Are dried fruits ok or should it be fresh

minxydoodles · Sep 5, 2017

Hi everyone

Basically after weeks of trying i finally got my 2 lovebirds off seed diet and eating only nutriberries for the past 2 years (hardest thing ever lol)
They eat the tropical ones & sunny orchard and eat the dried fruits in them (but not all of them) i.e the papaya mango pineapple, cranberries apricots dates other times they pick which ones they want and ignore the ones they don't want for that day

They do ignore mostly ignore the pellets and just go for the seeds & fruits (except the cranberries) if theyre really hungry everything will be eatan which is about 50% of the time lol

But for the life of me i cannot get them to even try any fresh fruit or vegetables i have tried nearly every fruit and veg known to man thats edible lol and nothing except it being tossed on the floor of the cage or as icey loves to throw it onto my floor as a present lol

So i was wondering if them just having the dried fruits was okay or if i should keep trying with the fresh ?
I recently got the nutriberries with dried vegetables in them so will see if they eat those aswell to give them some veggies

If i have to keep trying with the fresh, is there anyway you got them to finally eat them ?
I tried taking out the nutriberries in morning and evenings & put a range of different fruits n veg in their usual foot pots when they would be most hungry but they didnt budge at all the entire days with icey throwing tantrums the whole time untill i gave them food (im sure my 2 are so stubborn they would rather starve than touch the icky fresh fruits or veg lol)
I tried putting it through cage bars where they usually chill out most the time, ended up on my floor lol
I tried rubbing it on their toys they avoided them lol

Literally out of ideas [emoji85]

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SailBoat · Sep 5, 2017

I am sure that several others will join in regarding the diet needs of your Parrot!

Regarding your Title Question: Yes, dried fruits are okay for Parrots. That said, it is important to remember that dried fruits are concentrated and therefore, one should limit the size of the offering.

Regarding the size of the offering, it is not uncommon to start feeding pellets that have been crushed, therefore smaller in size and also the crumbs are sometimes gathered-up and eaten with the other dry foods.

Fresh Veggies etc... Consider providing them as first meal in the morning. It is not uncommon to consider changing the shape and size of the offering. Parrots can be just odd and as part of that picky in what they will and will not eat. Welcome to one of the reasons that Bird People are a bit crazy!

plumsmum2005 · Sep 6, 2017

Hi welcome, yes agree with 'Boats suggestions and this may also help?

https://www.thespruce.com/lovebirds-1236921

Try making toys of some veggies, peg to the bars kale leaves, peppers, etc and use Kabobs to skewer some cooked veggies on.

Sometimes it is the make of pellet that is the stumbling block, wont eat x but will y?

Go easy on dried fruit as very sugary. Have you tried sprinkling some seed on some 'chop' they will have to at least get their beaks messy!

minxydoodles · Sep 6, 2017

SailBoat said:
I am sure that several others will join in regarding the diet needs of your Parrot!

Regarding your Title Question: Yes, dried fruits are okay for Parrots. That said, it is important to remember that dried fruits are concentrated and therefore, one should limit the size of the offering.

Regarding the size of the offering, it is not uncommon to start feeding pellets that have been crushed, therefore smaller in size and also the crumbs are sometimes gathered-up and eaten with the other dry foods.

Fresh Veggies etc... Consider providing them as first meal in the morning. It is not uncommon to consider changing the shape and size of the offering. Parrots can be just odd and as part of that picky in what they will and will not eat. Welcome to one of the reasons that Bird People are a bit crazy!

Thanks

I tried taking out the food amd just putting veg & fruits in mornings they wouldnt touch it at all not even one little nibble just loud screeching temper tantrums and food pots thrown on the floor then the pot bashed against the cage for a very long time [emoji85]

I don't give them suppliment dried fruits they eat them from the nutriberries i give them just most of the time the pellets are left behind, the fruit and seeds are eatan.

Do you think i should crush the nutriberries up ?

