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help me

Fhossain2009

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Fatma
hi everyone, this is my first post here, i've been raising birds for a year now and i have a small problem, all my birds and used to seeds, before i got all my birds they were being fed seeds all their lives, i got most of my birds from trusted pet shops and two from trusted breeders , i'm scared if i introduce them to healthy food they'll get sick or ill. i have 6 birds, three cockatiels and three parakeets. my question is

what should i do? how do i slowly make them get used to healthy food ?(ex: carrots ,cucumbers etc..)

and if you advise pellets my answer is there aren't any here, i live in a small town in egypt and the only bird food they sell is seeds and sunflower seeds .

if you have any tips that'll be great , thank you!
 

Zara

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Your birds wont get sick eating vegetables.

If the birds are tame with you, you can offer the new foods to them in your hand. It may take some time for them to try it as they have eaten only seeds for so long. If they do not take from your hand, when they are sleeping at night, remove the food bowls of seeds. And in the morning, give them a plate of vegetables, sprouted seeds or chop. And then at midday you can remove the plate and return the seed bowl. I do this every day.

If you cannot get pellets it is ok. Feed them vegetables, make sure you give them some dark leafy greens, sprouted beans/seeds and put the cage outside for a little so they can absorb vitamin D - do it in the morning or evening, NOT during peak hours in the afternoon. I sit with my cage outside to protect them from birds of prey.

This is an excellent thread for information on sprouting: Some general info on sprouting .. thought it might be helpful | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

If you can sprout the seeds, they have more nutrition for your birds. They are very easy to make.
I make sprouted seeds, lentils and mung beans.

Try some mashed sweet potato (not normal potatoes), squash, broccoli, aubergine, green beans, peppers, cauliflower, carrots (not too many as very sugary), romaine lettuce.
You can give some fruit, but less fruit than vegetables: apples, pears, mango

Avocados are toxic. And tomatoes are questionable, so I do not use.

If you are unsure if a vegetable is safe, you can google search example: ¨broccoli parrot safe?¨ and it will tell you yes or no :)

A lot of bird owners make ¨chop¨. It is a chopped up mix of fruits and vegetables for birds. Here is a great link:
My Chop "Recipe"

I hope this helps you,
Welcome to the forum Fatma :)
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome to the forum. Zara gave great advice. :) Just be patient as it can some times take birds awhile to start eating healthy foods. My cockatiel also liked cooked grains- like rice, quinoa, etc. You can also mix in vegetables with that.
 

Fhossain2009

Sitting on the front steps
Joined
3/1/19
Messages
15
Real Name
Fatma
Your birds wont get sick eating vegetables.

If the birds are tame with you, you can offer the new foods to them in your hand. It may take some time for them to try it as they have eaten only seeds for so long. If they do not take from your hand, when they are sleeping at night, remove the food bowls of seeds. And in the morning, give them a plate of vegetables, sprouted seeds or chop. And then at midday you can remove the plate and return the seed bowl. I do this every day.

If you cannot get pellets it is ok. Feed them vegetables, make sure you give them some dark leafy greens, sprouted beans/seeds and put the cage outside for a little so they can absorb vitamin D - do it in the morning or evening, NOT during peak hours in the afternoon. I sit with my cage outside to protect them from birds of prey.

This is an excellent thread for information on sprouting: Some general info on sprouting .. thought it might be helpful | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

If you can sprout the seeds, they have more nutrition for your birds. They are very easy to make.
I make sprouted seeds, lentils and mung beans.

Try some mashed sweet potato (not normal potatoes), squash, broccoli, aubergine, green beans, peppers, cauliflower, carrots (not too many as very sugary), romaine lettuce.
You can give some fruit, but less fruit than vegetables: apples, pears, mango

Avocados are toxic. And tomatoes are questionable, so I do not use.

If you are unsure if a vegetable is safe, you can google search example: ¨broccoli parrot safe?¨ and it will tell you yes or no :)

A lot of bird owners make ¨chop¨. It is a chopped up mix of fruits and vegetables for birds. Here is a great link:
My Chop "Recipe"

I hope this helps you,
Welcome to the forum Fatma :)
thank you for the advice , I've never heard about feeding my birds sprouted seeds, ill try it.
and i let my birds out when the weather is a bit warm, right now its really cold and windy .

i actually accidentally hand trained my oldest cockatiel so he's the only one who's ok with me touching him, the rest aren't so ok with that.

+speaking of toxic foods, the breeder i got my accidentally trained bird used to give all his birds garlic , he said to put cut up garlic in a bottle of water and give it to them once a week, honestly i was scared of using it beacuse ,i read that garlic and onions are toxic for birds.
 

Fhossain2009

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Fatma
Welcome to the forum. Zara gave great advice. :) Just be patient as it can some times take birds awhile to start eating healthy foods. My cockatiel also liked cooked grains- like rice, quinoa, etc. You can also mix in vegetables with that.
thank you!
and yes, her advice is really nice. ill be sure to try cooked grains.
do you boil it before feeding it to you tiel?
 

iamwhoiam

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Welcome to AA. Always better to give 'tiels more seeds than pellets so don't worry that you are not giving pellets. Feed other healthy foods as noted above in addition to a quality seed mix. My 'tiels like cooked mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas and green beans). I buy the frozen packages and microwave the veggies and then serve them warm to the touch (never hot). They also get millet spray as treats as well as Lafeber Avicakes and Lafeber Parrot Popcorn (don't know if those are available to you). I've tried other veggies as well as carrot tops and celery tops/leaves but they didn't like those very much.
If you feed apples and pears wash well and remove the skin. Cut small pieces and make sure there are no apple or pear seeds in what you give to your 'tiels.

If you decide to try quinoa, wash and rinse it well first and then cook it. There should be instructions on the package unless you purchase it in bulk and there is no package. I make quinoa in an Instant Pot but here are some directions on how to cook on the stovetop:
How to Cook: Quinoa | Whole Foods Market
Don't add salt, just water.
 
Last edited:

Fhossain2009

Sitting on the front steps
Joined
3/1/19
Messages
15
Real Name
Fatma
Welcome to AA. Always better to give 'tiels more seeds than pellets so don't worry that you are not giving pellets. Feed other healthy foods as noted above in addition to a quality seed mix. My 'tiels like cooked mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas and green beans). I buy the frozen packages and microwave the veggies and then serve them warm to the touch (never hot). They also get millet spray as treats as well as Lafeber Avicakes and Lafeber Parrot Popcorn (don't know if those are available to you). I've tried other veggies as well as carrot tops and celery tops/leaves but they didn't like those very much.
thank you! and not allot of things are available here, even in big cities like cairo or alexandria its almost impossible to find equipment for my birds, even toys :(
but ill try the cooked vegetable mix, thank you!
 

sunnysmom

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thank you for the advice , I've never heard about feeding my birds sprouted seeds, ill try it.
and i let my birds out when the weather is a bit warm, right now its really cold and windy .

i actually accidentally hand trained my oldest cockatiel so he's the only one who's ok with me touching him, the rest aren't so ok with that.

+speaking of toxic foods, the breeder i got my accidentally trained bird used to give all his birds garlic , he said to put cut up garlic in a bottle of water and give it to them once a week, honestly i was scared of using it beacuse ,i read that garlic and onions are toxic for birds.
I wouldn't feed garlic or onions.
 
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