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Post by LeonieChester on Oct 2, 2016 2:32:53 GMT -5
Ive only had Chester a week and Ive been trying to get him to eat veg and fruit but hes not having any of it! Im annoyed that the pet shop I brought him from never introduced him to any of these kinds of foods. Any tips on how ai can get him to eat them? Ive tried sitting with him abd showing him I enjoy them, mixed them in with his seeds, had them raw or soft! Nothing!  |
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Post by zim on Oct 2, 2016 2:40:05 GMT -5
Just keep trying. Keep showing him that you enjoy eating it, and keep offering it in a bowl or by hand to Chester. Chances are high he will eventually give in, and probably enjoy them!
So much about these little guys just requires patience and persistence.
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Post by biteybird on Oct 2, 2016 5:39:59 GMT -5
Hi Leonie and Chester, welcome!  One week is not long at all, remembering that Chester is adjusting to a completely new environment and to you. I wouldn't be worried at this early stage - I'd just focus on making Chester comfortable and putting him at ease. Persist with offering the fruit & veg, but be prepared for it to take a while. You might also consider converting him to pellets at some point (you mentioned seeds, so I'm assuming he doesn't eat pellets). Enjoy reading through all the threads here on the Forum...there are many dealing with diet. And ask questions - they're always welcome! |
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Post by leoniechester on Oct 2, 2016 9:49:03 GMT -5
Thanks for the lovely welcome I will keep trying with him. What pellets would you recommend? |
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Post by zim on Oct 2, 2016 18:35:33 GMT -5
Harrison's pellets are highly recommended by many people, but they are on the pricey side. I found that they are the only pellets Yoshi would eat.
It's not an easy process switching them from seeds to pellets, but it's something that needs to be done, as these guys are prone to issues like fatty liver disease and such. Problems can arise later in his life if his diet is high in fats, such as seeds.
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Post by cnyguy on Oct 2, 2016 20:00:01 GMT -5
Welcome! You do have to be persistent when introducing new foods to a parrot. Keep offering the same foods, over and over, and be prepared to waste a lot of food. Try preparing vegetables in different ways. Most can be offered either raw or cooked (most kinds of beans have to be cooked). Try offering them in larger pieces, finely chopped or mashed. Eventually you'll probably discover some things that Chester will like. I've often mentioned that it took me eight months to get Ralph to even try broccoli, and now it's one of his favorites. Eating some of the same foods and showing Chester how good they are is a good approach too, so you're on the right track there. Keep doing that too. Some other brands of pellets that Ralph likes are Higgins InTune Natural and Pretty Bird Daily Select; not sure if they're available in the U.K. or not. |
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Post by beccilouise on Oct 3, 2016 2:02:51 GMT -5
Hello and welcome! It took me nearly a month to get Maya to eat all the foods I wanted her to eat. The pet shop she was from also fed her on seed only, so I had to convert her to pellets AND introduce her to fruit and veg. Sharing fruit and veg with her really helped, because she saw me eating it and wanted to join in. She is a year old now, I've had her for nearly all of that time (It's her 'gotcha' day on November 1st) and she will happily eat her KAYTEE pellets, her nutriberries, boiled peas and sweet potato, carrots, green beans, broccoli, apple, red and yellow bell peppers, sprouted legumes and pomegranate seeds. She also enjoys the odd bit of toast with peanut butter on and some boiled pasta.
Patience is the key word with these little ones, a good example of this is harness training: It has taken me ten months to train Maya to wear her harness and she is still not fully trained! It won't take you this long to convert your birdie to pellets and veggies, but try not to worry if it takes time. You're doing the right thing and Chester will get there eventually!
Also, Higgins and Pretty Bird are available in the UK but quite hard to find. Psittacine is also available from Parrot Essentials and that is pretty good too. I think you can get Pretty Bird Daily Select from Northern Parrots. Higgins might take a little shopping around for. I've not seen InTune Natural on sale, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible to buy it in the UK. Try Northern Parrots, they have a HUGE range of foods. Good luck!
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Post by leoniechester on Oct 3, 2016 10:19:45 GMT -5
Thanks for all your help everyone! I managed to get him to eat some grape this morning by holding it in my mouth haha I felt like a proper mumma bird! Ive orsered some pellets so once they are here im going to start converting him to those. I will keep offering fruit and veg every morning too when we have breakfast. |
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Post by julianna on Oct 3, 2016 13:18:29 GMT -5
You are doing great Leonie.... lots of patience and things eventually work out. Your little one would probably like to try your breakfast too. They do like warm food such as a little bit of egg or porridge. Dip a small piece of toast in it... and see if he likes that. Oscar loves breakfast with me.... he gets a little piece of toast (no butter) with a small bit of egg on it. He won't waste a drop.
Nice to have you join the forum. I have learned a lot from the folks on here and I am sure you will as well.
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Post by leoniechester on Oct 6, 2016 11:17:41 GMT -5
Just want to update everyone on Chester.. hes still being fussy with his fruit and veg but hes on pellets and he took to them straight away! I couldnt believe it im so chuffed |
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