Gus the Jenday

[brolie]

Hi, I'm new to the forums. Probably gonna be around a bit though!!

I've always had birds, but Gus, the Jenday I got a couple weeks ago, is the biggest I've owned. Been having some issues that I thought I could maybe get some assistance with from you fellow bird lovers

I got him to trust me, generally speaking, very quickly. We spend a lot of time together and he learns quickly... except! He does not like treats and/or eating out of my hand. He picks them up and throws them if he's not avoiding them at all costs. I've tried all different sorts, but he just doesn't seem to want to get involved at all. So it's been rough to reward him with anything but "Good boy!"

Anyone have this problem or know of a way I could get him to take treats? Seems so silly that he won't!!

 

[Birdman666]

What are you using for treats?

 

[brolie]

I've tried mango, papaya, peanuts, yogurt covered sunflowers kernels, seed bunches...

He doesn't even seem to like treats out of his bowl, just his basic black sunflower seeds (his favorite) but he won't even use those as treats as a reward

 

[Birdman666]

Well, seeds need to be fed on a limited basis, or you will damage the bird's liver over time.

Mine loved safflower seed, cashew nut pieces, slivered almonds, and plain unshelled peanuts as a training treat.

 

[brolie]

Right- I've just noticed that he eats all of the sunflower seeds out of his bowl first....

I don't really want to keep buying treats that he'll never eat though, either... :\

 

[JamesC]

Tossing the food items sounds just like the way Tootsie, my female blue crown conure used to be.

I would certainly consider converting your bird over to a more nutritious diet than just the seed. It can be difficult but it can be done. It took me years to convert Tootsie. She was a hard core seed eater when I adopted her and always went after the sunflower seeds first. It was a battle of wills that she was winning until I adopted another blue crown who was willing to eat pellets. Finally, seeing him eat them and occasionally fed by him, she became curious enough to try them herself. I was shocked the first time I saw her eating one. It took some more time but eventually I was able to phase out the seeds entirely. Which was great for the health benefits but also got rid of those blasted moths that always came in with the seed. I hated those things!

There are plenty of resources out there to help you down the path of converting your bird. Just be careful and cautious and patient. And get a scale with a perch so you can monitor weight. It is critical to ensure your bird is not starving itself.

And as I found out, once you have a seed junkie on a healthy diet, try to avoid other than the most occasional seeds as a treat. A couple of times I got those seed treats as something to make sure she had food if I was going to be gone longer than normal, like overnight. Each time she got those she turned into a screaming brat demanding more. Took her 2-3 days each time after to forget that she had those tasty little treats.