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Rhonda
Top Gold Member
USA
117 Posts |
 Posted - 03/31/2006 : 17:15:55
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Hi all, I need some help. I've been scared to ask for help because I know on the website it shows the foraging mix to feed but I've got to find something more to feed my feathered friends. I am having the hardest time getting them to eat good food. Melaunie used to love the sweet potato, mashed banana & applesauce and now she won't even stick her beak in it. Every morning I get up and make breakfast for my crew and they just pick at it. They don't eat it like I hear you all talk about yours eating and gobbling up their food. I make a good cereal, mangos, banana, papaya, apples, grapes and they just throw it in the floor if they even touch it. They may take one bite of the mango and leave the rest and touch nothing else. The only thing I know that I might be doing is I give my guys their seed and nuts at night before bedtime and leave their seed cups in all night, could this be stopping them from eating their breakfast and mid afternoon lunch that I make them? They don't eat all the nuts and seeds. I know you probably think I'm a nut case but I'm beginning to get depressed over it because I cook for them and it doesn't seem to be what they want. Could I ask some of you to give me some of the foods you offer your birds for breakfast and dinner? I've just run out of ideas. I can't even get them to eat their sprouts and I buy exactly what Angie has on her site that shows how to sprout. My Congo grey is the only one that eats the sprouts with zest and that keeps me in hopes for the rest of them. I'm sorry this is long but I've been putting off asking this question for months thinking I could find out what I'm doing wrong but somewhere I'm not getting it. I hope some of you can help me get my birds back on a good eating habit with some new ideas. Thanks in advance for your time.
Rhonda and the Fids
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Toy
Top Gold Member
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 19:26:36
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Well I'd guess they are telling you they don't want all that fruit. Try some plain old mixed veggies. I use the frozen kind. Place in a dish, cover with hot water, nuke about 1.5 minutes in the microwave (just enough to thaw), rinse & drain & stick in a dish. I then place the dish on the cage grate. Mine gobble up their veggies. They also LOVE veggie omelets. You can also use fresh greens like kale or mustard & hang them in the cage for them to chew on. Fresh sugar snap peas or any of the fresh long beans. There's one that grows up to a foot long, but I can't remember the name if it. One store here gets it in over summer. They look like over sized green beans, but wider & thicker. Try offering more veggies & less fruits.
I fill my birds in cage dishes with nuts & seed mix every night. They always have some left by morning & still eat their veggies. I do not serve lunch. Supper/dinner is some of what we eat as long as it's OK for them & their in cage foods. Treats are a cracker or nutriberry or chunk of fruit.
Stop beating yourself up. Birds can & are picky eaters & just like kids, will eat what they want, when they want. Also some are not big eaters, like CAG's are. CAG's are garbage disposals with feathers, LOL.
Toy
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. |
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Donna M
Top Gold Member
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 19:45:06
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| Rhonda, I know how you are feeling. It was obvious when I adopted my Joey, she had been on a diet that did not have much variety or options. Joey is very uninterested in food unlike my last bird who ate with gusto. To Joey it seems like a necessity without a lot of fun. Fortunately I have seen improvements since we brought her home. Slow, but I feel better about it. For breakfast she likes warm oatmeal with bananas, mango, or apples. I found a no sodium, low sugar instant oatmeal (apples and cinnomon) that I give her once in awhile. Scrambled eggs and hard boiled eggs. She will always go for sweet potatoes if I change the way they are served. Sometimes I cut into 1 inch peices and roast with a little olive oil and seasonings or I cut them into french fry pieces and bake. If I mash them I can sometimes sneak other things like brocoli, dark leafy greens in. Lean chicken meat. Corn on the cob. Peas were a hit at first, but now they have to be peeled and mashed. I bought this boil and serve premix from BSA that she likes. Any others I've tried have been a no go. Have you tried some of these bird cookies or bread or sweet potato ball recipes out there? Don't even think of putting beans in front of Joey. Sprouts no way. Berries or watermelon are a waste. Dark leafy greens - what the heck is that in front of me for? For awhile I was totally freaked that she wasn't eating enough or getting enough good nutrients. But after watching her weight, I realized she was just eating at her own pace. As soon as she's off her eggs, I hope to get back to encouraging her to forage more and play with food. Hang in there and keep trying, Donna M |
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pbyeerts
Top Gold Member
USA
125 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 22:17:44
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Awww Rhonda, don't feel bad! Parrots can be just plain finicky and it can drive you nuts!
