While on the topic of diet, how about treats for grey?

[macbrush]

My grey Spencer will accept sunflower seeds as treats, and that's about it. He won't eat anything else natural, honestly, I haven't tried many other stuff, my friend gave me some seeds and nuts mix, but Spencer doesn't like any of them, just throw them away if I put these in the foraging box, and if I offer them as treat, he either ignores them or drop them right away. Spencer won't even accept peanuts, no matter its whole, half cracked, or just nuts inside.

I train him a lot every day, but I really don't like the idea of feeding him that much sunflower seeds. Any other suggestion?

[DustyTheGrey]

Oh my gosh im so glad someone asked this!
I have the exact same problem.
My grey is two years old and he's only now learning how to do tricks, but during trick training he wont accept anything besides a sunflower seed... and its not like ive been giving in and going "oh well heres a sunflower seed" its just he has no motivation to work for anything but a sunflower seed or a peanut.

as it is I am measuring out an "acceptable amount" to me of sunflower seeds which is about what i can fit on half a teaspoon, and so my training sessions per day are very short.

I think Michael mentions on his trained parrot blog about rationing food or using feeding times make your bird more motivated to eat... i guess i should look into it more

[macbrush]

Talk about peanuts.. Spencer would only take peanuts when he's not busy and bored, all he does is rip the shell into pieces, but never eat the nuts inside. Actually, he does the same thing to any nut snacks I gave him.

[cml]

Talk about peanuts.. Spencer would only take peanuts when he's not busy and bored, all he does is rip the shell into pieces, but never eat the nuts inside. Actually, he does the same thing to any nut snacks I gave him.

Dont feed them peanuts in the shell! Its one of the most common causes for Aspergillosis which is deadly for birds. On peanut shells, and a few other nuts which I dont remember, there can grow a fungus that will kill your bird.
If you want to be safe, just feed them nuts that isnt in the shell, its a good rule of thumb!

As for the treats, well we have pretty much the same thing going on here, sunflower seeds is the only acceptable seed in Stitch's opinion. Fortunatly he loves nuts, almonds and cornflakes though so we are able to vary the treats somewhat =)! Try cornflakes if you havnt, they are fun to eat and make cracking noises when they eat them.

[Michael]

http://TrainedParrot.com/Treats

[OneThunder]

Morgan came to me an abused bird and she wouldn't eat anything but seeds and peanuts. I threw out the food and started all over. It took awhile, but now she's eating nurtiberries. My Avian vet suggested that be the staple of her diet and it's working. She's a plucker, and now most of her chest feathers are coming back in.
I am constantly offering her new treats, some she eats, some she does not. I thought she would NEVER eat anything else, but stick to it. Some days I felt like chopping up the fruits and veggies and throwing them directly into the trash can, and cut out the middle bird, but after almost 6 months, she does try them. Also, warm avi cakes up in the microwave, just a few seconds. She likes those also, in addition to corn bread, birdie bread, and yes the occasional pizza crust. Whatever veggie or fruit we are having, she gets a small amount chopped up.

[Naurthon]

I use safflower seeds as treats for my birds. If you can find them, they may make a good substitute for sunflower seeds, and as they are smaller, you can give your bird more of them and extend your training sessions.

I have found Dante to be a very fussy eater. He's not very adventurous when it comes to new foods. Both of my other birds will at least taste anything I offer them. Dante is more likely than not to turn his head away and say "no" when I offer him something new. He won't eat bread or crackers at all, although he did enjoy a shortbread cookie at a holiday party last December.

I've tried eating a bit of whatever I'm giving him myself first, and that doesn't work. I've tried letting him watch the other birds enjoy what I'm giving him first, and that doesn't work. I have found that he's more likely to try something that I place in a foraging toy rather than just handing it to him. I've also found that if I try leaving a new food in his bowl several times he eventually will try it. Or at least he'll grab it to throw it out of his bowl, and hopefully get a taste in the process. He also seems to be more willing to try things from a spoon for some reason. Perhaps a memory of my feeding him baby formula from a spoon the first week I had him. (Gods! What a mess!)

I think the key is perseverance. Just keep offering the new foods and let your bird try them at their own pace.

[DustyTheGrey]

He also seems to be more willing to try things from a spoon for some reason. Perhaps a memory of my feeding him baby formula from a spoon the first week I had him. (Gods! What a mess!)
I think the key is perseverance. Just keep offering the new foods and let your bird try them at their own pace.

Thank you for all the great advice!

The spoon feeding works with me as well, Dusty seems to revert back to a cute newly weened youngin and gobbles down anything offered on a spoon.