When to feed GCC?

[RainbowRose]

I'm bringing my baby home in a week, a male pineapple GCC. I'm super excited! But I'm also starting to get a little scared. I went to see a relative who has owned birds in the past. I told him about my bird and he said to make sure I don't feed him at the same time as I eat, or that I don't eat with him. He said this is because your bird will start to scream everytime he sees you eat food, because he will associate you eating with him eating. Is this true? Do you eat dinner with your bird?

[liz]

My birds have freechoice RoudyBush pellets and seed. I give them fresh foods in the morning but share anything that I am eating that is good for them.

[Bobioden]

Mine has Roudybush Crumbles available to him 24/7. Mornings he gets Birdie Bread, Fresh Veggies or Fruits. He gets treats of Nutri-berries or Hemp Seed.

He never gets food that I am eating, and he NEVER begs while I eat.

[Cage Cleaner]

Sure, if your bird is a screamer that learns screaming will get him fed. Then, sure. But the problem there wouldn't be letting him see you eat. It would be reinforcing the screaming, which would be a separate issue.

I actually am an advocate of the opposite of what your relative suggested. I think that there can be potential harm done if you never let your birds see when you're eating. Eating together is one of the basics of how the flock works. Now that you are going to be his flock, you should try your best to replicate this. I actually feel that it would be mentally confusing and maybe even damaging to not let him see you eat.

In the wild, the flock eats together, sleeps together, screams together, etc. I try my best to let my birds see me eat. I don't always have the time to do it, but I try. When I am eating something they can have, they get some. I've also noticed that my birds will start to eat their own food from their food bowls if none is offered, mirroring my behavior.

So, I absolutely advocate at least letting your birds SEE you eat. Whether or not you want to share with them what you eat is another story. However, I encourage that, too.

[liz]

My birds don't really beg. Myrtle says "huh" and Rambo says "is that good" when they smell something they want.

[Naurthon]

Unless you have your bird locked away in a sound proof room, it is going to know when you are eating anyway. Dante can always tell when I sit down to a meal, and often says, "mmm mmm mmm, looks good!" even though he's in the bird room at the other end of the house.

I don't see the problem with having your bird eat at the same time that you do. In the wild, birds in a flock all eat at the same time. Letting your bird eat when you do will likely reinforce the sense of flock-ness and create a happier bird in the long run.

Aside from that, I feed my boys their regular Roudybush pellets twice a day; when I first get up in the morning, and then again about an hour before lights out. Birds typically feed in the morning and evening times. With my Senegal and BCC, I could just put a whole day's supply of pellets in first thing in the morning and it would be fine, but Dante enjoys throwing his food, so I only give him half his daily allowance at a time to reduce waste and the need for sweeping pellets off the floor.

[laducockatiel]

Ladu is fine with me eating whenever. He just goes to his veggie bowl and eats too sometimes I give him some of my food before I add any salt or anything else which isn't too good for birds and he loves it. He never begs for it, he just considers it a pleasant surprise