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minxydoodles · Sep 6, 2017

plumsmum2005 said:
Hi welcome, yes agree with 'Boats suggestions and this may also help?

https://www.thespruce.com/lovebirds-1236921

Try making toys of some veggies, peg to the bars kale leaves, peppers, etc and use Kabobs to skewer some cooked veggies on.

Sometimes it is the make of pellet that is the stumbling block, wont eat x but will y?

Go easy on dried fruit as very sugary. Have you tried sprinkling some seed on some 'chop' they will have to at least get their beaks messy!

Will read that now thank you

Yes i tried hiding their seeds under the veg/fruits showing sunflower feeds so they would have to dig to get them, it all ended up on the floor with very unhappy screeching & food pots being thrown lol
I tried sprinkling the seeds over same thing with temper tantrums
I tried putting it through the cage where they chill out and it was thrown on my floor
I tried spreading it on treat sticks it was ignored to the point i had to wipe it off and more temper tantrums lol

They only eat the dried fruits from their nutriberries [emoji85]

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plumsmum2005 · Sep 6, 2017

If they only eat the fruits in the Nutriberries then tbh they are an expensive luxury really. Little or no point giving them. Best to avoid Sunflower seeds as very fatty, our birds do not do the flying miles to burn it off so end up overweight and poorly.

Keep trying with the veggies, as one day you never know? Have you tried adding apple sauce to some chop? Shredded/grated apple?

If you can get somewhere with the veggies then it may be possible to add some ground pellets to that eventually.

Have you tried sprouting/sprouted seeds as they are good?

minxydoodles · Sep 6, 2017

plumsmum2005 said:
If they only eat the fruits in the Nutriberries then tbh they are an expensive luxury really. Little or no point giving them. Best to avoid Sunflower seeds as very fatty, our birds do not do the flying miles to burn it off so end up overweight and poorly.

Keep trying with the veggies, as one day you never know? Have you tried adding apple sauce to some chop? Shredded/grated apple?

If you can get somewhere with the veggies then it may be possible to add some ground pellets to that eventually.

Have you tried sprouting/sprouted seeds as they are good?

Lol no they eat everything in the nutriberry except the pellets sometimes they do other times they ignore, what i mean is of every fruit ot veggie i have given them they only eat the fruit that comes with the nutriberry lol
Those things are expensive i wouldnt keep buying them if they only ate the fruit [emoji57]

Hmmmm il try the applesauce & grating apples and carrots and wrapping their nutriberries in it so they have to eat it one way or another lol

I havent tried sprouted seeds, do you mean like watercress ?

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plumsmum2005 · Sep 7, 2017

Sprouting here you go http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/57416-sprouting-made-easy.html

minxydoodles · Sep 7, 2017

plumsmum2005 said:
Sprouting here you go http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/57416-sprouting-made-easy.html

Ahhhh thank you soo much

Will buy some off Amazon and get to growing some sprouts and kindly force them to eat their fresh fruits and veggies !!! [emoji2]

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plumsmum2005 · Sep 7, 2017

minxydoodles said:
plumsmum2005 said:

Sprouting here you go http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/57416-sprouting-made-easy.html

Click to expand...

Ahhhh thank you soo much

Will buy some off Amazon and get to growing some sprouts and kindly force them to eat their fresh fruits and veggies !!! [emoji2]

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Seed eaters usually take to sprouted seeds etc fairly quickly and then you are half way there to the rest. Good luck.

minxydoodles · Sep 7, 2017

plumsmum2005 said:
minxydoodles said:

plumsmum2005 said:

Sprouting here you go http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/57416-sprouting-made-easy.html

Click to expand...

Ahhhh thank you soo much

Will buy some off Amazon and get to growing some sprouts and kindly force them to eat their fresh fruits and veggies !!! [emoji2]

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Click to expand...

Seed eaters usually take to sprouted seeds etc fairly quickly and then you are half way there to the rest. Good luck.

Hoping so !!!
I will buy on the weekend and let you know how they get on [emoji4]

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minxydoodles · Sep 7, 2017

I didn't want to make another thread so i thought id ask here again

I just wanted to know as they prefer seeds, are these ones i use on treat days ok to give everyday along with their nutriberries to get them to try and eat their fruits and veg & the sprouting seeds

Im posting pics of the packaging and the ingrediants

Thanks in advance for the help !

