I discovered a trick for getting your birds to eat pellets that actually worked!

[LoveMyFids]

So, awhile back I did this experiment on a whim & it totally worked. Maybe it will work for those of you who have birds that just won't go for any pellets. I give my birds a minced vegetable based chop daily, which they readily eat. I put a couple pinches of seed into their chop because they will always eat the seed & if the seed is stuck in the chop, then they end up eating more chop. So, when it comes to pellets like Roudybush & Mazuri & Harrison's (for those of you who use these & most do, cuz' really there isn't much other options out there)-they all make the small sized pellets for finches & budgies. They are little tiny crumbles, or in the case of Mazuri-they look like millet seeds. The ingredients are the same for the larger vs. smaller pellets, so the nutrition is the same. Try putting the tiny pellets in with your chop-or if you don't do chop because your bird won't eat it, put it in their seed mix. I did it as an experiment & they actually ate them, thinking they were bits of seed. I believe it actually fooled them into thinking they were eating some sort of new, magical fandangled seed (especially the Mazuri, because they look like millet seeds), simply because they were hard, crunchy & tiny. For those of you who are struggling to convert all seed eaters to pellets-or at least get some pellets into them, try it out. Maybe it will work? Worth a try anyway. Oh, there's also the trick of soaking your pellets & making them into mush, maybe with some fruit puree to give it more flavor. That's an idea too. Anyway, if anyone tries this trick, please share if it worked. It worked immediately for me for a picky pellet eater. Note-the picky pellet eater still doesn't like to eat the larger sized pellets, but will eat the tiny ones in the chop always-go figure! (Oh, & yes I am very opinionated on the ingredients of most pellets & mentioned it in length on another post, BUT I do believe they should be eating some for more balanced nutrition & some pellets is better than not eating any at all & just eating seed. Just saying this for the record before someone tries to come for me. Haha.).

 

[OrangeBird]

My avian vet said that it is not good to mix wet and dry food so if you do that, don’t leave it down for very long and maybe talk to your avian vet about it. I was mixing some seed into chop and they told me bad idea unless it’s only down for an hour or less.

 

[LoveMyFids]

My avian vet said that it is not good to mix wet and dry food so if you do that, don’t leave it down for very long and maybe talk to your avian vet about it. I was mixing some seed into chop and they told me bad idea unless it’s only down for an hour or less.

Any wet food like chop or skewers with veggies & fruits need to be removed in 4 hrs. max. If your house is warm, sooner than that due to bacterial growth. I always remove it. My birds are very good with eating their chop & will consume it within the first couple of hrs. that I give it to them. They actually eat all the seeds first (of course), so that is not an issue for me personally. I like to mix the seeds in the chop so they have to forage a bit for them & it also helps them to eat more veggies & keeps them motivated for that. I haven't had any issues with it personally, but all birds are different & you always have to adjust to what works best for your birds.