Questions about Food

[FirstTimeBirdie]

Okay. So Sebastian is a picky picky little man, but I have found a few things he really likes. Unfortunately, he loves sunflower seeds, but I only give him a few deshelled ones a day as a special treat when he does as asked. He loves those mixes with the dried fruits and nuts in them and I usually give him a small dish of those a day. I found his new favorite fruit, KIWI. Loves loves loves it. And now with the new baby, he insists on sitting next to me when I feed the baby and so I let him taste the food and he goes nuts for it. I mean will gobble up as much as I'll give him. Is it okay for him to eat the formula? It makes his breath smell bad later on, I hate that.

He's not a big rice eater, he'll nibble on it while he eats his beans and carrots, but that's about it. I give him like a 5-grain hot cereal in the morning with some groats, but he only eats a little bit, then leaves it. I constantly feel like I'm wasting food. I also give him a dish of fruits and veggies in the evening.

Is there something else I should be giving him? I mean, don't get me wrong, he's definitely a healthy weight, but I sometimes feel like I'm lacking somewhere.

[failurebydesign]

Some veggies Tiki eats are
carrots, sweet potato, kale, broccoli, all colored bell peppers,
I haven't gotten bok choy, or collard greens, or dandelion greens yet but those are some good ones too.

Fruits are
grapes, pomegranite, orange slices, banana, mango

the best things to give are mango, kale, sweet potato that I know of because those have the highest ranges of different vitamins.
Sweet potato has the biggest range of different vitamins/nutrients.
and those have calcium.

He gets oatmeal flakes dry
seed
dried peppers
among a few other things

[failurebydesign]

I mix everything up and freeze it in sandwhich bags, take it out and feed him.

Oh plus he gets bean/rice/corn mix,
sometimes corn on the cob

am I forgetting anything else, hmm don't think so.

[sodakat]

Originally Posted by FirstTimeBirdie

Okay. And now with the new baby, he insists on sitting next to me when I feed the baby and so I let him taste the food and he goes nuts for it. I mean will gobble up as much as I'll give him. Is it okay for him to eat the formula?

It's okay. But, maybe you could use this time to give him something special instead. Does he like scrambled eggs? You don't need to worry about fat cholesterol in young parrots, so it's okay for him to eat eggs several times a week. Once he is mature, you can start watching the fat content of his diet more. The downside of sunflower seeds is they become a habit and many birds will refuse to eat anything else.

I found a page I was looking for on the LOV website for finicky eaters and am going to reprint part of it here for you. I think you can find some special treats that Sebby gets to eat when the baby is feeding:

Try plumping up dry foods such as shelled sunflower seeds, millet sprays, shelled almonds, and corn. Most birds cannot resist plumped corn which can be made with whole shelled corn or popcorn, soaked overnight and cooked until it is triple the normal size. Millet sprays can be simmered for fifteen to thirty minutes to change the millet grains from dry to moist and chewy which is more like fresh millet.

If a bird simply will not try sprouts, try soaking the sprouts in a favorite flavor of juice, such as peach or pineapple, or squeeze sections of pomegranate fruit onto the sprouts. The color can sometimes get them interested and the taste of pomegranate is irresistible to most parrots.

Show me the bird that can turn down a *nut butter/applesauce/whole wheat bread* sandwich! I make these for my weaning babies and the adults consider this a favorite treat too. I use almond butter or peanut butter with the lowest sugar content, and unsweetened applesauce on Brownberry Wholewheat or Brownberry Nut bread. Any wholegrain bread is suitable. One sandwich can be cut into eighths for manageable-sized pieces.

For help with bonding or to tempt a finicky eater, hot wet foods are very important! Often when a just-weaned parrot goes to its permanent home, it reverts to begging. There is no reason to revert to formula feedings because it will be just as satisfying and nutritious to the bird to be given hot wet foods fed from your fingers. Oatmeal is excellent for this purpose, as are cream of wheat, grits, any hot cereal, polenta, warm pieces of fruit, mashed sweet potato, and whole grain bread mixed with baby food veggies or fruits.

*Mirroring* is a good technique for tempting finicky parrots, just as it is for children. If you want your bird to try a food such as scrambled egg, try letting him join you for breakfast. Often when they see you eat a food, their curiosity gets the best of them and they join right in.

Taken from Land of Vos - Articles - Tips for Finicky Eaters

[becca623]

If you make eggs for him, don't forget you used peppers hotter than habeneros then take a bite to prove to him it's safe. Hard to convince him to eat something when you're turning colors and desperately drinking milk and eating bread to relieve the burning. Not that I did this, nope not me.

[Abby]

Merlin isn't a fussy eater. Ok he's an outright pig truth be known. What yours is mine and what's mine is mine type stuff. Lets himself out then opens my zons food door and eats his food too.

I make up a mix from Land of Vos as his breakfast and dinner which is a mixture of grains, beans, rice, veggies, fruits and a couple of added bits. I add about a tablespoon of small parrot seed and about the same of frugivore specific pellets.

Part way through the day he gets his fruit/veg bowl which has a mixture of frozen peas, corn carrot, bean mix, a dark leafy green, a couple of different dark orange fruits or veggies (sweet potato, papaya, mango), apple then depending on what the prices an availability kiwi fruit, pomegranate, passion fruit etc. He gets berries but the sod makes such a mess that it only happens a couple of times a week. I add sprouts to this as well.

Merlin gets nuts (almonds and macadamia mostly) as treats (or when he helps himself to Bogeys food) or he'd just go stupid on them.

[FirstTimeBirdie]

Also, a new favorite of his, Eggo blueberry waffles. Is this okay? He's frigging loves it.

[failurebydesign]

It's probably high in sugars and other fillers, but who doesn't want an unhealthy snack once in a while.

If I have something not so great for Tiki, like a tortilla chip, I give him a little bite of it.

[New Ekkie Mom]

Originally Posted by FirstTimeBirdie

Also, a new favorite of his, Eggo blueberry waffles. Is this okay? He's frigging loves it.

Once in a while should be ok. Besides the added sugar, like Failurebydesign mentioned, I would be worried about ingredients like enriched flour potentially causing toe tapping/wing flipping. Some Ekkies aren't bothered by enriched foods at all, some can eat a little and be ok, and others can't handle even a single bite without having a bad reaction. Just be observant, and if you see any toe tapping/wing flipping, your first course of action is to cut out any artificial additives/preservatives/enriched foods.

Also remember, of course, if he's eating yummy but not so healthy snacks, he will have less room for the nutritious but less yummy stuff.

[FirstTimeBirdie]

Well, apparently he likes warmed up whole bananas