How to encourage fresh foods?

[idrial]

Hello guys.

I have a question regarding how to encourage your little buddy to eat fresh fruit. Delenn is from a pet shop that told me that "fresh food is bad for parrots unless its done less than twice a week."

He also told me a bunch of other stuuuupid stuff... but that isn't on topic.

But what is clear is Delenn has never really had fresh food. She doesn't know what to do with it. I have only gotten her to sample some finely chopped strawberries and apple. She simply won't touch anything else.

Is it like pellets where I have to show her that its food? One thing I've noticed is she's more likely to eat something if I cut it into tiny bits, but she hardly eats any. She's like a two year old where most of it ends up on her face, or on the floor. What should I try?

[LovelySydney]

I had lovebirds who were the same way. What I did was simply put things in there and make it a routine. Every morning they would get a little fruit, then lunch a little veggies and dinner a mix of the two. I wouldnt give too much food because I didnt want to waste a bunch knowing they werent eating it. I also sprinkled some seed (they weren't pellet eaters @ that point) into the mix to encourage them to at least try it. A week went by with barely any interest and then eventually they started nibbling and then they had favorites and the rest is history! Of course as with any foods there were some they didn't like and some they adored - its just trial and error!!


My advice is to just keep offering it and eventually they will take interest, its just a matter of getting used to something new. Keep us posted!!

[brdfvr]

What i did was have 'breakfast' with my guys to get them to try soft stuff. I would put down a 'table cloth' (newspaper) on the coffee table and offer them the soft food for about 1-2 hours and have my breakfast along with them. They were away from their cage so couldn't fill up on the pellets and they began to try their breakfast (after about a month) and the rest is history. Only give a little bit so you're not throwing away so much everyday. My Skyy is from a pet store too (2 years at the store) so she was very wary of anything but apples. It's good that he's eating apples already, that's a good sign.

[my-africangrey-echo]

I agree a small change at a time. I have converted my greys to almost 100% birdy mash diet. 4 friends and I make it about every 3 months or so.. But it took several weeks to get them to adjust to it. I also give a bowl of fresh fruits and veggies at dinner time. They want to eat because we are and it helps keep them out of our plates.

[Jag]

You just have to offer it over and over and over... they need fresh foods every day. In the beginning, I took a small amount of applesauce (pear applesauce) and mixed it with the veggies I chopped up small, then put the fruit on top (little amount). Try to use organic... strawberries are known to harbor the pesticides if they aren't organic. Just keep trying... remember you have a resistant toddler you're trying to feed!

[idrial]

Thank you very much for all your suggestions. I will try to reduce the amount I was giving her and offer it daily. I like the idea of unsweetened applesauce. She loves apples so I bet she would really like that. It would be a good way to introduce other foods too.

Right now she is being a velcro bird and won't stay on her playstand. She wants to sit on my shoulder while I eat yogurt and watch tv. Go figure, she insisted on a taste of cherry yogurt despite my best efforts to keep her away from it. I only looked away for a second! I think another trick might be to eat the food myself and then offer her own dish with the same thing.

Isn't human saliva bad for her? I try my best to discourage sharing but she is sneaky! She has been known to dip my hair in things so she can look like she is just preening me.

[idrial]

I have an update for this.

I decided to try corn. I wasn't sure if she would even try it. Well I put about a teaspoon's worth inside a soy sauce dish and added a little bit of water. The soy dish is a perfect little serving dish for a conure.

I stepped away from the playstand for a few moments. All of a sudden I hear this "click click click" noise accompanying a "cluck cluck cluck" so I decide to see what is going on.

Delenn had that goofy conure smile, her eyes were half closed, and she was banging her beak against the dish while making a clucking noise. I know from experience that when she makes that clucking noise... it means she is happy. So I asked her "is it good?" and she stopped devouring the corn long enough to bob her head a bunch of times and cluck some more. I wish my camera had batteries so I could take a picture. I might do that today since I missed a good opportunity!

I think corn is a winner. I've never seen her so passionate about food before. LOL

[hollyhawkz]

When Wawa was a baby I used to use bamboo skewers so it was like veggie kabobs. It got him interested in taste tests and now he is just the best eater!

I'll post a pick, it's old, poor quality and off my cell phone. Awww this is Wawa at three months old!!!

[Jag]

That's GREAT news! Ours all like corn, too. When they get something they like, the boys all sounds like chickens!