gloop success

[tomanyales]

I finely got Fred to try gloop. I mix the wheat, barley and oats with water in a food processer. Then added carrot, broccoli and walnuts. Then took the mix, rolled it and put it in the oven to make pellets. Handfed it to him and he seems to love them.

[marie83]

excellent, that sounds like a good start. I started off with only a few foods in my mix because one of my birds is insanely stubborn about new foods, I didn't bake the mix though. It has never been my intention to give such a limited ingredient mix for too long though so I was just wondering if you had plans to add to and change your recipe next time you make some so it becomes more nutritious?

[tomanyales]

Yes I do plan to change thing up. The wheat, barley and oats was from a gloop that I had frozen. I hope he requires a taste to new food. Then I can stop baking I hope.

[Pajarita]

He did not like the whole grains? Because all of mine love them, it's the veggies mixed in the gloop that take more time for them to start eating.

[tomanyales]

that's the problem I am having is he wont even try the whole grains. He is very fussy. Seeds, sometimes pellets and I now I have him eating grapes. He would rather go without eating than try. So I keep trying and watch his weight and his mood. If his weight drops or he starts to get nippy then I back off and take a break. Slow going . as I was typing this I was watching him and he took the whole grain pellet over his pellet. He is back on pellets because his weight was dropping.

[marie83]

that's the problem I am having is he wont even try the whole grains. He is very fussy. Seeds, sometimes pellets and I now I have him eating grapes. He would rather go without eating than try. So I keep trying and watch his weight and his mood. If his weight drops or he starts to get nippy then I back off and take a break. Slow going . as I was typing this I was watching him and he took the whole grain pellet over his pellet. He is back on pellets because his weight was dropping.

sounds exactly like harlie, she would rather starve too despite me trying every trick in the book. We got there in the end thougn -6 years on but now shes getting fussy again grrrr.

[Pajarita]

Well, if you ask me, it's the back and forth that is doing it. I've never had a problem transitioning a bird to gloop and I've done hundreds of them. Nowadays, I don't even do the 'stages' as I used to when I started just with just grains barely cooked and gradually increase the cooking time as well as start adding veggies one by one, I just put the normal gloop everybody else eats and add a few seeds to it. I took in two new budgies on Sunday afternoon, gave them gloop with a bit of seeds yesterday am, they did not touch it and waited for their dinner last night, but I already saw the female eating it this morning -it hardly ever takes more than a few days. I only had one single bird that would not eat the gloop no matter how long I waited. It was Piquito, the quaker I have now, and she would wait all day long for her dinner seeds and absolutely refuse to even try it so, after her quarantine and two extra weeks had gone by, I decided not to wait any longer and released her into the birdroom and you know what? The stubborn so-and-so started eating it the very next morning! It wasn't the gloop she had a problem with, it was been caged! Birds do not commit suicide, they might be depressed, anxious, scared or whatever and eat less or refuse to eat something but they will not starve themselves to death. The trick is to catch them a bit hungry in the morning (they won't starve if they fill their crop at night), to present it the way they like it (sometimes, it's best to use the bowl they are used to but, sometimes, it's best to use a paper plate and put it at the bottom of the cage), and to be firm about it (tough love). If you waver, you are dead on the water.

[marie83]

Yea, the vet said harlie wouldn't starve herself too and to not even bother trying to convert her- just do it. The vet was wrong and I nearly had a dead bird. I do think its probably easier when you have more birds to lead by example as harlie didn't even recognise it as food, eating in front of her didn't work as she is distrusting of people (even now).
The stupid thing is what did finally work is exactly what you said wont work, I tried a 3 day system in the 6th year which is when we finally got a breakthrough. I know for a fact as I weigh everything diligently and seperately- every meal beforehand and when its taken out.

[tomanyales]

I tried 4 day of whole wheat and seed mix which he did not touch. Only ate after I removed the mix and replace with seed or pellet at supper. His weight drop by 3 grams plus his mood gets real bad and he stay at the back of the cage. Last night he fell asleep in front of his seed bowl a first. This is the second time trying with the same results. I just need to find another approach but for now I will bring back up his weight.

[tomanyales]

change my mind and decided to keep trying