Question About Umbrella and Seed

[JennKerry]

Hi all, my wife and I got a beautiful Umbrella Cockatoo last year. Her name is Tiki and she's barely a year old. Very playful and affectionate. My question is how do we get her off seeds? She will eat fresh fruits and vegetables when we have them available but not the pellets we provide for her. We also tried using Golden Feast which is really good but she turns her "nose" up to it. I dont want to give in to her by giving her the seeds but at the same time I dont want her to starve. Am I wrong to think that if she gets hungry enough she will eat whats there or will she starve herself? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Kerry

[ROYJOY]

start by mixing seeds and pellets. dont put in enough seed for the day. when he runs out of seed and is hugry he will try the pellets cause they are in the same dish, so they must be something to eat. count the pellets at first so you can tell if they are being eaten, also check the bottom of cage, to see if he is just throwing them out. when you know pellets are being eaten, start putting in less seed, and more pelets, till eventualy, it is all pellets.

if he eats all the seed and wont touch the pellets i dont know what to tell you cause this allways works for me. some folks put the juice from something the bird likes on the pellets to flavor them to what they know, to get them started realizing pellets are something to eat.

[JennKerry]

Thanks for the response. I tried mixing the two together. She just seems to move most of the pellets out of the way with her beak to get to the seeds. And when she's out she makes the irritating baby noises :)
I think she's being overly picky.

[BobbieSD]

I have the same problem with Bobbie. I bought some Parrot Blend, so it has various seed-not just sunflower. I have tried mixing it with every kind of pellet I can find. He eats the seed and not the pellet. He even searches the dog dishes for extra seed. He knows when I get home, he will get his veggie or mash, so he doesnt eat the pellet much. I know some say stick to pellet only-nothing else-for 5 days (which I can't do). Others say-try only the pellets for an hour in the morning...of course-they quickly learn-hold out and the seed comes. My vet advised mix the pellets with stuff, so he has a taste of it. Give him various grains and vegies. Pellets dont have it all anyway. I also use the smaller pellets with millet seed as a pine cone toy-Bobbie can't resist the color. Last of all-try misting or soaking the pellets to see if it makes a diff. If you "do" find the cure...please pass it on.

[JennKerry]

Thanks for your input. I'm wandering if I just keep the pellet and GOlden Feast in her dish during the day and give her "dinner" type stuff like the fruits and veggies with her pasta in the evening when she's out of her cage?

[ROYJOY]

I've found, the best tasteing pellet is the zupreem cockateil size (the little round one, not the oval conure size) (natural color, not multi color) they shouldnt taste different, same igredients, but maybe they bake the different sizes different, or some process that is different cause they sure taste different to me.

[jriley]

Try Nutriberries. They are a mix of seed, nuts, and pellets and every bird I've ever had has loved them. The only ones my birds don't like are the macaw/cockatoo Nuts and Nuggest variety. All of my birds love original Nutriberries, and I also buy tropical, golden harvest, and veggie. Avi-Cakes work well, too, but seem to have more seed than pellet.

Once your bird is happily eating Nutriberries, you can add Lafeber pellets as they are what is included in Nutriberries. They have a different texture than the crunchy Zupreem and Exact. Roudybush is very similar to Lafeber, but my birds all prefer Lafeber. The labels and website say Nutriberries can be fed as a primary diet and our sun conure eats them as her primary diet as she is very picky. My baby umbrella cockatoo has just started eating on her own and she will pick out her Lafeber pellets from among the mix I offer her although she won't eat a whole pellet yet.

Since your bird is already happy to eat fresh foods, try giving a "cooked" meal in the morning. Once or twice a week I boil whatever kind of pasta looks fun with one of those bean mixes for soup (I don't use the flavor packet) for ten minutes. Then I throw in a bag of frozen veggies (I like stir fry and italian mixes) and let sit until room temperature. It makes enough to keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days and it only takes a minute to nuke. My birds get it for lunch, but you can give yours this and Nutriberries and pellets in the morning. Wait until dinnertime to offer seeds and give a mix that has lots of added goodies in it. This will help you not feel like you're starving her and will encourage her to eat the more healthful foods during the day when she's active and hungry.

Julie

[Mammabird]

You might try a different pellet also, Roudybush & Lefaber seem to be more accepted then natural extruded pellets which taste like cardboard - that's why they add coloring and fruity flavors.

I agree with offering the 2 in the morning. Some Goldenfeast varieties have some pretty small pieces, make sure you are using a variety appropriate for a bigger bird. If he gets a healthy fresh dinner he won't starve. Your Umbrella does need to shell some nuts so a few shelled almonds a day is a nice snack and will provide added calcium. You can try baking pellets into birdie bread, moistening it with warm water or watered down apple juice.

[Mammabird]

Don't seem to be able to edit my post. Was just going to add with a couple of my birds if I mix the pellets & seeds they pull out the pellets and toss them. My birds all get Roudybush pellets in the am and their seed mix goes in late in the afternoon. I have a couple that refused to eat the pellets at all so I didn't put the seed in. They got a mid-day snack, dinner & a night-time treat. After the 3rd day they ate the pellets. It's hard if you have a vocal bird, I've known of some who stared screaming at the food bowl.

[JennKerry]

You have all been a great help. Thanks so much. I'll keep you updated