Tiki has just turned 1. She is constantly trying to eat my meat. Well she wants to eat anything I'm eating. Tomato or.cabbage.. but she really wants meat. . Like steak and ham. She goes crazy trying to get it. .. crazy trying to tear a piece off.. then throws it in her moth. I chased her around yesterday trying to get a piece of fat from her. She also wants eggs. She tries to drink my coffee. I thought she wOuld have burt her toung on it.. but she comes back for more. Is this typical? Is she deficient of somthing?
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Meat
- Thread starter n2vintage
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Birdbabe
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Tiki is???
BIrds tend to eat and favor eating what their human companions enjoy eating. You probably make a lot more "mmm" and pleasurable noises while eating meat vs veggies.
I do not eat much meat except for fish. But my birds do like that. They love fresh produce because that is what I mainly eat when I am around them, plus hot soup. Which they love because I love it.
If you are worried that he may be deficit in vitamins or lacking something you should have him be seen by an avian vet, have blood work done etc. Also consider what you are feeding him already as his main diet.
I do not eat much meat except for fish. But my birds do like that. They love fresh produce because that is what I mainly eat when I am around them, plus hot soup. Which they love because I love it.
If you are worried that he may be deficit in vitamins or lacking something you should have him be seen by an avian vet, have blood work done etc. Also consider what you are feeding him already as his main diet.
Buttersquash
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Hi - interesting post. My Curl crested has shown similar behavior. For the first 2 months I had him, I fed him the usual varied fruit diet and pellets. Meanwhile I also have canaries and they get their usual seeds and greens. After 2 months of having my aracari, he started to fanatically try to grab pieces of the greens from the canary cages. Did some research, and I read online how they have been observed to eat flowers in the wild, and how some folks feed greens to their aracaris (Jason Crean is one). So I now feed greens once or twice a week (as well as a variety of other things) and he has stopped the frantic behavior. Some of the other things I use are a sprinking of Acai berry powder, organic decaf black tea leaves, milk thistle tea, some organic red palm fruit oil, and as I grow orchids, some orchid flower petals (yes they are edible!) Greens I use are dandelion, bok choy, cilantro, some kale. Just a few pieces a couple times a week seems to sate him.
In the wild they are suspected of eating over 150 diff species of fruits/plants, and thus I think they naturally crave variety and will get "frantic" bc their body is telling them something. We can't hope to simulate their diet in captivity, but if you keep it a varied as possible, you might see an improvement on the frantic behavior.
In the wild they are suspected of eating over 150 diff species of fruits/plants, and thus I think they naturally crave variety and will get "frantic" bc their body is telling them something. We can't hope to simulate their diet in captivity, but if you keep it a varied as possible, you might see an improvement on the frantic behavior.
@n2vintage what's Tiki's diet like now? I agree with @Buttersquash that acting frantically or erratically to get at whatever food you're eating could be signs of a deficiency. Remember, all birds need a healthy, VARIED diet to make sure they are getting all of the necessary nutrients (macros, vitamins, trace minerals, etc). That being said, you do need to make sure she isn't getting into things that are bad for her. Meat is definitely not the best. Remember they are supposed to be eating minimal iron? Well, red meat like steak or even ham is one of the greatest sources of iron you can get so try to make sure you are keeping it away from her. The salt or seasoning on the meat is definitely bad as well if she is trying to make stealing food a regular thing. Then there's the fat... Trust me when I say I know how sneaky these little buggers can be! My Kevin has dive-bombed bowls of fruit in the kitchen and then swooped away before I can make a move! 
You just gotta be vigilant, and in extreme cases keep her locked up when you are eating.
Coffee is a another HUGE no-no. Caffeine can be fatal to birds in high enough doses so don't have her getting in the habit of drinking out of your cups! Finally, try to stick with feeding foods that are as low in iron AND vitamin C as possible. Both cabbage and tomatoes don't really fit this bill.
