Good Fresh...Bad Fresh...Which is Which!?

Ira7

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I understand, or believe, that the healthy fresh stuff is vegetables, supplemented by fruits, not considered “as good” because of sugar content.

Archie is eating almost everything, but let’s stick to vegetables here:

I understand what he can’t have, but I’m trying to understand the nutritional value of what he can. For example, my vet told me no lettuce, because it has no nutritional value. So he doesn’t get that at all.

He loves his carrots, which I KNOW have to be good for him. But since he loves almost everything, does summer squash get a lower nutritional value than carrots? What about cucumbers? Fresh cooked beets? All kinds of peppers, and he eats them all?

I’m just trying to establish SOME kind of a 1 to 3 scale for the good stuff, to avoid the bad.

Are there any links here that make these distinctions? For example:

I would like to make him a sweet potato, but should I even bother putting that into his normal dietary rotation if it’s not good for him?
 

chris-md

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Feb 6, 2010
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Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Don’t try to overthink this. It’s ALL good. Even lettuce. Yes, less nutrition but plenty of insoluble fiber. Just because it isn’t a powerhouse doesn’t mean you can’t give it.

Don’t try to compare nutritional “values” of one vegetable over another, your head with needlessly spin. As long you’re providing a diverse diet, that’s really all that matters. Let THAT be your guide: diverse diet.
 

wrench13

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Yellow Shoulder Amazon, Salty
Squash - any kind
Carrot
HOT peppers - the hotter the better
Other peppers
Sweet 'tater

All very good for your Amazon.

Dark leafy greens , like Kale, Chard also good
Carrot, dandelion , beet greens good too.
little Corn
Non-enriched single grain ( no salt ) pasta
Quinoa sprouts
Most kinda sprouts

If you have the time and $$$ fresh is best, frozen OK. Thats what we do- just made up 90 baggies of chop with most f the ingredients above.
 
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Ira7

Ira7

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  • Thread Starter
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  • #4
Squash - any kind
Carrot
HOT peppers - the hotter the better
Other peppers
Sweet 'tater

All very good for your Amazon.

Dark leafy greens , like Kale, Chard also good
Carrot, dandelion , beet greens good too.
little Corn
Non-enriched single grain ( no salt ) pasta
Quinoa sprouts
Most kinda sprouts

If you have the time and $$$ fresh is best, frozen OK. Thats what we do- just made up 90 baggies of chop with most f the ingredients above.
Your “most” kind of sprouts scares me a little.

My grey loved chicken wings, but so far, Archie ain’t interested. What about a little bit of hard boiled egg now and then? He didn’t go for fried last week, but seems to have liked the little HBE I gave him this morning.

And where the heck do I get dandelion? I don’t live in freaky, psychedelic California!
 
Last edited:
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Ira7

Ira7

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Also, he doesn’t touch his pellets at all, and I give him very, very little seed. He’s getting 90% of intake from fresh.

He’s been getting Top’s pellets (Topp’s?), and I’m thinking about giving something else a try.
 
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Ira7

Ira7

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Big surprise. Wally World didn’t have dandelions or quinoa.

Headed to Publix now to buy stuff for a barbecue, and I’ll get him SOMETHING new there to try.

I understand that many here prep chop mixes of different things, but I’m retired and not only have the time (and no life) to chop each single ingredient meal separately, but it’s a pisser when I show him the bowl before setting it in the cage and he goes....

“Oooooohhhhhh.”

Maybe he can learn to express what he wants through cognitive speech, although I don’t care if he does anyway. I never cared about speech ability.
 

Laurasea

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Aug 2, 2018
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Leafy greens lettaces other than iceburg are packed with nutrition.

I just offer whole green beans fresh , minimum cut up on any veggies I offer, they got beaks I let th use them. I don't make chop ahead. Read hot chili peppers have lots if vitamin A, hard squashes like butternut or pumpkin I cook. Mineije zucchinis fresh , shredded fresh Brussels sprouts, fresh corn cut from the cob, broccoli...ok il stop they eat everything! Berries are good on the fruit front, cherries, plums, blackberries, cranberries, blueberries
 

LucyBird

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Jan 20, 2020
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Yellow shouldered amazon
Thankfully, Lucy is not a picky eater and will eat anything. She has tried red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers but I did not think to try hot peppers. It wouldn't burn her little tongue? In my mind, I picture her giving me a look of "why would you give me this?!"

I personally love spicy foods so there are always hot peppers in the fridge. Have you tried them with Salty?

Her new favorites right now are blueberries and grapes (just the inside parts, not the skin for whatever reason...)

I also bought Bird Bistro to try which and she likes that. It gets ALL over her beak and then she shakes and it sticks to my walls so that's fun. I'll try and get a picture of her messy self next time she dives in.



Squash - any kind
Carrot
HOT peppers - the hotter the better
Other peppers
Sweet 'tater

All very good for your Amazon.

Dark leafy greens , like Kale, Chard also good
Carrot, dandelion , beet greens good too.
little Corn
Non-enriched single grain ( no salt ) pasta
Quinoa sprouts
Most kinda sprouts

If you have the time and $$$ fresh is best, frozen OK. Thats what we do- just made up 90 baggies of chop with most f the ingredients above.
 

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