How does your parrot eat

rheashard2 · Apr 24, 2026

Because of the tube feeding I pay more attention to Nameliss eating habits as she improved. I want to ensure weight gain. She is a nibbler. She nibbles chop a few bites, leaves, returns, repeats. She alternates with pellets. It's like she's examining each morsel. When near lights out she eats pellets. She exams, picks up a pellet, moves to her nibble location and repeat. The only thing she pigs out on are nuts and things she really shouldn't have; donuts, pizza, toast, popcorn with white cheddar preferred and such. (I kina do to) She's been like that forever. It's why I have to watch her weight. Food intake means little by looking. Do others nibble examining each piece like a poison examiner?

texsize · Apr 24, 2026

My Cockatiels unlike a lot of Tiels hold food in their foot.
It’s cute to watch them munching away on a Zupreem pellet.
Cheeky was my last store bought cockatiel and he demonstrated his technique to everyone else.

They aren’t really good at it so if I’m giving them a treat like a piece of Golden Grams cereal I have to crunch it up into pieces and drop it in the food dish otherwise it gets dropped.

HarleY 06 · May 2, 2026

I find that the cock birds are glutinous eaters when they decide to eat; if at the feeders - its Meeee . . . and look out everyone else! I believe its in the DNA structure, more than a acquired habit. All my females are picky, pedantic, and sometimes downright frustrating in their general eating habits, yet when something like pine nuts, or choc pcs (for cooking) is offered they become just like the cock birds. They all have access to water throughout the day, wherever they are; yet at night when they come in to roost I offer, from a small bird dish, water - I try to make sure they all get a turn, to drink; but everynight its WW2 with 6 beaks all trying to stick their beaks into the source! Trying, I tell you!!
I think it best to dwell on the aspect of what they eat, not how they eat. When they eat is something you can establish by the amount, and frequency, of "deposit" , and like rheashard2 mentions in a posting that examination of "deposit" is in itself the best way you can monitor your birds wellbeing

Jcas · May 3, 2026

My budgies are basically pigs lol! Buster likes to actually sit in his dish while eating so when he flies away he sends food scattering all over

. JJ is way more suspicious. Food he knows, he gobbles up, but anything new is likely poison! If he doesn’t like something, he will shove it away with his beak and sometimes makes gagging noises

Here is JJ asking for some of the crackers I was eating ( a rare but favorite treat for him.)

GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh · May 3, 2026

Juliette makes a point of throwing anything she doesn't like overboard. She really enjoys throwing things to the ground in general and hearing the noise it makes. Although considering the giant overgrown green beans in the last mixed veggie bag from Costco, I can't really blame her for catapulting them. I've never known her to toss corn. She sucks that stuff dry.

rheashard2 · May 3, 2026

Well anyone interested this is what I learned. Technically Nameliss was very ill. Physically she was her usual pain. I had to tube feed the pian 4x a day. Tube feeding humans any age I am an expert. Syringe feeding a bird is another universe. A syringe, mixed to vet spec food, a mouth w a very sharp, strong beak was all I knew. A fellow member suggested trickery. His was a paste ball. I tried and it worked. I wanted something a bit more. Pistachio balls 4x a day didn't seem healthy. Avian vet ok to mix with wherever she'd eat. Nameliss loves sweet potato. I used a couple of frozen cubes, carrot slices, yellow squash cubes and any other cubes of frozen yellow or orange veggies that added up to 4 tbs. Heated till warm enough to mush with 1 sweet potato cube held back. I added the appropriate amount of mix to make half a day. Mashed it, added 1/4 tsp of organic almond flour mashed it. Then enough water so it was past puree but not watery. Then added the last cube of sweet potato, 2 finely ground pistachio and mixed well. I didn't work hard at the potato. I wanted her to know it was there. I topped it with a whole pistachio and mixed it around a bit. She did the birdie equivalent of licking the bowl clean. She's gained back the weight she's lost. But needs to stay on recovery every other day for a few weeks. I HAVE CREATED A MONSTER!!! Doing such a good job making yucky delicious she's refusing chop. Pellets at normal amounts, yes. She goes to the specific spot I had for recovery feeding saying....sorry you are. Anyone have suggestions? I honestly didn't know grown parrots especially at her age could prefer recovery formula. Unless it was the additviv5.

HarleY 06 · May 3, 2026

Believe it or not - she will get sick of it sooner or later - most probably when her body mechanism says enough is enough. Will help now to reduce SLOWLY the favourite nut going into the mixture.
My problem is now an age-old one. How to introduce something the birds haven't had/seen before. . . Mineral Block lasted 10 seconds whole, then "deposited" in the water bowl!! Trying I tell you

HarleY 06 · May 21, 2026

any suggestions in the forum??? tried what I know, bribed with what they like. And still no action. At least one of them can tell me he "doesn't like that"