Here is a link to an aracari food guide I put together for myself. In general I try to feed as many green/yellow foods as possible with maybe 3-4 pieces of the red foods. And example of Kevin's daily diet 1 tbsp softbill pellets (necessary to make sure he is getting all of his vitamins/minerals), 1/2 cup papaya, a handful of blueberries, some apple/pear/peach/nectarine, a couple grapes/pomegranate seeds, and then a vegetable like steamed carrots, cucumber, sweet potato, or greens. The fruits and veggie change based on the season (for example more berries in summer and more melons in winter), but overall I try to give him half a dozen or so different options each day. This keeps him very happy and he never tries to steal food.
Some great supplements you can use are coconut oil (or red palm oil) for the omega 3 fast acids, and decaf black tea either sprinkled on their food or brewed and served alongside their water. The tannins in black tea actually help block the absorption of iron by the liver (it binds it). Just remember, no caffeine!
Finally, if your bird is suffering from a deficiency it may be protein (by the sounds of things). I know that before I started feeding greens occasionally, Kevin would try to grab them out of my salad bowl whenever he got the chance, just like @Buttersquash's curl crested. In your case, being on some sort of pelleted diet is going to be very important for their general protein intake. If Tiki is already on one, I've also heard of breeders supplementing their breeding birds with meal worms or crickets. Insects could be a good choice (especially to get out her prey drive) since they are low iron unlike animal products.
You just gotta be vigilant, and in extreme cases keep her locked up when you are eating. Coffee is a another HUGE no-no. Caffeine can be fatal to birds in high enough doses so don't have her getting in the habit of drinking out of your cups! Finally, try to stick with feeding foods that are as low in iron AND vitamin C as possible. Both cabbage and tomatoes don't really fit this bill.
Here is a link to an aracari food guide I put together for myself. In general I try to feed as many green/yellow foods as possible with maybe 3-4 pieces of the red foods. And example of Kevin's daily diet 1 tbsp softbill pellets (necessary to make sure he is getting all of his vitamins/minerals), 1/2 cup papaya, a handful of blueberries, some apple/pear/peach/nectarine, a couple grapes/pomegranate seeds, and then a vegetable like steamed carrots, cucumber, sweet potato, or greens. The fruits and veggie change based on the season (for example more berries in summer and more melons in winter), but overall I try to give him half a dozen or so different options each day. This keeps him very happy and he never tries to steal food.
Some great supplements you can use are coconut oil (or red palm oil) for the omega 3 fast acids, and decaf black tea either sprinkled on their food or brewed and served alongside their water. The tannins in black tea actually help block the absorption of iron by the liver (it binds it). Just remember, no caffeine!
Finally, if your bird is suffering from a deficiency it may be protein (by the sounds of things). I know that before I started feeding greens occasionally, Kevin would try to grab them out of my salad bowl whenever he got the chance, just like @Buttersquash's curl crested. In your case, being on some sort of pelleted diet is going to be very important for their general protein intake. If Tiki is already on one, I've also heard of breeders supplementing their breeding birds with meal worms or crickets. Insects could be a good choice (especially to get out her prey drive) since they are low iron unlike animal products.
Thanks. Tiki eats honeydew/cantaloupe. .mixed w any combo of (depending whats available at the time) kiwi, dragon fruit, pear blueberries, papya, pomegranate cucumber. ...she wont eat sweet potato, banana, apple, squash.
Her favorit is dragon fruit!
She really like corn but I have never seen that as a food to give.
Ill try some greens
she also gets the black tea
Her favorit is dragon fruit!
She really like corn but I have never seen that as a food to give.
Ill try some greens
she also gets the black tea
I know of another green aracari whose favorite food is also dragon fruit; now I'm wishing I could find it in stores so Kevin could try it as well. 
Sounds like her diet is pretty good now, but I guess try out the mealworms/crickets if she is still desperately trying to steal the meat you're eating.
Sounds like her diet is pretty good now, but I guess try out the mealworms/crickets if she is still desperately trying to steal the meat you're eating.