Bird won't eat pellets

[Orudis]

I have an extremely sweet, and lovable 10 month old African Grey named Africa-Indiana. He is an extremely finicky eater. I have been trying to convert him to a pelleted diet for a long time. We tried mixing them with his seeds. He eats the seeds and leaves over the pellets. We tried mixing them with blackberries with the same result. We even chopped them up and hid them in applesauce. He wouldn't even eat the applesauce.

Well, my husband decided to convert him once and for all. He took away all his seeds. Then he mixed the pellets with water to make them soft. The bird got very agitated and his disposition changed. He seemed very restless. Usually he is laid back and will sit in one spot such as the bed, his perch in the den, etc. for a long time. Suddenly he wanted to roam the house and chew on everything in sight. In frustration, we threw out the pellets and gave him back the seed. He started eating them as if he had not been fed in a year. The following day, we had our sweet bird back. What did we do wrong? I'd hate to give him a diet void of nutrition. He'll occasionally eat fruit and romaine lettuce but generally, this is not a bird that takes well to change.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Emmilyy]

How long have you been trying to switch him over? I *just* switched my GCC over, and it took MONTHS! i'm thinking it could take longer with a Grey, because they typically dont take well to change, right? Get into a routine with offering pellets, and keep the routine going for a while to give him the chance to get used to it. What i did was, pellets first thing in the morning (NO seed) until around 3-4 and then I'd give a seed snack. I left the seed in for about an hour - and then went back to pellets only. I tried SO many things, and this is what worked for me, after months it only took about a week!

Good luck!

[Monica]

Have you tried mixing the moistened/softened pellets with seed? Such as 1/4 moistened pellets to 3/4 seeds or less?

Have you tried making up some birdy bread recipes that contain either whole pellets or crushed up pellets? Have you tried said birdy bread with seed as well if bird doesn't take to seedless birdy bread?

Have you tried "eating" pellets with him? If you've got some cereal that looks similar to the pellets, then eat the cereal and offer him pellets if he seems interested. If that doesn't work, you might actually *HAVE* to eat the pellets.

Does your grey have any foraging toys that he loves to get open for food? If so, have you tried putting pellets in his foraging stuff? Sometimes, birds are far more interested in foods they can *WORK* for than foods they can easily eat out of from a dish.


Does your grey take readily to any mushy foods? Such as mashed up bananas? Yogurt? Cooked/mashed sweet potatoes? Or any other foods of simlar nature? If so, have you tried mixing in some pellets to this? If not, try mixing in seeds *AND* pellets. If possible, use pellets that are about the same size as the seeds - hulled.


Have you tried a variety of brands? Many companies will offer free pellets, money back guarantee, or will sell pellet samples for under $10. Have you tried different pellet sizes? Some birds may prefer larger pellets while others may prefer smaller ones.

[shellbeme]

I have helped switch alot of birds onto pellets, it has never taken months. Monica's suggestion of 'eating' the pellet with the bird is brilliant, when all else has failed-this has always worked for me. I'm not saying there are not the occasional birds who are just hard to switch over, but I really believe those are few and far between.

[chapala]

it can take time for a bird to learn that pellets (or other new foods) are actual food. Many birds will not eat something that isn't familiar. Please do not try to force your bird to eat pellets by removing all other food. Birds can starve or lose weight with that approach.

I have converted quite a few birds to Shauna's Mash diet (Feeding Feathers Yahoo forum), and some of the methods will work for pellets also. In any case, I would start sprouting a grain mix with a little seed for better nutrition sprouted, instead of feeding dry seed. Most birds take readily to sprouted grains since they look so similar to their seed mix.

Also feed the pellets first thing in the morning with all food removed from the cage at night so your bird is hungry. Morning is the best time to introduce new food. Once he starts eating the sprouted grain/seed mix, you can offer a small amount of pellets with an equal amount of sprouts. Leave them with the bird for several hours. Then, feed the regular food the rest of the day. You may be doing this for a long time before you see him eat the pellets, so be patient and continue to offer them every single day. It can help to pretend to eat one yourself, telling him how yummy it is and keeping it to yourself for awhile.

Once he eats the sprouts well, I also would begin adding very finely minced vegetables such as broccoli in with the sprouts for a later meal. A very little bit at first, increasing as he begins to eat it. He should be getting minimum 20% fresh food, vegetables and a little fruit, even on a pelleted diet. Perserverance will do it, but some birds take longer than others.

[Orudis]

Chapala

How do you sprout a grain mix? I have heard a great deal about sprouting seed, but have no idea how to do this. I would also like to know more about Shauna's Mash Diet and where I can find information about it.

Africa-Indiana is now on a seed diet again. I had another African Grey before (now living with my ex-husband) who was converted to pellets by staying at the vet. His leg had to be amputated and Dr. Greg Harrison converted him to pellets. He was another beautiful and sweet bird.

[Monica]

I've got some info on sprouting here...
Bird Safe Fresh Foods & Toxic Food Lists + Sprouts

Depending on the seed may vary the amount of time the seeds should be soaked and sprouted. Some seeds are fine to feed the very next day after soaking, while others may need to soak for up to 24 hours, and be sprouted for up to 6 days. If you buy a pre-made sprout mix, it usually tells you what to do.

Shauna's Mash Diet
FeedingFeathers : Feeding Feathers

Another popular mix, although there hasn't been much talk about it in recent years (and is more complicated than Shauna's mix) would be Mikes Manna Mash (Chapala, any opinions on this stuff?)
mikes_manna_mash : Mike's Manna Mash

[chapala]

Originally Posted by Monica

I've got some info on sprouting here...
[url]httpAnother popular mix, although there hasn't been much talk about it in recent years (and is more complicated than Shauna's mix) would be Mikes Manna Mash (Chapala, any opinions on this stuff?)
mikes_manna_mash : Mike's Manna Mash

Mike's Manna Mash is almost an exact copy of the late Alicia McWatters' mash diet, taken as his own without credit to her. She developed it in the 90's I think. Shauna of Feeding Feathers began with that diet, and through more research and more parrot nutrition information, changed it into what is now Shauna's Mash diet. She believes that Alicia also would have continued to refine and change her mash diet as more information became available.

I personally think that Shauna's Mash diet is about the best we can do for birds with the knowledge we have now about parrot nutrition. I also feed a small amount of the diet in Harrison's pellets, about 20%.