How to get a budgie to eat new food?

[LiefDuivel]

Hey yall!

Recently my budgie Genji temporarily had to switch from the food he's had for years to a substitute due to his usual being out of stock for a bit. He didn't like it at first, but after a day he decided he loved it and went on as usual.

Well, a month has passed and his old beloved food is back in stock, so we got a bag once it came time to refill. The problem? Hes suddenly decided it just isn't food any more.

He sees the bag, gets all excited dancing around his dish, but then once its in the bowl he refuses to actually eat it. He instead begs for food despite having a full bowl of the food he's been eating for years

Instead he contents to trying to pick scraps from the cage floor, and flying at the now empty bag of the substitute in hopes of scavenging some

Any tips on trying to get him to actually eat his food again? Its a very healthy diet our vet recommended, and while the substitute is close to it, its missing some key ingredients for us (such as dried fruit and coconut). Or is this perhaps a lost cause and we should settle for the substitute?

 

[LiveLolBrd]

Try mixing the pellets 50-50 and then slowly decreasing the amount of the substitute for about a month or so and see if that works. If not I suggest just using the substitute. You could also try feeding dried fruit and coconut pieces separately.

 

[LiefDuivel]

Try mixing the pellets 50-50 and then slowly decreasing the amount of the substitute for about a month or so and see if that works. If not I suggest just using the substitute. You could also try feeding dried fruit and coconut pieces separately.

I think the mixing is probably the best idea. Dried fruit is expensive in our area, so I might just try to include more fresh fruit in his chop if he ends up rejecting his old food entirely

 

[LiveLolBrd]

I think the mixing is probably the best idea. Dried fruit is expensive in our area, so I might just try to include more fresh fruit in his chop if he ends up rejecting his old food entirely

Fresh fruit (in my opinion) is healthier than dried anyway so it might be best overall! Not that dried is unhealthy fresh is just healthi-er

 

[LiefDuivel]

Fresh fruit (in my opinion) is healthier than dried anyway so it might be best overall! Not that dried is unhealthy fresh is just healthi-er

Oh definitely! Genji is just a.... very picky eater very few fresh fruits he likes, so hopefully he'll learn to love them haha

 

[LiveLolBrd]

Oh definitely! Genji is just a.... very picky eater very few fresh fruits he likes, so hopefully he'll learn to love them haha

Lots of budgies are picky, in fact all parrots tend to be picky My budgies love apple, mango, watermelon and one likes orange.

 

[LiefDuivel]

Lots of budgies are picky, in fact all parrots tend to be picky My budgies love apple, mango, watermelon and one likes orange.

Genji loooooves apples and pear, and sometimes strawberries but thats about it haha he mostly likes veggies for the crunch

 

[LiveLolBrd]

Genji loooooves apples and pear, and sometimes strawberries but thats about it haha he mostly likes veggies for the crunch

Oh yeah, mine also like strawberry.