What kind of treats do you feed your little ones?

[mwagpetal]

Mine are on a pellet based diet and I feed them fresh fruits and vegetables and some seeds.

I cook them eggs sometimes. They love oatmeal and other things that we eat.

I have bought different types of goodies for their treats but they weren't as interested in them. I would love to buy them some unsalted type nuts for treats and other things they might like. What type of unsalted nuts do you all buy? Do you buy the regular nuts for humans or do you get the ones packaged for birds?

Also, the foster and smith website posted earlier has some nice snacks. Has anyone ordered those and what type did your bird like?

Thanks!

[mwagpetal]

Oh I forgot to add their favorite is Millet seed. I can't keep enough of it.

[jenseits]

Between the two of them they love various seeds: sunflower, safflower, pistachio, pumpkin (Mika only), millet (Stewie only), plus: dried papaya, dried pineapple, Nutriberries, dried vegetables, hulled oats... basically lots of stuff. But it's trial and error. I've bought treats they didn't like, and stuff that they warmed up to over time (apparently some things are "acquired tastes"). And some of the treats only one bird likes and not the other. You just kind of have to see.

When I buy nuts, I will buy either human-grade or "marketed as bird food" nuts - just make sure they are unsalted and organic.

[Izzy]

Millet is a big favorite around here too. For Lily I get almond slivers and walnut halves and pine nuts from the grocery store - they're usually packaged in the baking sections. I like getting the ones that are broken up into little peices, so that she can have more than one treat a day.

Nutriberries and Avicakes are favorites too. That's what I put in her foraging toys.

I made a birdie bread, which she loves, and they all LOVE sprouts! I got a sprout mix from The Coolest Sprouting Seeds on our Planet!

[jimpierce7]

millet and quinoa are favorites here!!! Both Benji and Cricket love sprouts as well.

My home made bread is a hit but most likely due to the millet and quinoa in it!!

[mwagpetal]

Thanks for the link for the sprouts. I'm going to get some. How do you make your bread?

[kali]

i give as a main diet a mixture of Vetafarm and Wombaroo pellets, a fruit and nut mix designed for small parrots and a seed mix. i also get nuts from the supermarket and sprouted seeds, alfalfa

fresh food they love apples, banana, silverbeet, those frozen veggie mixes, broccoli, potato chips :)

Boo always tries whatever i eat. as long as it's not tooooooooo bad, he gets a nibble. most of the time it ends up on the floor or down my top though. i should learn not to feed my bird when he's inside my top!!!


(BTW, not to totally derail the thread, but i spoke to a lady the other day that feeds her Eclectus whatever she eats [and she was not a healthy looking woman] she told me that the bird knew the big yellow arches and she couldn't rustle a paper bag without the bird going nuts. i was SHOCKED. he was tiny as for an ekkie... he didn't deserve that kind of diet......)

[Dan in Aus]

my gcc is fed on south america mix from vetafarm as her regular diet, but recieves daily vegetables and fruit. For treats she seems to like a variety of nuts, seeds and on occassion i bake some home made bird bread and mini muffins.

My Princess Parrot is fed on a regular diet of Vetafarm Rainbow pellets for small to medium australian parrots. He also likes his fruits and veggies but seems to like wholegrains and things of that sort for a snack/treat.

Both of my birds go crazy for capsicum seeds.

[mwagpetal]

Originally Posted by kali

(BTW, not to totally derail the thread, but i spoke to a lady the other day that feeds her Eclectus whatever she eats [and she was not a healthy looking woman] she told me that the bird knew the big yellow arches and she couldn't rustle a paper bag without the bird going nuts. i was SHOCKED. he was tiny as for an ekkie... he didn't deserve that kind of diet......)

Wow that's the first time I've heard of someone doing that. I'm not totally sure ( and certainly wouldn't try it) but i think my birds would probably not like the yellow arches food.


Thank you all for sharing your treats and foods. If you have any more good links where you buy treats please do share.

After posting this I realized we had a forum for diets, etc. Sorry I hadn't noticed that before.....Anyway, I browsed through that and found a lot of good stuff.

[Lessadalinar]

Treats.... treats as in once in a great while TREAT.

All those things listed above are a regular diet...

My birds eat what I eat too. Who in the heck can eat dinner with out them all over your plate of food??

IF you get Mc Donald's, unsalted fries, 1 is not going to kill them. THAT to me a form of treat. Or tater tots from Sonic, on occasion I give them 1.