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Patience and PersistenceFeb 19 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line You have to be persistent and keep your birds trying new things. Try to stay away from seeds!
I thought I would never, EVER get my African Grey Timneh to eat a balanced diet. Rocko was hooked on seeds from day one and would have a fit if he had those yucky pellets in his bowl. Eventually, I'm ashamed to say, I gave up and gave in to his wishes. Thankfully, he would also eat yams (rich in vitamin A), fruits, pizza, and cheese. Some people say cheese isn't good for parrots, that they can't digest milk products properly but he's never had a problem with it. It has calcium which is important for African Greys and he LOVES it so I indulge him once in a while. Anyway, after a few years of a mostly seed diet, I realized Rocko was slowly trying other things that I would introduce, like chicken bones (the marrow is good for them) and almonds (another good source of calcium). Since he seemed more receptive to new things, I thought it would be a good time to try a new diet. After all, the seed diet doesn't give him any real nutrition and cheats him in the long run. But instead of trying to convert him to a pellet diet, I decided to try what I thought would be a more palatable diet. I found this recipe at a bird show. 1 bag of navy beans 1 lb of macaroni 1 lb of mixed frozen vegetables 1 or 2 cups of brown rice Cook foods separately according to directions and combine. Divide into freezer bags and freeze some and keep the rest for immediate use. You can add almonds and fruit chunks (NO avocados! They are poisonous to birds) when you serve it to the bird. This can’t sit in the cage for a long period of time due to bacteria problems so throw it away after a few hours. Serve either warm or cold according to the bird’s preference. My bird loves it and it’s much more nutritious than seed. Since I got him away from seeds, he actually will eat Zupreem Pellets, which is an amazing step for him. I think he likes the multi-colored shapes. Birds are a lot like human children; they are attracted to things that are colorful and look fun. They also like to work at things; for instance, tearing apart an unpeeled orange or getting into an unshelled almond. “Working” to get to their food decreases boredom and they will end up eating healthy despite themselves!  |
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