My african grey eats only 2 types of food

[Icnatslpel]

Hey guys I have a 2 year old african grey and I want to start to train him but I gotta find his treat but he doesnt eat anything other than his food (idk how to call it) and sunflower seeds, can anyone help me how to get him to eat more stuff and know his best treat so I can start training with him?

 

[SailBoat]

Hey guys I have a 2 year old african grey and I want to start to train him but I gotta find his treat but he doesnt eat anything other than his food (idk how to call it) and sunflower seeds, can anyone help me how to get him to eat more stuff and know his best treat so I can start training with him?

Far more information regarding you and your Parrot would likely get a quicker and larger number of Posts! It helps to know how long you have had this Parrot and what region of the World you are living, thus what foods are available.

We start with a 'Human Grade' Seeds, Grains, Nust, Freeze Dry Veggies & fruits and pasta bits and pellet bits Mixture. This wide mix of food sources provide variation in size, shape, and color to develop an interest. Start by providing all of it and then cutting back on the number of Sunflower Seeds and Peanuts provided. Over several months those items are cut to or near zero. Those items removed can be used in limited number as your training aids. Yes, you will be feeling the Wild Birds a great diet, but this is a reality of owning a Parrot. After all, they like to share the wealth!

NOTE: A wide selection of each group is important. A mix that is mostly sunflower seed and peanuts is not a health mix and must be avoided!. The common failure is the lack of variation available!

NOTE: Provide fresh veggies and some fruit first thing in the morning without the dry food. Later in the morning remove the Fresh foods and provide the dry food, etc....

 

[Icnatslpel]

Hey guys I have a 2 year old african grey and I want to start to train him but I gotta find his treat but he doesnt eat anything other than his food (idk how to call it) and sunflower seeds, can anyone help me how to get him to eat more stuff and know his best treat so I can start training with him?

Far more information regarding you and your Parrot would likely get a quicker and larger number of Posts! It helps to know how long you have had this Parrot and what region of the World you are living, thus what foods are available.

We start with a 'Human Grade' Seeds, Grains, Nust, Freeze Dry Veggies & fruits and pasta bits and pellet bits Mixture. This wide mix of food sources provide variation in size, shape, and color to develop an interest. Start by providing all of it and then cutting back on the number of Sunflower Seeds and Peanuts provided. Over several months those items are cut to or near zero. Those items removed can be used in limited number as your training aids. Yes, you will be feeling the Wild Birds a great diet, but this is a reality of owning a Parrot. After all, they like to share the wealth!

NOTE: A wide selection of each group is important. A mix that is mostly sunflower seed and peanuts is not a health mix and must be avoided!. The common failure is the lack of variation available!

NOTE: Provide fresh veggies and some fruit first thing in the morning without the dry food. Later in the morning remove the Fresh foods and provide the dry food, etc....

thank you so much for that information, i live in israel and i got the parrot when it was 3 months old but my father was the one that fed him and bought the food for him (i guess they call it pellet) And my dad kept only feeding him that but after this time i wanted to do some research since i have grown up now and understand that parrots arent so easy to train and make trust with so i did research and found that while training we should give a treat but that was my problem since my bird refuses to eat vegetables and fruits and any other nuts other than sunflower seeds and his pellets, so i thought if i can take out all his pellets from the cage and put carrots cabbage apples and stuff like that so he will get hungry and try to eat them? will this be a good idea?
and about the fruits and veggies in the morning it doesnt work while he has his pellets in the cage thats why i thought of taking them out, but im scared that something bad will happen

 

[Icnatslpel]

Hey guys I have a 2 year old african grey and I want to start to train him but I gotta find his treat but he doesnt eat anything other than his food (idk how to call it) and sunflower seeds, can anyone help me how to get him to eat more stuff and know his best treat so I can start training with him?

Far more information regarding you and your Parrot would likely get a quicker and larger number of Posts! It helps to know how long you have had this Parrot and what region of the World you are living, thus what foods are available.

We start with a 'Human Grade' Seeds, Grains, Nust, Freeze Dry Veggies & fruits and pasta bits and pellet bits Mixture. This wide mix of food sources provide variation in size, shape, and color to develop an interest. Start by providing all of it and then cutting back on the number of Sunflower Seeds and Peanuts provided. Over several months those items are cut to or near zero. Those items removed can be used in limited number as your training aids. Yes, you will be feeling the Wild Birds a great diet, but this is a reality of owning a Parrot. After all, they like to share the wealth!

NOTE: A wide selection of each group is important. A mix that is mostly sunflower seed and peanuts is not a health mix and must be avoided!. The common failure is the lack of variation available!

