Can't get my Budgies or Lovebird to eat fruit/vegies

[Pookah69]

Any ideas on how to get fruits and vegies into my birds' diet? They won't have anything to do with them. I've tried cutting them up small, medium, big, leaving them whole, covering them with seed, etc. Any tips? :heartbeat

[SuperX]

if you cut em up dont leave em' in there to long, they could start to rot, and make the bird sick if he/she does decide to eat it... have they at least tried it?

[Pookah69]

No, they won't even try them. I only leave them in there for a half hour to an hour at the most when they are cut up. I definitely don't want them sick. I've tried grapes, apples, bananas, you name it. Can I mix it in with their seed/pellets and if so, how long can I leave it in there before it goes bad?

[lovechick]

One method that works for me is food clips: I always use them to attach apples, carrots and other hard fruits/veggies, you can also try sticking them between cage bars, they like that as well.
When you serve lettuce, wash it and hang it wet, my birds will bathe in in and eat it.
Heres a link to clips (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=6039&Ntt=treat%20holders&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2003&Nty=1)

[Pookah69]

Ok, I'll try that. I've tried clips but not with wet food in them....I'll try again. I put some of the millet seed on the grapes today in hopes he'd eat some of the grapes but he carefully ate only the seed. Ha-ha

[animallover14]

You should get your birds to eat pellets. Mine eat harrisons bird food pellets and it has everything they need to stay healthy, so I don't have to worry about them not eating fruits and veggies. It was actually very easy for me to convert my little seed junkies into pellet lovers!

[Jessika183]

You should get your birds to eat pellets. Mine eat harrisons bird food pellets and it has everything they need to stay healthy, so I don't have to worry about them not eating fruits and veggies. It was actually very easy for me to convert my little seed junkies into pellet lovers!


I Beleive You Should Still Give Your Bird, Fruits And Veggies Even If They Are On A Pellet Diet. I Could Be Wrong... :p :rolleyes:

[Sorathien]

birds still need fruits and veggies to stay healthy. processed pellets are NOT nutritionally complete. also, even birds mainly on a pellet diet still need some seeds, as seeds contain vital fatty acids that pellets do not. i'm a firm believer in the idea that the more something is processed (cooked/treated with chemicals) the worse it is for you (and your pets) my cockatiel will ONLY eat green veggies. he will NOT touch fruit. have you tried things like broccoli, wheat grass, romaine lettuce or leaf lettuce (iceburg lettuce is mostly water and has little nutritional value) or spinnach? my cockatiel loves all of these. often i will take a whole leaf of romaine and just stick it through the bars of his cage so it's just wedged between the bars near a perch and he will nibble on it for a few hours until it starts to wilt and i take it away. Sora doesn't like to eat veggies out of his bowl. i have to stick them through the bars of his cage or he won't touch them, sometimes i use a clip to keep them in place. often i will buy organic wheatgrass at the store that's in a little pot and just stick the whole pot on or in his cage and he will sit in it and eat the grass.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Landailyn/Sora-grass.jpg

[Pookah69]

I probably should try the sprouted seed, grasses, etc--maybe they will go for that. I tried threading romaine through the bars, carrots in various forms(shredded, whole, cut in sticks, etc.) with no luck. You name the fruit and I've tried it. Kona loves a combination of pelleted and seed food but I really want to encourage him, Lago and Naci to have fresh food as well. Thanks for your advice!

[Jessika183]

You Should Try Eating That Kind Of Food Infront Of The Bird When Its Out Of The Cage, If It Comes Near And Looks At It, Maybe It Will Take A Nibble, It's Monkey See Monkey Do :p

[Pookah69]

Excellent idea! I know that works with my 2 year old daughter!! Time for a vegie snack! =)

[Loudfrog]

My love bird will eat anything I am eating. She does not care for food I leave in the cage for her except millet. She likes her seeds when I am cleaning out the cage.

My bird will eat my eggs, rice, broccoli, apples and carrots and will try anything I have on my plate, then go to DS's plate to see if he has anything more exciting! I have to becareful because if she is on me when I have tea or hot chocolate, she will dive into the mug for a taste.

Right now she doesn't want me to type, she is trying to get very near my hands so I can pet her!

[Pookah69]

I tried egg today---just sat there, no luck. =( Tried carrots this afternoon--same results. I will keep trying. I have been eating the same thing in front of all 3 hoping....at least the food is good for me (the fruits and vegies anyway) so even if they aren't eating the good stuff, I am. Ha-ha!

