Help with Veggies for my GCC

[MissTaz]

Hey I was wondering if anyone could help me find ways to get my GCC to eat veggies. Today I bought her Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green pepper, I chopped it all up and put into her bowl raw. She is acting like she is hungry and trying to look for her bowl of seed.

 

[legal_eagle]

My GCC doesn't eat veggies, but she does eat fruit.

 

[MissTaz]

My GCC doesn't eat veggies, but she does eat fruit.

Mine loves fruit too, but I would like her to have a balanced diet.

 

[ShellyBorg]

Put something yummy and bird friendly on it. Mine love sauces and home made dressings.

 

[MissTaz]

Put something yummy and bird friendly on it. Mine love sauces and home made dressings.

Can you give me some idea's of what is bird friendly saucers are? she is my first bird

 

[Willc]

MissTaz,

I do not have to much experience first hand with birds. I am only recently starting to own birds myself. I hope that you can find a better answer, but I will share with you the little I do know. I grew up with my family always having them around, though. My aunt use to feed her rescued parrots a mix of seeds and veggies until they were use to eating the veggies alone.

What she would do is take the food bowls out at night. First thing in the morning, she would put a mix of raw green veggies and seeds in the bowl. The bird would try to get just the seeds, but would eat some of the greens in the process. It would take a few weeks, but it always seemed to work.

If you try this, just make sure you don't leave the veggies in to long. The bacteria growth is pretty quick, and birds can get sick very easily. I hope this helps!

 

[weco]

What we offer our feathered friends for their sustenance has never appeared on any bill of fare for their wild cousins and being flock animals most birds are taught something is food by their parents, siblings and/or other flock members...so...since you have made Rory part of your flock, one of the best way to get a bird to eat what you want them to is to set them a plate at your table, with the same items on your plate also, then you begin by making animated ooohs and ahhhs, lots of lip smacking & fun body language while eating these same items.....

Parrots, especially conures are drama junkies & you having a family/flock sit down meal is often a pretty good incentive.....though I don't think I would invite my boss, HR director or banker to one of these culinary delights.....

Good luck.....

 

[MissTaz]

What we offer our feathered friends for their sustenance has never appeared on any bill of fare for their wild cousins and being flock animals most birds are taught something is food by their parents, siblings and/or other flock members...so...since you have made Rory part of your flock, one of the best way to get a bird to eat what you want them to is to set them a plate at your table, with the same items on your plate also, then you begin by making animated ooohs and ahhhs, lots of lip smacking & fun body language while eating these same items.....

Parrots, especially conures are drama junkies & you having a family/flock sit down meal is often a pretty good incentive.....though I don't think I would invite my boss, HR director or banker to one of these culinary delights.....

Good luck.....

Thank you for that advice, it's funny I was eating a piece of green pepper and telling how good it was and so far that the only thing she's tired.

 

[MissTaz]

MissTaz,

I do not have to much experience first hand with birds. I am only recently starting to own birds myself. I hope that you can find a better answer, but I will share with you the little I do know. I grew up with my family always having them around, though. My aunt use to feed her rescued parrots a mix of seeds and veggies until they were use to eating the veggies alone.

What she would do is take the food bowls out at night. First thing in the morning, she would put a mix of raw green veggies and seeds in the bowl. The bird would try to get just the seeds, but would eat some of the greens in the process. It would take a few weeks, but it always seemed to work.

If you try this, just make sure you don't leave the veggies in to long. The bacteria growth is pretty quick, and birds can get sick very easily. I hope this helps!

Thank you I will see if that works too

 

[kellie]

My bird will eat kale or spinach if I either put it on the side of the cage whole or hand feed it whole... It stimulates their curiosity and so they go over and start playing with it and eat some in the process. I've also heard shredding carrots works well too though I've yet to try this!

You should provide pellets (not seeds) as well!

 

[MissTaz]

My bird will eat kale or spinach if I either put it on the side of the cage whole or hand feed it whole... It stimulates their curiosity and so they go over and start playing with it and eat some in the process. I've also heard shredding carrots works well too though I've yet to try this!

