Food supplements and rewards for a baby Lovebird

[monty]

Hi,

I wonder what kind of rewards I could give to my unweaned 6 week old baby lovebird?

I'm currently giving millet and he likes it a lot, but I'd like to change his rewards for learning from time to time. I'd like to already give him some supplementary food beside his hand feeding formula too.

Would mashed or small pieces of apples be ok?

What about banana?

I heard that lovebirds love grape. Should I be careful about seeds? Are they poisonous like apple seeds?

I read that people give babies Cheerios as well. Should I crush them and mix them with water?

I bought raw sunflower seeds but they seem too big and too hard for a 6 week old?

On the package with sunflower seeds it is stated that they might have been in contact with peanuts or nuts. Could any of those be dangerous for the baby bird?

And of course any other type of advise and suggestions would be wonderful.

I'm sorry for all those questions but I don't want to do anything wrong.
Thank you :)

[Monica]

Most all fresh fruits and veggies that we eat are fine for birds. Stay away from avocados, and the seeds of most fruits (such as apples, and grapes/cherries that I've heard). You can try feeding cherrios whole or crushed up. You might even try adding a bit of fresh fruit juice (apple, orange, cranberry.... something fresh and with as little sugar as possible). Adding fruit juice to pellets is sometimes a popular thing with young birds, if you decide to go the pellet way, however most people prefer a fresh natural diet (mostly veggies, with some fruits, breads, pastas, etc with a small portion of seeds at night).

Sunflower seeds, as well as safflower seeds, are very fattening. These seeds could be the equivalent of us eating chocolate caramel sweets. If you do feed any, feed in small moderate portions.

Be sure that you know what you are doing, and be sure to offer lots of fresh foods to your baby. If you were a health food nut, what you would be eating, you'd also be feeding your lovebird, so to say, anything that is healthy for you is healthy for them as well (even with some items in moderation).

[monty]

thanks. I wasn't sure if all those things which the older birds eat would be good for young ones as well. He'll get a wide range of food then.

Originally Posted by Monica

Most all fresh fruits and veggies that we eat are fine for birds. Stay away from avocados, and the seeds of most fruits (such as apples, and grapes/cherries that I've heard). You can try feeding cherrios whole or crushed up. You might even try adding a bit of fresh fruit juice (apple, orange, cranberry.... something fresh and with as little sugar as possible). Adding fruit juice to pellets is sometimes a popular thing with young birds, if you decide to go the pellet way, however most people prefer a fresh natural diet (mostly veggies, with some fruits, breads, pastas, etc with a small portion of seeds at night).

Sunflower seeds, as well as safflower seeds, are very fattening. These seeds could be the equivalent of us eating chocolate caramel sweets. If you do feed any, feed in small moderate portions.

Be sure that you know what you are doing, and be sure to offer lots of fresh foods to your baby. If you were a health food nut, what you would be eating, you'd also be feeding your lovebird, so to say, anything that is healthy for you is healthy for them as well (even with some items in moderation).