[Jessika183]

Lol, Keep Trying :) Good Luck!

[lovechick]

Also make yummy sounds and give to them as you eat it. Whenever I eat something like rice and veggies the lovebirds will jump in and steal a bite.

[Pookah69]

:applause: I just had to laugh about the "yummy sounds" idea. I bet that will help--it usually does when I'm trying to get my 2-year old to eat. How pathetic is that?!?!? I keep forgetting that these feathery family members might as well be 2-4 year olds.

:idea: Is it safe to chop up vegies and stir it in with the seed, crumbles and/or pellets? Kona, the lovebird, adores his combo seed/crumbles/pellets but I haven't mixed it in for fear of illness. Any thoughts? I wouldn't leave it in longer than an hour....I'm just afraid also that it will just be a waste of good seed if he won't go for it. GRRRRRRR--frustration! :rolleyes1

[tweety bird]

The other day I was eating an apple and Tiki my lovebird came over to see what I was eating and she wanted some so I gave her a bit and she loved apple. Any Ideas what I should try next.

[Pookah69]

Any thoughts on trying to feed my birds sprouted wheat grass? I found some organically grown stuff at the store and wondered if it would be good for them and/or if it is safe for them to eat..... :surfing:

[lovechick]

Yeah... the sounds should do the trick, and another thing you should try is premixed cooking diets, the first time I bought beak appetite my lovebirds went crazy for it, they will sit on a bowl the entire day and eat and eat.., my budgies are very very picky, so usually when they see the lovebirds try something they will try it as well, so they did! and now every time I cook up a batch which I do every week, they go gaga for beak appetite, it consists mostly of rice, peas, carrots, nuts, tempting spices, etc, I cook up like half a cup plus 1 cup of water and divide that in 4-5 portions, serve it to them warm( make sure its not hot), they really love it. The rest I put in the fridge and reheat in the mocrowave the next day.

[lovechick]

Yeah, what grass is fine, I will later five you a link where you can buy seeds and a sprouter, my comp is freezing as I'm typing this.

[Pookah69]

Is Beak Appetite like Crazy Corn? I've seen ads for Crazy Corn but not Beak Appetite....can you recommend a supplier for that? I'd really like to give that a try.

By the way, so far the wheat grass is being ignored....we'll see if they ever go for it. Stubborn silly birds. I love them but boy oh boy.....Ha-ha! -propeller

[lovechick]

Actually I think Crazy corn will work best for larger birds, beak appetite is made for all sizes, heres a link to a good distributor, I buy a lot of stuff from them, they have great variety and reasonable prices, I just ordered a bunch of toys, poop-off cage cleaner, perches, etc... cant wait for that to come, anyways heres the link:

Click here (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8451&Ntt=beak%20appetite&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=0&Nty=1)
Also Veggie Heaven, I want to try that as well (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12357&Ntt=beak%20appetite&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=0&Nty=1)

[lovechick]

Oh and heres the post at another forum that has the links to the sprouting:

Click here (http://www.theperch.net/discussion/showthread.php?t=2274)

[Pookah69]

Lovechick, you rock! Thanks so much for the links, etc. I can't wait to order and then see if my little ones will go for it! By the way, I practically live shopping Ebay so I've probably done business with you in the past!!

All three of my birds are just NOW starting to get interested in their toys--it's about time! All three of them are singing to me as I type this. Too funny...they must know I now have a possible food provider for them!

Is that your baby next to your name? BEAUTIFUL if it is....that's the color I originally was hoping to get but I fell for my blue mutation black mask baby.
:lovestruc If I could figure out how to attach a pic I would so you could see him(or her).

You have been so great! I've taken everything you've said to heart and now I'm on my way to purchase goodies for the flock.

Have a great day!
Laura Rush

[Pookah69]

I can't believe it...I should have known Foster and Smith was the supplier you'd recommend! I use them all the time for my two labradors and for the various wildlife animals I help rehabilitate here on the ranch in the hills of Paso Robles!!! Thanks so much! Of course I just spent a truckload of money on too many goodies but now I have some stuff to look forward to getting!

Thanks again!
Laura :boat:

[lovechick]

Youre welcome :D
I sell quite often on ebay, I used to sell seed skirts, still have some left, people dont buy them a whole lot, but usually I sell bird stuff like toys that I bought and my birds completely ignored and extra perches I dont need.
But mostly I buy, now getting ready to buy a new cage for the lovebirds, I know they will be happy, since its huge! :p And I need one for the budgies as well.

