Dropping food in water

Ira7 · Jun 16, 2020

I don’t care...I change Archie’s water like 4 times a day (what else have I got to do?)...but I’m trying to understand his fairly recent behavior of me finding food crap in his water bowl. Started a few weeks ago, or so it seems.

He doesn’t get any seed as regular food, just Nutriberries, and I added their Avi-Cake stuff last week. I roughly crush up a piece of cake, it has real pellet-looking pellets in it and he’s actually EATING the stuff. But why all the crap in the water?

Including pistachio SHELLS, which I always toss him a few in his dry cup.

I never watch him to see what the hell he’s doing, because what’s worse than someone watching you eat? Is he dropping things in there to dissolve? Or is it just residue from his regular eating?

LaManuka · Jun 16, 2020

Lots of birds do this. My green cheeked conure did it, he taught my cockatiel to do it, and now my budgie does it too! I think they just like to soften the dry food up a bit to maybe make it easier to eat. It's colloquially known as "pellet soup"

Ira7 · Jun 16, 2020

LaManuka said:
Lots of birds do this. My green cheeked conure did it, he taught my cockatiel to do it, and now my budgie does it too! I think they just like to soften the dry food up a bit to maybe make it easier to eat. It's colloquially known as "pellet soup"

But do they actually ever go back and EAT it!?

Like I said, I’m not examining his every move, which is a practice I wish my wife would adopt with me.

LaManuka · Jun 16, 2020

I’ve watched Fang doing it. He seems to dunk a pellet in the water, then balance on the edge of his water dish, eat maybe half and the rest either falls in the water or on the floor of his cage, then he goes back for a fresh pellet and repeats. I’ve never seen him try to retrieve the remains from his water, much easier to go get a nice fresh one right?

Ira7 · Jun 16, 2020

LaManuka said:
I’ve watched Fang doing it. He seems to dunk a pellet in the water, then balance on the edge of his water dish, eat maybe half and the rest either falls in the water or on the floor of his cage, then he goes back for a fresh pellet and repeats. I’ve never seen him try to retrieve the remains from his water, much easier to go get a nice fresh one right?

That’s what’s so weird. They throw it in there, then ignore it.

mica21493 · Jun 16, 2020

Little Bird is a dunker too. Dips, chews some up, some falls in the water. Occasionally whole ones end up in there too. I change the water several times a day as well.

SassiBird · Jun 17, 2020

I've seen mine grab a pellet, dunk it in the water and eat it. When she goes back to grab another pellet, a few others stick to her wet beak. They fall into the water when she dunks the next pellet. Voila! Pellet soup.

bigfellasdad · Jun 18, 2020

Enzo is also an excellent and habitual 'parrot soup' maker. Anything dry goes in for a dunk (dry banana chips etc) and then she eats it. She loves hula hoop's, a uk potato crisp, she will dunk the crisp in water to remove the salt or flavouring prior to eating.
She even dunks her 'cup' sometimes

[ame="https://youtu.be/4bE21gP3kos"]YouTube[/ame] old video BTW, her new cage is so much bigger and better, and Enzo looks so much better these days too

fiddlejen · Jun 18, 2020

Ira7 said:
LaManuka said:

Lots of birds do this. My green cheeked conure did it, he taught my cockatiel to do it, and now my budgie does it too! I think they just like to soften the dry food up a bit to maybe make it easier to eat. It's colloquially known as "pellet soup"

Click to expand...

But do they actually ever go back and EAT it!?

Like I said, I’m not examining his every move, which is a practice I wish my wife would adopt with me.

He might be dunking to make it softer, or he might be dunking and leaving there in hopes of growing Nutriberry Trees. That's how they grow them in the wild...

noodles123 · Jun 18, 2020

It's like dipping a cookie in milk...
Or like dropping rocking in a pond...

One gets eaten..the other doesn't..not sure which happens half the time....
Maybe they are making tea lol--fruit infusion anyone?

noodles123 · Jun 18, 2020

fiddlejen said:
Ira7 said:

LaManuka said:

Lots of birds do this. My green cheeked conure did it, he taught my cockatiel to do it, and now my budgie does it too! I think they just like to soften the dry food up a bit to maybe make it easier to eat. It's colloquially known as "pellet soup"

Click to expand...

But do they actually ever go back and EAT it!?

Like I said, I’m not examining his every move, which is a practice I wish my wife would adopt with me.

Click to expand...

He might be dunking to make it softer, or he might be dunking and leaving there in hopes of growing Nutriberry Trees. That's how they grow them in the wild...

Off-topic moment, but I once told my little sister (more than 10 years younger than me) that if she planted an Oreo and watered it daily, it would grow a cookie tree (she was 3ish). So, she buried one in a pot and watered it for about a week or so. When she wasn't around, I found a small dead branch/stick in the yard and shoved in the pot (for evidence of clear cookie-tree-growing progress). That was in there for another week before I took a piece of string, looped it around the Oreo through the cream filling and hung it on a stick like an ornament (obviously when she wasn't around). Then, I told her to go water the tree, and I heard a 3 year-old-scream in LOUD astonishment: "MY COOKIE TWEE- IT GWOWED!!!! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH! CAN I EAT IT???!" LOL ---talk about the worst-yield for a plant ever---almost like an onion I guess ...with cookie trees, you plant 1 and get one back like a month later LOL-- at least with onions I am pretty sure you can someone grow a new onion after having used most of the onion itself as long as you save the root portion..Not so with cookie trees...maybe we should have fertilized it with milk or something (ew/LOL)!

