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Post by btroop on Feb 4, 2021 22:31:07 GMT -5
Just a recap but when my mom recently passed I brought her quaker parrot Gomez home to live with me. He's about 8 years old I believe. We're working on him not being mad at me😂. I mentioned in an earlier post Mom seems to have him on a seed diet. I have slowly been trying to add fresh food too. I also want to switch him to pellets. After lots of reading I know to start slow and Cnyguy suggest also softening some. My trouble now is no where close to me carries pellets that I can tell. Very rural area here. So I have to order pellets for him. Any suggestions? No only a good brand but ones maybe that you have experienced a general better liking for by the bird?
Thanks in advance
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Post by Caseysmom on Feb 4, 2021 22:46:23 GMT -5
Casey came to us on zupreem fruit pellets and is still on them after 14 years. He shares dinner with us most nights to add variety to his diet
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 5, 2021 21:06:12 GMT -5
Ralph like the ZuPreem Fruit Blend pellets too, and he also eats Higgins InTune pellets, which are also fruit flavored. There are other good brands like Harrison's and Roudybush which some parrots prefer.
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Post by btroop on Feb 6, 2021 18:19:34 GMT -5
Well I ordered him the Zupreem this time and I'll see how he does with that one. If it's a no go I'll move to the next recommended one. Still trying fresh fruits and veggies every few days. (I'm trying not to be pushy). He looks at me like I'm off my rocker though when I do it. Called a sister and she said he likes the occasional saltine cracker. Lol. Can he even have that? I haven't seen much said about crackers but I would guess the sodium would be bad.
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 6, 2021 21:21:06 GMT -5
Have you tried eating some of the same fruits and vegetables you're offering Gomez to show him how delicious they are? Sometimes that helps to get a parrot to try something new. A small piece of a saltine cracker now and then is OK, just not too much or too often. I found a salt-free whole grain cracker in the organic foods section at the grocery store that Ralph will eat. To me they taste like cardboard, but Ralph seems to like them.
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Post by Caseysmom on Feb 6, 2021 22:52:53 GMT -5
Casey likes small pieces of plain unsalted rice crackers. Rice is the only ingredient. I get tiny ones in the baby food section. You have to double check baby snacks as some have added iron that isn’t good for parrots
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Post by btroop on Mar 30, 2021 18:42:45 GMT -5
Sorry it's been a bit. The "turkey child" ( Gomez) and I are still plugging away I trying to change him over from a seed diet to pellets. Got him the Zupreem fruit blend and right now he only seems to like the yellow pellets that look like bananas. I've been mixing about two tablespoons with one tablespoon of the normal seed blend he eats. He eats the seeds and then acts like I'm starving him and starts to pick at one of his rope perches. Like I said he's a turkey child. I'm as stubborn as he is though. We'll get this.
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Post by cnyguy on Mar 30, 2021 20:22:01 GMT -5
Ralph likes the yellow pellets best too, but eats the other colors when he's finished all the yellow ones. My Grey Scooter prefers the red and green, and won't eat the purple grape-shaped ones at all. I pick those up off the floor quite often.  Have you tried softening the pellets with water or unsweetened fruit juice? That's often a good way to introduce pellets to parrots unused to eating them, and to encourage those who do eat pellets to eat even more of them. While Ralph and Scooter eat dry pellets, they both get some softened ones every day. I mix the colors together and all the softened pellets get eaten. Just put a few in a small glass-- I use shot glasses-- and add just enough liquid to moisten them. Let them sit for a few minutes then offer them to Gomez-- try a few on a small spoon or add some to his food dish. Discard any uneaten ones after a while to avoid the chance of bacterial growth. |
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Have you tried softening the pellets with water or unsweetened fruit juice? That's often a good way to introduce pellets to parrots unused to eating them, and to encourage those who do eat pellets to eat even more of them. While Ralph and Scooter eat dry pellets, they both get some softened ones every day. I mix the colors together and all the softened pellets get eaten. Just put a few in a small glass-- I use shot glasses-- and add just enough liquid to moisten them. Let them sit for a few minutes then offer them to Gomez-- try a few on a small spoon or add some to his food dish. Discard any uneaten ones after a while to avoid the chance of bacterial growth.