Does anyone else's bird go through 'phases' ?

Kermit is a funny girl. I introduced kale to her pretty early on to owning her, and she took to it right away. I always hang up kale and let her have at it. But periodically, she'll decide kale is on the outs.

She decided she hated it again about a month ago. And on top of that, this big batch of 'chop' I made (mango, bell pepper, rainbow carrots, quinoa, brocoli, mung beans, and apple) was also deemed as no good... and she used to LOVE it. She went a while on just pellets + foraged seed, with an occasional blueberry treat (always her favorite, thankfully). Well I decided to take another try at a different chop. This one is squash, carrots, fresh clover sprouts, and habenero peppers. Guess what ? She will hardly touch it. Only the sprouts seem to peak her interest; she'll mostly eat the seed part off and leave the rest. I've ever tried sprinkling some seed into it, but she'll just pick out the seed and leave everything else.

But the good news is she's eating kale again ?

This bird is crazy LOL. I can't imagine why pellets are always okay, but various veggies get periodically put on the outs. I know they taste better. I'll have to play around with the presentation of the new chop I made, to see if I can entice more interest. Otherwise, it looks like I'll be eating lots of salads...

I have the same problem. Syd is definitely picky. I have a batch of chop at the moment which he started by loving but now hardly touches. He doesn't question the pellets at all.

I am in the midst of changing things up completely. With the change of the seasons I am hoping to eat differently myself and will try him on lots of different things over the next weeks in the hope that I can renew the list of what he will eat. At the moment if he had his way he would eat just sweet peppers (only red), black grapes, cheddar cheese if he can get it (which he will steal if I'm not watching), cornflakes, carrot, peas and a little mashed sweet potato. Everything else just gets tossed. There's a lot of wastage for such a small bird but I'm not beaten yet!

Hi both with such small birds and them being so picky I think I would make a chop as a base such as Sw pot, carrots and quinoa for example and then have some different fresh stuff to dress it and make each meal look different. This also wouldn't be too costly and wasteful if it is rejected.

If they get much of your food then they wont have much of an appetite for their own food.

Good luck.

plumsmum2005 said:

If they get much of your food then they wont have much of an appetite for their own food.

Good luck.

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Right you are - just like dogs. Our last Jack Russels was so spoiled on table food, she would rather starve then eat dog food - why the very idea of it! Insulting!

OP, I am lucky in that Salty likes his current batch of chop. We usually mix in something with it. Fresh veg, Avi-cake, pellets soaked in veg juice. Something, so its not the same old same old.

Syd has fresh added each day and some days no chop at all - it all hits the floor! I try to eat my cornflakes without him noticing but give in just occasionally, but you are right if they decide they will only eat what we have then failure looms.

No fears - I'm not whipped yet!

Thank you, that's good advice. The reason why I made such a large batch of chop is I can be somewhat inconsistent as a pet owner. Socialization and cage cleanings I do regularly, but food prep really varies on my mood. Some days I feel like making a monster batch of chop, other days it's all I can muster to put in some fresh pellets.

That said, I'll have to play around with a base chop. I'm hoping to warm Kermit up to vitamin-A rich foods like sweet potatos and what-not, but she's a stubborn thing. She has a huge sweet tooth and prefers fruit LOL. On occasion, I have made her a birdie version of my breakfast -- unsweetened greek yogurt with a raspberry or blueberry. She's confused by the yogurt, but I think she feels very included.

Most times if you sit with your food and be firm and say "no, go eat your food", they are not happy but give in and go eat eventually. If you give any of yours it will be expected each and every meal you share.

Above all keep a eye on how much fat you are introducing by giving your food.

@IndySe If you make that batch of chop and freeze in sensible portions that last a day or two in the fridge you can add a moderate amount of fresh fruit to that with a piece of nut a few seeds/sprouted seeds.

" pellets soaked in veg juice"
Ooo, I like this idea! I'll definitely have to give this a try.
I've not had a ton of luck trying to get mine to eat different things but I continue to try. I did buy some foods from Drs Foster and Smith that's in small pkg you add water to & microwave (must wait, of course, to cool which is quicker if you take out serving size to cool on its own). Different varieties & cheap enough to try.

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@plumsmum;; usually that's what we do. 90% of what I eat is not kermit-approved. She's not allowed to take anything from my plate, but anything I put in a small bowl for her is fair game.

Annnd good idea. I'd like to keep using the chop I made because it really did represent all the essentials nicely. I have it all portioned up in small baggies that last about 3 days so that should work nicely.

@janquito;; ooo after I'm out of this chop, I'm going to try some of those premade meals. I saw that goldenfeast had some really nice ones out there too.

Yes, phases!

The Rb "breaks up" with various foods and toys, and sometimes with me. And then for no better apparent reason, he decides they/we/I are forgiven...

GaleriaGila said:

Yes, phases!

The Rb "breaks up" with various foods and toys, and sometimes with me. And then for no better apparent reason, he decides they/we/I are forgiven...

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You crack me up and give me inspiration. I think Conures are feathered 2-year-olds, only they never grow up. You have given me permission to pick my battles and just accept some behaviors. As long as no one is trying to remove a body part they pretty much rule the house. As far as phases, I am a 47-year-old woman and if you asked my husband if I go through "phases" he would write a 25-page essay, so who am I to complain?

Actually, by just allowing them to be "themselves" I have discovered much more about their individual personalities. On the hierarchy of family, I am sure I am listed as "servant" in their book, but that's okay.

Update on the food issue.

It seems Kermit is all about presentation. She must be french LOL. I can practically envision her with a little chef hat on one of those food dishes, critiquing dishes with a critical eye.

I kept putting her veggies in a ceramic dish similar to the ones her pellets are in. Once upon a time I used to put her veggies in her hollow coconuts, with a bit of wax paper to keep the coconut from getting messy. I stopped doing it for a while, because it still gets a bit messy x') But I noticed the only thing she's eating lately is kale, and only if it's hung up so... I figured she might like the challenge.

I offered her a mix of raspberry, quinoa, arugula, some blended seed mix, and a dash of cayenne pepper. She politely put her beak on it to please me, but it was clear she wasn't interested. I shoved it into her coconut with some wax paper, and she's already been over to investigate it. I think she gave it a thoughtful nibble. Hopefully this means she'll actually eat some of it now.

Otherwise, I might have to pull her pellets at certain hours of the day while her veggies are out to encourage her to eat them. I hate to do it, but she's being difficult.