Updates on the rest

[Wolf]

Well, it is like my new batch of gloop has sweet potato in it and they don't seem to appreciate this addition. I am cheap and refuse to waste anything if I can salvage it so I thought that sprinkling the whole grains on top in raw form might help. I also thought about cutting their seed mix with either soaked or dry whole grains. It, as you can see, is just my trying some new things now and then.

[Lizz]

I never thought of hominy.

[Pajarita]

The sweet potato is just something they will get used to and learn to like (A LOT). My gloop always has large sweet potato chunks so my birds are used to it and all of them (even the budgies and tiels) eat it with gusto. Does she like mashed things? Because some people would mash it and add just a touch of honey, a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon and ground flax seeds to it and they say their birds love it (my birds are not into mashed things much, they seem to prefer a coarse texture).

Hominy is not what you would call a powerhouse nutrition item but it is high in fiber and the birds seem to love the large size of it (it's the very first thing Zachary -citron 2- goes for as soon as he gets his gloop serving and even the tiels and budgies eat it).

[Wolf]

I tried adding the sweet potato to the gloop mashed and with some cinnamon, they will eat it but it is not high on the like it list. So I don't waste it and try to help them eat it a little better.

[Pajarita]

My birds don't like anything mashed mixed in the gloop (I tried both the pumpkin puree and sweet potatoes as well as butternut and spaghetti squash), they like the chunks (which they usually pick, put aside and eat later). They also don't like it when it's mushy. They like it kind of dry (meaning no juice, water or anything -and that's why I stopped putting beets in it and why I drain everything very thoroughly) and with the grains and veggies mixed but separate and loose.

[Wolf]

I tried the sweet potato mashed as they all just love regular potatoes mashed. They also prefer their bananas mashed, although those are the only mashed foods that they like at this time.

[Pajarita]

I don't mash anything for them. They eat their bananas (thick slices -almost chunks) with their feet, same as the potatoes (boiled or baked, cut in chunks -with skin on, of course- and drizzle with olive oil and, sometimes, a bit of oregano). But I've heard of people mashing things for their birds...

[Lizz]

I don't mash and I feed as close to natural as possible. They need to forage. Volunteering at the zoo taught to give them anything that will enrich them.
Have you ever crumpled millet in a piece of paper?

[Wolf]

Yep, I even make foraging toys especially for them to destroy.

[seagoatdeb]

Wolf have you tried soaked grains with cinnamon or whatever there favorite spice is? My pois will take the soaked or sprouted grains the best. They will eat sprouted grains with me, so whenever I have sprouted buckweat or oat groats, or whatever for my raw use, I will include those and they do eat them, especially when they see me.