• 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

Nutriberries vs Pellets vs Stubbornness

Xoetix

Biking along the boulevard
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/12/22
Messages
6,625
Location
Southern VA, US
Real Name
Meghan (she/her)
While Isadora was given to me with a full bag of Higgins In Tune, she doesn’t eat it. She also doesn’t seem to be interested in Zupreem pellets much (the nut flavor, specifically so far, we’ll be trying the fruit blend this weekend) - But she’s 100% all about the Nutriberries they had been feeding as well. I don’t imagine they’re a “complete” diet, but I do see they have pellets stuck in there with the seeds and all.

Veggies have been an experimentation - she didn’t get them before as anything more than an occasional offering. Any greens are a hard no (she throws them at me if I try), peas are iffy, cucumber is mostly yes, sweet potatoes are a definite yes, bell peppers are iffy.

What’s a good way to get a 15 year old stubborn French fry-headed chicken (SC2) to eat more than just Nutriberries?
 

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
39,969
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
If she eats the whole nutriberry, it's technically nutritionally similar to a pellet. My butt bird picks out the safflowers and leaves the rest :lol:

None of my birds have eaten the nut Zupreem either :shifty:

Biggest thing - keep offering. It took like 2 YEARS to get Ripley to consistently eat anything other than Zupreem Fruity and almonds.
 

Xoetix

Biking along the boulevard
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/12/22
Messages
6,625
Location
Southern VA, US
Real Name
Meghan (she/her)
If she eats the whole nutriberry, it's technically nutritionally similar to a pellet. My butt bird picks out the safflowers and leaves the rest :lol:

None of my birds have eaten the nut Zupreem either :shifty:

Biggest thing - keep offering. It took like 2 YEARS to get Ripley to consistently eat anything other than Zupreem Fruity and almonds.
She eats most of it, or at least half - and then drops the rest of it to the cage floor. So the floor is littered with probably two servings total of Nutriberries because god forbid we eat the whole thing :meh:
 

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
39,969
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
You might have good luck with Lafeber's pellets then too :)

Ripley wastes sooo much Nutriberries.
 

Shannan

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Joined
7/27/21
Messages
1,073
Real Name
Shannan
Walter's favorite Zupreme was actually the vegetable one (and ironically only the tiny ones made for cockateils) So you also may try different shapes and sizes as well. Walter liked the fruit ones at the larger size, the natural ones conure size and the veggie ones the tiny ones. I don't know why. I used the nutriberries for foraging as Walter was motivated to eat them.
 

CrazyKozmo

Sprinting down the street
Avenue Veteran
Joined
12/23/16
Messages
599
Location
Central Washington state
Real Name
Rebecca
If your bird likes nutriberries, I think it would be worth trying the new Tropical Fruit pellet from Lafeber. I recently received a a sample pack from Lafeber that had these new pellets and, to my surprise, my caiques ate them up!! I have to order the pellets either direct from the company or from Amazon, neither Petco nor Petsmart in my area carry them. I got the sample in Lafeber's Foraging Fun Pack...which has a sample size of 4 of their foods (2 types of nutriberries, Tropical Fruit pellets, and Avicakes).
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/16/13
Messages
28,803
Location
Pennsylvania
Real Name
Michelle
Nutriberries are supposed to be the equivalent of pellets as long as the bird isn't just picking out the seeds. My cockatiels actually just get Nutriberries instead of pellets. Since they're older, they get the senior nutriberries. But they're also really good vegetable eaters. So between the two, I think they are getting enough vitamins.
 

aooratrix

Macawaholic
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/6/13
Messages
6,049
Real Name
Matthew
It took 10 years (not hyperbole) to get my DYH to eat Zupreem natural pellets. You might try a natural pellet and soak it in warm to hot water. Once it's warm, drain off the water and run hot water on it again. Once it's between warm and hot, put a dab of red palm oil on it, mix together, and offer it to her. She might like that.
 

Tara81

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
11/27/16
Messages
1,533
Real Name
Tara
I got my budgies to eat pellets by first grinding them to dust and putting a small amount of the pellet dust on their favorite veggies. It was a three-week process for my not-too-fussy budgerigars.. In your case, I would try sweet potatoes and pellet dust. Sprouting is also a healthier option than just dry seed. Once your bird eats the veggies with a small amount of pellet dust, every week add a bit more dust. Once it seems like the bird doesn't mind eating the dust, try putting crushed pellets (under a spoon) on the veggies. Once it seems the bird is eating the crushed pellets, then place a bowl of pellets where you would normally feed the veggies.

You can also try cooking some brocolli, green beans, sweet potatoes, green peppers then putting them into a blender to make a veggie puree mash. Keep the ratio high on sweet potatoes (85:15), then eventually lower the ratio to 50:50. It might get the bird to eventually accept the other veggies.
 
Last edited:

Tara81

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
11/27/16
Messages
1,533
Real Name
Tara
Also, my birds loved kale, brocolli, and dandelion raw. Try clipping some kale upside down in the cage or wrap it around a perch clipped, so the stubborn bird might play with it at least, to become familiar with its taste.
 

Kassiani

Biking along the boulevard
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/12/20
Messages
6,832
Location
Southeastern U.S.
Those who have never run any sort of experiment become experimental experts when trying to feed their birds! Lol!
 

Parutti

Jogging around the block
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/21/22
Messages
647
Location
Minnesota
It's so true! And of course what's worked for Cotton my ringneck is the opposite of what's worked for Opie my Quaker! And still a work in progress for both of them!
 

rocky'smom

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/14/14
Messages
17,447
Location
minnesota
Real Name
laurie
Bebe took 4 very long trying years to get on pellets. And still is being stubborn on nutriberries but i can be just as stubborn. As far as veggies goes we have hits , misses and no ways. Try different presentation of veggies, finally chopped, coarse chop, minced and whole. Also try freeze dried. For pellets he is fan of pasta blend and fruity zupreem. We have tried to rowdy bush Muzuri and Lafabers those are nope nada not happening no way. I'm just happy that he likes one of them.
Nutriberries try bar flowers, lollipops and hiding them in paper towel tubes. He loves bar flowers the best.
 

Wardy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/12/21
Messages
4,706
How many Nutriberries a day is he eating ?

Both of mine transitioned onto Harrisons and then started taking Roudybush pretty quickkly, i couldnt get Roudybush for about 4 months last year.
They refused higgins
Ate prettybird
Ate zupreem

As soon as the Roudybush become available thats all they touch it seems a more moist pellet than the others.
 

Xoetix

Biking along the boulevard
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/12/22
Messages
6,625
Location
Southern VA, US
Real Name
Meghan (she/her)
How many Nutriberries a day is he eating ?

Both of mine transitioned onto Harrisons and then started taking Roudybush pretty quickkly, i couldnt get Roudybush for about 4 months last year.
They refused higgins
Ate prettybird
Ate zupreem

As soon as the Roudybush become available thats all they touch it seems a more moist pellet than the others.
I actually just ordered Harrison’s for the first time last night, so I guess we’ll see how she does with that. Generally, I’ve heard only good things about it.
 
Top