New Tiel Food Issues

[mochima]

Hi all! I just got a new tiel added to my flock who is 5 months old. The breeder I got her from had her on pellets and chop, but it seemed she was eating mostly pellets. Now that she's home she's started eating a bit but she has sort of "regressed" and only wants seeds. I don't want her to starve, so I mix a small amount in with her pellets and she does eat some of the pellets when I watch her but mostly seeds. It's only been 4 days, vet said she was a little overweight but otherwise healthy.

Should I just keep feeding her what she'll eat and worry about diet later? Or am I just creating a bad habit with adding the seed 😕 She's at 110 grams now but she came to me at 122.

I haven't had a tiel in years, and my last one and my lovebird would just eat anything I gave them lol. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[onamom]

Hi there! Have you checked out this thread?

Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips

A healthy parrot starts with a healthy diet. Although the perfect diet is controversial, many parrot enthusiasts and experts agree on one thing; a seed only diet is a diet that is lacking in essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that adding fresh foods and pellets to a...

www.parrotforums.com

I would keep mixing in the seeds if that is the only way she will eat. It may take quite a while before she takes to the diet change. You can also try different kinds of pellets to see if she prefers a different brand than what you are offering. A good way to transition is to very slowly change the ratio of pellet to seed so that over a period of weeks you are offering less seed and more pellet. But do monitor closely because parrots will not eat food they don't like and are capable of starving themselves.

 

[mochima]

Hi there! Have you checked out this thread?

Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips

A healthy parrot starts with a healthy diet. Although the perfect diet is controversial, many parrot enthusiasts and experts agree on one thing; a seed only diet is a diet that is lacking in essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that adding fresh foods and pellets to a...

www.parrotforums.com

I would keep mixing in the seeds if that is the only way she will eat. It may take quite a while before she takes to the diet change. You can also try different kinds of pellets to see if she prefers a different brand than what you are offering. A good way to transition is to very slowly change the ratio of pellet to seed so that over a period of weeks you are offering less seed and more pellet. But do monitor closely because parrots will not eat food they don't like and are capable of starving themselves.

Thanks! I searched but I must have searched the wrong terms 😅

 

[Free as a bird]

Hi all! I just got a new tiel added to my flock who is 5 months old. The breeder I got her from had her on pellets and chop, but it seemed she was eating mostly pellets. Now that she's home she's started eating a bit but she has sort of "regressed" and only wants seeds. I don't want her to starve, so I mix a small amount in with her pellets and she does eat some of the pellets when I watch her but mostly seeds. It's only been 4 days, vet said she was a little overweight but otherwise healthy.

Should I just keep feeding her what she'll eat and worry about diet later? Or am I just creating a bad habit with adding the seed 😕 She's at 110 grams now but she came to me at 122.

I haven't had a tiel in years, and my last one and my lovebird would just eat anything I gave them lol. Thanks for any suggestions!

Why won't you feed it seed?
That's what they eat in the wild not that man made processed stuff

 

[mochima]

Why won't you feed it seed?
That's what they eat in the wild not that man made processed stuff

All seed diets have been proven time and time again to be bad for their health. Parrots do not eat only seeds in the wild.

They don't eat pellets either, but they should be eating a variety of foods, including seeds but not limited to seeds. Since she won't eat fresh foods either right now, the concern since she's young is nutrient deficiency and organ damage, which happens on all seed diets. It's shown that all seed diets cut your bird's life essentially in half! And I don't want that to happen 😊

 

[Birds-of-middle-earth]

Why won't you feed it seed?
That's what they eat in the wild not that man made processed stuff

It's true that a wild bird would eat way more seeds, but wild birds are also flying around 24/7 and burn off all the extra fat, unlike domestic birds.

As for changing the diet, i'd continue with mixing all of the food together. I used to have a picky eater and that's pretty much the only thing that would work with him. Over time you can just add less and less seeds to the conglomeration.

 

[Free as a bird]

It's true that a wild bird would eat way more seeds, but wild birds are also flying around 24/7 and burn off all the extra fat, unlike domestic birds.

As for changing the diet, i'd continue with mixing all of the food together. I used to have a picky eater and that's pretty much the only thing that would work with him. Over time you can just add less and less seeds to the conglomeration.

You know that pellets are made from mainly seed, right?

 

[onamom]

You know that pellets are made from mainly seed, right?

Friendly reminder to keep this thread on topic. The seed vs pellet debate already has its own thread. Thank you.