My starling will only eat insects! Help!

[dovemom]

I've been raising Oliver for about two months now, and he eats on his own now (he does still try to eat from me though, but he's in the process of weaning.) I've been trying to get him eating the dog food and poultry crumble mix, but he only eats the freeze dried soldier worms i put on the floor of his cage (to encourage foraging.)
How can I get him to realize that the food is, well, food? Should I remove the dried worms at the bottom?
Also, I thought I had him in a big enough cage ( four feet high, two feet long and three feet wide) but his feathers are messed up from him flying into the sides of the cage when he sees me (he gets really excited.) How can I discourage this?

 

[Birdbabe]

@Feather ?

 

[Zara]

@Kile

 

[Gigibirds]

 

[iamwhoiam]

Have you posed your question at Starling Talk: The Care and Feeding of Injured and Orphaned Starlings

 

[Kile]

I've been raising Oliver for about two months now, and he eats on his own now (he does still try to eat from me though, but he's in the process of weaning.) I've been trying to get him eating the dog food and poultry crumble mix, but he only eats the freeze dried soldier worms i put on the floor of his cage (to encourage foraging.)
How can I get him to realize that the food is, well, food? Should I remove the dried worms at the bottom?
Also, I thought I had him in a big enough cage ( four feet high, two feet long and three feet wide) but his feathers are messed up from him flying into the sides of the cage when he sees me (he gets really excited.) How can I discourage this?

About the food, I dont know if you are crushing up the dog food mixture at all, but I wonder if some pieces are too big and if you would need to crush it smaller? Sometimes the size can throw them off, so just an idea. Also, if you did not feed your starling the dog food as a nestling it may not take to it as easy as mine did. However, I feed my starling Mazuri Insectivore Diet now (Insectivore Diet 3 lb | Mazuri® Exotic Animal Nutrition), it comes in small pellets and I believe Jackie from starling talk recommended it as an alternative diet to the dog food/poultry mix (take this with a grain of salt though because I cannot remember where I read that.. lol if i find it again I will send a screenshot or link here). Some people feed their starlings a natural diet of fresh fruits and vegetables as the main part of the diet, which I plan on trying to do when I figure out the best way to go about it. If you can find any starling owners fresh diet recommendations online and want to try it- I say go for it!

About the cage, the one you have may be fine if you have enough time to let your starling out for a long time each day, however, if you are not able to let it out to play for over 2-3 hours every day you should invest in a larger cage and quite a few safe foraging toys for your starling. I also recommend some natural wood perches if you do not have any already. I personally think starlings need a larger cage than a lot of parrots/parakeets of the same size because starlings are more flight oriented- due to the fact that they have a straight bill rather than a hooked bill and a different shape of foot they cannot climb like parrots do and cannot grab onto toys and such. They get more enrichment from flying and foraging than climbing and chewing on things (that does not go to say that parrots do not need to fly or forage- they absolutely do! Just making a key difference point). Here is the type of cage I have for my starling, it is sold by a few different companies and websites, just find which one works for you online! This is just an example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079JW8YCQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_87Q7PNXK9985RTTT47ED

One last random thought, I recommend letting your starling take a bath in water 1-2+ times a day if you don’t already! I have a bath from amazon that is rather large that I hook onto the side of the cage and she bathes probably 5 or more times a day! From my own observations, I think it helps to soften the scales on their legs and make for easier shedding. My starling seems to have issues with her feet bothering her and her scales seem slightly abnormal, though I am not sure what causes it, and I swear the times she did not have her bath for a few days she seemed to be bothered more by her feet. Just a theory, but could actually be something notable! Sorry for the essayI always tend to do this! Oopsie

 

[Kile]

My starling seems to have issues with her feet bothering her and her scales seem slightly abnormal

I have wondered if this is hyperkeratosis, which people have talked about before with their starlings, especially since my starlings beak and nails seem to get long (I have to trim them). I don’t know that anyone has found a sure cause of it, but I believe some people have treated it before. I still don’t say that it is the issue I am having for sure yet, because her scales have not gotten any larger or longer than they are and she recently turned one year old. Maybe I am overthinking

 

[Pat H]

@Kile-- you have submitted a COMPLETE observation and comment regarding a less-known breed-- the Starling.

The info offered is substantial.. thank you.

 

[Pat H]

When I get on my email tomorrow morning [about 4am] IL time-- I will pass on your request to my friend who has raised [ and lost] his beloved Starling...

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

Agreed. It's awesome to have people sharing their experiences with rarer birds when no one else can help; very valuable!

 

[Pat H]

I KNOW! I look at a Starling SO DIFFERENTLY now that I have known him! [the bird].

 

[Kile]

@Kile-- you have submitted a COMPLETE observation and comment regarding a less-known breed-- the Starling.

The info offered is substantial.. thank you.

You should also look into the studies done on other softbill birds (such as toucans) which have trouble with regulating iron intake in captivity, which is why you can find a lot of low iron softbill diets. People have found success offering the softbill birds black tea which helps them regulate their iron!
Here is a study that was done on starlings specifically: Effective use of tea to limit dietary iron available to starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) - PubMed
Here is one about toucans: Tea for toucan Riverbanks Zoo tries new way to help birds live

Some people have wondered if iron issues (such as feeding starlings low iron diets) may cause developmental problems such as hyperkeratosis. Here is the page about hyperkeratosis, and ideas to what may cause it, on starling talk: Hyperkeratosis in captive starlings

Since I do not know for sure what causes my starling’s foot problems (she has not seemed to be bothered much recently though), I am considering that it could be from a vitamin deficiency, something related to iron intake, or even just not being able to bathe frequently enough. It could have also just been from her nails getting too long and feeling uncomfortable for a while. There is a section on starling talk where there are a few stories of people having mystery problems with their starlings legs, and I am wondering if it could be caused by not having enough access to a water bath, and the leg scales becoming hard, tight, and/or irritating. This is just a complete speculation, but maybe it could help someone in the future!

 

[Kile]

Some people have wondered if iron issues (such as feeding starlings low iron diets) may cause developmental problems such as hyperkeratosis.

Also just to clarify, by this I meant that they are possibly finding that a low iron diet can cause issues for starlings. While alternatively, it can be helpful for toucans. Toucans, mynahs, and starlings can all be affected by iron storage disease though in their own ways. They just think that the low iron diet mixes themselves may not be good for starlings.