Canary people

[Pajarita]

Yes, you are correct. So correct in fact that I've had three AVs tell me that they know pellets are not the best dietary option but they still tell their clients it is because they don't trust them to feed their birds right (a sad commentary on bird owners, if you ask me). But that holds true for parrots which eat all kinds of plant materials, lots of fruit and not so much protein in the wild so they are 'programmed' to gorge on protein whenever they find it. Canaries are different because they are natural seed-eaters so they don't really have the strong urge parrots get for protein (and they also have a much 'stronger' liver). If you give a hungry parrot the choice between seeds and a romaine leaf, they would not even look at the lettuce and go straight for the seeds. But give a canary the same choice and he will go for the lettuce first every time. My canaries eat a medium size romaine leaf (or another green, I am just using the romaine for size comparison -they actually get a different green every day) every single day plus a big piece (about half their size) of fruit.

 

[SoCalWendy]

My canary loved romain lettuce. He got some every day. He also loved raw oatmeal. My husband would give him just a little every morning.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Pepito definitely used to choose the fresh veggies as his top choice.....whereas Georgie, my sun, would have lived on pure junk if given the opportunity. Gilbert, thankfully, is very open and not picky and enjoys a huge variety of food.(maybe because i 'trained' him to eat better by having him eat with me? not sure but he does seem to watch me eating and then follows my lead and eats a new veggie.)

Speaking of my little Pepe, i gave away his seed yesterday (my neighbor has a canary). I bought a memorial stepping stone for his grave too.