NOTE: Provide fresh veggies and some fruit first thing in the morning without the dry food. Later in the morning remove the Fresh foods and provide the dry food, etc....

and i have another question like can i find those foods on bird stores and stuff or should i buy them from regular stores like no salty nuts?

 

[plumsmum2005]

Are you doing any research of your own on Greys? I think you should.

I'll give this for starters http://www.african-grey-parrot.com/default.aspx please go, read and learn.

 

[Skyrider]

Hello icnatslpel
Welcome aboard
I had the very same questions you do. These little guys are very cautious about every aspect of their life. They seem to record (memorize) every molecule in their environment. If anything, and I mean anything changes they seem to reboot or go into safe mode. I'm sure it is a primal instinct and has served them well for millions of years.
I'm new to this game too. This is what I have observed so far.
Pellets are good. Whatever he is eating now is preprogrammed and part of his routine.
Follow Sailboat's advice.
Rinse every veggie you prepare. I started out with carrots, peppers, grapes, blue berries, corn on the cob, broccoli, cucumber, squash, peas, cooked beans, rice, pasta, bananas and anything else I liked. Anything other than what he liked. This was first thing every morning.
The results:
A mess! Jack Splash slung most of my hard work to the floor.
Before I'd leave for work I'd fill his second bowl with a seed mix for Grey's. Along with pellets and very little of his original diet.
I would replace the hearty veggies in his morning bowl and leave them all day. By hearty I mean veggies that stay crisp all day. Carrots, broccoli, peas and such. No bananas or gooey fruits would I leave all day.
Now to me, I peel a banana and eat the whole thing. Or I'll grab a strawberry and gobble it down in one bite. I love strawberries. To a small bird those bites can be very small.
I began to notice he was nibbling at everything. It was hard to tell at first. Over time it was plain to see he enjoyed a variety of new foods just really small portions presented in larger quantities.
When Sailboat told me that parrots supply the ground dwellers with the abundance above it clicked. The parrot will nibble off a bit of fruit and fling the rest below. It's how they coexist in their natural environment. Seems like waste but in reality it is very effiecient for all.
So get busy and get creative. Look very closely and you will begin to see small bites cut out of a carrot or a slice of cucumber.
They love birdie bread too.
Good luck on your new adventure.

 

[Icnatslpel]

Hello icnatslpel
Welcome aboard
I had the very same questions you do. These little guys are very cautious about every aspect of their life. They seem to record (memorize) every molecule in their environment. If anything, and I mean anything changes they seem to reboot or go into safe mode. I'm sure it is a primal instinct and has served them well for millions of years.
I'm new to this game too. This is what I have observed so far.
Pellets are good. Whatever he is eating now is preprogrammed and part of his routine.
Follow Sailboat's advice.
Rinse every veggie you prepare. I started out with carrots, peppers, grapes, blue berries, corn on the cob, broccoli, cucumber, squash, peas, cooked beans, rice, pasta, bananas and anything else I liked. Anything other than what he liked. This was first thing every morning.
The results:
A mess! Jack Splash slung most of my hard work to the floor.
Before I'd leave for work I'd fill his second bowl with a seed mix for Grey's. Along with pellets and very little of his original diet.
I would replace the hearty veggies in his morning bowl and leave them all day. By hearty I mean veggies that stay crisp all day. Carrots, broccoli, peas and such. No bananas or gooey fruits would I leave all day.
Now to me, I peel a banana and eat the whole thing. Or I'll grab a strawberry and gobble it down in one bite. I love strawberries. To a small bird those bites can be very small.
I began to notice he was nibbling at everything. It was hard to tell at first. Over time it was plain to see he enjoyed a variety of new foods just really small portions presented in larger quantities.
When Sailboat told me that parrots supply the ground dwellers with the abundance above it clicked. The parrot will nibble off a bit of fruit and fling the rest below. It's how they coexist in their natural environment. Seems like waste but in reality it is very effiecient for all.
So get busy and get creative. Look very closely and you will begin to see small bites cut out of a carrot or a slice of cucumber.
They love birdie bread too.
Good luck on your new adventure.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, really this reply has helped me much Ill just go now and put him some veggies and fruits and leave them in his food bowl and wait for it until he tastes them

 

[Icnatslpel]

Hey guys I have an update of my question I got my bird to eat abit of veggies today with putting alot of veggies and fruits in his food bowl that he eats from and i saw them around the cage abit eaten, so my new question is how do i progress with this like he still doesnt eat from my hand will it take time? or hes just doesnt like it, its not that hes scared of me whenever i put it close to him i even touch him with it and he doesnt move so im thinking how do you pick the treat that he LOVES to eat so much and will walk to my hand just to eat it?

