Pickiest eater EVER

[Chad]

I don't know what to try anymore. Before I rehomed Bella, she was eating vegetables, seed, and pellets. Apparently the person I gave her to switched her over to pellets entirely, and only gave her seed as a treat. (Which much to my GREAT dismay was Walmart Brand!!)

Now that I have Bella back, there is absolutely no evidence that she was eating pellets because I cannot get her to eat any that I offer her, and she only picks out the sunflower seeds from her food and eats those. She wont eat any vegetables or fruit that I offer her except peas and corn when she used to love so many different kinds!! She'll pick out all of the peas, and when shes done with those just ignore everything else.

Its making me want to pull my hair out, I'm so frustrated!! I think the person I rehomed her to must have lied to me and only been feeding her the Walmart food which is like 85% sunflower seeds, so that is why Bella has such an affinity for those fatty things now.

I want her to be healthy, and I want her to eat what is good for her, so I want to get her off of seeds entirely. When I'm finished I want her to be eating vegetables/fruit and just pellets, but I have no idea how to break what I swear is the world's pickiest bird when it comes to food. If it doesn't look like a sunflower seed and taste like one, I have no idea how I'm going to get her to eat it. Do you guys have any suggestions? Have you ever had to deal with a picky eater like this, and what worked for you?

What happened to my baby!?!

 

[Danita]

What table foods does Bella like?

If she like breads, rice, oatmeal, you can build her diet on that. Add veggies to bird bread or rice/oatmeal.

I sprinkle Harrisons Mash on my tiels seed (lots of it), she eats seeds mostly.

 

[Chad]

I tried getting her to eat some whole grain bread and toast the other day and she wouldnt even eat that! I just don't understand it. She used to REALLY love that because it was nice and crunchy.

Sorry if I sound wicked dramatic about it all right now, I'm just exasperated because I've spent three days trying every vegetable I can get my hands on in tons of different forms and she wont touch any of them. Just feeling really reallyyyyyy frustrated. haha

 

[Danita]

Try making a bird bread, there are some good recipes on here. If she liked the toast before and if she did eat pellets, she will. Just be persistant

 

[itzmered]

Keep offering things to her. I usually have to offer several times before they try it.

 

[Annamacaw]

Anna is very very picky.... I buy canned organic pumpkin and I warm it up and feed her off my finger this will usually get her interested in eating other things! I also make my own birdie bread, I just throw all kinds of things in there, especially veggies and pellets... the things she won't eat..... sometimes she will eat the bread by itself and sometimes I pure the pumkin over it, warm and it and let it soak in and she will eat it

 

[Bokkapooh]

Try taking away her seed ALL day long, and only offer it at night time. Seed is seed is seed, its easy to switch a bird to a better brand of seed. Throw away the junk walmart seed and buy better quality. And only feed 1-2 tablespoons of seed at night, and only for 1 hour. Leave pellets in the food dish all day long.

Also try offering veggies, legumes, sprouts, fruit, in the morning, when birds are most hungriest.

I also make mash for my birds. Its an oatmeal/crushed flax seed/TOPs/sweetpotatoe mash.

I mix the ingredients together, some water, heat it up, and then handfeed it to my birds at night

 

[JLcribber]

It's going to take a lot longer than 3 days to change her diet Chad. It's really tough to change a picky eater. As far as pellets go you need to try different sizes, flavors and change the textures of them until you find one she likes. Moistening them. Heating and moistening them all changes the texture of them. Soaking them in juice.

Here are some good articles to help with picky eaters.

Feeding Our Parrots Well

Tips for Finicky Eaters

But he doesn't like it!

Greening of the Parrot Diet

 

[Chad]

It's going to take a lot longer than 3 days to change her diet Chad. It's really tough to change a picky eater. As far as pellets go you need to try different sizes, flavors and change the textures of them until you find one she likes. Moistening them. Heating and moistening them all changes the texture of them. Soaking them in juice.

Here are some good articles to help with picky eaters.

Feeding Our Parrots Well

Tips for Finicky Eaters

But he doesn't like it!

Greening of the Parrot Diet

I didn't expect her whole diet to be changed, she just wasn't trying anything, and it frustrated me further because she ate them before I rehomed her. I guess I know its going to be a long process getting her moved over from the crappy seeds shes used to eating to the 'good stuff', but I was just feeling a bit frustrated.

Thank you for the links!!

 

[Chad]

Throw away the junk walmart seed and buy better quality.

I'm way ahead of you on that! haha I bought better quality seeds on the way home from picking her up once I saw what she had become accustomed to eating.

 

[Chad]

Sorry I'm posting three posts in a row, but I have to say this, haha.

John, thank you so much for sending me the article "But he doesn't like it". It was so informative! That is one of the best articles I have ever read on parrots in such a long time. It had exactly what information I needed to find in it, and I loved how it had a step by step process broken down, AND it broke down bird behavior. It didn't just say "do this". I don't know, I just started reading it and I couldn't stop because it was just so good!! Thank you for posting the link!!

 

[JLcribber]

Well I hope Bella agrees with the article too!!

 

[KimKimWilliamson]

Im glad Johns post was helpful!
I actually switched Pru from Seed diet to Pellets by soaking the pellets in Pomegranite Juice for a few days, now she eats them willingly. Plus, she wouldnt eat much of the fresh veggies I gave her, just corn and peas, but I just bought some of Avian Organics Mash and tried it out, and she ate that up without hesitation, so you might want to try that

 

[hotfoot jackson]

Hey Chad..have you thought about feeding her sprouted sunflower seeds? When they sprout the fat changes into a more healthy sort, and the available vit and mins become more..um...available. You might also try sprouting other seeds to feed her, as they are (with vegies and fruit) every bit as good as pellets, and much more acceptable to birds who have got hung upn seeds.