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Flboy · Sep 7, 2017

Peanuts are a red flag for some!

Jottlebot · Sep 7, 2017

I'm pretty sure fruits dried for human consumption are not good for parrots. They contain sulfites and/or nitrites as part of the drying or preserving process and although I have no idea what that means I think I've read it's not good!

minxydoodles · Sep 7, 2017

Jottlebot said:
I'm pretty sure fruits dried for human consumption are not good for parrots. They contain sulfites and/or nitrites as part of the drying or preserving process and although I have no idea what that means I think I've read it's not good!

The only dried fruits they eat are already in their nutriberries [emoji4] but thank you for letting me know in advance if i ever have any myself i know not to share with them lol

I would share my fresh fruits with them but theyd both only just throw it on the floor lol

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minxydoodles · Sep 7, 2017

Flboy said:
Peanuts are a red flag for some!

Oh dear [emoji85] il just have to wrap their nutriberries in shredded fruits lol

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gentleheart · Sep 7, 2017

Hi there,

Plum already said what I would suggest, which is making a chop or mash and/or sprinkling seeds over the fresh food. Millet is a favorite and usually has good success.

One thought that crossed my mind is that though the lovies may be throwing the food bowls, it doesn't mean they haven't tasted and maybe even ate a little. My lovebird did the same thing, throwing those food bowls. It drove me nuts, and he got so much satisfaction from seeing it fall to the bottom of the cage. I finally got a fairly heavy ceramic bowl, and placed it in the bottom of the cage in a corner where he doesn't poop. This solved the problem. You can also get some of those food crocs that lock onto the side of the cage, they won't be able to throw those.

In my opinion, you should try to go to a pellet diet. Nutriberries are a great treat, not so great as the sole diet (and very expensive too!). I have had good success using a gradual introduction of pellets. I start out the first week doing 25% pellets and 75% seed mix in the food bowls. Then the next week I go to 50% and 50%. then 75% pellets and 25% seed. By the fourth week, you begin not feeding any seed at all anymore. By this time they should have been eating the pellets just fine. I just only offer them the pellets at this point, and monitor their food intake. Any that are being stubborn even after the gradual introduction usually begin eating the pellets when they realize they won't get anything else.

If they like that sugary taste of dried fruits, I would try getting one of those "junk" pellet brands (very colorful, looks like kids junk cereal) and a good natural pellet brand and use a mixture of both as the pellet portion in the gradual introduction method. These can help with the transition to something healthier. I'll provide example links at the end of this post.

One last thing is that I wouldn't push the fresh fruits so much. Focus on getting them to eat fresh vegetables. My birds (especially the parakeets) always loved a big huge romaine, swiss chard, or other type of lettuce hanging in the cage, but only if I wet it down first. They really liked it so wet that the water was dripping off it. Not sure why, but they loved it and tore those things apart, I was actually able to use them as treats in taming.

Here are a couple examples of those different kinds of pellets I was talking about:

"Junk" pellets
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/bird/bird-food-and-treats/bird-food/zupreem-avianmaintenance-fruitblend-bird-diet-for-small-birds

Healthy/natural pellets:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/bird/bird-food-and-treats/bird-food/roudybush-daily-maintenance-mini-pellets

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/bird/bird-food-and-treats/bird-food/lafebers-premium-daily-diet-for-parrots

You can also try cooked mixes as a diet supplement and treat. I've never seen a bird turn their beak up at a cooked mix.
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/bird/bird-food-and-treats/bird-food/roudybush-orchard-harvest-soak-and-feed

minxydoodles · Sep 8, 2017

gentleheart said:
Hi there,

Plum already said what I would suggest, which is making a chop or mash and/or sprinkling seeds over the fresh food. Millet is a favorite and usually has good success.

