Pellet food.

My little bird is worrying me.
She just doesnt like pellets. I have tried her with the coloured fruity ones,at £12 a small bag,before that it was plain buff coloured ones,still expensive. Our local store sent me 2 different trial sized ones to try her with,but unfortunately they still contained sunflower seed,and she just picked them out to eat.

Before I had her she was fed on cheap chunky big parrot food,out of which she took the sunflower seeds. I realise that now.
I desperately want to get her on to pellets for a more balanced diet,but she just likes sweet things. All fruit but not veg unless its carrots.She doesnt like nuts either!

Ive tried putting a few pellets in Fresh orange juice,which she tried,but then left .
Any suggestions will be most welcome,Im sure I cant be the only one with a fussy little person.

Ps. I tried searching but couldnt find anything on this problem,I expect there is one though!!! LOL

Have you tried crushing up the pellets to a powder in a mortar and pestle, then sprinkling it over her food? I once had a VERY stubborn cockatiel who would almost have preferred to starve to death rather than convert to pellets. I tried every suggestion from my vet, from the interweb and from the pellet manufacturers and she point blank refused to even recognise them as food. After an eight week battle of wills I thought to grind them to a powder and incorporate them into her food just to get her accustomed to the taste and voila! Within days she was eating them like she’d done so all her life! Even if it doesn’t quite work your girl may inadvertently get some of that better nutrition into her without realising

Thankyou La Manuka, what a clever idea,I will do that without fail! Thanks!x

You're most welcome Cagzo, I hope it works for you

LaManuka said:

Have you tried crushing up the pellets to a powder in a mortar and pestle, then sprinkling it over her food? I once had a VERY stubborn cockatiel who would almost have preferred to starve to death rather than convert to pellets. I tried every suggestion from my vet, from the interweb and from the pellet manufacturers and she point blank refused to even recognise them as food. After an eight week battle of wills I thought to grind them to a powder and incorporate them into her food just to get her accustomed to the taste and voila! Within days she was eating them like she’d done so all her life! Even if it doesn’t quite work your girl may inadvertently get some of that better nutrition into her without realising

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This is definitely one of the ways that is most commonly successful.

Just as an added thought - maybe not for right away, but later on -
I actually have a Separate Dish for pellets for Sunny. IF they are in her "REgular" food dish - where she normally finds seedmix, chop, nutriberries, etc - she will eat around them or if Only pellets in there, copies the budgies and says "this is Not food."

However, in the separate pellet dish in a different area of the cage, she will go there daily and eat them. I feel like, she thinks of them like doritos or something - a snack, or some other kind of side dish that she wants Separately from her meal.

(This did Not work for my picky budgies, btw, so might be worth a try but deff ymmv!)

Oh also. Nutriberries might help too. (My Sunny only likes tropical flavor... ) Since they are made with whatever-percentage pellets. Even IF they pick around them, still, the lafeber-pellets then become a familiar taste - and at least you know they are getting Some vitamins.

But def try the pellets-powder first, it's Likely to work and then you'll be allset.

Excellent advice above, you can also bake "birdie bread" using ground pellets. Sample recipe, easily modified: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/65841-poppy-s-jolly-jungle-bread.html

Parrots are notoriously stubborn! I converted my flock of 8 to Harrison's Pellets using their protocol. Not pushing that brand, but the technique ought work with most any brand: https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/

I was going to mention the Birdie Bread idea that Scott shared. And crushing the pellets and sprinkling helps, too. If you make chop you can sprinkle it into that also.

My cockatiel is a big eater. He'd been on seeds for years but took to chop immediately and he can't wait for me to put his food dish out for him in the morning, scrambling down to get to it as fast as he can lol. It's pretty cute. My GCC is learning to like chop. I've def seen her picking at it but not with the same avidity as Govi, my tiel.

In terms of pellets so far I've tried Kaytee, Zupreem Naturals and recently Higgins In Tune. The latter has been the most 'successful' for both my Conure and my Cockatiel. I've been mixing them in with the seeds hoping to reduce the ratio of seed to pellet over time. I don't love that corn is the first ingredient along with the addition of canola oil and sugar but they aren't artificially colored and have a decent amount of other things in them. Plus the chop and fresh greens means they're getting other fresh nutrients and antioxidants. I see them as a bridge to eventually having them eat Tops Pellets. That's my hope anyway. :smile046:

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Govi
Nellie
Pearl

Don't ever pull your bird off what it knows cold-turkey-- some have starved due to stubbornness. You want to wean them off slowly...So I am hoping you didn't take away all of the bad food they were used to eating. It needs to happen slowly.

Thankyou so much for all the helpful advice you have given. Off to buy pestle and mortar plus a bit of "Conure Cake Making" will be the order of the day tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I will keep you all informed,and thankyou again.

Well my OH saved the cost of pestle and mortar by grinding pellets in the extremely well washed out,coffee grinder!
I sprinkled about a level teaspoon,maybe a bit less,over her chopped Apple,grape banana chips etc,she dashed down to get something and came to a grinding halt when she realised it had been tampered with!
All day long she didnt go near it,then in the evening took a few tentative bits out.By bed time nothing was left in the dish.
Thismorning same routine,but she went to get something almost straight away! So we are on the right track I think.
Thankyou for your input everyone,especially La Manuka xx

Oooh I'm so pleased it worked! There have been a couple of members report back and say their stubborn birdies have been won over this way. Just pulverise them up a bit less every day and with any luck Connie should soon be chowing down on them quite happily

Feeling much happier about it now,shes such a little sweetie,but obstinate!

Things are still good, she had a proper eat of just pellets last night. I assume that shes now associating the chop dish with the pellet food. Such a great idea.

Glad to hear it's going so well for you with using crushed pellets. I've had fussy birds that refused to eat pellets point blank. Tried everything I could think of with no success. Ended up with a sample bag of the pellets I had been using but in the mini rather than the small. Converted over in seconds. Exactly the same pellet just smaller. They can be difficult and very particular about what they consider food.

Another trick that has worked for me with other birds is to soften pellets with hot water so I end up with a thick doughy mix and add seeds to it. Roll it out into pea sized balls and offer as a treat. Just have to make sure you don't try it near breeding season or it can make them hormonal. Warm mushy food is something to be careful with around then. They of course go straight for the seed but have no choice but to taste maybe eat some of the pellet. Also works with getting them to eat chop.

A little redundant as you have found a solution that works but maybe it'll help the next person that comes along.