Lettuce it is!

So here's a little update on Maverick. So far, he is being a tad stubborn with his pellets, but it does look like, if given enough time and few seeds, he WILL crack and eat them. Some I am finding on the bottom of his cage, but not ALL of them seem to be ending up there.

Anyways, this morning I had some lettuce and decided to see how he would take to it. I was just going to put it in his bowl and let him decide, but he was on his door really wanted to come play, so I let him out for a little bit. He's in the guest bedroom *which is actually Maverick's room, he just lets guests stay there* so i had him running around on the sheet on the bed. It was so cute to watch him scuttle back and forth. Anyways, I had some lettuce and figured it would be a BATTLE to get him to try it. He snapped it right up and started to chew it (beak it?). He obviously couldn't do much with a bigger piece, but when I took it and shredded it really small he went for it fast! He would still chew the bigger pieces too. It was a huge shock for me to see him eat something GOOD for him so fast.

Now I have a quick question: I noticed while he was out that his poops look red. (not blood red!) They aren't a runny read and he doesn't seem to be in pain, they are just read. Could that be from him eating more pellets (namely the red ones)? I am definitely going to keep an eye on it, but I was wondering what your feedback might be.

P.S. When I went into his room today, I think I interupted a bath! He was so cute and wet, and his water had been splashed everywhere. It made us laugh, because he looked a little like a drowned rat. Still, a very cute drowned rat though

If your bird is being fed colored pellets then his poop will definitely have color to it....I wouldn't offer too much lettuce..It has very little nutritional value and a high water content which could cause diarrhea if fed in excess..If he seems to be enjoying leafy greens then try kale or spinach..They are much more nutritious.

I'll take note on the lettuce. I definitely wasn't going to feed him much of it (because it's a waste). I knew it wasn't the best veggie for him to eat, because it is all water, but it's a start . (for a seed junkie like my Mave, anything other than seeds is a start haha).

Thanks for putting my mind at ease about that! It also proves to me that he has been eating those pellets and it's not all in my head! WHEW!

Depends on what type of lettuce your feeding! NEVER feed Iceberg lettuce! IF you were feeding Romaine lettuce, then it is fine to feed. Like it was mentioned about the poop, if your feeding colored pellets, that's where it's coming from. But keep an eye on it!

I don't know why there's such a fuss about lettuce, really wouldn't it be a good idea in summer to make sure your bird is getting enough water? Not fed in large quantities but as an added source of hydration, an alternative to drinking a lot of water? Dehydration is an issue here in summer, always warnings from vets and RSPCA.
If I'm missing something please tell me but a lot of things seem to be blown out of proportion on here - like the whole we keep birds too sanitised so they die as soon as they get a cold, I'm rambling, its late, I'll stop!
My birds like bok choy which could be mistaken for lettuce by your bird? Happy birding!

Akraya said:

I don't know why there's such a fuss about lettuce, really wouldn't it be a good idea in summer to make sure your bird is getting enough water? Not fed in large quantities but as an added source of hydration, an alternative to drinking a lot of water? Dehydration is an issue here in summer, always warnings from vets and RSPCA.
If I'm missing something please tell me but a lot of things seem to be blown out of proportion on here - like the whole we keep birds too sanitised so they die as soon as they get a cold, I'm rambling, its late, I'll stop!
My birds like bok choy which could be mistaken for lettuce by your bird? Happy birding!

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Cause iceberg lettuce give them diarrhea which can make them sick so that's what all the fuss is about!

Romaine lettuce has less water and is a good source for vitamin k, potassium, vitamin c ,folic acid and a few other things I can't recall at the moment. Just like everything else feed in moderation. My birds love it : )

Runny fecal matter can be a symptom of sickness, but cannot make you sick, surely?

Grenage said:

Runny fecal matter can be a symptom of sickness, but cannot make you sick, surely?

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Try constant diarrhea, once your super dehydrated. Do you feel sick?

I’ve always thought Iceberg Lettuce was bad because it does not have any nutritional value, that is why I don’t give it to my bird. They are basically just ingesting water when they can be eating another veggie/fruit with actual nutrients.

