hahnzel won't eat his veggies :(

[goalerjones]

Title is self explanatory, but what can I do? Corn is the only thing besides fruit that he will free eat. He is on a pellet and mixed items diet (pellets, dried fruits and almonds, walnuts, safflower seeds, dried peas, pasta, pumpkin seeds). Every other day I rotate the mix with zupreem pellets. But when it comes to fresh foods it's all I can do to get him to eat the tiniest bits.

 

[jenphilly]

Welcome to my nightmare... Ivory is the same, but she can be more amusing, she tends to think some leafy veggies are going to eat her.

We have made up mixes and found she'll eat more of them. We also are discovering that she is a bit of a tuber fan.... loves beets, loves baked potatoes and most recently enjoyed a chunk of parsnip. With her love of beets, I tend to mix beets in with other veggies, beets are great for this because they have so much of the juice that everything turns that reddish-purple, presuming that helps spread the beet taste around too!

Try putting some corn or favorite fruit thru a blender then coat other veggies with it. Its kinda like hiding the broccoli in brownies for kids who won't eat their greens!

And just keep trying every different type of veggie you happen across, you might be surprise what is a hit (like beets, who would have thought beets would be such a hit!). I also bake birdie bread and mix veggies in to get her to eat them that way too. She did eat around the veggies one time, so I put all thru a blender before adding to the bread mix. Cornbread mix is a great base for birdie bread, so you might have a headstart if Hahnzel is a corn lover

If he likes to shred things too, you can hang leafy greens like collard, swiss chard or such from his cage or weave it thru the bars of the cage.

Good luck and I love his name! Very cute with the spelling

 

[goalerjones]

Are carbs a problem for birds like they can be for humans?

 

[SandyBee]

Too much of anything can be a problem, weight gain and the diseases from it is always an issue.
Daily diet should match the level of activity, a playful active and flighted bird can eat more than a perch potato.

Tricks to get our feathered friends to eat veggies.

Add very finely chopped veggies or mashed to something they already like.
Make birdie bread
Homemade soups and stews are something my amazon adores, can hide most veggies in them.
Serving it warm also can entice them.
Adding a small amount of margarine or red palm oil, careful of how much as it is fattening but it is a good source of Vitamin A

 

[henpecked]

Yes , too much carbs can be a problem, they turn to fat. Keep feeding the fresh veggies, sometimes it takes awhile for them to start eating them. Another suggestion for birds that won't eat fresh veggies is to use a small amount of butter on slightly warmed veggies. Most parrots crave fat and butter also has a good amount of VitA. you can always discontinue the butter after they start to eat it. PS limit the quantity of treats and junk food. Serve the veggies at times of day when they normally feed.

 

[BoomBoom]

As was suggested, the chop mix is probably your best option. Feed if to him first thing in the morning when he is the hungriest. I always feed the chop mix first in the morning, when I come home from work and in any instance where I know Boomer is waiting to pig out.

You can also sandwich the bland veggies in bits of slices fruit. What I do is make a kabob every work morning. Put veggies like carrots, bell pepper, kale and alternate it with slices of yummy fruits like apples, blackberries, strawberries, etc. Just enough do the juices coat the veggie. I come home most of the time to a decimated kabob. Doesn't always work but enough to make it everyday.

 

[Juliejet]

Hi have the same prob with my black Too he is a fussy eater I just keep offering him all types of fruit and veggies he nibbles at them I have stopped the potato mash pumpkin and rice as that's all he would eat at dinner as I have learnt from this site is it all takes time I have tried different ways of presenting the food warm cold big small he does love eggs boiled but this morning I tried scrambled he wasn't to keen on that.good luck

 

[jenphilly]

Another thought... Does your bird try to steal your food?? We've done this multiple times and actually just this morning my daughter used the trick to get her Sun baby to try some sprouted seeds. She put the sprouts in a bowl and ate a couple herself and true to his little thieving self, Loki came up and 'stole' some.

Ivory does the same thing, she is on the shoulder half the time and sometimes I literally forget she is there until I go to take a bit of something and suddenly I see a cockatoo head bending down to literally take the food out of my mouth

Just a thought, I know we've been to the try anything point...

 

[goalerjones]

Okay, thought I'd follow up. Hahnzel is scarfing some cornbread based veggie bread right now. I got some Jiffy cornbread mix, and a tray of finely chopped veggies from Albertsons. I loaded the mix with the veggies and baked it all. Now he destroys his veggies.

