Vegetable Problems

[Cockatiel Lover]

I know that dark leafy greens are a crucial part of a parrot's diet, so I've made it my utmost responsibility to feed my cockatiels them. However, I've run into the problem that countless parrot owners face- they just won't eat them! For the past two to three weeks, I've been shredding and cutting numerous veggies and attempting to feed it to my birds either as a treat or putting it in their food bowl. I have even tried eating fruits and veggies in front of my cockatiels, but they still refuse to eat them. Any suggestions?

[Wolf]

Birds don't seem to reference time in the same way as you, 2 or 3 wks. is nothing to them. The advice to you is the same as it is for countless other owners, you are doing the right things, so just keep on doing them.

[Sabrazom]

i had the same problems with my

Your doing EVERYTHING right, just keeping working to it!

i recommend at night you take out their food bowl, then in the morning provide them shredded carrots or bite sized pieces of leafy greens, i recommend kale and romaine lettuce! anywho, it will take time, so please be patient! c:

[Pajarita]

Tiels don't like fruits but they do love their greens and veggies. Mine eat any type of raw leafy green (romaine/red leaf/green leaf/butter/Boston lettuce, chicory, escarole, kale, red/green/yellow Swiss chard, dandelion, carrot tops, broccoli/rabe, Savoy/green/red cabbage but I don't give them collard greens or spinach). They also eat cooked and chopped broccoli and kale in their gloop (as well as corn, peas, diced carrots, mote, chopped green beans -but they leave some of these behind, butternut squash and sweet potatoes). As to the leafy greens, I just tuck them between the bars of their cage (they are handicapped) in the early morning. The trick to a healthy diet for any parrot is never to free-feed the protein food (pellets, seeds, nuts) because, as long as they have it there, it's pretty much what they are going to fill up with.

[Harpmaker]

Just keep trying. It took about 8 months of broccoli every day before my parrot started eating it. She still tosses it out of her food dish to get at "better" food, but I see her go back and get it later, because she knows she won't get pellets until evening.