feeding Milo

[Mamanda]

So, as I said in another post, Milo's previous owner ran out of pellets a month ago (my guess is it's been longer). He was feeding Milo peanuts in the shell, dry oatmeal & random table food such as frozen burritos.

I am offering Zupreem natural pellets & an assortment of veggies & an assortment of nuts. I'm offering as much nuts as he wants because at this point I just want him to EAT, & that's what I was told he had been eating.

So far he's really into oranges & the nutriberries that belong to my cockatiel & conure.
He doesn't seem to want any of the nuts or pellets.
He picked at a few carrots too.

So, my thought is I should just feed Milo whatever he'll eat at this point. He's had very poor nutrition for a very long time & seems underweight. That "whatever he wants" seems to be nutriberries. I've only fed nutriberries as an occasional treat to my cockatiel & conure so I don't know much about feeding them.

I'm thinking I should get some nutriberries that are more geared for Milo's size, right? And keep offering pellets & fresh fruits & veggies.

Feedback?

 

[Rio Mom]

Myself, I think it would be ok to let him have nutriberries and whatever he will eat for now. Nutriberries at least contain some pellets. Keep offering the pellets, and fresh goodies too. Once he's been with you for a while and settles in, then you can worry about getting him to eat more pellets and nutriberries being just a treat again.

 

[usamimi]

At this point I'd think after a diet of frozen burritos, anything even remotely appropriate couldn't hurt.

If he's used to eating oatmeal why not see if he'll take it cooked with healthy bits in it.

 

[Keinanna]

the oatmeal might be a good idea my conure loves cooked oatmeal i buy the plain kind and make his with cut up bits of fruit and some cinnamon. I read somewhere spoon feeding warm oatmeal makes them feel like they did when they were handfed (if they were) and can promote bonding. I dont know how true that is but chewy seems to like the food and it cant hurt he usually only eats a teaspoon at most so its a nice breakfast treat anyways.

hopefully you can get milo to eat better. Maybe try putting a small amount of peanut butter on healthier foods if he likes peanuts so much maybe he will eat it?

 

[BillsBirds]

Yes, Keinanna, I agree that feeding warm oatmeal would be a bonding experience. I think it does remind them of hand feeding. Plus, it is a good way of getting them to eat fresh fruit & veggies. Remember, they have very different tastebuds than we do. So, mixing veggie bits in oatmeal might not appeal to us, but, they may love it. And Nutriberries, and Avi-cakes, are a good food. Pellets, seeds, & fruits & veggies, all rolled into one!

 

[Keinanna]

I dont have any of that stuff yet I need to get a bunch of things later this week i have not been able to get out much because of my health but i am going shopping this week i need to get some pellets and a bunch of good stuff for the new baby. He is pretty spoiled as is since we dont use processed foods so all our bread and things are home made as well as all our preserves. so he gets lot of healthy treats and loves his fruits and veggies. Apparently he does not like pellets but i am going to try to change that. He has been getting his seed mix daily but i am trying to fill him up on fruits and veggies and other things like grains and some nuts he loves pecans and almonds so he is getting a pretty well balanced diet since he eats a small amount of everything i have on my plate every meal i have. The only food i have seen him not be pleased about was the bits of turkey i tried to give him today. But thats ok even if he wont eat meat he likes scrambled eggs so he gets some good protien there.

 

[roxynoodle]

Nutriberries at least have added vitamins and minerals. I only normally feed them as treats, and they are great for medications because they absorb them well and IMO, healthier than bread and mashed potatoes. My vet is actually one of the dietary consultants for Lafeeber, who makes them.

So I would let him eat them just to get calories and nutrition into him. I would keep the pellets in as well. Are you using the same brand of pellet he used to eat? If not, you may need to do that.

I've also learned with Pete and Merlin that just because they ate certain foods in their former home doesn't mean they aren't suddenly suspicious of that same food in a new home. I'm not sure why, but it's been true for me. As Pete has been bonding with me he has become more willing to eat whatever I give him. Merlin is showing improvement with that as well already. Another member I talked to about this oddity said she has had the same experience. We were told they love this or that and then they won't eat it for us!