One thought that crossed my mind is that though the lovies may be throwing the food bowls, it doesn't mean they haven't tasted and maybe even ate a little. My lovebird did the same thing, throwing those food bowls. It drove me nuts, and he got so much satisfaction from seeing it fall to the bottom of the cage. I finally got a fairly heavy ceramic bowl, and placed it in the bottom of the cage in a corner where he doesn't poop. This solved the problem. You can also get some of those food crocs that lock onto the side of the cage, they won't be able to throw those.

In my opinion, you should try to go to a pellet diet. Nutriberries are a great treat, not so great as the sole diet (and very expensive too!). I have had good success using a gradual introduction of pellets. I start out the first week doing 25% pellets and 75% seed mix in the food bowls. Then the next week I go to 50% and 50%. then 75% pellets and 25% seed. By the fourth week, you begin not feeding any seed at all anymore. By this time they should have been eating the pellets just fine. I just only offer them the pellets at this point, and monitor their food intake. Any that are being stubborn even after the gradual introduction usually begin eating the pellets when they realize they won't get anything else.

If they like that sugary taste of dried fruits, I would try getting one of those "junk" pellet brands (very colorful, looks like kids junk cereal) and a good natural pellet brand and use a mixture of both as the pellet portion in the gradual introduction method. These can help with the transition to something healthier. I'll provide example links at the end of this post.

One last thing is that I wouldn't push the fresh fruits so much. Focus on getting them to eat fresh vegetables. My birds (especially the parakeets) always loved a big huge romaine, swiss chard, or other type of lettuce hanging in the cage, but only if I wet it down first. They really liked it so wet that the water was dripping off it. Not sure why, but they loved it and tore those things apart, I was actually able to use them as treats in taming.

Here are a couple examples of those different kinds of pellets I was talking about:

"Junk" pellets
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...ntenance-fruitblend-bird-diet-for-small-birds

Healthy/natural pellets:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...food/roudybush-daily-maintenance-mini-pellets

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...-food/lafebers-premium-daily-diet-for-parrots

You can also try cooked mixes as a diet supplement and treat. I've never seen a bird turn their beak up at a cooked mix.
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...-food/roudybush-orchard-harvest-soak-and-feed

Thank you so much for the help

I will have a looksie at the pellets and buy some once i get paid.
Will have to find more millet everytime i go to the petshop theyve always ran out !

Do you think it would be best to use the seeds (the ones i posted as they love them) as the gradual introduction to the pellets instead of the nutriberries (sometimes they leave the pellets but other times they eat them but every single last seed will be consumed so very confusing lol)

When you gave the pellets did you crush yours or just give it to them how they normally are in the packet

Hmmm Il try the wet lettuce & kale , what do you use to tie it to the top of the cage so it hangs but without falling off from them pulling at it (sorry if that is a stupid question my brain is a mess lol)

The only problem with me putting the food bowl on the floor is she poopis everywhere lol so il have a look at the other one you mentioned, i did manage to get the pot holder to be immovable she figured out she couldn't pull it off anymore so she now goes underneath the pot and uses her head to savagely push it out of the holder onto the floor while letting out victory screeches LOL

i just looked at the links, i thought the zupreem blend was ok , what is it about that one that makes it a junk food ? Sorry i would just like to know in future so i know myself what to look out for
Is the harrison pellet brand good, that is the one most readily available in petshops and the vets

Again thank you so much [emoji2] [emoji24]

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plumsmum2005 · Sep 8, 2017

Wooden clothes pegs can be used for food hangers.

Try the pots that twist and lock and then dare them to remove that LOL!

minxydoodles · Sep 8, 2017

plumsmum2005 said:
Wooden clothes pegs can be used for food hangers.

Try the pots that twist and lock and then dare them to remove that LOL!

Ahhhhh good old trusty clothes pegs shame i threw mine out LOL
Il add those onto the birdie shopping list

I had to get something similar for her water pot, she would just throw everything out water pouring outside the cage whenever i came to check what the clunking noise was lol
When i changed it to the one i have now omg she had a right temper tantrum could have been an episode of birds gone wild - how to savagely destroy the new water pot LOL

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Are dried fruits ok or should it be fresh

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