It is bad because it is ‘empty,’ not because it causes wet poop. By that logic, anything that causes wet poop is bad. Apples, red bell pepper, corn, cantaloupe, mango, carrots, brocolli, jalapeno, kale, banana… and those are all great fresh produce to give our birds. It is what I give our soon to be 5 month old conure and he is great even with occasional wet poop.

Balanced with dry foods like pellets, nuts, seeds… I don’t see the problem with giving fresh veggies and fruits.

I forgot to add, as a seed junkie, another way to transition Maverick is to give him veggies that simulate that seed texture. My suggestion is to get a whole red bell pepper (or any color although I read somewhere that red has a bit more vitamins packed in it), cut it in half or a quarter and offer it to Maverick with the seeds still in it. With luck, he might grow to love the taste of the red bell pepper too. Our conure, Boomer adores red bell pepper. Expect his poop to turn dark red or brown. The only downside is you don't get to see if there is actual blood in his stool daily.

Corn is another that might tempt seed junkies. Make sure it's on the cob still. With luck, Maverick will spend hours working on it. Boomer's poop with corn becomes more like clear/syrupy right after eating it. These are just my experiences with Boomer so it may or may not work with you.

Ps: Just avoid apple pits or any pits and avocados among others. Look up Safe food list for parrots on google. It has a list of no nos and good stuff for birds. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice about the pepper! Stubborn Mave might be swaye that way. Are you meaning leave the pepper seeds in or put his seeds in it?

MikeyTN said:

Grenage said:

Runny fecal matter can be a symptom of sickness, but cannot make you sick, surely?

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Try constant diarrhea, once your super dehydrated. Do you feel sick?

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Ah, so we're talking larger quantities then? I always assumed that most animals simply drank more when dehydrated - I always do!

Not that I feed lettuce to our GCC.

Whole bell peppers will have a number of small seeds attached to its core. It might keep Maverick occupied too like Boomer.

BoomBoom thanks! That's great advice. We will have to give that a try soon.

I didn't mean large quantities or anything, was just thinking about other foods that have the same effect like apple and such.

Yes, romaine lettuce and such are better than iceburg (?) lettuce when talking about vitamins and noutrients, but when fed in close moderation, I think is fine. Also, about the bell peppers, my birds will only eat the red ones and sometimes the orange ones.
P.S. I couldn't find out whether bell pepper seeds where safe or not, so I'm glad now I can stop worrying.

To be honest, I bet the bell pepper seeds will be what Mave goes after and only want to eat. But I bet the color and texture of the pepper will interest him too. I am so excited to get one and try this idea out. I might even put some of HIS seeds in it and use it as a make-shift food bowl to see if that helps pique his interest even more. He definitely loves to play with his food (his precious seeds not included). Thanks for the advice on the peppers. I am sure eventually he will stop being a stubborn bird and eat what's good for him .

BoomBoom said:

I’ve always thought Iceberg Lettuce was bad because it does not have any nutritional value, that is why I don’t give it to my bird. They are basically just ingesting water when they can be eating another veggie/fruit with actual nutrients.

It is bad because it is ‘empty,’ not because it causes wet poop. By that logic, anything that causes wet poop is bad. Apples, red bell pepper, corn, cantaloupe, mango, carrots, brocolli, jalapeno, kale, banana… and those are all great fresh produce to give our birds. It is what I give our soon to be 5 month old conure and he is great even with occasional wet poop.

Balanced with dry foods like pellets, nuts, seeds… I don’t see the problem with giving fresh veggies and fruits.

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Yes it have no nutritional value yes, but it give them diarrhea. If you feed veggies and fruits on a regular basis, you shouldnt have running poop! In the past 15 years I haven't seen that happen to my birds if fed on a regular basis. When I used to breed I didn't have that issue either. I even fed my nreeder birds meal worms and no diarrhea.

IF anyone wants to try iceberg, its up to you...

I don't think anyone is promoting iceberg lettuce in this thread. Only questioning the notion that it is bad because it causes diarrhea. What is in iceberg lettuce that induces diarrhea?

I think that is what we are getting at since any wet fruit/veggie will cause watery poop (it is mostly water after all) soon after eating. My bird's poop is normal unless he's been munching on fresh produce. Its not constant wet poop which is akin to diarrhea.

Do your birds have solid poop even after eating an apple or bell pepper?