upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I bought RoudyBush yesterday.....put some in his dish...and left some seed mix in cage as well (maybe a tablespoon full) but I can't tell if he's eating the pellets because he scatters them. Last night we had cornbread muffins and I gave him a piece of that.......he LOVED it!!!!!! I also gave him a little piece of tomato but he didn't care much for it. I am a little scared of giving him some things because I have ferrets and I you have to be super careful with what they get because they're proned to intestinal blockages....they are total carnivores so only protein for them. I think Mango is going to be much more fun to feed though. haha!

If I leave the pellets in there...will he eventually eat them???

tonia1961 wrote:...If I leave the pellets in there...will he eventually eat them???

The ones you gave him yesterday are stale now, but give him some fresh ones in his seed bowl each morning. I start off with just a few, then adjust as you see he's eating them. Don't reduce his amount of seed until you KNOW he's eating his new pellets.

Are you introducing him to fresh vegetables? He needs those that contain a lot of vitamin A, such as broccoli, collards, carrots and their tops, red bell peppers (but only if organic!), and sweet potatoes. Start by giving him just a few each day, maybe off your plate if that's how he's used to getting good tasting treats.

What does your vet think of Mango's weight? Light, heavy, perfect? You'll want to weigh him every week so you'll know fast if the diet changes are changing his weight.

Have a good time! Paca

Since Mango is used to the seed mix that he was given before you got him, it sounds like he is "throwing out" the pellets in favor of the sprinkling of seeds in the bowl. Suggestion: when Mango first gets up, give ONLY a tablespoon or two of pellets in his bowl. He will be MUCH more likely to sample them in the morning, when he's hungry... Try turning the cornbread muffins into "birdie bread". Take a couple of packages of cornbread mix and put into a blender. I add fruit juice instead of the water (or milk) the box calls for, and add a couple of eggs (shells and all) and blend. (I usually double the number of eggs the recipie calls for; when you add pellets (and/or other ingredients), it can make the bread very crumbly without the added egg, and it's good for the bird. You can also add hot peppers before blending; birds love "spicy" things and can tolerate the "heat" MUCH better than us homo saps! Other things to add can be cooked sweet potato, peanut butter, etc.) After blending, stir in some pellets and then cook until done (toothpick test). The bread can be frozen, but be careful if you warm it in the microwave; be CERTAIN that the serving has cooled off enough so that it does NOT contain any "hot spots" than can burn your bird's crop or tongue! Try offering some "fancy" frozen mixed veggies; they are SO easy to prepare! I warm up a handful with nothing but hot tap water; it takes 30 seconds and my bird loves them! (Especially the corn, peas and beans!)