Bonkers Eating Problem

[Bercott]

Hi - I have an unusual problem with my budgie, Bonkers. He is about 10 months old and very tame. His only problem is that he will not eat anything other than seed or millet spray. I have tried feeding him fruit and vegetables of all kinds but he will not take it at all - either from my hand or on his cage. He is anything but shy but just refuses to try any treats. Can anyone help?

[birdlover912]

Have you tried the prepackaged bird meal, Beak Appetite? They sell it at most pet stores...it really helped the little birds of my flock to get going with the veggies! Basically, it consists of grains (such as couscous), and finely chopped pieces of fruits and veggies. My budgies dive for the dish every time--they don't even realize they are eating healthy stuff!

[NotEnoughTime]

The method for getting a parrot to eat pellets and veggies is simple... But if you are not *persistant* then you will not succeed - you need to "out stubborn" your bird!!

The way I do it is: I give all the seed they want to eat for one hour in the morning and one hour at night. I make pellets and veggies available all day and night (pellets can get stale - so I change them every three days and only make a few available. Veggies are changed regularly so that they are fresh - and again only a small amount is made available).

After a month or so your bird should try the new food - but if you give-up, try something different, or anything else related to food, then expect to take another month...

[LovelySydney]

Thanks for the advice - I too have this problem with my parrotlet, Oliver. I will definitely try these things out!!

[jenseits]

Originally Posted by Bercott

Hi - I have an unusual problem with my budgie, Bonkers. He is about 10 months old and very tame. His only problem is that he will not eat anything other than seed or millet spray. I have tried feeding him fruit and vegetables of all kinds but he will not take it at all - either from my hand or on his cage. He is anything but shy but just refuses to try any treats. Can anyone help?

I don't think it's so unusual. Most birds take a while to take to veggies and fresh foods. You just have to be very persistent. Keep offering it every day.

Other tips that might work:
- eat the food in front of him and make a big show of how yummy it is. Birds need to know that new stuff is actually edible before they try it, so they'll take their cues from others.
- if he's the type to try to pick things off your plate, pretend it's your food to get him curious
- mix it into his regular food so that his beak makes contact with it in his regular food bowl. Force him to at least move it around his bowl to improve chances that he'll taste it. (You'll need to toss all of it out after a few hours though since fresh food will spoil.)
- chop stuff up in different ways. Some birds like minced, some like it julienned, some prefer puree.
- remove/reduce his regular food first thing in the morning and place veggies in his food bowl when he's hungries. After an hour give him back his seeds. Do this for a while. (But don't starve him; just make him wait for his regular food a bit longer so he's motivated to explore the fresh food).

And don't get frustrated. He's not being stubborn to confound you. It just takes time and persistence.