Feeding my Senegal ... (also posted in Bird Talk)

[Jong81]

Hey,

I just wanted to ask everyone what they feed their birds, because I was recently told that I may not be giving Jake (my sennie) the best diet. The Parrot store I bought him from told me to set up his meal as follows in four bowls around the cage.

Bowl one - water (I change 2X a day)
Bowl two - a 1 to 3 ratio mix of ZuPreem AvianMaintenance Fruitblend flavor pellets with RoudyBush small pellets.
Bowl three - All natural bird seed Conure blend manufactured at the New England Bird Farm
Bowl four - Daily meal consisting of Monkey Chow (after it's been soaked in warm water and drained) and Yams ( occasionally I'll try peas or something new - all warmed up of course)

Is there something wrong with this? And may I have a specific menu for Jake? I also bring him with me and let him try whatever I'm eating. Thanks!

[LMPego]

I've never heard of offering so many different dishes. It seems to me that if Jake has his (or her) choice of 3 bowls, he will just eat from the one he wants to and ignore everything else. Everyone has their own opinions on food, but I leave in Cory's dish a fortified seed and pellet mix made by 8 in 1 that I really like and then she gets "people food" at dinner time.

[LMPego]

I forgot to say that I add a dried fruit and nut mix to the 8 in 1 at night.

[Alika]

I've never heard of offering monkey chow to parrots. My first inclination is to stay away from it. Monkey chow is designed, of course, for monkeys. It is very high in fiber and protein, which could be dangerous to your bird in the long run... especially since you're always using a bird pellet.

I would also suggest not offering the seeds every day. Your bird might be okay with it, but mine would gorge on seeds and ignore his pellets. The pellets have much more nutritional value than the seeds, and he should only be getting seeds as an occassional treat or supplement.

When you do offer seeds, I would suggest offering them in the same bowl as the pellets for the reasons listed above. Same thing with the nuts. Seeds and nuts are high in fat, and if your sennie is anything like mine, he loves to eat!

You didn't mention fresh foods... these are the most important part of any fid's diet. They include fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, cooked egg and meat on a weekly basis, and the occassional grain such as wheat bread or pasta. I will sometimes offer fresh foods in a third bowl, and sometimes mixed in with the pellets bowl. It just kind of depends on a lot of things. For example, if my birds are out of their cages when I offer it, I will offer it in a clean bown that I can put on their playstands. Furthermore, I sometimes hang fruits and veggie in the cage for enrichment.

Most people agree that those are the basic components of a good bird diet, but, from there, you kind of have to fid out what works best for you as far as how much of each you want to give and how often you want to offer it. Some people think pellets are the best staple, and others think they should only be used as a supplement to a fresh food diet. Some people think seeds are a horrible staple, but others think they are okay if they are complemented by a fresh diet.

Read other peoples' opinions before you make your final decision.

[Jong81]

Thank you so much people! I'm sorry I hadn't checked back with this in a while. I have trouble remembering where I post things and I haven't figured out where to view all my posts at once so I can see if they've been responded to.

I will avoid the monkey chow, but I usually only use half a soaked ball maybe twice a week, warmed up with some yams. Lately, I've been including cooked veggies in his diet along with the Yams and cooked Lentils - Lentils and Yams are usually his main daily dish, along with occasional monkey chow and scraps from the table. I know for sure that he likes the Yams and they're high in vitamin A, so I mix the syrup and some of that into whatever I'm introducing as new. I also bring Jake with me in the morning about twice a week to eat eggs for breakfast (he usually only likes the whites). I have not been able to get him to eat meat of any kind. He will snack on the pellets throughout the day, though he prefers the colored ones (which I have started to limit). He snacks on the seed the least and it primarily contains safflower seeds (which he tends to not like). The exact contents of the seed, which is all natural is here (it's the conure blend):

http://boneware.com/New%20England%20Bird.htm

In retrospect, Parrots and Company told me to START with the four bowl system just to make sure he's eating (because they had so many birds, they couldn't keep track of who was eating what) and maintaining weight as a baby. They never gave me further instruction, but then again, I never thought to ask. Jake is so active, he doesn't seem to be getting fat. Also, other people have told me not to use pellets at all, but to use sprouts instead along with other stuff and only with a two bowl system (the other bowl consisting of water). So now what do you think? :-) Ditch the seed still? And only include it occasionally with the pellets? I don't mind - it would save me money!

By the way, Jake spends a little time at each bowl everyday. Sometimes, he ignores the seed altogether. Most of the time, he waits for me to bring his daily meal. He'll get all excited when I take the bowl and then I'll come back and say "Yum yum!" and he'll start jumping around the perches and dive in as soon as I put it down. Usually, when he eats the pellets, he won't dip his head in - he'll actually sit on the edge of the bowl and pick up each pellet with his foot like he's all sophisticated.

[Alika]

Originally Posted by Jong81

Usually, when he eats the pellets, he won't dip his head in - he'll actually sit on the edge of the bowl and pick up each pellet with his foot like he's all sophisticated.

Lucky you! My Beeper sticks his face in his pellet dish and tosses it around, spilling lots of pellets over the side!

Sounds like you've got a good eater on your hands. Once you get the hang of the diet you like best for him, you shouldn't have any problems... and it sounds like you're well on your way.

[Jong81]

Thanks Alika! Yeah, I've been doing my research. I'll let you know if anything strange happens with his diet.