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13 weeks and refuses to eat fresh fruit or vegetables

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13 weeks and refuses to eat fresh fruit or vegetables

Postby Mbali » Thu Jan 19, 2017 7:38 pm

Hi

My african grey Bruce is about 12 weeks going in 13 weeks now have had him from 5 weeks, from 11weeks I cut down his feeds from 3 feeds a day to 2 feeds a day @40 cc off formula. My problem is he wants to eat sweet corn, pallets and nuts only I have tried carrots, broccoli, potatoes let me just say most vegetables and tried fruits watermelon mango grapes list goes on but he will not eat anything or touch his water. He can climb very well but will not eat is his bowl its placed up a and even if its on the floor off the cage. He will only eat if its those 3thing only if his bowl is on the floor, and if you change any try him on new things he will not eat the any thing during the day, his first meal will be formula in the morning nothing in between his last meal formula. At 13 weeks is this normal his do I get him to try new things and eat by him self during the day.
Mbali
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Re: 13 weeks and refuses to eat fresh fruit or vegetables

Postby Pajarita » Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:29 am

At his age, he should be getting formula twice and getting soft food served fresh and warm twice a day (and this is the food that should have veggies and fruits in it although you should also offer fresh so he can start getting used to seeing it). He might look big but he is still a very young baby. They fledge at 9 weeks of age but they stay with their parents and get their own intake of food supplemented by them for many months after...
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Re: 13 weeks and refuses to eat fresh fruit or vegetables

Postby liz » Sat Jan 21, 2017 7:18 am

You know the rule with kids: formula, strained baby food then junior food with a few suppliments of what we are eating. His little digestive system needs easy food and his beak is not ready to deal with harder food. You also need to share some food with him. They learn from their parents and then from the flock.

What you do now makes a lot of difference in the way they are later. Parrots, unlike kids, do not forget. The more love and comfort you give now means a lot when it comes to time to give you love and comfort. And they do.
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Re: 13 weeks and refuses to eat fresh fruit or vegetables

Postby Wolf » Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:33 am

Greys are partial ground feeders so I would not find it to be too unusual for it to prefer its food in a dish on the floor or at least close to the floor.

Due to the way that parent birds teach their offspring to recognize and accept foods I would say that if you want to teach your Grey to eat a varied diet of fruits and vegetables that you might want to do what the parent birds do.

They set the young bird on a branch and bring a food to the branch and show it to the young bird and then they eat that food themselves. They repeat this process until the young bird starts asking for a bite, which they do not give to it, they continue to bring the food back, show it to the young bird until the young bird will actively try to steal the food from them and then they will share it.

So the key is to eat the food in front of the bird until it begins to demand that you share with it and then you give the bird a piece of the new food. The bird may not eat it at this time and may just throw it down, but you don't worry about that. Just continue to use this process and over a period of time if you will share foods with the bird it will begin to eat it.

This is the best way to do this that I have found so far. Hope it helps you. The bird does not eat the foods because it does not recognize them as being food, it must be taught about food the same as any of our human babies need to be taught.
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Re: 13 weeks and refuses to eat fresh fruit or vegetables

Postby Mbali » Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:18 am

Thank you I was so worried I'm doing something wrong.
Mbali
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: 13 weeks and refuses to eat fresh fruit or vegetables

Postby Pajarita » Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:49 pm

Yes, Wolf is correct about the best method to get them to try something new but it doesn't work as well if you are free-feeding protein food.
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