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Kale chips and other vegetables

greencheekmax

Meeting neighbors
Joined
12/3/18
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20
So I managed to get Max, my green cheek conure, to eat kale by making it into chips. I just ripped the leaves off, spread into a baking tray, baked in high until they are crispy, and Max seems to enjoy them much more willingly.

Would love to see how you guys "trick" your fids into eating green veggies? Max, in general, hates anything that's green. He loves carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, red capsicum but would go close to eat broccoli, green peppers, baby corn, bean sprout, squash, etc etc etc.

Such a headache.
 

Tara81

Rollerblading along the road
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11/27/16
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Tara
My tiel wouldn’t eat carrot until I dehydrated it into little sticks. Now she eats it shredded :)
 

NoelleMartin

Meeting neighbors
Joined
2/28/19
Messages
22
I can't get Poncho to eat anything but grapes. I've tried oranges, cantaloupe, apples and mixed veggies. He has never had a vegetable his entire life. I won't give up though.
 

rocky'smom

Joyriding the Neighborhood
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minnesota
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laurie
I can't get Poncho to eat anything but grapes. I've tried oranges, cantaloupe, apples and mixed veggies. He has never had a vegetable his entire life. I won't give up though.
Try mashed sweet potatoes with a teaspoon of crushed pineapple in it
 

fashionfobie

Biking along the boulevard
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Qld, Australia
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Natalie
I don't trick them. I will just try to offer new items multiple times in a row. I think sometimes they don't like a new veg/fruit because of strange appearance or texture. When they have a chance to get over those things they will give it another try. It also helps if one bird accepts it more easily to allow the less keen bird to see their friend eating it. .. or even yourself eating it to show them how yummy it is.

The best story I have with that was Pi seems to have a fear of turkish figs (desiccated fig with no additives). When he saw that Neptune and Picard found them so yummy he got over his fear. Keep in mind this sweet treat is offered infrequently and not a whole fig. He will still run in fear of a fig if you hand it to him. He needs to approach the fig at his own pace. This isn't typical of him. I can normally hand him anything and he will be curious to give it a go.

Birds are really wonderful eating machines. I don't think we are clever enough to trick them. Even if you suck a less favourite item into a favourite item.. they can simply eat around it. They are so tactile with their tongues and hook beaks they can shell millet.. no problem. So I just give them multiple exposures. If they continually to reject it..maybe that isn't a vitamin they need. Maybe they got their fill of vitamin A from their carrot.. and simply don't want the mango.
 
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