Edit: he doesnt eat them infront of me, only when i leave for awhile (atleast that what i think)

 

[SailBoat]

Consider a change in your approach in working with your Parrot:

It is NEVER the fault of the Parrot! It is ALWAYS the fault of the Human. Regardless of the interaction, always work from this vantage point. This will assure that you more quickly see what you are doing wrong and can correct it!

Building Trust is very important and Humans commonly get it wrong as we expect the Parrot will automatically trust us. Not true, If you start from the point that they have no reason to Trust Us, it sets your mind in the correct frame to always work to develop that trust.

Enjoy!

 

[Icnatslpel]

Consider a change in your approach in working with your Parrot:

It is NEVER the fault of the Parrot! It is ALWAYS the fault of the Human. Regardless of the interaction, always work from this vantage point. This will assure that you more quickly see what you are doing wrong and can correct it!

Building Trust is very important and Humans commonly get it wrong as we expect the Parrot will automatically trust us. Not true, If you start from the point that they have no reason to Trust Us, it sets your mind in the correct frame to always work to develop that trust.

Enjoy!

Thank you so much I have already read about that too, I will give it my best

 

[SailBoat]

Consider a change in your approach in working with your Parrot:

It is NEVER the fault of the Parrot! It is ALWAYS the fault of the Human. Regardless of the interaction, always work from this vantage point. This will assure that you more quickly see what you are doing wrong and can correct it!

Building Trust is very important and Humans commonly get it wrong as we expect the Parrot will automatically trust us. Not true, If you start from the point that they have no reason to Trust Us, it sets your mind in the correct frame to always work to develop that trust.

Enjoy!

Thank you so much I have already read about that too, I will give it my best

I would have hoped you may have read that as it is my most repeated advise provided in Thread, after Thread, after Thread!

In your example above, when applying the approach, the quick answer is, Let Him Eat! The base goal is expanding his diet not your want to feed him. Once the much expanded diet is in place, then work at providing bits here and there. Keep adjusting what you're doing based your adjusted vantage point. It sounds a bit odd until you begin to see it work!

Enjoy!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Our story...
Not a Grey, but hopefully still some ideas...


Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. 30-ish years ago, Harrison's was still a small company. My vet was actually able to talk to Dr. Harrison about my bird's species and status, and they decided on the High Potency. 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. 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.

 

[Icnatslpel]

Guys help me please, I've tried to have fun with him today I let him out he stood out I petted him alot and he had fun he went on my hand several times just because he had no choice and now I want him to go back inside he starts biting hard and gets aggressive and runs away alot and i cant put him in a no choice he just flies of my arm and lands on his chest cuz he doesnt want going in but i need to leave and im forced to force him in, how would i deal with that

Edit: if this keeps on i wont be able to let him out anymore since my parents are getting mad for me getting him out and cant get him back in anymore and i just cant let him out, no treats work nothing and his cage is large and has some games and stuff

 

[plumsmum2005]

Posting the same question in two threads will not get you more answers btw. I have answered the 'other' one.

 

[Icnatslpel]

Posting the same question in two threads will not get you more answers btw. I have answered the 'other' one.

I don't wanna sound rude but I have actually already tried those ways and picking him up wont work it will just freak him up I'm trying to make him step up by his own just when i need to go i try to corner him and make him step up with force i wanted to know if theres other ways and how should i deal with that cuz i know that forcing a pet to do something is really bad

 

[FlockFive]

Hi! Many greys would not be as motivated by food as other parrots. You can try putting a variety of treats in your hand and offering it to him over many sessions and see which one he picks. If this doesn't work (and it very well may not), your fid may just not be a keen eater! That is fine too, I train my birds mostly using verbal praise, which many greys, being as linguistically gifted as they are respond very well to! Use a special tone of voice that is high pitched and very enthusiastic whenever your grey does a desired behavior, give him pets and show him lots of love. I find that it works just as well as a treat for my 3 fids. Good luck!

 

[Icnatslpel]

Hi! Many greys would not be as motivated by food as other parrots. You can try putting a variety of treats in your hand and offering it to him over many sessions and see which one he picks. If this doesn't work (and it very well may not), your fid may just not be a keen eater! That is fine too, I train my birds mostly using verbal praise, which many greys, being as linguistically gifted as they are respond very well to! Use a special tone of voice that is high pitched and very enthusiastic whenever your grey does a desired behavior, give him pets and show him lots of love. I find that it works just as well as a treat for my 3 fids. Good luck!

Tysm mate! I will be doing that!