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Senegal feeding

Rosie01

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Hello,
I’ve had a Senegal for a short time now, I’ve mostly had cockatiels in the past but after my elderly rescue cockatiel died I found my little Senegal Rico. He came from a seed based diet and addicted to sunflower seeds.

I’ve never had any issues with my birds in the past but he’s a nightmare to get any veg into him. I’ve switched him slowly to Harrison’s pellets. At first he ate them straight away but now he’s really not eating enough of them. I don’t think he’s too keen. I’ve been giving him veg and had to feed him some seeds. I’ve been weighing him every day. I’m just not sure going forward what to try? He won’t eat any veg, I still offer it every day and I’ve tried every shape and size, hung it, chopped, blended, everything.

I would love a breakdown of what people feed their bird each day? I’m going to try TOP’s most likely unless someone can offer something better or some advice.

Thanks
 

Zara

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Hello Samantha, Welcome to the Avenue! :starshower1:

Have you tried bird bread? And sprouts? :)
 

Rosie01

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Hello

I haven’t tried bird bread yet but I might give it a go. Sprouts are a huge no, he tasted it and spent the entire morning tutting. It’s like trying to get a kid to eat their greens
 

iamwhoiam

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Sorry about your 'tiel. Congrats on getting Rico. How old is he? Don't give up on offering veggies. If he likes seed you can try Lafeber Avicakes which are a combination of seeds and pellets. You can also try their nutriberries.
My Senegal gets a combination of Volkman hookbill and cockatiel no sunflower seed mixes, Senior Nutriberries (He's 34 years old.) and mixed veggies (frozen peas, carrots, corn, green beans and lima beans that I've microwaved and let cool a bit.) He also gets Lafeber parrot popcorn and Avian Organics baked treats. You can also try bird breads and mashes but I've not been successful giving those to Jake. He won't eat either of those. I've also tried different veggies and some fruits but no go. However, at least he loves his nutriberries and his mixed vegetables. Have you tried sitting next to Rico while you eat vegetables? If you seem to be enjoying them and model eating those for him he might be more willing to try. "Flock mentality" :)

BTW, you can try getting samples of Lafeber products by contacting them. They are very generous when it comes to sending samples although don't know how things are now with Covid-19. Worth a try, though.
 

iamwhoiam

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Hello

I haven’t tried bird bread yet but I might give it a go. Sprouts are a huge no, he tasted it and spent the entire morning tutting. It’s like trying to get a kid to eat their greens
LOL I've tried giving Jake broccoli and he would remove each piece from his bowl while saying "Ouch!" No more broccoli for him. :D
 

Zara

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Hello

I haven’t tried bird bread yet but I might give it a go. Sprouts are a huge no, he tasted it and spent the entire morning tutting. It’s like trying to get a kid to eat their greens
Sorry, by ¨sprouts¨ I mean, sprouted seeds/legumes ;)
You can buy mixes and just soak them overnight before serving.
 

Rosie01

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Sorry about your 'tiel. Congrats on getting Rico. How old is he? Don't give up on offering veggies. If he likes seed you can try Lafeber Avicakes which are a combination of seeds and pellets. You can also try their nutriberries.
My Senegal gets a combination of Volkman hookbill and cockatiel no sunflower seed mixes, Senior Nutriberries (He's 34 years old.) and mixed veggies (frozen peas, carrots, corn, green beans and lima beans that I've microwaved and let cool a bit.) He also gets Lafeber parrot popcorn and Avian Organics baked treats. You can also try bird breads and mashes but I've not been successful giving those to Jake. He won't eat either of those. I've also tried different veggies and some fruits but no go. However, at least he loves his nutriberries and his mixed vegetables. Have you tried sitting next to Rico while you eat vegetables? If you seem to be enjoying them and model eating those for him he might be more willing to try. "Flock mentality" :)

BTW, you can try getting samples of Lafeber products by contacting them. They are very generous when it comes to sending samples although don't know how things are now with Covid-19. Worth a try, though.
He’s around six years old, his last owner had him from a few years and for some reason just gave him to a shop. He’s already really bonded. I’ve been giving him veg every day, I keep trying different things to see if anything works. I’ve managed to get him eating some peppers by putting it on a metal pole thing for him to pick at. I’ll definitely give some of them a go, thank you! Yes, I’ve had the whole family pretending to eat out of the bowl. He picks it out and throws it a way. It works with most things for him but he’s just stubborn with veg ha.
 

