• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Journal - Should zoo foods be chopped (macaws)

.........

Jogging around the block
Joined
6/13/21
Messages
703
Mine are terrible with chop. They'll pick out their favourites and not touch the rest (generally that's 99% wastage). But whole pieces are a different story.
That's how I've started getting my lovebirds to actually eat some veggies, it all started with apple. I'll cut them a slice and peg it to the aviary and they go nuts for it. Carrot sticks are also just starting to be touched, I believe it is more of a shredding toy than an edible as of right now but hopefully they're eating some. I'll also give them a shoot of flatweed/dandelion and they love picking off the flowers and buds. They also get green grass seedheads left on the stem and clipped to the cage, they sit there and work the immature seed out of the husk for ages, they love it.
My other aviary birds will eat almost anything. Especially the canaries. I think it's good for them to be able to choose which part of the veggie they want. Like with cucumber the seed is always eaten out first, them the flesh, then the skin. I often give them dandelion or sow thistle, a whole small plant I pull out by the root and peg to the cage. They often go for the flower buds first, then the flowers, then the young growing leaves in the middle, then the outside leaves. I also leave the aphids on the sow thistle if I see them, and they get to sit there and pick them off one by one. They have to work for it too, they have to actually pull or break a piece off rather than just pick it up and eat it. It's also kind of a community social effort, often there's 5 or more finches, 2 canaries, a diamond dove or two and the budgie, all working at a decent sized plant. It helps encourage them to work at it and attracts almost all the birds in the aviary.
 

Laurie

The Best Bird Toys
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/13
Messages
4,098
Location
USA
Real Name
Laurie
One of the reasons I posted this in Feathered Food Court rather than Macaw Motorway is because I don't see why the concept wouldn't apply to all our birds...
... no need to give a whole pumpkin to your little ones though :)
Mini pumpkins for the littles.
 

Laurie

The Best Bird Toys
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/13
Messages
4,098
Location
USA
Real Name
Laurie
Okay this might be a fluke. However, before and afters:



View attachment 405011 View attachment 405012

He ate all of the center of the pepper/seeds, most of the cucumber, and 2 grapes.

I've also learned blackberries are terrifying :lol:

He's currently eating a piece of sweet potato I microwaved for a bit.

View attachment 405013

All I'm saying is... I've tried to get this bird to eat veggies and chop for almost 3 years and besides the orange and blackberry, he actually ATE. I'll be pickup up more whole fresh veggies to try with him this week!

I feel like I just went to a different dimension.
That is awesome!
 

Laurie

The Best Bird Toys
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/13
Messages
4,098
Location
USA
Real Name
Laurie
Very interesting posts. My birds like bigger stuff too. I sometimes do diced size but I think 1/2 a grape size or of maybe 3/4" by 3/4" or anything that is easy to hold. They will hold an almond that is unshelled and scrap all the meat out and leave the paper this skin. So I guess that is a good size. Corn on the cob wheels, chunks of bell pepper, whole berries, whole grapes, apple slices or orange slices. I do it both ways but they definitely like large pieces too. They really are not huge fans of mixed up chop.

Since we feed pellets I feel like the fresh food are mainly for enrichment. They seem to have more fun with big pieces.

Also they have a hard time shelling nuts but if I crack an almond or a walnut to get it started they have more fun with the leftover shell than anything else. They love to use it like a cup and play with it in their water. We have water bottles so water dishes are super exciting here as well. Great enrichment.

It takes them longer to soak a pellet using a water bottle so I feel like that is a win too. They definately know how to drain the whole bottle. I am just happy they don't do it every day.
 

Wardy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/12/21
Messages
4,706
Went shopping for veggies for the girls today so they got big pieces.
They have been very involved with there food for the last hour.
20220329_172325.jpg
Top is Mojo's bottom KiKi's


I feel like the fresh food are mainly for enrichment. They seem to have more fun with big pieces.
Thought the above from Laurie was excelent
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,968
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
Went shopping for veggies for the girls today so they got big pieces.
They have been very involved with there food for the last hour.
View attachment 405147
Top is Mojo's bottom KiKi's



Thought the above from Laurie was excelent
I went shopping too!