You should provide pellets (not seeds) as well!

Have have noticed she keeps going for the Kale. Her seed has some things that look like pellets it's mixed with a lot of stuff like dried fruit and dried corn, should I add more pellets to it?

 

[ShellyBorg]

My crews fav is home made spaghetti sauce, then a cheese sauce then organic salad dressings.

 

[MissTaz]

My crews fav is home made spaghetti sauce, then a cheese sauce then organic salad dressings.

Thank you I'll have to try those out!

 

[Willc]

My bird will eat kale or spinach if I either put it on the side of the cage whole or hand feed it whole... It stimulates their curiosity and so they go over and start playing with it and eat some in the process. I've also heard shredding carrots works well too though I've yet to try this!

You should provide pellets (not seeds) as well!

Have have noticed she keeps going for the Kale. Her seed has some things that look like pellets it's mixed with a lot of stuff like dried fruit and dried corn, should I add more pellets to it?

MissTaz,

From my understanding you should shoot for a 50/50 diet. Seeds are really high in fat, but low in protein. Pellets are really high in protein, but low in fat. What my vet recommended to me was 50% seed 50% pellet. You can give a mix of veggies, fruits, and other stuff as well.

What I do is put pellets in first. After the pellets are all gone, I put the same amount of seeds in. This helps to make sure that they are not tricking me by eating only one or the other.

I hope this helps!

 

[MissTaz]

My bird will eat kale or spinach if I either put it on the side of the cage whole or hand feed it whole... It stimulates their curiosity and so they go over and start playing with it and eat some in the process. I've also heard shredding carrots works well too though I've yet to try this!

You should provide pellets (not seeds) as well!

Have have noticed she keeps going for the Kale. Her seed has some things that look like pellets it's mixed with a lot of stuff like dried fruit and dried corn, should I add more pellets to it?

MissTaz,

From my understanding you should shoot for a 50/50 diet. Seeds are really high in fat, but low in protein. Pellets are really high in protein, but low in fat. What my vet recommended to me was 50% seed 50% pellet. You can give a mix of veggies, fruits, and other stuff as well.

What I do is put pellets in first. After the pellets are all gone, I put the same amount of seeds in. This helps to make sure that they are not tricking me by eating only one or the other.

I hope this helps!

Yes it does help I will go and get her some pellets on Sunday and do half and half. How much of each to you give do you measure it?
You have been really helpful!!!!

 

[Willc]

Right now I just have two parakeets. I give a heaping tablespoon in each food dish. I really don't like to leave the seed or pellet in there for more then a day, so I go on the small end.

For just a single conure, I would think the same should be about right. I usually end up getting both seed and pellet in on the same day, but sometimes there is a bit left over.

I also wanted to add, just so there is no confusion. The ultimate goal would be 80-90% pellet, 10% seed for the base diet with a high amount of veggie and fresh fruits. What I was told to shoot for at first is 50/50. Birds that are not use to pellets will often times not want to eat them. You also don't want to jump straight into just pellets and hope for the best. The 50/50 with your mix of fruits/veggies is a great starting point, slowly increasing the pellet and decreasing the seed as the time goes.

Like I said earlier, most of this information is from my vet. I would love to hear some more experienced opinions and thoughts, though. Let me know if you have any other questions and I will try my best to answer.

 

[MissTaz]

Right now I just have two parakeets. I give a heaping tablespoon in each food dish. I really don't like to leave the seed or pellet in there for more then a day, so I go on the small end.

For just a single conure, I would think the same should be about right. I usually end up getting both seed and pellet in on the same day, but sometimes there is a bit left over.

I also wanted to add, just so there is no confusion. The ultimate goal would be 80-90% pellet, 10% seed for the base diet with a high amount of veggie and fresh fruits. What I was told to shoot for at first is 50/50. Birds that are not use to pellets will often times not want to eat them. You also don't want to jump straight into just pellets and hope for the best. The 50/50 with your mix of fruits/veggies is a great starting point, slowly increasing the pellet and decreasing the seed as the time goes.

