To Spoiled, wont eat

[cerealquen1]

So I've have Michelangelo " Mikey" for 5 years and for the first 3 years it was just me and him, so rightly so I spoiled him. Whenever I was home from work Id take him out, give him treats etc etc, and when he was loud and annoying in his cage Id feed him seeds and peanuts to keep him happy (I know I basically gave a crying child a candy bar and rewarded his bad behavior)
But now that I am moving in with my fiance, things REALLY need to change bc the Fiance is at his whits end with the yelling and constant need for attention, especially when he gets in from work before me and he has to deal with Michelangelo solo and it usually just ends in the 2 of them having a screaming match ("Mikey always wins :09: )
So to the point of my story: I have been clicker training him to try and get him some mental stimulation and one on one time. However he wont work for treats if he is eating them all day, so I slowly weaned his diet to pellets and one nutraberri ball (which he gets when i leave for work in the am)
Im coming home and noticing that all he has eaten is the nutraberry and all the pellets are left!! He'd rather starve them eat them! And he is screaming worse than ever bc hes hungry. The minute you let him out he goes for the "poop food" in the catch tray under his cage. And he can barely focus on training bc all he stares at is the pile of treats that he will just run to!!!
I need help breaking some of his terrible behavior and habits (which I know I caused) and I need to find a way to get him to eat pellets! Please Help. I never wanna give him up but its time for him to have some rules and learn he cant just have whatever he wants whenever he wants it. Advise, links and videos from solid sources are all much appreciated.
Thanks so much, Michelle & Mikey!

 

[Kiwibird]

First off, pellets do taste disgusting and don't look like food so it is a process to get a parrot to eat them. If your bird has been subsisting off treats for 5 years and is now being offered pellets, thats like you eating nothing but doritos and twinkies and then being offered nothing but ensure (that nasty "complete" nutrition drink). You aren't likely to take to it. Secondly, what process have you used to switch your bird? Did you gradually add more pellets/less treats every day for a while or just one day he got no more treats and was offered a bowl of pellets and nutriberries instead? Most birds need to be weaned off one diet to another, especially to a pelleted diet. Many do not actually recognize the pellets as food, which is why he's eating the nutriberries and not the pellets. There are many ways people use to try and get their bird on pellets, but it's a matter of hit or miss which one will work for your bird. Finally, how much fresh produce does your bird eat? Whether or not heavily processed corn/soy based pellets are actually the best staple in a birds diet is...highly debatable at best, but one thing no one can deny is the importance of parrots getting fresh produce, and a wide variety of it every single day. You didn't mention he was eating fresh fruit and veg, and if not, he needs to start. It's probably the most important aspect of a parrots diet. Not only does fresh produce provide nutrition, it also provides moisture, as no bird ever drinks quite as much as they should out of their dish.

Wanted to add: DO NOT let your bird go hungry. Monitor his weight carefully, and if he begins loosing a significant amount (+/- 5 grams is a normal fluctuation) put him back on whatever he eats and contact the avian vet for better advice. Parrots have been known to die of starvation because of food switches and they refused to eat the new food, so monitor carefully, try different methods and use common sense.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Good advice from Kiwibird, but also as part of the 'weaning' off treats and onto pellets, maybe try something like Harrison's mash (it's like powdered down pellets, and you can sprinkle/coat his food with it), and maybe add a sprinkling of the pellet with it and a whole variety of things to try. I had a bird who was picky and i had to use the mash method, still giving him some seed that he loved. He was more open to trying foods that were being eaten socially too. Chop up carrots or something, you eat it in front of him and leave some for him, even if he doesn't eat it then, he sees you eating it and saying "yummy" and sometimes they just get curious and taste it. I have had some success with that.

But it sounds like some of what you are saying is not totally diet related but just that the bird maybe needs to learn to entertain himself? Does he not like toys much and squawk for one on one attention from you? My Georgie was like that and it was kind of a process but she did well with me asking something simple of her and then praising her. She got more rebellious if she displeased me and i showed my displeasure, so it was better to give her an opportunity to do something good and then say "you are mommy's pretty girl, good girl" etc.

Just some thoughts....

 

[cerealquen1]

Thank you guys for your responses. and yes of course it was a slow weaning process like 10% less treats more pellets everyday. I will start incorporating fresh food but he usually just throws it to the bottom of his cage.
and yes ruffled, he ignores all his toys and just wants me. that has been progressing as Ive started his "touch" training and every time he touches what the clicker stick points to he gets a treat. still not to interested in independent play time

 

[jugoya]

Have you tried making him 'treat food?'
If he is used to treats.. well I make bird muffins since my bird will NOT eat pellets, he absolutely refuses.

He does eat his fruit mix but also doesn't like veggies.
So I cheat.

Here is my recipe.

1 1/2 cup of organic flour (Not the enriched white stuff)
1 egg
1 cup of fresh greens (blended)(Collared greens, mustard greens, Cabbage.... etc)
1/2 cup veggies (brocolli, carrots, peas, radishes... etc basically whatever I have in the house)
1 cup of pellets
2 tablespoons of organic Mollasses
1/2 a cup of fruit juice

es
Blend the veggies, greens..
Soak the pellets in the juice and then add to the blended mixture and blend them as well.

Mix all the rest of the ingrediants in a bowl; and add the liquid mixture and mollasses..
Place the batter in a cupcake pan (you can use paper cupcake cups if you desire)

bake at about 400* until cooked all the way through.

Everything your birdie needs with a sweet taste.

My bird gets about 1/8th of a muffin a day; and that is the staple of his diet.

 

[MonicaMc]

I put together a thread on converting birds over to a healthier diet. Maybe some of the ideas in there will help get your conure eating better?

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html


And once he's eating well, we could revisit the training part?