Fresh food refusal - Lovebird

[Kyndiaa]

Lots of great responses Sprouts are a fantastic option and there´s lots of tips on Mizzelys article.

Try sprinkling some millet on top of veggies, or mixing in some quinoa. Some birds like to pick at bigger pieces of veg, others like chopped up bite size pieces.

Bird breads and mashes are great to try.

Remember to be persistent, patient, offer lots of variety and accept any waste while you are introducing new foods.

Also, a 3 month old bird doesn´t need their nails trimmed. Buy a good quality pedi perch and save your money (I own hagen and some of my birds go over a year with no nail trims, again, all birds are different). Here´s a link on wing trimming, Should I clip my birds wings? | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

The pet shop we go to offers free 'grooming'/wing clipping so every time we bring her in they just do it for us. We have 2 pedi perches, a mineral wheel, and cuttlebones for her too! and I felt like it was safer to keep her wings clipped because our house has a lot of windows and fans (my family are not bird people so they don't really do things like turn off the fan when the bird is out etc.) and the doves we had always used to get into trouble when their wings weren't clipped.

And I completely forgot about quinoa! ill definitely have to try that with her! Thank you for all the useful information!

 

[DoubleTake]

That seed mix needs more plain grass canary seed. Does the packaging tell you what seeds are in your mix, hard to see in that pic? I see a lot of safflower which is a more fatty seed.

 

[Kyndiaa]

That seed mix needs more plain grass canary seed. Does the packaging tell you what seeds are in your mix, hard to see in that pic? I see a lot of safflower which is a more fatty seed.

The name of the seed bag is “safflower gold” and this is the ingredients on the bag:

Ingredients
Safflower, White Millet, Oats, Wheat, Red Milo, Ground Corn, Canary Seeds, Buckwheat, Canola, Flaked Peas, Flaked Corn, Brown Rice, Soybean Meal, Almonds, Apricots, Raisins, Flaked Carrots, Papaya, Pineapple, Bananas, Cashews, Coconut, Pumpkin Seeds, Pistachios, Pinto Beans, Sugar, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate, Salt, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Algae Meal, Cranberries, Apples, Blueberries, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Watercress, Brewer's Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative), Rosemary Extract, Potassium Chloride, Yeast Extract, Iron Oxide, L-Carnitine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K), Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Turmeric, Annatto Extract, Beet Juice, Natural Citrus Flavor, Natural Banana Flavor, Natural Pineapple Flavor.

 

[DoubleTake]

Not sure how I feel about that mix for lovebirds. Corn is just a filler and is not needed. Lovebirds also do not need nuts. Loki gets pistachio(treat only) every once and awhile because she likes taking it out of the shell.

 

[Ripshod]

Not sure how I feel about that mix for lovebirds. Corn is just a filler and is not needed. Lovebirds also do not need nuts. Loki gets pistachio(treat only) every once and awhile because she likes taking it out of the shell.

I also hold some reservations about some of the ingredients. I can see that ground corn and dried pinto beans could be mould/spore carriers. Dried fruits are worrying also, unless done correctly. I'm not saying this seed mix is bad, but personally I'd be looking at alternatives
I don't know, but my toes are curling. It looks like it was bought in bulk and repacked.

 

[DoubleTake]

If you are going the seed route, I would suggest you find something that has a lot of plain grass canary seed or you can buy some and add it in yourself.

Plain canary seed is low in fat protein, fiber , Omega 6 and Omega 9. High in calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

@Kyndiaa I could be wrong but I think I spotted ice berg lettuce in your veggie bowl. Ice berg lettuce isn’t the healthiest to feed them because it has very little nutritional value.

 

[Kyndiaa]

Not sure how I feel about that mix for lovebirds. Corn is just a filler and is not needed. Lovebirds also do not need nuts. Loki gets pistachio(treat only) every once and awhile because she likes taking it out of the shell.

