Want to give up..

brianbh1378 · Jan 20, 2013

Squirtle(My budgie) eats nothing but seeds..(Mostly Millets).. I tried giving him some slight boiled forzen veggies but he would not eat it. I added some seeds into it but he diged through the veggies to eat the seeds =[.. I seriously dont know what to do.. I am afriad that Squirtle will die cause of obesity.. Can anyone please help me? I have had him for a week now. THanks~

Echo · Jan 20, 2013

Is he a baby?

brianbh1378 · Jan 20, 2013

Petsmart says he is around 8 months... He is currently standing on his food bowl, looking at me and chirpping.. i just want him to be healthy =[

Echo · Jan 20, 2013

Frozen boiled veggies by themselves can be a bit hard and not so appetizing for a bird used to seeds only.

Here is what you can do:

- Boil veggies and put in food processor to chop them very finely(or puree) then mix in 1 egg and cook the mixture in a pan, scrambled style (I use palm oil to grease pan with). Not many birds can resist eggs. Cooked that way it is difficult to pick only the egg so they eat the veggies too

. Sprinkle a bit of his seeds on top at first to show him it's food.

- Buy seeds to sprouts. Birds tend to like sprouted seeds and it's so good for them.

- Make corn bread and put in veggies, crushed pellets, boiled egg, little seeds.

Give him time. 1 week is short and it is a big change for him. Once he trusts you more, he will be more likely to try new things coming from you.

Echo · Jan 20, 2013

PS: you only have had him for 1 week, you are not giving up yet! You know how much food I have wasted before my birds would actually TRY it???? You have to keep at it every day. Just give small portions and you'll see it disappear one day!

Featheredsamurai · Jan 20, 2013

Have you tried pellets? Try the totally organic crumbles. They are very soft and break apart easily so birds are sometimes more willing to try them. Also try making a chop mix, I use this recipe. Chop Mix For Your Birds

Echo said:
PS: you only have had him for 1 week, you are not giving up yet! You know how much food I have wasted before my birds would actually TRY it???? You have to keep at it every day. Just give small portions and you'll see it disappear one day!

Sooo true, it took Rosie 6 months until I got her completely off seeds and I wasted a ton of food. It's ok if budgies eat some seeds though.

Birdlover11 · Jan 20, 2013

You could tell his age by his cere, what color is it ? My budgie had the same exact problem, they both would eat nothing but Kaytee Premium Parakeet Mix , and millet. I fixed it within a month by adding pure apple juice to pellets. Every 2-3 spoons of pellets you add a capfull. It was successful for me

Birdlover11 · Jan 20, 2013

Didn't read the part about only 1 week. I would give him a few more days before attempting to change a diet

Echo · Jan 20, 2013

Birdlover11 said:
Didn't read the part about only 1 week. I would give him a few more days before attempting to change a diet

Do not CHANGE his diet. Just add to it.

BillsBirds · Jan 20, 2013

I told you, Brian, to just give him time. I also suggested that you offer him bits of various things. Budgies are naturally seed eaters, and must eat seeds in addition to pellets, fruits & vegetables. Budgies fed only pellets often develop kidney problems. Plus, a diet of pellets as the primary food, is like eating corn flakes for breakfast, lunch & dinner, everyday...It's tasteless & boring. Variety is the key. Offer him a foodcup of pellets, a foodcup of the Fiesta mix, and a foodcup of fresh vegetables cut into tiny pieces. And offer him different vegetables each time, and see what he'll eat.

Birdlover11 · Jan 20, 2013

Echo said:
Birdlover11 said:

Didn't read the part about only 1 week. I would give him a few more days before attempting to change a diet

Click to expand...

Do not CHANGE his diet. Just add to it.

Whoops, sorry. Thought you meant completely change diet to pellets

sunnyvmx · Jan 21, 2013

I have cockatiels and if given a choice they will eat only seeds. I also do the chop mix, but I call it birdie mash and I put whole wheat bread, oatmeal, nuts, hard boiled egg, green pepper, carrot, cooked pasta or rice, broccoli, cauliflower, chick peas, and leafy greens into food processor. Nothing wet, you want a crumbly mixture. Cockatiels don't like fruit, but budgies may so add that only to food dish, not to mixture. I found freezing made it too wet, but the vacuum sealer with the vacuum bowls kept the mix fresh for almost a week. Use a few ingredients each time and switch with each new batch. Now to switch to pellets, I put a little seed in the bowl with the pellets. He'll eat the seeds and then when he's hungry he'll eat the pellets. Get a very small size pellet. In order for my birds to eat a well rounded diet, I feed the birdie mash for 3 hrs. in the morning and then a bowl of pellets until after noon and then seed. This is a measured amount of each so I know how much they are eating of each. The veggies must be thrown out, but if I see they didn't eat their pellets, I cut back on the seed and usually they will finish off the pellets too. Try it. I've had very good success with my finicky eaters.

Want to give up..

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Lutino owners...

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