet on top, chop/mash em tiny, sprouts and clip in the cage but I definitely need to try the skewer and dehydrated veges! Also birdie bread I've already tried making it but not with veggies yet! Thanks again!

 

[Lady Jane]

One more thing. I find that keeping the chopped veggies simple it helps. What I mean is not too many veggies in the chop. I only use about 4 different veggies at one time so not to overwhelm the birds taste buds. Think about it like a salad bar. If you have ever filled up your plate with multiple salad bar offerings you know that when you begin to eat what is on your plate it kind of all taste the same.

 

[Tara81]

Thank you so much for all the tricks!! I've tried to sprinkle millet on top, chop/mash em tiny, sprouts and clip in the cage but I definitely need to try the skewer and dehydrated veges! Also birdie bread I've already tried making it but not with veggies yet! Thanks again!

Wow sprouting isn’t working? I’m really surprised. Are you sprouting the same seed as in the seed mix? Millet , spelt, canary seed, kamut, barley and sunflower seeds are in most mixes. If u sprout the same seed and mix it together with the dry seed they will accidentally taste the sprouts even if they don’t like them.

 

[Imogena]

One more thing. I find that keeping the chopped veggies simple it helps. What I mean is not too many veggies in the chop. I only use about 4 different veggies at one time so not to overwhelm the birds taste buds. Think about it like a salad bar. If you have ever filled up your plate with multiple salad bar offerings you know that when you begin to eat what is on your plate it kind of all taste the same.

Edgar doesn't like chop at all. He prefers pieces. I give him 6 to 8 (sometimes even more) different veggies each time, all cut into 2-3 cm pieces. He sits on his perch outside the cage and I offer him one by one, each time different veggie. Sometimes he plays with it (like with a beet root), sometimes he eats. I think the play is also important to him. And as a side effect he has at least some juice in his beak (like with the beat root, which he loves, just not for eating). I also noticed that sometimes he doesn'y want to eat particular veggie, but after few days he loves it and doesn't want another one. Like he regulates himself what he needs right now.
I think the best approach is to check different ways of offering the veggies and see what your bird prefers. Also check if your fid prefers raw or boiled veggies. Edgar doesn't like anything boiled except green peas (which he peels one by one and eats only insides).

 

[charlieboy]

Wow sprouting isn’t working? I’m really surprised. Are you sprouting the same seed as in the seed mix? Millet , spelt, canary seed, kamut, barley and sunflower seeds are in most mixes. If u sprout the same seed and mix it together with the dry seed they will accidentally taste the sprouts even if they don’t like them.

Well I only offered it once so I definitely need to try again I actually can't really say it didn't work since I didn't try it enough yet, my bad. Yes I am sprouting his usual seed mix but some didn't sprout, thanks for the tips!

 

[charlieboy]

One more thing. I find that keeping the chopped veggies simple it helps. What I mean is not too many veggies in the chop. I only use about 4 different veggies at one time so not to overwhelm the birds taste buds. Think about it like a salad bar. If you have ever filled up your plate with multiple salad bar offerings you know that when you begin to eat what is on your plate it kind of all taste the same.

Good point! I'm trying to do that too Nice comparison too, thanks!

 

[charlieboy]

Edgar doesn't like chop at all. He prefers pieces. I give him 6 to 8 (sometimes even more) different veggies each time, all cut into 2-3 cm pieces. He sits on his perch outside the cage and I offer him one by one, each time different veggie. Sometimes he plays with it (like with a beet root), sometimes he eats. I think the play is also important to him. And as a side effect he has at least some juice in his beak (like with the beat root, which he loves, just not for eating). I also noticed that sometimes he doesn'y want to eat particular veggie, but after few days he loves it and doesn't want another one. Like he regulates himself what he needs right now.
I think the best approach is to check different ways of offering the veggies and see what your bird prefers. Also check if your fid prefers raw or boiled veggies. Edgar doesn't like anything boiled except green peas (which he peels one by one and eats only insides).

Thank you for your input! I'm glad it's ok for them to play with their food, and I'll try boiling them!

 

[Tara81]

Well I only offered it once so I definitely need to try again I actually can't really say it didn't work since I didn't try it enough yet, my bad. Yes I am sprouting his usual seed mix but some didn't sprout, thanks for the tips!

Most bird seed mixes won’t sprout, and the added dyes etc can hinder sprouting. Try buying organic seeds from the grocery store or online, or tops all in one seed mix or hagens brand seeds.

 

[Tara81]

Edgar doesn't like chop at all. He prefers pieces. I give him 6 to 8 (sometimes even more) different veggies each time, all cut into 2-3 cm pieces. He sits on his perch outside the cage and I offer him one by one, each time different veggie. Sometimes he plays with it (like with a beet root), sometimes he eats. I think the play is also important to him. And as a side effect he has at least some juice in his beak (like with the beat root, which he loves, just not for eating). I also noticed that sometimes he doesn'y want to eat particular veggie, but after few days he loves it and doesn't want another one. Like he regulates himself what he needs right now.
I think the best approach is to check different ways of offering the veggies and see what your bird prefers. Also check if your fid prefers raw or boiled veggies. Edgar doesn't like anything boiled except green peas (which he peels one by one and eats only insides).

Haha my tiel peels open the peas and green beans too! Like one giant seed to them

My tiel used to never eat carrots until I dehydrated some carrot sticks. Now she eats raw shredded carrot.