I have been trying to get my parakeet to eat pellets for a more nutritious diet, but she will only eat seeds. I have also tried fresh and cooked veggies and even made birdie cakes out of cornbread mix with other good stuff added in, but she won't touch any of it. She is only a couple months old, so I thought I would be able to get her transitioned, but no luck.
Initially I tried mixing a small amount of pellets with her seed and gradually increasing the amount of pellets. She picks out the seeds but leaves the pellets untouched.
I asked my bird store and they suggested that I feed her only pellets in the morning (when she's hungriest) and then seeds in the evening. She still wouldn't touch the pellets and is starving (not to mention cranky) by the time evening seed time rolls around.
I'm going back to giving her all seeds all the time but would really like to find a way to get her a more balanced diet.
Any suggestions?
You're doing all the right things. Just don't give up completely. It took 10 years for 2 of my birds, a blue fronted amazon & a b & g macaw to finally start eating pellets ( for about 18 months now). Someone suggested clipping food or weaving it onto the cage bars --- I do this even for my birds that want the food just to serve it in a different way. This works very well w romaine lettuce or kale , parsley. Try a piece of bread ont the cage floor. Maybe try a different brand of pellets. Your bird has a very good owner=:]
what do they eat in the wild seeds we try to give human feelings to birds and other animals and in fact they would eat seeds if they were outside find out what seeds they like and that is what to feed them
Buy balanced bird seed.
Once a week, hard-boil an egg, throw the white away and put the yolk in the cage. Parakeets are stubborn when it comes to new foods, but don't give up. Be persistent and your bird will soon eat the yolk, which is an excellent source of protein for parakeets. Parakeets also like to eat little bits of cut-up fruit and leafy greens, such as grapes, watermelon, fresh spinach leaves, etc. I do not recommend feeding your bird millet spray as this is junk food to a bird. (sort of like french fries to you and me)
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Again, be persistent. Keep offering, keep offering, and offer again some more. Sooner or later, your bird will eat these healthy food sources.
If a food is totally new to a bird, it may not even recognize it as food. Offer new food in a familiar dish with other foods you know your bird already likes, and he or she may try the new food. Even if your bird only gets a taste of the new food by accident they still might decide they like it .
Place a couple of treats such as sunflower seeds, raisins or cheerios in a dish of new food. Your bird will likely get a taste of the new food while extracting the treat (the key here is to only use a couple of the treats and make your bird dig through the new food to get to them).
Offering new foods first thing in the morning is helpful, since this is when many birds naturally forage for food. Offer new foods alone first thing in the morning, and then give them their usual food a couple of hours later.
Try different forms of new foods - some birds prefer raw vegetables to cooked, while others are the opposite. Some like cooked veggies warm, others prefer them cooled. Some birds might be more willing to taste a puree or even juice made from new vegetables.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com A food that is ignored in a food dish might be eaten if offered in a clip on the side of the cage or in a play area. Try weaving greens through the bars of the cage, and using a clip for slices of vegetable or fruits.
Offer a chunk of corn on the cob, which many birds like to gnaw on.
Bright orange or yellow fruits and vegetables often attract attention Try a mix of brightly colored veggies, in bite sized pieces and mixed together (cooked or raw).
Give leafy greens freshly washed and still wet and hung from a clip. The droplets of water may attract your birds attention.
Offer foods after you have a bite - watching you eat the food may be all the temptation your parrot needs. Try making a fuss, acting like this is the best food you have ever had, and maybe even feed some to another family member to help convice your parrot that this is something he/she really wants to eat!
Most birds enjoy eating freshly sprouted seeds, which are an excellent source of nutrition and are often helpful in enticing birds to make the leap from seeds to greens.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Never starve a bird into trying a new food.
My parakeets are the same. I have been trying to feed them birdie bread and they would never go near the food dish and finally i felt pity and kept their seed dish back.
But mine eat carrot, celery, parsley, orange .. Did you try any of these? Place these in between the cage bars ..
For pellets - Instead of leaving in the cage you may wanna feed them in your hand.
Mix one or two pellets with their favourite treat or seeds (I hope ur budgies eat millet and nuts?) And slowly increase the quantity of pellets ..