Rosie01

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Sorry, by ¨sprouts¨ I mean, sprouted seeds/legumes ;)
You can buy mixes and just soak them overnight before serving.
Oh, sorry, No I haven’t. I’ll have a look into that, thank you!
 

tka

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You may have to offer veg many times before he'll accept it. Try presenting it in different ways - grated, cubed, in sticks, in small pieces, in big pieces... My girl likes to be able to pick up pieces of veg with her foot, so doesn't always eat veg chopped into tiny pieces.

It might help to actually eat from the bowl. He's smart - he knows you're pretending. A bowl of chopped carrots and peppers might be nice to share! Just make sure that you don't transfer any human saliva to him; our saliva contains bacteria which can be bad for him. That means no taking a bite from a piece of veg and offering him the rest.

Defrosted frozen peas (especially petit pois) are a big hit with Leia.
 

jh81

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Have you tried freeze dried vegies? And like @tka said, make him see you eat from the bowl. And over dramatize it :rofl:
make him believe it is AB-SO-LU-TE-LY the best!! YUMMMM there is nothing better to find in the world!! Birds are flock animals, and you are his flock. If you think it is worldly delicious, he may follow your lead and try it for himself :)
 

Hahns0hmy

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mine eats nutriberries, zupreem fruit blend ( tried all others hated them) Madagascar delight and mixed veggies. for daily diet.
 

Navibird

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Hi @Rosie01 , and welcome :) I'm pretty new to this forum, and in parrot ownership in general. I've had my brown headed parrot for 3 weeks now, and she also came with a bad seed diet. For 3 weeks I've been struggling to get her to eat enough veggies, she'd mostly just pick at them, eating some here and there. I just got a Zoomed Avian Sun bird lamp, and the immediate difference has been huge. I put a bowl of chop down under the lamp, and she took to it like a little fiend LOL She chowed down for nearly 30 minutes, silently. Didn't even flinch when I went to change her water! Her bowl contained sweet peppers, hot peppers, carrot, corn, green beans, sprouts, apple, and peas. And she tried everything!

I've been doing a lot of research into the lighting needs of parrots, and I've learned that they require specialized lighting if kept primarily indoors. Without it, it's said they are essentially colour blind. With proper lighting, they can see the colours of their food, the colours of their toys and so much more. I watched as my girl went from toy to toy, playing and interacting with each, when previously she would only really play with 1. There's a really great article I recently came across regarding the lighting needs of parrots, and the benefits of using proper avian lamps!


You might be surprised at the difference an avian lamp makes! I was enormously surprised :) Good luck with your fid!
 

Rosie01

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Thanks guys! I’ve kept trying and she’s now nibbling one little thing at a time. She’s finally realised her love of peppers so I’ve been adding them to the food bowl with others and she’s been tasting other things. It’s not a lot at the moment but it’s getting better each day. Thanks!

My main concern is the pellets right now. I never knew better with my cockatiel but I’ve done a lot of research. She’s not keen on Harrisons, she started eating them at first but she’s avoiding. she really likes nutri berries after I bought some to try the other day. I’ve now read they’re not a great diet and they should be a treat? Is that right? Could anyone advice? I’m worried I’ll end up going through the whole pellet range trying to get her to eat. She’s been the same weight every day, I weigh her every day to make sure. I’m just so worried she’s not eating enough as she was always snacking on the seeds.
 
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iamwhoiam

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Which nutriberries did you get? You can also try the Lafeber Avicakes, a combination of seed and pellets.
You can contact Lafeber and see if they will send you some samples of their products.
If she doesn't like Harrisons try some other pellet brands and also contact the manufacturers to see if they will send samples.
Sometimes you have to go through several different brands before you find one your bird likes and sometimes the bird will not like any of the pellets.
 

Hankmacaw

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Here is a complete and informational listing of pellets. Be sure you choose one that is a complete food (TOPs is not). Vitamin D and Vitamin A are particularly important. The only other way to get Vit D is by supplement or unfiltered sunshine. Vit A deficiency is still the most often diagnosed illness in birds. A pellet without sugar is much better - sugar is not good for our birds.

 
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