Fruits and Vegetables

[BirdMama11]

I have owned my budgies for a year now, and they have become very used to my home, and they trust their surroundings and me. I switch their food up every few months, and I feel as if they need a sweet treat other than millet every now and then. What is a good way to introduce fruit and vegetables? I tried once, but they were frightened, and would not go anywhere near it. I think they would enjoy it if it was introduced the right way

 

[clark_conure]

Me ....I'd just toss them in the cup....if they ignore them after that.....then I'd ask.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Yeah... just try some. Shave the stuff thin and stick it in the millet... with luck, they'll try it.
If not, put various sizes in here and there and remove the millet , maybe.
If that doesn't work, let me share the way I converted the Rb to pellets, which could also work to get a bird totry just about any food.


Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Another couple of ideas...
My ol' man is an athlete and health nut. He actually EATS all the good stuff, so it's always around. I find that tossing various stuff into the food bowls at random is good... the variationd and differences seem to stimulate curiosity and attention.
The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!

 

[itzjbean]

It can be so tricky to get birds to try new foods!! I feel your struggle!!

One of my bird loves the CHOP I make...the other is addicted to the unhealthy seed mix. I had issues too at first with getting either of them to try it, but then researched some more and was able to find a way. My tricks..

1. Birdie bread - basically you mix corn bread muffin mix with different chopped up/pureed fruits and veggies and serve it to them warm from the oven. It stays for a couple days and most birds LOVE this stuff. You can throw all kinds of things in it, though you can also find tons of recipes online. You can even put baby food in it (I use sweet potato).

2. Mixing their old seed with the wet CHOP. This way, the seeds get stuck to the chopped fruits and veggies and they end up having to taste the new stuff in order to get to the old stuff. I did a ratio of mixing until they were eating half and half. They continue to eat CHOP, pellets and a healthy seed mix, with some of their old seed occasionally.

3. Presentation of fruits and veggies! It's so important. When I first started I just plopped a baby carrot into their bowl and they looked at me like....what is this thing? A macaw maybe would eat it, but cockatiels are much smaller. It wasn't until I chopped it down into bite-size pieces that they began to taste it and realized it was food.

Here's one of my threads - The CHOP Chronicles -- the pictures have been gone for a little while but you can still follow my recipe. It is great for beginners to preparing fresh fruits and veggies for your bids!

 

[Squeekmouse]

The best way that I have found to get Yoda to try new foods is to eat it myself in front of him. Pretending to eat it works also. Heck, anything that comes near my mouth Yoda thinks must be something he wants to eat!