Expanding Perjo's dietary choices

..and need a lil help.

She loves Roudybush pellets, loves the bag of dried mixed veggies, loves the fresh carrots and bananas I give her. Now I want to introduce some greens like dandelion and mustard greens.

I don't eat that stuff, never have probably never will, so I have no clue how to cut it and prepare it for her. Also is it better to mix them in with something else, maybe use in what you all describe as a chop?

Also introducing blueberries and pine nuts. When I put the first blueberry in her bowl she looked at me like I'm an idiot and tossed it out of the cage. LOL

DRB said:

..and need a lil help.

She loves Roudybush pellets, loves the bag of dried mixed veggies, loves the fresh carrots and bananas I give her. Now I want to introduce some greens like dandelion and mustard greens.

I don't eat that stuff, never have probably never will, so I have no clue how to cut it and prepare it for her. Also is it better to mix them in with something else, maybe use in what you all describe as a chop?

Also introducing blueberries and pine nuts. When I put the first blueberry in her bowl she looked at me like I'm an idiot and tossed it out of the cage. LOL

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Thanks for the laugh. Have you tried the 'I try it, you try it' method. Real nosey parrots and she will want to see what you have especially if you make loads of fuss about it. I'm sure a smoothie was also mentioned recently.

Chop does seem to work and one of the key components is to find out how she likes it ie fine chop, mash, or coarse chop and then combine the ingredients she does like with some of the new. Obviously chop with banana in will deteriorate quickly.

Leafy stuff I've had good luck with putting the leaves in a short glass of water (nothing the birds would get stuck in if they got to the glass) beside the cage and threading leaves through the bars. They both tend to prefer stuff that looks like a living plant. If I'm around, sometimes I put the leaf bouquet inside the cage, or weave leaves through the bars at the top.

If you have a food processor, you can also try cutting the leaves very small and mixing with other food the birds will eat, favorite stuff. If they like babyfood or applesauce, you can stir in something like this.

You can also make a juice or smoothie with these leaves and other fruit or veg. This is how I get my pionus to eat healthy stuff as she will drink just about any juice but runs away from anything that resembles real food

What a good idea - " putting the leaves in a short glass of water (nothing the birds would get stuck in if they got to the glass) beside the cage and threading leaves through the bars."

So if I took say Kale leaves, put the cut end into a glass of water, and weave the other end thru the bars, I can keep the Kale fresh longer? Please say yes, this sounds like a great idea!

Yes Wrench, they do last a little longer this way. If you recut the bottom of the leaves, that helps them suck in the water.

Here's a pic with some watercress I got at the grocery.

Piasa said:

Yes Wrench, they do last a little longer this way. If you recut the bottom of the leaves, that helps them suck in the water.

Here's a pic with some watercress I got at the grocery.

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What a lovely idea Piasa, I wished that it would work with Plum but seeing it on his cage he'd just push it over the edge - crash. :11: Filed that mum!

Unfortunately anything on his cage is fair game for that treatment. But I will try offering him some whilst holding onto it.

Hope it works for others reading this?

Might be something you can do with a food cup that attaches to the side of the cage, just put it on the outside rather than the inside of the cage.

Yes, my conure loooooves pushing drinking glasses and bottles over! LOL. He gets plants too, just not on top of the cage

So far she's is sticking to her dislike of blueberries, if I leave any in her bowl she is less interested in everything else in the bowl. I don't like that, so the blueberries are going bye bye for now.

She likes the dandelion, and baby spinach as well. She eats the pine nuts, hard to tell if she loves them.

I've pretended to eat some of the stuff myself in front of her, doesn't seem to convince her one way or the other so far. What I have noticed is when I eat my meals in front of her (on the couch near her cage) she goes to her bowl and eats. Pretty much every time at anytime of the day. Thatseems to be a good thing.

DRB said:

So far she's is sticking to her dislike of blueberries, if I leave any in her bowl she is less interested in everything else in the bowl. I don't like that, so the blueberries are going bye bye for now.

She likes the dandelion, and baby spinach as well. She eats the pine nuts, hard to tell if she loves them.

I've pretended to eat some of the stuff myself in front of her, doesn't seem to convince her one way or the other so far. What I have noticed is when I eat my meals in front of her (on the couch near her cage) she goes to her bowl and eats. Pretty much every time at anytime of the day. Thatseems to be a good thing.

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Yes that would be flock eating.

Perhaps have a look through the section on chop, it is so much easier to get a wider mix of veggies etc eaten when they are chopped/minced small.

Plum doesn't care for Blueberry either.