Brownhead Question

[Cat24]

Anyone else have brownheads here? I'm living with one right now that was brought up pretty poorly and we're trying to help him get some good habits. He won't touch most pellets, doesn't like most fruits or veggies and has major issues with females...except me apparently. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[schwabism]

I did have a Brown Head(and looking for another) as far as the food issue goes I tried alot of pellets and eventually he started nibbling on Lafebers cockatiel size pellets and eventually switched over. It took him a while to start trying other foods, but with persistance he gave in and started liking everything. Ignore him after you give him a treat and check later if he ate it. He might be embarrassed to eat in front of anyone because he was not brought up well. Don't give up!
They aren't known for aggression issues towards people and usually try to run for the safety of their cage instead of attacking a person. If this is what he is doing (trying to avoid a situation with a female) then that is okay just let him avoid them. If you have people over, always put him in another room so people can't scare him more by looking or trying to touch him. Eventually, I believe he will come around and you won't have to be so careful anymore.
If he is dive-bombing anyone, you have severe aggression issues and probably will have to see a behavior specialist about it. Hope this helps!

[schwabism]

One more thing if you have not clipped his wings, this is a good time to do it. They loose some of their superiority when you do this and can help train a bird.

[tvymola]

I had trouble converting my rehomed birds to pellets too. I tried lots of different brands before I found these, which all of my birds like: Dr. D's Plant Pro Bird Pellets | All Natural, Always Fresh!

If you email them and ask for a sample, they will send you a free 5 lb bag for new customers. I like it because the pellets are softer and crumble when they are eaten. Some pellets that have been cooked can be quite hard and fly across the room when the bird bites into it.

[Cat24]

His aggression is mainly towards my M-I-L and any short females he comes into contact with. I'm taller so I think I avoid that stereotype for him. He has always been clipped but because of his upbringing he doesn't try to fly, at all. It's almost like he doesn't realize that wings are efor flying. He also hates being on flat surfaces unless he's chasing the M-I-L, but he does step up wonderfully when he wants to!

[RubyMuse]

I have one, too - he eats zupreem pellets which I do not love but he seems to. I have some birds on harrison's and those I switched them cold turkey because they really needed the nutrition.

If I swithced a bird from seed to pellet - I did zupreem because I think the color helped. The downside is that they each select certain colors and will not eat others and that accounts for a lot of waste...

[Cat24]

Has anyone tried mash for their rehomed/picky birds??? I was rading through some of the rest of the board and amwondering if that might be worthwhile?

[Poicephalus girl]

Originally Posted by Cat24

Has anyone tried mash for their rehomed/picky birds??? I was rading through some of the rest of the board and amwondering if that might be worthwhile?

You won't know if it'll work unless you try ;)

Seriously, it might take a long time for birds to try new food. The key is to keep offering it and changing how it's offered.
It took a while for my rehomes to try new foods but they all eventually did. It also helps if you eat or have another bird eat what you are offering.
My lovebird started eating pellets when she saw my Senegal eat them.

[Pepper's Pa]

Originally Posted by Poicephalus girl

Seriously, it might take a long time for birds to try new food. The key is to keep offering it and changing how it's offered.

Our parrots can be very selective in what they eat. When I first tried feeding carrots to Pepper he wouldn't eat a cooked one. I then tried raw carrots. He'd eat one to two-inch long carrot sticks, but if I cut them into rounds he wouldn't touch them.
If given the choice between raw or slightly steamed broccoli, he always chooses the slightly steamed.
He prefers diced, raw sweet potatoes to steamed.
For two years he wouldn't eat a bell pepper, now he gobbles them down.

As Poicephalus girl shared it takes time and keep offering the same foods in different ways.

Good luck.

[brdfvr]

Originally Posted by tvymola

I had trouble converting my rehomed birds to pellets too. I tried lots of different brands before I found these, which all of my birds like: Dr. D's Plant Pro Bird Pellets | All Natural, Always Fresh!

If you email them and ask for a sample, they will send you a free 5 lb bag for new customers. I like it because the pellets are softer and crumble when they are eaten. Some pellets that have been cooked can be quite hard and fly across the room when the bird bites into it.

I just looked at that link and it looks like a really quality food. My guys are on Zupreem pellets, but this seems like a better deal 5lbs for $20 and the shipping is included?! Wow! When you got the free sample, did you have to pay for shipping? If so how much was it? I'm in Wisconsin so it might be similar. I was thinking about requesting some when my guys are running low. Which will probably be in a month or so.