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Birdie Bread

Blanae

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Brandy
So my macaw is so picky with his food. He loves anything we are eating of course but when it comes to his actual food... GOOD LUCK. We got him last July at 8 years old. He was on a seed diet. I have been trying to get him to eat pellets and have tried a gazillion (they aren't cheap) and he won't eat them no matter what I try. He also doesn't love fresh fruits and veggies. I made chop for the first time this weekend and he hasn't touched it. However, I made birdie bread and added some chop in and he loves it. I was wondering what you all thought of me using ground pellets as the base of his chop would that be a good option as his "food" I just don't know what to do to make him eat his pellets. I did find some oven baked bites at Petsmart made by All Living Things and he will eat those but I am assuming that it's not the best brand of food for him to eat. I just bought them on a whim hoping he would try them and he does seem to like them. I found a brand name Caitec Oven-Fresh Bites that I might try and order. Has anyone tried them?
 

Mizzely

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I buy the Harrison's Bird Bread as it is their pellets as the flour. I haven't had a ton of success turning other pellets into bread - usually a problem of too little or too much moisture and I am not a patient person :lol: But it is a good idea for sure! :) You'll have to let us know if you have success as I would also be interested

I have a Jardine's that was a seed eater for 19 years before I got him. He took to Zupreem Fruity and Pretty Bird African Grey pretty easily, but 3 years to consistently eat a non-dyed pellet. Also 3 years to eat veggies. He absolutely won't eat chop but he will eat some veggies if I offer a large chunk, especially with the peel/rind/outside of the veggie/fruit in tact. No guarantees, but certainly was a game changer for us. Also if he will eat what you are eating, see if you can let him "steal" some veggies or pellets off your plate. Stolen food tastes better! ;)

As far as I know, Caitec produces the All Living Things pellets for petsmart. In my mind there is not a bad pellet. Are there better pellets? Sure. Ideally I like low to no added sugar and no dyes, but just like putting cheese on broccoli for the kids, if a "crappy" pellet helps them get the nutrition they are missing, it is worth it to me. My picky eater was at risk for heart failure and had respiratory distress, was falling off perches, because he was malnourished. "Crappy" pellets truly saved his life :)
 

Blanae

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Thanks for the reply!! You made me feel so much better about the crappy pellet :) I am just hopeful we can get him to start eating better. I would be helpful if I knew anything about his past but I don't. He will eat a few fruits but hates veggies. I am going to try the steal it off your plate method you mentioned. I don't know if I will have luck with the birdie bread idea but he loves the birdie bread I made normally so I figured I would give it a shot. My senegal was a seed eater his entire life before he passed away. When I bought him pellets were a new thing and I could not for the life of me get him to eat them. I tried so hard. I did have a little luck with the fruit flavored ones this summer with my macaw he tried them at least but then everyone talks about the dye in them so I have been buying the natural ones. There is just so much info out there but your reply really did make my day. Thank you!!!
 

Mizzely

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My Jardine's has been a lesson in stubborn birds for sure!! LOL. He absolutely still to this day won't eat the natural Zupreem, but the fruity ones he still eats. He thankfully now eats a couple dye-free brands, but if I had tried to push just those originally, I don't think he would be alive right now. Ideals are great but not always realistic, especially for very picky eaters.

You're doing a good job :hug8:
 

Shezbug

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My Jardine's has been a lesson in stubborn birds for sure!! LOL. He absolutely still to this day won't eat the natural Zupreem, but the fruity ones he still eats. He thankfully now eats a couple dye-free brands, but if I had tried to push just those originally, I don't think he would be alive right now. Ideals are great but not always realistic, especially for very picky eaters.

You're doing a good job :hug8:
To be fair, Burt who will usually eat some of any pellet I buy him was seriously not a fan of the zupreem natural pellets- there are not many brands/types we have tried where he flat out refuses to eat some of them but the naturals routinely got left in the bowl or tossed to the floor without even a nibble taken out of them, I think it would be fair to say he was as uninterested in them as he was with Tops when we tried that. Other Zupreem flavours he has liked but not the naturals.
 

Tara81

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You could also try mixing some almond flour with pellet dust.
 
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