Um, help with food?

[OneBirdAtATime]

Not sure if this problem goes into this category but;

One, my budgie won't eat vegetables. I've tried the idea of putting vegetables in and then putting some seeds on top, but when he finishes eating the seeds, he just stops eating and starves.

Second is that my budgie won't eat millet, anything else i could give him?

[GlassOnion]

Get creative.
Bake bread with pellets and veggies.
Make mush with everything.
Try big chunks in a skewer so the bird might decide it's a shredding toy and start chewing on it.

My Cockatiel is pretty picky, but will eat birdie bread with all sorts of veggies, fruits, and other goodies. Google search for birdie bread recipes.

[stlcausntrbl]

I would suggest just keep putting it in his bowl every day and eventually he will eat it. With my CAG, it took me a whole year of putting apple pieces in his bowl before he would eat it, now he loves his apples.

[HungryBird]

I got my parakeets started by mashing their seeds or pellets in with some organic frozen (but defrosted) mixed veggies that consisted of peas, carrots, green beans, and corn. That way even when they refused to eat the veggies their seeds/pellets still had veggie juice all over them. Eventually after getting used to the taste they started eating them too. Their favorite is corn, which is not the healthiest but it is a great way to start. I also found that they love baby bok choy.

My parakeets are not the most outgoing when it comes to food. They often take months before trying new food. I just keep offering it regularly as if it is the most normal thing in the world. They are also easily intimidated by large food, except for the baby bok choy. I cut their veggies into small, parakeet-beak-sized pieces. Even now, after eating fresh food for quite some time, they often refuse to try new foods. When I started giving them red palm oil they went on a serious strike and wouldn't even eat seeds if they had red palm oil on them. I think the key is patience because after offering something on a regular basis for months my guys will all of the sudden decide they love it one day and it disappears.

[OneBirdAtATime]

I would suggest just keep putting it in his bowl every day and eventually he will eat it. With my CAG, it took me a whole year of putting apple pieces in his bowl before he would eat it, now he loves his apples.

I tried this.. and my budgie became very clever and threw all the carrots out of the feeder.

I'm going to try HungryBird's idea and GlassOnion.. i can't really cook.

[TheNzJessie]

my budgie took to leafy greens clipped to the side of his cage the first time a tried it, you could try that

[reinhardtyang]

maybe next time try veg first then seeds.

[Mr.Darcy]

You could also try lightly steaming the veggies....I use the skewers with raw veggies and fruit and lettuce and my bird ignores it, but I still try about once a week.....

I make pasta, quinoa, with veggies, peppers, grape, mango,apple,raisins, figs. I make a big batch and split it up into ziplocs and freeze it. My birds get that slightly warmed up with a small dish of Abba green mash and a dish of dry pellets. At the end of the day I give them seeds....usually I make them do something for it....clicker training etc

If I am away at work for the whole day, I make up foraging toys with safflower seeds....mostly cause I feel guilty....

keep trying they will try it eventually. My birds love protein and eat small bits of cheese, they love soft boiled egg with toast, chicken or even some ribs.....and fruit with non fat greek yogurt and granola (my breakfast) sometimes they will share my Fiesta Vegetable soup.....ya never know so long as it is healthy for you it should be for them...

good luck

[HungryBird]

I agree with Mr. Darcy about steaming the veggies. Birds are so strange! Some birds want big chunks, some want medium chunks, some want tiny, tiny pieces. Some birds will only eat steamed veggies, some birds will only eat raw veggies. Some birds will only eat veggies on skewers, some birds will only eat veggies if you hand feed them. Malachite prefers big chunks of raw veggies while Romeo and Juliet prefer tiny dices. Squeaky and Iggy don't care as long as it is in their bowl in a timely manner.

[Grey_Moon]

Is he hand tame? Does he respond to your praise? Will he take food from you?

Then you can do what I did which is to teach your bird to target (touch something with his beak) You can use a chopstick or something)

Basically you present the stick etc to the bird and as soon and he reaches out to touch it (even if its a defensive strike) praise him. Eventually he'll get the idea that touch the stick with his beak= treat/praise. You can use the cue '(Bird name), Touch) like I do to prompt him to touch whatever is in your hand eventually (you can train the behaviour into anything in your hand after you start with the stick), and then you can offer the new food item for him to touch.

This worked with fruits and scrambled eggs with my cockatiel. It also works to teach him about/reduce his fear of new toys etc. So simply offer up a piece of the new item/food in your hand and ask him to touch it a few times, usually they'll start nibbling. If they don't at least they know what the new food item is and tastes like--usually this is enough to tempt them because the reason they don't eat new foods is because they don't know what it is or what to do with it.