Like I said earlier, most of this information is from my vet. I would love to hear some more experienced opinions and thoughts, though. Let me know if you have any other questions and I will try my best to answer.

Thank you so much for all your help, I have Rory's Vet check up in a couple weeks and I will talk to him them also. I just want what is best for her, she is the love of my life and I want her to happy and healthy.

 

[Willc]

Thank you so much for all your help, I have Rory's Vet check up in a couple weeks and I will talk to him them also. I just want what is best for her, she is the love of my life and I want her to happy and healthy.

I understand! I will be seeing my new baby sun for the first time in 12 days. I am SO excited!! I just wish the time was already over. Chompy and Indigo, my two parakeets, are just wonderful. My day is so much better having them around. I care about them so much and do everything I can for them. I bought them from a chain pet store because I just felt so sorry for them. I watched in horror as the lady used a fishing net to take them out of the cage. I think that they have a much better life now, and I get the benefit of a better one too!

Like I said in my first post, pets have always been a part of my family. I grew up around everything from birds to snakes, lizards, turtles and more. If it is possible to have it as a pet, someone in my immediate family has had it! The last 6 years I was in the Army, so I just couldn't have any pets. Birds were always what I enjoyed as a child, and I am so happy to be in a situation that they can be a part of my life now.

As for caring and doing what you can for Rory's health, I do have a suggestion for you. Almost every Vet I have ever been to sells a variety of healthy pet foods. This is even more so with Avian vets. You could try giving a call tomorrow and just asking them what the suggest for Rory's diet and if they sell any pellets. I am positive they will suggest adding some pellets to his diet as soon as you are able to. You might even be able to get some tomorrow!

 

[Wdlodge]

Hey I was wondering if anyone could help me find ways to get my GCC to eat veggies. Today I bought her Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green pepper, I chopped it all up and put into her bowl raw. She is acting like she is hungry and trying to look for her bowl of seed.

This is what I did: chop up her veggie and sprinkle some seed on top along with some raw oatmeal. Offer her that in the morning and in the evening at dinner time. I discard after an hr., and she has to wait til her next meal. During this process, she always has another bowl with pellets next to her water bowl that she can munch on throughout the day.

Now what I do is precook, rice, beans, carrots, and I add some frozen corn. I cook it in steps because the beans take the longest, rice, etc i just add more water as needed. After its cooled but still warm, I chop up fresh veggies not to much and then add the bean/rice/corn mixture. Add some pellets, seed and oatmeal I feel this twice a day, throwing away the uneaten portion about 45m/1hr. Meanwhile she always has a bowl of pellets next to her fresh water to much on.

We are still learning process of what she likes, but I've read that when you add many ingredients, you can change it up add new things because they are used to it and won't know the difference. Hope this helps.

Ps. Make sure you add the seeds from the green pepper to her meal, she will love them. Mine like hot pepper flakes and th actual pepper too.

 

[MissTaz]

Hey I was wondering if anyone could help me find ways to get my GCC to eat veggies. Today I bought her Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green pepper, I chopped it all up and put into her bowl raw. She is acting like she is hungry and trying to look for her bowl of seed.

This is what I did: chop up her veggie and sprinkle some seed on top along with some raw oatmeal. Offer her that in the morning and in the evening at dinner time. I discard after an hr., and she has to wait til her next meal. During this process, she always has another bowl with pellets next to her water bowl that she can munch on throughout the day.

Now what I do is precook, rice, beans, carrots, and I add some frozen corn. I cook it in steps because the beans take the longest, rice, etc i just add more water as needed. After its cooled but still warm, I chop up fresh veggies not to much and then add the bean/rice/corn mixture. Add some pellets, seed and oatmeal I feel this twice a day, throwing away the uneaten portion about 45m/1hr. Meanwhile she always has a bowl of pellets next to her fresh water to much on.

We are still learning process of what she likes, but I've read that when you add many ingredients, you can change it up add new things because they are used to it and won't know the difference. Hope this helps.

Ps. Make sure you add the seeds from the green pepper to her meal, she will love them. Mine like hot pepper flakes and th actual pepper too.

Thank you so much for this great idea!!!!!!!