4 Month Old Timneh

[Spiritbird]

Hi All Gray People: You can see my Rosie in the photo. She love most all food I give her except the pellets of which I have tried 2 varieties. I feed very little seed. So what's the secret to getting them eating pellets. I am trying mixing with the weaning food which she loves, moistened. She just manages to pick out the weining food. What to do??

 

[Auggie's Dad]

I don't suspect there is one method that would work for all birds. But in addition to the ideas on the other thread have you tried moistening the pellets to?

 

[TexDot33]

Usually if you moisten pellets with a little OJ that will usually do the trick. But the key with any sort of diet change is persistence. Stay with it and keep presenting the new food ... Greys are known for being especially leery of any sort of changes in their lives - and when I say 'leery', I really mean, 'neurotic'.

 

[Spiritbird]

OK good advice on persistence. Yes, I moisten them and serve dry too. Patients is a virtue with the grays.

 

[daveonbass]

My eclectus used to never eat his pellets. But after going a while on less food in general he started getting more hungry and finally decided to give them a taste. Now that he has had them as a staple part of his diet he eats them up a lot quicker. I will probably get shunned for this, but it really was just the fact that I stopped giving him so much of the "free candy" as in fresh fruit. Now he happily eats up all the good and healthy pellets that he has. And his colors are better now, and I think it's from the better nutrition.

I'm not advocating "starving" the bird. But try to find a way to let the bird know that there is nothing else to eat today. (or not much else) and just like everything else with birds...some things take time.

dave

 

[RKZX2]

4 months? isn't that a bit young? i mean, is he even fully weaned?

 

[Spiritbird]

Thanks for your idea. I have stopped giving much of the seed mix but still feed the fruit. I will slow down on the fruit and treats also and see what happens. It is the weaning food she craves. To this mush mix I add the pellets and she is getting a taste of them that way but does know they are different and will not eat much. Time and patiences will win out!!

 

[Spiritbird]

Oh yes, fully feathered and able to fly but wings have a baby clip. Just the first 5 primary wings. You need to sart them young so they do not get "set in their ways".

 

[Spiritbird]

A follow up on this story. Rosie had her first vet visit today. The vet told me to feed no seed at all until she eats pellets. And to take all food out of the cage at night and in the early am she will wake up hungry and I put Harrison's pellets in the cage as vet suggested. She has lost a little wt. but vet said may be natural during the weining process. Also I am not to cut off the weining food for a while. So thats it. Any comments grey people??