I’ll order some plain canary seed and see if she eats it. I’ve never owned a lovebird before, so I just took the advice of the people from the bird store and purchased the food that they fed their lovebirds.

 

[Kyndiaa]

@Kyndiaa I could be wrong but I think I spotted ice berg lettuce in your veggie bowl. Ice berg lettuce isn’t the healthiest to feed them because it has very little nutritional value.

She honestly doesn’t eat the lettuce in the first place. I’m just trying to get her to try vegetables in general. But I’ll keep that in mind for next time.

 

[Gazimon]

If you have a monitor or tablet that can be placed near her cage; can consider playing videos of lovebirds also eating vegetable chop / fresh food. Hopefully bird see bird do?

 

[Chris1234]

They can be so stubborn hey? My Meyers was the same way and I finally have her eating sprouts and some veggies.
Try a bunch of different foods served all different ways. Big pieces, chopped tiny, cooked and raw, in bowls and skewered. You can also pretend to eat it and say "yum". If there's any seed or nut she really loves mix it in with the fresh veggies so she has to pick around them to get to the treats. Others have mentioned sprouting. My Meyers likes them just after the first soak (without much plant growth). I'd put it in her bowl with a few of her favorite treats (safflower seeds) and eventually she started eating it. I know it can be super frustrating. There are some good tips in this article. Survival Guide to a Picky Parrot – Parrot Up

I also had a parakeet that wouldn't eat pellets at all, so I bought Harrisons mash (fine) and sprinkled it over his other food. It's like a fine powder. At least I knew he was getting some good nutrition. You could try this trick over a favorite fruit...or mix it into her seeds.

 

[Kyndiaa]

If you have a monitor or tablet that can be placed near her cage; can consider playing videos of lovebirds also eating vegetable chop / fresh food. Hopefully bird see bird do?

I tried that and she just kept bouncing up and down and chirping!

 

[Kyndiaa]

They can be so stubborn hey? My Meyers was the same way and I finally have her eating sprouts and some veggies.
Try a bunch of different foods served all different ways. Big pieces, chopped tiny, cooked and raw, in bowls and skewered. You can also pretend to eat it and say "yum". If there's any seed or nut she really loves mix it in with the fresh veggies so she has to pick around them to get to the treats. Others have mentioned sprouting. My Meyers likes them just after the first soak (without much plant growth). I'd put it in her bowl with a few of her favorite treats (safflower seeds) and eventually she started eating it. I know it can be super frustrating. There are some good tips in this article. Survival Guide to a Picky Parrot – Parrot Up

I also had a parakeet that wouldn't eat pellets at all, so I bought Harrisons mash (fine) and sprinkled it over his other food. It's like a fine powder. At least I knew he was getting some good nutrition. You could try this trick over a favorite fruit...or mix it into her seeds.

Thank you for all the helpful suggestions! It seems that mixing millet with her veggies got her to try a little taste. I started putting her on the dining table with us when we eat, and I let her come over and try the veggies on my plate. She's done that 2 nights in a row so it seems she's becoming more adventurous!

 

[Leih]

I've been trying for months to get my lovebird to eat fresh vegetables. I finally have made a few changes to my attempt that I think are working. First is I've been pulsing in my Ninja blender, being nice and small she might accidentally eat a little bit. Second is I've started giving it to her first thing in the morning with a little bit of pellets and a little bit of seed mix in it. I use Higgins Sunburst fruit and veggies as a seed mix base and mix in a lot of canary seed like Brian says. It's just more practical for me to use a premixed blend as a base and add to it and to me its a good mix for the price. Some pellet brands sell different textures, for example Roudybush sells crumbles which is not a full sized pellet, which might be good for transitioning onto pellets.

 

[Chris1234]

Thank you for all the helpful suggestions! It seems that mixing millet with her veggies got her to try a little taste. I started putting her on the dining table with us when we eat, and I let her come over and try the veggies on my plate. She's done that 2 nights in a row so it seems she's becoming more adventurous!

That's great!!!