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Can anyone tell me how i can get my umbie to gain some weight. She is 2 1/2 years old and never had a good appetite. I have her on zupreem, pretty bird and some seed mixture. I also cook weekly and offer treats and nuts. She is so skinny to me you can feel her breast bone.
Please help with any suggestions. I have had her disease tested so i no she is clean as far as that goes and i do not bring in new birds.
Thanks

We feed scrambled eggs with chesse and shells- provides protien and calcium, as well as pasta- little bits here and there. Just an idea- what works for all we take in that are under-weight.

I've heard by many that Pretty Bird is not a healthy pellet to give, thus I wouldn't trust it.

You really need to get her to eat fresh foods, from sprouts, to veggies, some pasta, cooked brown or wild rice, etc.

Only pellets I will feed are zupreem, no fruit ones, I feed dried fruits as fresh ones will make them drink less. And variety of nuts.

I like feeding crockpot bean/vegetable mixtures.

My fids absolutely love them. I also use goldenfeast, beak apetit and birdie bread.

I feed Annie a mixture of Manna Mash, Birdie Bread and Beak Appitite for breakfast, leave in her all day bowl either Zupreem natural, mixture of nuts, or mixture of seeds and for dinner she eats whatever we're having. Her vet is very happy with her weight gain.

So is this picky eating thing a common characteristic of U2s? Mine just doesn't seem to eat enough either. He is offered EVERYTHING and I go to great lengths to make it appealing to him. He seems to just turn his nose up at nearly everything but Nutriberries and sunflower seeds. I make birdy bread and mash, bean mixtures, offer fresh veggies and fruits... How do you get them to actually EAT this stuff??
Cheryl

Toos are notoriously known for being picky eaters. They surely would pass up food for cuddles, and in a heartbeat would prefer to starve to death if only their owners would hold them long enough. Hahaha That describes a U2 to me anyway!

The trick is to offer fresh, healthy foods chopped up teeny tiny, and don't give them an alternative at the same time. If you put the seed mixture in with the fresh foods, they will not touch the fresh foods. Offer the seed mixture later in the day, and the fresh foods first thing in the morning. It's like offering a child a plate of fruit and veggies AND a plate of cookies and candy. GUESS which one they will choose?

Keep offering the fresh foods, even if you have to throw them away each day, just chop up some more the next day and start over. You can also let them eat from your plate of veggies. Have a salad with your Too. Show them that YOU eat it, and they can too.

CHeryl,

Have you ever tried a crock pot bean recipe? I have to be honest with you my too loves it more than seed! Just a thought.

Ok. so here we go with the nutrition questions again.
Cami, you suggested tiny chopped portions first thing in the morning. If I prepare a combination in my food processor ,which fresh veggies would you most suggest I add for maximum possiblity of them being eaten? When I put them in the cage in the morning, how long should they remain there? ( I have to leave for work around 9:30...birds are fed around 8-8:30 am.) If I take them out before I leave, should replace them with .....gasp..... nutriberries or avicakes for cockatoos? (or something like that? ) that seems like it will teach him (like he doesn't already know) that if he holds out long enough the good stuff comes along.... I leave in his cage Harrisons pellets and Goldenfeast Madigascar mix or something with dried fruit and nuts. And Gracie's mommy.... could you post your very successful crockpot bean recipe? THANKS.
Will these guys actually starve themselves waiting for something they WANT to eat.... ???? Winter has had some pretty big fluctuations in his weight since he came here. Started out at 740 grams.... went down to 660gms and now he's at about 675..... that seems like a lot to drop. I have tried giving him lots of variety... including the Zupreen fruity stuff that he used to like when he came here. Now he won't eat that either.Seems like I cant hit on something he will eat consistantly. He does like carrots...wont eat anything green. I have thrown away enough groceries since October to support a small country....All very frustrating.
My other birds (greys and S.I. Eclectus) are great eaters and big fans of veggies and fruits and all the good stuff.
Sorry this morphed into such a novel... thanks for your help and support
Cheryl

I would try broccoli STEMS not the florets, apple, celery, green beans, fresh Spanish leaves, sweet potato, a bit of corn, some almonds or pine nuts, and a little pasta. Put it into the cage, and leave for work. The worst that will happen is that he'll eat some pellets, the best is that he will be hungry enough to try a few bites. When you get home in the evening, dump the veggies, and fix yourself dinner. Let him eat what you eat, but chop it up little to look like what he had in the morning.

I remember writing post just like yours eleven years ago. I experimented, tried everything under the sun, only to have it rejected. The frustration would beat me down, but then I would get a second wind and try again. Since all U2s are different, and some like certain veggies and some don't, adds to the aggravation of finding the right mix for YOUR U2.

I found that Yogi did like broccoli after all, but only the stems when they were steamed soft. Some other Toos LOVE, LOVE LOVE sweet potato mash, but Yogi doesn't. Birdie bread is another that others seem to go for, but he will not. The same with Mikes mash. He hates it!

I suppose my point is that you just have to keep trying. I was one that did not want my U2 to ever be hungry. I was afraid he would hold out too long, and faint away....it was a matter, and a battle of wills. When Yogi realized that the seeds were not returning, that he was going to only get fruits and veggies or pellets, he started eating and it took several days. I give him a good seed mixture now, but did not while I was teaching him about the different foods. I still will not allow the seeds in the cage when the veggies are there.

I buy the 15 dried bean mix. Cracked corn, dried split peas, and long grain brown rice. I add the entire bag of beans, 1/2 cup of the corn and peas. And a whole cup of the brown rice. Add 5 cups of water. Let soak over night. Then the next morning I turn the crockpot on high and cook about 3-4 hours. Make sure you stir every half hour or so. Mine sticks pretty bad if I forget. I wait until the beans are soft. Once they are fully cooked turn off the crockpot and I add a large bag of freshlike mixed frozen vegetables. I just mix it in. There is normally enough heat to thaw and warm the veges.

And depending on how many birds you have freeze in ziploc sandwich bags. I have 2 caiques and an umbrella. SO I fill the whole bag up. When I need some I just pull a bag out of the freezer and microwave it every other day. On the off days I make beak apetite, or goldenfeast. I have noticed my too really loves the carribbean bounty goldenfeast. My bean mix normally makes enough to last 2 weeks. I got the recipe originally off Hartman Aviary's website. I just modified it a little. It's easier for me to buy the 15 bean mix bag then to buy 10 different bags of beans and measure and have to store them. But experiment with it a little and most of all have fun with it. Hope your baby loves it.

So, when you guys are cooking for you're birdies... do you include any particular seasonings? Like the one that comes in the package of mixed beans.... seems like that might inhance the flavor... but is it bad for them?
Should I use it? Or anything for that matter?
Cheryl

Definitely don't use the packet in the bean mix. Normally it comes with ham flavor. But any of the seasonings have too much sodium in it. Other than the different veges, beans, and rice I don't add anything.

It was definitely a good idea to ask ahead. Your quite the smart birdy mom

Thanks, Gracie's mom ! I sure do try my hardest to keep them safe and feed them well. But isn't there ANYTHING that might add intrest to the mix? What about natural herbs like thyme or rosemary...maybe basil or cilantro?? Any word about that?? I sure do appreciate your help... Oh and guess what????? WINTER ATE SOME SPROUTS !!!! I was eating a salad for dinner and he was watching... came down from where he was sitting and went straight for the mung bean sprouts... a few carrots slivers and some feta cheese !!!! How 'bout that!? ... There may be progress here !!!
Cheryl