Very true!
Out of ignorance i was giving my little gcc mangoes,cherry,banana,apple….
After a short time i started noticing features plucking like crazy,we took him to vet and i was told to adjust his diet
I stopped all fruits and after 2-3 days he stopped feathers plucking
Pellets should be the main food for parrots
I also give him sone broccoli and carrots
I think it's okay to use very small pieces of them for training but you have to get them ready in advance or they'll focus more on that or get too big of bites.
My exception to this is sweet potato because it's the only consistent form of Vitamin A I can be sure they'll eat, so they get to share a slice every few days. When I was feeling better, I would cook them and freeze them in cubes (partially because these guys love eating all of their fruit and vegetables frozen, even in the winter) and they'd each have a cube a day. BUT my guys have an entire flight and enrichment room to themselves so they can keep themselves busy and do what they want to burn off the energy. Which is so important because, as you said, unexpended energy becomes destructive anxiety and they always turn inward
If I have a low energy/high pain day, I will give them frozen vegetables from the bag. But they won't eat the peas until they've dried out and they mostly only pick up the carrots to throw on the floor for the vacuum (the dog who comes in to check on them haha but she doesn't live in there-- she just likes to make sure they're doing okay). I try to buy fresh vegetables in a variety and freeze non-leafy ones so I can scoop out what they need but I'm still in recovery so still getting back into the habit so it's far from perfect.
I can definitely tell the difference between tricks I taught them with fruit and tricks I taught them with seeds lol. But they never let me forget if I forget their vegetables. If your guy is a frozen afficionado, I'd recommend the bulk method because you can also take advantage of sales especially for things like peppers (which, if you do sprouting, you can get a two-fer in terms of both cost and nutrition) or beets are very expensive in my area (BUT you can also throw those into some sterilized soil and let them keep growing the leaves for when you need some leafy goodness and be able to cook the root whenever you want).
If you grow your leafy greens in a container that doesn't give your birds access to the water part, in well- draining soil, and the soil is covered either with sterilized coconut coif or rocks, you can also keep those somewhere in the house with light exposure for your birds to munch on. Many of them can be quite pretty if you're into decorating but, also, it makes sure you don't have to plan every few days ahead (since most of the nutrition will be sapped after a few days if you, like 90% of the US, don't have access to locally-grown produce). And if they keep growing, they'll also seed which your birds can eat like that, you can sprout for them to eat, or grow for them. I recommend using a long windowsill container for them because you can either use it as a decorative runner on a table or put it in a window sill they can watch outside of while munching.
I know it all sounds like a lot of work but it's just the set up and the time savings later on pay out massively. And in terms of leafy greens, I definitely have an easier time getting them to eat those when it can double as an enrichment activity (shredding) or chilling (mine like to watch around outside, even when their birdie friends aren't eating in the feeder on the other side of the window). Plus, I like when I can save money in case there's an emergency for them.
I need to get back in that room and get everything set up again. A lot of the plants died feom not being watered or got mowed to decimation while I was in the hospital. The nice thing is, though, once the system is set up again it'll be back to being low-maintenance and lower maintenance for when I go back to work. It only works, though, because my guys like this stuff. Everyone's mileage will vary, though, because not every bird like the same things. But leafy greens are almost always the things we struggle with getting into our guys
but I will not buy watermelon or grapes out of season just for them as worried about all the chemicals might used on them.
