|
|
Post by beccilouise on Nov 23, 2015 17:38:43 GMT -5
Hello everyone! I just wanted to ask a few quick questions about Byron's diet and there are a few things I want to alter to make him healthier but not certain what would be the best way to go about it. When I bought him, he was on: Parakeet mix (a seed mix with sunflower seeds)
I weaned him off these and he now has, every day: PELLETS (Kaytee Exact Rainbow Mix cockatiel and parakeet diet) MIXED PULSES BOILED PEAS (we tried raw green veg but he's got a fissure in his beak that he was born wish, that I hope will grow out, but seems to make it hard for him to bite into and break up really tough foods) WALNUTS or MONKEY NUTS MILLET (I need to wean him off this, I know they shouldn't have seeds every day and am trying to cut it down to a spray of millet every two weeks)
Once a week, he has a boiled egg and the occasional grape.
I want to introduce apple to his diet, which I will do slowly. I also want to introduce some grains into his diet and wanted to know what was the best? I've heard that brown rice is quite good, as is quinoa, but I was wondering if Bulgar wheat is good as well?
He also has a cuttle bone and I leave the shells on the egg for calcium. What else do I need to be making sure he has? Thanks in advance! |
|
|
|
Post by wsteinhoff on Nov 23, 2015 18:51:44 GMT -5
It sounds alright to me, maybe cut back on the walnuts like you are with the millet. Since quakers are prone to fatty liver disease even though nuts have healthy fats in them fat is still fat and will build up in the liver over time. Nuts are an important part of any parrots diet but they aren't needed every single day. As for the grains, my quaker Bishop and my pigeon Skye love warm quinoa and brown rice. I'm going to try sprouting some brown rice to give them too since it'll have more nutrients in it that way. It couldn't hurt to mix up the fruits and veggies every now and then so they don't get bored with them. Some things that Bishop likes and that you could try are oranges, papaya, spinach, kale, beets, cucumber, grapes, pineapple, banana, carrots, sweet potato, and peppers.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Nov 23, 2015 21:16:00 GMT -5
There are also some excellent recipes for bird bread on the internet if you can't get Byron (great name!)to eat veggies. Mr P won't touch most veggies but he loves the birdie bread which is mostly veggies and very little "bread". "Chop" is something that normally goes over well as it has a little bit of everything you might want to put it in. Mr P also loves quinoa, brown rice, bulgar, and oatmeal (unsweetened mixed with almond milk. I am pretty sure that quinoa is the only one of those grains that is also high in protein, so Mr P and whoever else I'm fostering get more of that than any of the other grains.
The flip side of that is Mr P also loves, pork chops, hamburgers, chicken wings, soft taco shells, wheat thins and Kellogs Vanilla almond cluster flakes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jan and Shah on Nov 23, 2015 22:07:32 GMT -5
Shah is on a specialised diet but you could try steaming sweet potato, carrot and butternut pumpkin and mix it with a little white rice (I use Doongara rice) and serve it warm. He loves it. (You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray.)Also you could try stewing the apple in a little bit of water and serve it warm. Shah also likes this as well. Please refrain from giving nuts except maybe one a week - they are high in fat and can cause other problems. BTW, I love the name Byron.
|
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Nov 24, 2015 6:09:38 GMT -5
Great, good to know! I'm working hard to get his diet right at the moment. Have given no nuts today, so will keep that for the weekends with the egg. I'm going to try mixing some bulgar wheat and boiled peas with his pulses to see how he fares this morning. I've tried him on broccoli, spinach and kale already with no success, but sweet potatoes, carrot and butternut sound good and I love the idea of birdie bread! Thanks guys  |
|
|
|
Post by easttex on Nov 24, 2015 6:19:15 GMT -5
Millet is actually a grain. I still would not give it in large quantities. Though my birds don't care for it, most birds love it, and it doesn't have enough of the right nutrition that it should make up a large part of the diet.
You can also buy meals to cook for birds if you like a lot of variety in one dish, without having to buy all the individual components. Higgins makes several that my birds like a lot. It combines things like rice and quinoa with veggies, fruits, nuts and spices, and they're very easy to prepare. I give it as an evening treat.
|
|
|
|
Post by aaron on Nov 24, 2015 10:48:26 GMT -5
Cupcake loves millet, and I'd wager she gets too much of it. When I put a spray out, she demolishes it in no time... So I only replace them once every few days, but I should probably do it even less. The staples of Cupcake's diet are Harrison's pellets, cucumber, and a few varieties of lentil sprouts. She also very much enjoys steamed zucchini, corn, peas, cauliflower/broccoli, sweet potato, butternut squash, apples, the occasional bit of steamed spinach (although leafy greens are always a hard sell)... I will give her little slivers of unsalted almonds as treats as well at times. She loves tofu as well as some hard boiled egg white on occasion as well as rice.
|
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Nov 24, 2015 20:58:45 GMT -5
I've tried him on broccoli, spinach and kale already with no success Something I mention often is that it took me 8 months to get Ralph to even try broccoli. Once he tried it, he found out that he likes it a lot. So, in introducing any new foods to a Quaker parrot, you have to be persistent. Keep offering the same foods, over and over-- and expect to throw a lot of it away. Eventually though, you may get your parrot to actually eat some of those new foods. I'm still working on carrots and sweet potatoes with Ralph, but they're tough ones, since he hates almost anything colored orange.  |
|
|
|
Post by Jan and Shah on Nov 24, 2015 21:08:35 GMT -5
Shah never ate chilli. So I got some for the cockatiels - who didn't eat it. Guess who did? He gets it every day now. The cockatiels - who never ate vegetables - now eat them with gusto. Just keep trying as they change their minds constantly.
|
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Nov 25, 2015 7:28:53 GMT -5
Great advice, thanks all! The bulgar wheat and peas in with the mixed pulses was a hit. I'm going to keep trying him on the broccoli but I think the cucumber is a really good shout, and so are the sweet potatos, pumpkin etc. He's on a pretty well rounded pellet mix that caters for the vast majority of his nutrients, but he seems to prefer the soft food. Good shout on the baked birdie mix that I can buy, I'll have a look for some. Thanks so much for all your thoughts!
|
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Nov 25, 2015 21:22:26 GMT -5
He's on a pretty well rounded pellet mix that caters for the vast majority of his nutrients, but he seems to prefer the soft food. Have you tried soaking some pellets to soften them? I use bottled spring water to soak some pellets for Ralph (he expects some every day and thinks they're a special treat ), but you can also use unsweetened fruit juice. This works well to introduce pellets to parrots who aren't used to eating them-- but even parrots who will eat dry ones (like Ralph) can appreciate the soaked pellets. |
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Nov 26, 2015 4:54:24 GMT -5
Great idea! I'll try it when I get home tonight. Thanks!
|
|