I stopped reminding her to water it so that I didn't have to keep up with the "fruit" production, and a few weeks later, she was like, "oh no, I think it's dead!" (Me: "well, I guess you will have to remember to water your plants in the future..." LOL)

^totally off-topic but that comment reminded me if this moment in time ha!

wrench13 · Jun 19, 2020

You can try moving the water bowl far away from the food bowl(s). Another thing to try is to gradually move the water bowl; to the top f the cage, ending with just enough room for the parrot to get his head between the top of the cage and the lip of the bowl, to take a drink. Make sure he can still get a drink of water. If the water bowl is built in, block it off and use an attachable one, so you can move it.

Ira7 · Jun 19, 2020

noodles123 said:
fiddlejen said:

Ira7 said:

But do they actually ever go back and EAT it!?

Like I said, I’m not examining his every move, which is a practice I wish my wife would adopt with me.

Click to expand...

He might be dunking to make it softer, or he might be dunking and leaving there in hopes of growing Nutriberry Trees. That's how they grow them in the wild...

Click to expand...

Off-topic moment, but I once told my little sister (more than 10 years younger than me) that if she planted an Oreo and watered it daily, it would grow a cookie tree (she was 3ish). So, she buried one in a pot and watered it for about a week or so. When she wasn't around, I found a small dead branch/stick in the yard and shoved in the pot (for evidence of clear cookie-tree-growing progress). That was in there for another week before I took a piece of string, looped it around the Oreo through the cream filling and hung it on a stick like an ornament (obviously when she wasn't around). Then, I told her to go water the tree, and I heard a 3 year-old-scream in LOUD astonishment: "MY COOKIE TWEE- IT GWOWED!!!! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH! CAN I EAT IT???!" LOL ---talk about the worst-yield for a plant ever---almost like an onion I guess ...with cookie trees, you plant 1 and get one back like a month later LOL-- at least with onions I am pretty sure you can someone grow a new onion after having used most of the onion itself as long as you save the root portion..Not so with cookie trees...maybe we should have fertilized it with milk or something (ew/LOL)!

I stopped reminding her to water it so that I didn't have to keep up with the "fruit" production, and a few weeks later, she was like, "oh no, I think it's dead!" (Me: "well, I guess you will have to remember to water your plants in the future..." LOL)

^totally off-topic but that comment reminded me if this moment in time ha!

How is your relationship with her THESE days? HAH!

That must be a reat story to talk about together!!!

Ira7 · Jun 19, 2020

wrench13 said:
You can try moving the water bowl far away from the food bowl(s). Another thing to try is to gradually move the water bowl; to the top f the cage, ending with just enough room for the parrot to get his head between the top of the cage and the lip of the bowl, to take a drink. Make sure he can still get a drink of water. If the water bowl is built in, block it off and use an attachable one, so you can move it.

Yep. It’s the position of the bowls. I have one of those cages with fixed outside access (3 bowls total, 2 one side, 1 on the other), and although I can move the water to the other side by itself, I’m not gonna bother.

Let Archie have his fun.

noodles123 · Jun 19, 2020

Ira7 said:
noodles123 said:

fiddlejen said:

He might be dunking to make it softer, or he might be dunking and leaving there in hopes of growing Nutriberry Trees. That's how they grow them in the wild...

Click to expand...

Off-topic moment, but I once told my little sister (more than 10 years younger than me) that if she planted an Oreo and watered it daily, it would grow a cookie tree (she was 3ish). So, she buried one in a pot and watered it for about a week or so. When she wasn't around, I found a small dead branch/stick in the yard and shoved in the pot (for evidence of clear cookie-tree-growing progress). That was in there for another week before I took a piece of string, looped it around the Oreo through the cream filling and hung it on a stick like an ornament (obviously when she wasn't around). Then, I told her to go water the tree, and I heard a 3 year-old-scream in LOUD astonishment: "MY COOKIE TWEE- IT GWOWED!!!! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH! CAN I EAT IT???!" LOL ---talk about the worst-yield for a plant ever---almost like an onion I guess ...with cookie trees, you plant 1 and get one back like a month later LOL-- at least with onions I am pretty sure you can someone grow a new onion after having used most of the onion itself as long as you save the root portion..Not so with cookie trees...maybe we should have fertilized it with milk or something (ew/LOL)!

I stopped reminding her to water it so that I didn't have to keep up with the "fruit" production, and a few weeks later, she was like, "oh no, I think it's dead!" (Me: "well, I guess you will have to remember to water your plants in the future..." LOL)

^totally off-topic but that comment reminded me if this moment in time ha!

Click to expand...

How is your relationship with her THESE days? HAH!

That must be a reat story to talk about together!!!

LOL- We are really close, but this always pisses her off lol in a good-mannered way- E.G., "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOLD ME THAT?!! I was so excited about cookie tress!" HAHA
She still isn't the best waterer of plants....not gonna lie lol!

Dropping food in water

Ira7

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LaManuka

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Ira7

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LaManuka

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Ira7

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mica21493

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SassiBird

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bigfellasdad

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fiddlejen

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noodles123

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noodles123

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wrench13

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Ira7

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Ira7

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noodles123

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To much freedom!

I literally have Archie’s back.

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