Too picky!

Hi back,

Again with my BFA.
Right now I was trying to give him some pellets (with the hand) because he hates them he doesn’t eat them at all.

Well so;
1st pellet, he takes it he throws it.
2nd pellet, he takes it he throws it.
3rd pellet, he takes it, he throws it, he GROWLS... AND HE BITES ME!!
And a really strong bite. He bit me on the nail so he didn’t hurt me that much, but he broke the nail.

My question here is:
When he behaves like that and bites me, should I put him back in his cage and walk away?
Should I ignore it and continue doing whatever I’m doing with him?
How do I have to react when he attacks me like that?

I read and watch videos and some people says to hold the bite and continue being with him. Others say to close him and walk away, etc... so in the end I don’t really know who to trust.

What do you guys tell me?

Well in his defense he did tell you twice that he didnt want the pellet, by the third time he had just about all he could take lol. Peanut didnt like pellets either so I started only giving her vegetables and fruits and seed mix in the morning and then leaving the pellets out all day. She eventually started picking at them and now she eats them no problem.

Oh and when peanut gets in a mood every once in a while and pinches me, l just get up and walk away. She doesnt actually bite me hard though so ldont have any experience with that. Not yet anyway, shes only one.

Sandy19 said:

Well in his defense he did tell you twice that he didnt want the pellet, by the third time he had just about all he could take lol. Peanut didnt like pellets either so I started only giving her vegetables and fruits and seed mix in the morning and then leaving the pellets out all day. She eventually started picking at them and now she eats them no problem.

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Hmm.. I tried this during a week and didn’t work. I guess I’ll have to continue trying.

Peanut looks intelligent, Mambo would rather die than eating a pellet :/ he just eats sunflower seeds[emoji29]


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Have you tried giving him nutriberries? I don't think they're the greatest diet, but they do have some pellet in them and its probally better than an all sunflower seed diet. Peanut likes them for a treat.

Have you tried offering fresh foods? As in, fruits and vegetables,cooked grains and beans, sprouts, etc? There's so much more to bird food than just seeds and pellets!

Yes definitely offer him fruits and vegetables, grains and beans too. He' ll find something he likes. Peanut eats all of that so that wasnt the problem, she just didnt like the pellets.

itzjbean said:

Have you tried offering fresh foods? As in, fruits and vegetables,cooked grains and beans, sprouts, etc? There's so much more to bird food than just seeds and pellets!

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He eats fruits and vegetables every morning. I just wanted him to eat pellets cause like that I could leave them in the cage overnight or when I’m not home..


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I’ll try with the nutriberries, do you know if I can buy them online? There are not in the stores here..


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Oooooooh, I do hope you can get pellets into all the birds' diets... seeds are just such a "recipe" for disaster in the long run.
Here's what I use.
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, like fruits and vegetables! 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.

There's a big difference between "Nutriberries", and "Pelletberries"; Nutriberries are not meant to be a part of his diet, they are only occasional treats! Pelletberries are LaFaber's pellet to be fed daily as his staple food...So please don't start giving your bird Nutriberries like you would pellets, as they are full of sugar, fat, and are only to be given occasionally as treats...

What type of pellets are you trying to feed him? Sometimes you do have to try several different brands/types of pellets before you find one they'll transition to (that's assuming that you are using a transition-plan, like the one Gail posted from Harrison's, which is the absolute best pellet-transition plan I've seen)...

Also, as long as you're feeding him a healthy, low-fat seed-mix as his diet "staple", then he's okay and you can take your time in trying to properly transition him onto pellets (he needs to be eating a "staple" every day, either pellets or seeds, as fresh veggies and fruit will not sustain him, nor provide him with the daily nutrition he needs to be healthy)...However, if you're feeding him a seed-mix that contains sunflower-seeds,
then it's not a healthy, low fat seed mix, and you need to change it up to a much better one!

He can only eat what you give him!!! There are many, many healthy, low-fat seed-mixes available both online and in pet shops all over the world that contain No Sunflower Seeds, No Peanuts Or Any Other Nuts, No Corn, and No Sugary, Fruit-Flavored Pellets! If you choose one of these healthy, low-fat seed-mixes that contain no sunflower seeds, no corn, no peanuts or other nuts of any kind, and no fruit-flavored pellets, then you don't need to transition him onto a Natural Pellet so quickly...

****Some of the more common and highest-quality Seed-Mixes that you have to choose from include Tropimix (which actually contains Tropican Pellets in it), Higgin's VitaPrima California Blend and the No-Sunflower Seed Blend, SunSeed VitaSeed with No Sunflower Seeds, Zupreem Sensible Seed, and most of the Volkman Seed Mixes...You just need to read the bag/ingredients and make sure that there are No Sunflower Seeds, No Peanuts or other Nuts, and No Corn...those are the big ones. Then you can feed this to him, he'll eat it willingly as his daily "staple", and give him fresh Veggies every day as well (and occasionally fresh Fruit, although it contains tons of sugar too, which turns into fat and is stored in the liver just like the sunflower seed and peanut fat is, so give fresh fruit sparingly)...Then you can start trying to transition him slowly onto a Natural Pellet, and he'll still be eating a healthy, low-fat diet. Right now he's eating a seed-mix as his dietary staple that is full of fat, and yes, they will always pick out the sunflower seeds first, sometimes that's all they'll eat. Sunflower seeds should be given occasionally as treats, just like all types of nuts should be...and Corn, well, they really shouldn't get any Corn at all, except the occasional popcorn as a treat. Corn kernels found in fatty seed-mixes are horrible for them too...

I switched all of my birds about a year ago from Zupreem Natural Pellets and Higgin's VitaPrima California Blend to both Tropican Pellets and Tropimix Seed Mix (I am one who feeds BOTH a Natural Pellet and a healthy, low-fat seed-mix every day)...and they all love both the Tropican Pellets and the Tropimix Seed Mix...The only reason I switched to the Tropimix Seed-Mix from the Higgin's VitaPrima California Blend was because the Tropimix Seed-Mix also contains the Tropican Pellets in it, so they actually get their pellets alone and then again as a part of their seed-mix, so they're actually willingly eating more pellets without realizing it, and they love it too! Though the Higgin's VitaPrima mixes are also great, as long as they are the non-sunflower ones; the VitaPrima California Blend is awesome and they loved it as well...

jousze said:

I’ll try with the nutriberries, do you know if I can buy them online? There are not in the stores here..

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Yes, no problem, almost any online shop selling parrot-stuff carries them.
Most CAV's have them as well, because they are excellent bribes- and since they always also sell food as well you can get some there.


They are not in the shops because they are somewhat pricey.


I have some to use as treats, Appie loves those, Japie only if the time is right and Sunny is scared of them...