Can birds have apple juice or apple sauce

[Minor_Arcana]

Ok, so I know I’m asking a lot of questions but I want to make sure I’m not putting my birb in any sort of danger....so here we go again....

Lexa still won’t eat her pellets, but she really likes apples, so I was thinking-

Can I dip her pellets in apple juice then give them to her?

Of course, apple juice has A LOT of sugar in it, so then I was like “well, there goes that idea”

But then, I brought myself back to the idea.

The apple juice is natural and doesn’t have a lot of preservatives in it like a lot of foods, so if I water it down (a lot), could I, perhaps, use that to dip pellets in?

 

[charmedbyekkie]

I'd say make your own apple juice. Western apple juice, even so called organic ones, have extra things that either gets grouped together to be renamed into something seemingly innocent or can be left off the list with FDA approval.

You don't even need a proper juicer, just use a blender and squeeze/strain it after.

Even then, yes, do water it down because pure fruit juice is still too sweet and lacks the fibre and other good stuff found in the skin and meat (forgot if there's an English name for this).

 

[Scott]

Many but not all apple juice/applesauce products have added sugar, or worse, high fructose corn syrup.

I've used applesauce on occasion as mix for medicine. Might try a bit with pellets to enhance appetite.

Has your bird always been offered pellets, or are you converting from a seed diet? If a conversion, you must be clever and ensure of sufficient nourishment during a transition.

Not pushing Harrison's, but their conversion protocol works well. Scroll to second half of text for ideas. Successfully converted my flock of 8 using this procedure. https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/

 

[Minor_Arcana]

Many but not all apple juice/applesauce products have added sugar, or worse, high fructose corn syrup.

I've used applesauce on occasion as mix for medicine. Might try a bit with pellets to enhance appetite.

Has your bird always been offered pellets, or are you converting from a seed diet? If a conversion, you must be clever and ensure of sufficient nourishment during a transition.

Not pushing Harrison's, but their conversion protocol works well. Scroll to second half of text for ideas. Successfully converted my flock of 8 using this procedure. https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/

I purchased her from a store and they had her on a seed and pellet diet but she would only eat the seeds. I’ve tried a LOT of sneaky things to get her to eat them, but I’m not having any luck.

The good thing is, if I can’t get her on pellets before November, we are purchasing flock mate for her and the flock mate will be hand-raised so he or she will already be eating pellets. I’m hoping that once she sees another bird eating pellets, that she will eat pellets too.

 

[noodles123]

If you can't make your own, try to find some without fortification (added vitamins) and without citric acid/added vitamin C (they are pretty much the same). Then, water it down due to the sugar content (I would do 2 parts water for every one part juice....) Check the health-food aisle or baby aisle if the regular juice section doesn't work out (and read labels very carefully---if you see a bunch of vitamins on the back, beware)...
This is the type of juice that could work: https://www.vitacost.com/simple-tru...tRq2p1CZO3By1ZK_Nu4aAu9GEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

That having been said, there is growing concern about arsenic, lead and cadmium levels in apple juice (juice in general- from soil it is grown in):
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesal...brands-of-fruit-juice-should-you-be-concerned
(It occurs naturally in the soil or water used to irrigate the crops, so when you juice something, you consume way more of it than if you ate a single fruit).

I wouldn't do it long-term and I would definitely change out the pellets and wash the dish after 2 hours tops (or it could create a bacterial hazard).

If you do make your own, make sure you juice organic apples and cut far away from the seeds--- apple seeds are toxic to birds and the flesh closest to the seeds can also contain trace amounts of cyanide.

 

[noodles123]

Many but not all apple juice/applesauce products have added sugar, or worse, high fructose corn syrup.

I've used applesauce on occasion as mix for medicine. Might try a bit with pellets to enhance appetite.

Has your bird always been offered pellets, or are you converting from a seed diet? If a conversion, you must be clever and ensure of sufficient nourishment during a transition.

