Only eats Seeds!

My shy 12 month old Indian Ringneck is a really picky fella. He only ever eats seeds. And that, SUNFLOWER seeds. This diet really concerns me because it could cause serious health issues for the birb later on (and I think he is slightly chunky rn).

We've tried to give him veggies (Carrots and broccoli in particular) and I've taken the advice of another user to chop the veggies into small pieces. He ignored them.

We also did try to put only veggies in his plate, but he'll go on and starve himself. I'm just very clueless on how to encourage Chilli to eat his veggies. (Almost like a spoilt child! EAT YOUR GREENS.)

I also did try eating a carrot in front of him. He's still very scared of us though, and idk if it's worked. Right now I decided to put only a spoonful of seeds (Making sure there's a lot less sunflower seeds in there too) mixed in with apples and veggies. Are there any other tips as to how I can help Chilli change his diet?

Would starving him out and only putting veggies in his bowl be considered as animal cruelty? idk if it'd work either.

Thanks!

No no no to starving him out! Won’t work!

Crush some pellets and mix with the seed and some apple juice!
Remember to change it out at least daily, cleaning the bowl very well!
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

Just one small suggestion for you. Have you tried small portion of the chop mixed through with a small amount of seeds so that your bird has to rummage through the chop and hopefully getting a taste of some of it in the process. Be sure he sees what you are doing otherwise he may just think its just that nasty chop otherwise. Then go sit and read or eat something yourself nearby. He will watch you for cues, just carry on doing what you are doing paying no attention to him.

Use a food processor or electric chopper (ninja) to shred all the veggies into minuscule pieces. Root veggies are sweeter, so if these are liked then to start make these the biggest amount, adding grated apples also helps and then when that is accepted try adding the less sweet ones. Make food foragers; containers that contain one or two sunflower seeds in with torn up greens/kale, destroying toys of peppers and kale on kabob sticks. If my fussy 'too can change then yours can too ok?

No starving a bird is a no, no, Ok, possibility of causing other problems. Be patient, give the chop first thing, then after a while if no go give things he will eat. If he is a little porky reduce the amount of food given, weighing is great and keeping records. Take care with any additional treats but remember the best way a bird loses weight is by exercise ie flying.

PS Sunflower seeds purely as treats and limit them please as they are fatty little boogers! If you want to convert to pellets then Nutriberries are a good half way house but you need to be sensible with the amounts fed. I had to use Cockatiel ones initially as the parrot ones were deemed too hard for my lazy boy. They worked! He accepted TOPs shortly after. Feeding instructions said feed 15 per day for a 'tiel! I fed six and that is now two, get the drift?

Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff. My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

Try bird bread! Lots of recipes online and most birds absolutely go nuts for it. Its basically like cornbread or muffin mix and you add in different veggies/fruits/things that your bird wouldn't normally eat into a more palatable option!

Great advice thus far, but I'd like to expand on your idea of eating the carrot in front of your IRN.

Make two bowls of veggies, one for you and the other for your bird. Eat "your" veggies in front of him and appear to thoroughly enjoy them. Bob your head up and down, make "mmmmmm" sounds. They are flock eaters by nature, and you are a member of the flock. You'll need to try this more than once to see if worthwhile! (You can also make a selfie video for friends!!)

Birdie bread is a useful method of sneaking stuff by them but it really depends on how chunky your lil' guy is? You will need to weigh to find out. If much overweight use sparingly.

Harrison’s actually makes it easy. I’m going to try this.
Harrison's Bird Bread Mix - Millet and Flax https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040Q7R7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sEj.zbV6ZQQW3

:smile049:

Oh my gosh these are awesome advices. I know what I'll be having for lunch today! I'll be sure to say what works while trying these out.

I just posted this in Tami2's pellet thread. Buy a small bag of Harrison's power treats. They contain red palm oil and taste (according to Harrison's) sweet like peanuts. My picky bird took to them like nuts and after two weeks of getting 3 or 5 a day I filled her bowl with Harrisons High Potency Coarse and one power treat...they look the same. She immediately took to the Harrisons...cold turkey swap from Zupreem colored pellets.