Beet, beet greens, zucchini, yellow squash, radish, sweet potato, cucumbers, melon, and a bit of cooked brown rice.

PXL_20220329_155651546.jpg
 

Wardy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/12/21
Messages
4,706
Went shopping for veggies for the girls today so they got big pieces.
They have been very involved with there food for the last hour.
View attachment 405147
Top is Mojo's bottom KiKi's



Thought the above from Laurie was excelent
Went shopping for veggies for the girls today so they got big pieces.
They have been very involved with there food for the last hour.
View attachment 405147
Top is Mojo's bottom KiKi's



Thought the above from Laurie was excelent
20220329_191325.jpg
They didnt do bad some foods all gone and some just picked at, they did eat fresh food outside there cage for the first time though.

20220329_190820.jpg 20220329_190817.jpg
 

Peachfaced

The Peachy Inkpress
JOLLY-PATROLLY
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/17/09
Messages
11,745
Location
FL
Real Name
Sadie

Wardy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/12/21
Messages
4,706
Would they do well with a "community" plate, or are they better with their separate dishes? (Just curious how well your two do in that respect)
2 seperate bowls they will swap between them but theres murder if they use the same bowl.
 

Wardy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/12/21
Messages
4,706

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,968
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
@Mizzely how is Ripley doing ?
He did eat some squash and radishes for the first time ever! Wasn't having anything to do with the beet leaf or flesh but did chew on some stems. Bored with cucumber :lol: Mostly ate the rice. He didn't get any today or yesterday since we were out of the house but will resume tomorrow :) PXL_20220329_160639392.jpg
 

Dartman

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/20/12
Messages
9,254
Location
Portland Oregon
Real Name
Terry
Ya know my first Maxi Nerd was most certainly wild caught and he had things he loved no matter what it looked like BUT many things he wouldn't touch unless they were complete and looked the way he remembered them, otherwise they weren't food as far as he was concerned. Sometimes he was afraid of big food but most times he loved to sneak up on them and chew through the skin thinking he was getting away with something. :xflove:
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,968
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
Today's menu is sweet potato, green pepper, cucumber, beet root, bret greens, cilantro, radish, yellow squash, zucchini, and banana.

PXL_20220401_140238254.jpg

So far he's eaten some cilantro and beet root :yah:
 

Wardy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/12/21
Messages
4,706
Tonight the girls got
20220401_191229.jpg
Yellow bell pepper,slice of cucumber,brocolli,red and green chilli,half a sweet pea, couple of pieces of celery,baby sweetcorn,red grape.
Both of there heads have been in there bowls the last 40 mins.
 

Wardy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/12/21
Messages
4,706
Tonight the girls got
View attachment 405378
Yellow bell pepper,slice of cucumber,brocolli,red and green chilli,half a sweet pea, couple of pieces of celery,baby sweetcorn,red grape.
Both of there heads have been in there bowls the last 40 mins.
From between the above pic and the next pic this was approx 65 mins of Mojos night not chop, all pieces dumped on the floor have been picked up and put back into the bowl but there is a chilli pepper on her platform perch,she took it there so im leaving it there.
20220401_195109.jpg
She is now in a foraging box hunting for seeds.
Both eating fresh twice a day at times it was hit and miss with there evening fresh.
 

AussieBird

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
7/23/20
Messages
4,650
Real Name
Call me AB
Trying it with Q :fingerscrossed:
25E6CB84-B1A1-4639-A9B4-28F605AB6360.jpeg
 

AussieBird

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
7/23/20
Messages
4,650
Real Name
Call me AB
(With some prompting) So far the only thing he hasn’t touched is the chilly and the banana :shocked6: I think butternut may be a new favourite!
3AA50D3D-1E36-495F-8BCA-8A071D14A705.jpeg
6AE84D19-358F-40FD-9B9C-F244257E0EDE.jpeg
8DAA941B-F2A6-476D-9512-97A6B40BE87F.jpeg
6581D368-04F9-422F-9358-297052F79A7D.jpeg
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,968
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
Interesting side note, he seems to also be eating more pellets now that I've been feeding him like this. That's actually a good thing because he's been chronically underweight the entire time I've had him. I'm curious to know if this helps him finally gain those elusive grams!
 
Top