 

[RavensGryf]

Are carbs a problem for birds like they can be for humans?

Robin once had a yeast problem found on a fecal test. Doctor said it was from my husband feeding to many "bread" products. Bagels, cereal, bread etc. He likes to eat way too many carbs, so I had to tell him that if he insists on eating these foods, to just keep them away from my boy!!

 

[GW.Joe]

Another thought... Does your bird try to steal your food?? We've done this multiple times and actually just this morning my daughter used the trick to get her Sun baby to try some sprouted seeds. She put the sprouts in a bowl and ate a couple herself and true to his little thieving self, Loki came up and 'stole' some.

Ivory does the same thing, she is on the shoulder half the time and sometimes I literally forget she is there until I go to take a bit of something and suddenly I see a cockatoo head bending down to literally take the food out of my mouth

Just a thought, I know we've been to the try anything point...

That is SO Funny, I had the same problem with my Zon, just would not eat fruit or veggies
(my dad was old school and just fed the bird seed mix for years before the bird was passed to me)

I tried for YEARS to change him.... Then one day he was on my shoulder and I was eating broccoli and he kept trying to "steal" it out of my mouth

So every day he would eat a very small amount from my mouth

BUT the moral of the story is he never really learned to like fruit and veggies he was "set in his ways"

I have a video of my Plett doing it she is very funny, Wish I videoed my Zon Poe more

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRxNVqCd4xk"]Baby Parrotlet "Itsy" being Fed By Mommy Bird, VERY Funny - YouTube[/ame]

 

[goalerjones]

Are carbs a problem for birds like they can be for humans?

Robin once had a yeast problem found on a fecal test. Doctor said it was from my husband feeding to many "bread" products. Bagels, cereal, bread etc. He likes to eat way too many carbs, so I had to tell him that if he insists on eating these foods, to just keep them away from my boy!!

My breeder said it mostly comes from sourdough products mixing with fruit sugars in the crop.

 

[RavensGryf]

OMG hilarious video Joe!! Not that I really wanted to see your chewed up peas:11: LOL it was worth it to watch though! Do you still have the Parrotlet? She was adorable. Very funny!

I've always heard our (human) mouth bacteria can cause illness in birds due to it being the 'wrong' kind of bacteria for birds' systems. I know that lots of people let their birds eat off their food and nothing happens... So I guess that's saying it CAN happen, but doesn't always cause problems probably due to a bird's immune system I'm guessing.

 

[GW.Joe]

OMG hilarious video Joe!! Not that I really wanted to see your chewed up peas:11: LOL it was worth it to watch though! Do you still have the Parrotlet? She was adorable. Very funny!

I've always heard our (human) mouth bacteria can cause illness in birds due to it being the 'wrong' kind of bacteria for birds' systems. I know that lots of people let their birds eat off their food and nothing happens... So I guess that's saying it CAN happen, but doesn't always cause problems probably due to a bird's immune system I'm guessing.

I know they say that but my vet told me its not proven, like an "urban legend"
Yes, she is the sweetest little bird, Thanks RavensGryf Look:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_IfyyTX8Es"]Can You Train a Parrotlet? YES ! Starting to Teach Her To "Roll Over", Off to a GREAT Start - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z8Rt9rVqe8"]BEST Love Video EVER Baby Parrotlet from Bird Whisperer's Aviary / Ana's Parrots - YouTube[/ame]

 

[SandyBee]

My mother's cockateil got a bacterial infection from eating out of her mouth, so it does happen.

 

[Jayyj]

As I understand it it's the bacteria in our mouths entering the bloodstream that is dangerous for a bird, so only an issue if the bird has a cut or sore in its mouth area. I'm happier avoiding the risk though myself.

 

[RavensGryf]

Your Parrotlet is SO adorable! Looks like she enjoys being on her back so much she doesn't even flip over to eat haha. What is her name?

 

[GW.Joe]

Your Parrotlet is SO adorable! Looks like she enjoys being on her back so much she doesn't even flip over to eat haha. What is her name?

Well her official name is Itsy (last name Bitsy) BUT because of my 22 year old daughter we call her "Cutesie" (pronounced "Cute-See")

I told her if she even thinks about doing that to our forth coming GW it will be time to grow up and move out LOL

The Plett is a real micro Parrot, very bossy LOL

http://www.parrotforums.com/members/gw-joe-albums-our-sweet-baby-parrotlet.html

Joe

 

[RavensGryf]

That's what I hear about P'lets! Real little parrots. They say they're closely related to zons.