Picky birds

[Scarpath]

My 2 green cheeked conures are very picky. I will give them some seeds to eat but they only eat their favourites. Then I have to throw out all of this good seed! What should I do? Should I buy pellets instead?

[kaylayuh]

My two parakeets are the exact same way! Right now, I mixed their favorite seed mix with pellets to get them used to the pellets. In a few weeks, I plan to remove the seed completely and feed them pellets as their normal food and seeds as a treat.

My guys also aren't too keen on fresh foods. I've tried tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, papaya), broccoli, peas, greens (spinach, kale, romaine lettuce), corn, pizza crust (only occasionally), egg, tomato pieces without seeds, and chicken. They've only ventured so far as to try the pineapple.

Good luck with whatever you try!

[Scarpath]

I think that I'm gonna stick with the seeds a bit longer because my birds are like babies right now and I am afraid that the pellets will be too big or tough for them to bite. And I DON'T want my birds to starve.
Have you tried apple or pear? My 2 conures are crazy about them! They like gala apples the most. Not so much empire or granny smith.

[zazanomore]

There are plenty of different pellets geared to the needs of budgies and other small birds.

What I feed my budgies is a dish of high quality seed mix, and a dish of roudybush, in the crumbles size. If you have trouble finding good food for your budgies, I can give you some great Ontario sites that I've bought from.

[kaylayuh]

I think that I'm gonna stick with the seeds a bit longer because my birds are like babies right now and I am afraid that the pellets will be too big or tough for them to bite. And I DON'T want my birds to starve.
Have you tried apple or pear? My 2 conures are crazy about them! They like gala apples the most. Not so much empire or granny smith.

I've tried apples and bananas, but never pears. I've also tried jalapeno peppers which they played with, but didn't eat. I've tried pasta, too, but there was no luck with that either. They don't even like their treats! They'll only eat their millet, and I put a stick in their cage once a week or so.

From reading other advice, I've taken their seed/pellet mix out of their cage when I put fruit and vegetables in. I'll leave them in for 3 or 4 hours, depending on how fast they brown or spoil. Hopefully one day they'll feel adventureous and try something!

[zazanomore]

Try putting in some dried fruits and veggies in. They spoil a lot slower than fresh fruits, and they still have high nutrients. With my birds, I found that when I put fresh fruit in with them, they wouldn't be comfortable with it enough to go near it in the time frame in which the fruit is good.

With dried foods, they are able to wait and find out that the food is safe, and they begin exploring.

[kaylayuh]

Try putting in some dried fruits and veggies in. They spoil a lot slower than fresh fruits, and they still have high nutrients. With my birds, I found that when I put fresh fruit in with them, they wouldn't be comfortable with it enough to go near it in the time frame in which the fruit is good.

With dried foods, they are able to wait and find out that the food is safe, and they begin exploring.

What types of dried fruits do you use? From what I've read in bird books and online, a lot of the preservatives found in some foods are unsafe for the birds. And while I've found dried fruit, a lot of them have color additive or preservatives to keep them fresh.

[zazanomore]

I usually go to bulk barn and stock up on them. You need to make sure though that they aren't sugar or salt coated.

If you are really worried about preservatives, maybe you can look at your local health food store for organic dried fruits.

[kaylayuh]

I will definitely have to look into that. I found some dried apricots that were bird-safe, but they hated them, too! I guess all I can do is keep trying.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Margaret]

Budgies can be picky if introduced to new food, but for our benefit they're curious. Sooner or later they go to check what new they have to eat. Some birds reject some food, but they may be willing to taste it when it is cooked or grated or sliced. I see that my Munchkins more likely eat vegetables that are hanging in their cage.
When I offered a new food, at the beginning they didn't touch it at all, but I was changing place when I left their veggies, sometimes it didn't work for a couple of days and then click- I see one of them try and the rest following. Good luck