Not pushing Harrison's, but their conversion protocol works well. Scroll to second half of text for ideas. Successfully converted my flock of 8 using this procedure. https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/

I purchased her from a store and they had her on a seed and pellet diet but she would only eat the seeds. I’ve tried a LOT of sneaky things to get her to eat them, but I’m not having any luck.

The good thing is, if I can’t get her on pellets before November, we are purchasing flock mate for her and the flock mate will be hand-raised so he or she will already be eating pellets. I’m hoping that once she sees another bird eating pellets, that she will eat pellets too.

I know the idea of a 2nd bird is exciting, but it comes with a lot of risk and hassle.
Please never buy a bird for a bird. You are assuming that they won't try to kill each other. It's a toss-up whether they even get along...If they do, then you are looking at the potential of becoming the 3rd wheel (if they bond to each other) and very often, 2 birds (even of the same gender) will become hormonal due to the presence/bond with the other bird....
Seeing another bird eat pellets won't necessarily make yours eat pellets and the risks are quite high in other areas, so unless YOU want another bird (and have the capacity to spend time with each one separately (if needed) and keep them in separate cages, and are prepared for potential problems (including heightened risk of egg-laying or egg-binding in female), don't get another bird....) Then there is the quarantine issue....
There was just someone talking about how they got a "friend" for their hand-raised bird of many years and both birds became more like the newer, wilder one (bonded, hormonal, biting, territorial, etc).

 

[Scott]

Many but not all apple juice/applesauce products have added sugar, or worse, high fructose corn syrup.

I've used applesauce on occasion as mix for medicine. Might try a bit with pellets to enhance appetite.

Has your bird always been offered pellets, or are you converting from a seed diet? If a conversion, you must be clever and ensure of sufficient nourishment during a transition.

Not pushing Harrison's, but their conversion protocol works well. Scroll to second half of text for ideas. Successfully converted my flock of 8 using this procedure. https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/

I purchased her from a store and they had her on a seed and pellet diet but she would only eat the seeds. I’ve tried a LOT of sneaky things to get her to eat them, but I’m not having any luck.

The good thing is, if I can’t get her on pellets before November, we are purchasing flock mate for her and the flock mate will be hand-raised so he or she will already be eating pellets. I’m hoping that once she sees another bird eating pellets, that she will eat pellets too.

What I like about the Harrison's protocol is it restricts availability of current food (seeds) and respects the rule "never starve a bird into submission." What pellet are you feeding? Might have to try several brands (hopefully with samples) as some birds will never accept specific types.

Introducing a second bird with the intent of providing "company" is fraught with hazards. As previously posted, the reaction may range from overt permanent hostility to indifference. Plenty of reasons to expand the flock, please ensure you are comfortable balancing risk with reward.

 

[texsize]

I have on occasionally soaked my pellets in apple juice. When I did this I would buy the small containers that were 100% juice and no added anything.

 

[Talven]

From my experience with 'tiels they don't have a huge sweet tooth. Mine would turn their nose up at fruits in favour of veg. I have found that a lot of pellets are fruit flavoured or sweetened to make them more appealing. This seems to have a reverse affect on cockatiels.

Wild 'tiels eat mainly seed which makes sense as they need a high calorie intake. Maybe they'll get the odd berry or fruit. The Australian bush doesn't really produce a lot of fruit or berries though. They need a lot of water which we just don't have. So seeds are the main source of food for many of our parrots. Seeds aren't really all that sweet though so sweetened foods may not go over too well. But birds can be quirky so you never know

Personally I am not a huge fan of pellets after reading the ingredients of several readily available brands here in Australia. Added sugar, colours, artificial flavours and salt seem unlikely to be of benefit to my birds health. Like any pelletized animal food many places that produce them hide rubbish in them and cover it with fancy names. They also try to convince you that it is the best food for your animals when this is not always so.

Research the pellets you want to use and see what the ingredients are. Try pellets that aren't flavoured or sweetened if you can find them. I'm still in the process of finding pellets that are acceptable to all my birds and at this point still have had zero luck.

While I'm sure people will disagree with what I have said at least research the pellets available to you and check the ingredients. Try different types and see which ones your bird will take. They have preferences in taste you just have to find it.