I also love foster and smith, I buy a lot of stuff from them, another nice place I discovered is pet discounters:
www.petdiscounters.com

They have some one of a kind bird and other pet items and ship very quickly, great prices too.

[lovechick]

And yeah, that my baby Georgie in my avatar.. isnt he just a cutie:D
He is still very shy but slowly warming up to me, today I was late for work and could not see him, turns out he was hiding in this ducky toy that has a bunch of cotton strings....lol... silly goofball :rolleyes: :p
Heres George as well:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/vikachica/banner3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/vikachica/today15.jpg
And Paulie one of my budgies sleeping:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/vikachica/sleep2.jpg

[Pookah69]

I got my cages on Ebay too! My budgies are in a HUGE cage that I got for a steal! It is probably too big for them but better too big than too small. I'm actually thinking about dividing it in half so the budgies will have the top half and the lovebird the bottom half--it's basically a huge aviary. We'll see. In the meantime both cages are plenty big for all three to enjoy.

My son reminded me that we are becoming a zoo. We've got two labradors (Choco and her son Junior), 9 fish, 1 dwarf hamster (my son's hamster), and now three birds. Goodness sakes! Between them and the various animals that I rehab I could practically charge admission to see the animals! Ha-ha! We just released a Great Horned Owl and a Red Tailed Hawk last week that finished recovery so the bird menagerie is always happening.

Thanks for the new website link. My favorites list is getting huge! I feel like I'm shopping for a newborn baby--just gotta get more and more stuff! Help me, I'm shopping and I can't stop!!! In reality I'm just trying to find the things that will help them be happy and healthy.

Have a terrific day!
Laura

[lovechick]

Well I know the feeling, I have 2 cats, 4 birds and 4 fish. Before I had hamters and a guinea pig, but they dont live too long.
I wish I could get a dog, my dad thinks the whole house will stink and the backyard will be covered in crap...
Ugh... I know theyre just doing it because they want to haev an attractive house, but I wanted a dog my entire life and they promised I would get one when we finally settle and buy a new house, well we did.. and yet no dog..
I get very depressed when I see other people walk and play with their dogs, its almost like part of my childhood is stolen and even if I get a dog once I'm on my own( I'm in college now) it just wont be the same...
Its like so many people have dogs and they dont even care, honestly I think they dont deserve to have dogs, theyre just lucky... I wish that could happen to me... :(

Sorry for the rant... my parents dont exactly share the same love for animals as I do, it would be awesome to live on a big ranch with all types of animals...ahhh :D

Anyways... do you have any pics of your birds ? I'd love to see them.. :)
Take Care

[tweety bird]

Today while I was eating a sandwhich the bread was all grain type so Iave Tiki a small peice and she loved it. I am thinking of picking up some strawberries today should I give her this. I am going to try.

[Pookah69]

Kona 6-10-05

I am trying to import a pic of Kona....let me know if it works. I'm still trying to figure out how to import photographs but so far I haven't had any luck. If it works I'll also send one of my budgies Lago and Naci. :boggled:

As for the dogs....I'm now 36 and I got my first dog, Spanky, at the age of 31. Choco soon followed and when she was pregnant we lost Spanky to a horrific accident during a move to our current home in Central California. We kept one of Choco's puppies and named him Junior. Our labradors are a handful but are 100% members of the family. They are a lot like having a perpetual 2-4 year old child. They demand a lot of attention, interraction and care. I grew up with cats but, like you, always wanted a dog. My husband bought me Spanky. :cool:

I can see you have a big heart for animals which is fantastic. Perhaps once college is finished for you the dog you were meant to have will come into your life. I can see a lot of similarities between dogs and birds. They both need attention, care, cleaning up after, learning about and have obvious body language. Just think of this time without a dog as a "training session" until you are able to have one.

I still can't get any of my birds to eat fruits and vegies. What a pain! I keep trying though. Maybe once that food I ordered arrives they may change their tune. We'll see. None of them like "people food" but they are still babies so that may change. :chef:

Have a great weekend!

[lovechick]

Well my order arroved yesterday and I bought this:
Sprouting Pot (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5896&Ntt=sprouting%20pot&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=0&Nty=1)
Waiting for it to grow, we'll see how my birds like it..

[lovechick]

Oh and with posting pictures, you have to upload them to your computer, then go to this website:
www.photobucket.com
And then upload them there, then copy the URL code which is the 3rd one under the picture, come here, click on the picture image, which is that yellow square with mountain at the top and paste the code and submit.