What is the best way to wean my orange wing 'zon???

[~AshlieNicole~]

I have an orange winged amazon that was sold to me on two feedings a day. She seems to like her fruits and veggies, but not her pellets. ? She is on a seed/pellet mix and the breeder said that she ate the pellets before she came with me. She does not touch them now. Also the seed that she is on is the same size as what our cockatiel eats. She only eats the sunflower seeds out. I dont know how to get her onto pellets again without having to starve her. Thats why I came to you Joanie! lol Please help. She was born on July 17 so should she even still be handfeeding? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[The Outlaw]

Here's what Joannie Doss recommends:

Young birds often refuse to eat some foods they once did when they go to a new home.

There are several ways to try her to get to eat pellets.
1. You can grind them up and mix them with her fruits and veggies. That way she can't just pick out what she wants.

2. You can grind up the pellets and put them in a "birdie bread" that you bake. There are many recipes on the internet for these.
This helps her to get used to the taste of pellets.

3. You can give her pellets the first thing in the morning and then after a few hours give her her regular food. When feeding her at night, again give her pellets and then wait about an hour or two before you give her the usual diet.

4. Gradually take more and more of the sunflower seeds out of the seed mix that you give her. These should be given to her as treats and not really part of her diet. You need to wean her gradually off them. She probably is full from the sunflower seeds and therefore isn't movtivated to try any of the pellets.

5. Try several different brands. Birds do have a preference to some pellets over others.

6. You can also try soaking the pellets in fruit juice or water so that they are soft. Remember to take them away after an hour or two as they can grow bacteria if left in the cage too long.

7. You can also pretend that you are eating the pellets. Act like you don't want to share them with the bird. Let him know how good they are by saying "Ummmmm" and letting your face show that these are very special.

Hope one of these works for you.