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I've been putting maybe a tablespoon of pellets on top of her seeds in his dish.....I don't think he has ever touched them. Is it imperative that he be switched to pellet food rather than the seed mixture? He loves grapes and gets one or two a day.....he loves dry cereal or the Gerber Toddler foods Banana Puffs. Please advise.

Yes, it's important. An all-seed diet is unhealthy, as is processed sugar (in cereal and baby food), and as are grapes. Grapes and peanuts are so often fungal-infected that many people will no longer feed them to birds or children. Their small bodies are affected faster than our larger ones.

There are many types of pellets, and birds have taste preferences, just like we do. Many birds seem to convert most easily to Roudybush pellets, so you might try those. Avoid any pellets with colors or added scents. The more natural, the healthier. If he's not already eating fresh vegetables, begin giving them to him everyday. Just a few to treat as food toys at first, like a thin, 4-inch carrot stick or dripping wet chard leaf.

It might take weeks or even months to get him interested enough to actually eat and enjoy healthy food as much as his dessert seed, but he'll live years longer as a result of your efforts.

Paca

The pellet vs. seed is another topic that been done to death and there is no definative answer. A good diet consists of veggies (the darker the color the better) small amounts of fruit and small amount of seeds (or nutriberries etc) and a good grade of pellet. Pellets are formulated to give a bird all the nutrients he needs . A few good brands are Harrisons, Roudybush ,Lafebers,Zupreem. There are others. You can google them and go to the site & call & ask for samples. Just like people birds need variety in diet. Many birds enjoy pasta and brown rice. Just take out some for the bird when you are fixing dinner before you add salt and butter . A little tomato sauce is good but messy.

Cut down on grapes . They are high in sugar and if imported they could be full of pesticides and molds. A few years back birds died from mold in grapes from Chili. Feeding a grape to a small bird is the equivalent of feeding a whole watermelon to a 2 year old. You can feed small amounts of apple ,pear, ( no seeds ) kiwi,melon. No avacado caffein, & NO chocolate or alcohol.

You might try a small amount of pellets first thing in the AM. My birds like Harrisons as treats. I hand them a coarse Harrisons and they eat it with great relish but ignore it in their dish.-----Yogi

I bought a small bag of RoudyBush and I've tried it.....but he won't take them out of my hand....and he doesn't eat them out of his bowl. Should I only give those for a couple hours and see if he will eat them??? Could someone share their feeding schedule?

Seed debate - birds "only eat seeds". Some seed companies even add in vitamins and minerals thus they are all a bird "needs". Seeds can be sprouted to provide more nutrients than "dry" seeds... The con.. birds hull their seeds, so although they may get some of the nutrients (if added into the seed mxi), essentially the nutrients added into the mix are wasted. Not only that but even if one fed a nutrient enriched seed mix, it's still not a complete diet, and the birds could become obese, get vitamin deficiencies, even liver/kidney dysfunction.

Pellet debate - made to be all that a bird really needs. Much like dog or cat food. The cons - like humans, birds bodies process foods differently... so where one diet may be fine for say an african grey, another grey could be lacking in essential vitamins and minerals even if they are fed the same exact foods... pellets are dry, and over time can irritate the birds digestive tract if the birds do not drink enough water to compensate for how dry the pellets are. There have also been reports of vitamin and protein toxicity from pellets, as well as liver/kidney disease.

Fresh food debate - anything from fresh or steamed veggies, some fruits, pasta, cooked legumes, cooked wild or brown rice, cooked eggs, breads, etc. When fed in variety can provide much of the essential vitamins and minerals that birds need. A diet can be changed for birds who need specific dietary needs (i.e. some birds need more calcium, some need more vitamin A, some need less fats, etc) The cons - the bird would have to be eating all the foods, and the healthiest must be fed. If you only feed a few foods or don't feed them frequently the birds can't get all the essential items they need from the food. Fresh foods can't be left in the cage for more than 2 hours (less in hotter climates, maybe tad longer in colder climates), and it's always best to feed fresh, not frozen (although frozen can work).

It's a huge debate... IMO, a good seed mix and a variety of fresh foods is good. One could add in pellets too, to try and ensure that they don't miss anything. However, again IMO, a diet should be consisted of primarily (50% or more) fresh foods if at all possible, with the rest being seeds and/or pellets.


My best suggestion however, is to buy the Healthy Bird Cookbook by Robin Deutsch and read up all the information you can on diet. Then, try to decide what is best for you and your circumstances, since not everyone can afford (money wise or time wise) to feed a diet high in fresh foods.

Some birds are really stubborn to new foods. Possibly try some of the Roudybush soaked in juice---unsweetened pineapple or cranberry are favorites----first thing in the morning leave for an hour or so then discard to prevent spoilage . You could also add the pellets to some cornbread you make from a mix.. Good luck. Dont give up. It took me 4 years to convert Sinbad.-----Yogi

Yogi wrote:... It took me 4 years to convert Sinbad...

Notice how MUCH longer this is than the few days you've had Mango.

Patience. Give him pellets and veggies every day, even if he doesn't go near them.

Paca

This may seem heartless to some, but when I first got buddy, I was told to just put the pellets in his cage. I was told that no animal will starve its self.

Anyway that's what I did and in 2 days he was swtiched over. I myself feed him Mazuri's parrot maintance diet. I get it through my local feed store for just over $1 / pound in a 25 pound bag.

I was told that no animal will starve its self.

Whoever told you that has never met Sinbad. He would rather starve than eat something he doesnt like. I kid you not. I'd rather give in and take 4 years than starve a bird. You are lucky he broke down and ate. Birds will not eat what they do not recognize as food.That's why there are so many bird owners going Yum.yum-----Broccoli is good . Yum . Please try some Polly.

Yogi

I mix in some kaytee pellets,(small little Yellow pellets,I think they sortof smell like bananas),in with their daily seeds.I do this with my cockatoos also.My cockatoos get zupreem.But anyways they All eat both pellets and seed.The way I look at it is to "GIVE THEM THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS"Hope this helps you out