Nimo and I share real old fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon in it for breakfast (not the instant kind). I'm diabetic and need to eat something hearty in the morning and oatmeal gets me off to a good start. Sometimes I also put in berries. For Nimo, sometimes I'll also put in some applesauce or organic babyfood like the carrots or peas. Check out your health food store for hot cereals - there are some good things for you and your macaw there! Pamela
Pamela & Nimo |
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MMOXIEE@aol.com
Top Gold Member
81 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 23:12:59
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Hi Rhonda,
First off, whenever someone says they are having a hard time getting their birds to eat the good food I always wonder how much of the other stuff is being fed. Now it's hard to tell over an email, but when I go to peoples houses I've seen people feeding 10x the amount of food a bird should eat. LOL. It's just in our nature to FEED our loved ones. All of my birds are previously owned, some came to me eating nothing but sunflower seeds. The best and most nutritious thing I have found to feed them that they like is http://www.birdsense.com
Now I feed other stuff too as a treat now and then, but they eat this the majority of the time, it's the healthiest most nutritious thing w/ the most variety that I have found.
Most birds don't get enough variety in their diet, and they get stuck in a rut. If you feed this daily, they are still getting a large variety, but it's the "same" thing everyday.
Also, birds crops are designed to get full and empty though out the day. So if you can,feeding breakfast and removing it then feeding dinner is perfectly fine. If your leaving food in the cage overnight, they could be eating their food before your giving them breakfast. I would take the food out at night.
I hope that helps
Lindsey |
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Rhonda
Top Gold Member
USA
117 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2006 : 04:23:24
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Hi all,
I want to thank you for your replys to my food problem. I didn't mean it to sound like I was feeding all that fruit at one time but that I had it available to me all the time and gave them the variety. I go to my health food store for their cereals but like I said they aren't real sold on my cooking so I think I'll try some of the egg omelets w/veggies until I can get Mike's mash made. Lindsey it is so "weird" you gave out that site because I found that recipe somewhere last weekend and thought "omg I could never make all that" but I'm going to do it tomorrow. It sounds like a good overall diet and possibly could help my Vos eclectus from plucking. I've been ordering the MAD diet (Miracle Avian Diet) for her for months and seen no results with that but she absolutely loves it so I keep buying it because the ingredients are really good but it's too small for a macaw to eat so I think the Mash would be a better option and in the long run cheaper. I'm feeding 8 birds here so that would work out better and when my Scarlet baby gets done at the breeders with hand feeding I'll be feeding another mouth lol. OH he/she is so beautiful and such a great personality. OT...sorry I think maybe I worry too much about making sure my birds have a hot meal all the time and all they want to do is play in it. I'll put all your suggestions to work and see how things work out. Thank you so much for your help.
Rhonda |
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MMOXIEE@aol.com
Top Gold Member
81 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2006 : 12:50:20
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Hi Rhonda,
I think "hot" meals are overrated. LOL. I have to be really careful w/ my B&G,
if I feed her too many warm meals she gets VERY hormonal!!
FWIW, when I make the mash I put most of it through the food processor. That way they can't just pick out the stuff they like. All of my birds eat it from finches to macaws.
take care,
L |
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Rhonda
Top Gold Member
USA
117 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2006 : 09:48:26
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Hi Lindsey,
I'm in the process of making the "Manna Mash" today and read your post and wondered if it was best to put mine through a processer like you or just mash it up a bit? I agree with you, by the time my guys get to their food and quit fiddling around their food is cold and they don't eat half of what I put down. I throw so much food away on a daily basis that I wonder would it be just as healthy to feed them some seed, nuts and pellets. I just spent almost $100 to get all the ingredients to make this "Manna Mash" and I'm curious to see if they eat this any better than what I've been putting together. I sure hope so for my wallets sake lol. I went to 5 Health Food stores for Alfalfa powder and couldn't get it so I had to order it. I'm making it with just the Kelp powder, they'll survive until my Alfalfa powder comes in lol. The recipe sounds wonderful though and I appreciate you giving me the tip so I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.
Rhonda |
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macawdreams
Forum Admin
610 Posts |
 Posted - 04/06/2006 : 00:56:50
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Hi Rhonda,
You have already got some terrific input so I'm not going to add much.
I did want to mention that you don't have to leave food and water over night. It's not natural for birds to eat at night because of predators. So don't feel obligated to do it. You might even notice that they wake up with more of an appetite.
By the way, you're not alone. Birds are like kids, they go through stages. As for tossing food? Sometimes, when I sweep up, I envision dollar bills floating into my dust pan.
Angie R.
Macaw Dreams Site Owner
"The future of Macaws starts here" |
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Sigmundine
Top Gold Member
USA
71 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 08:05:39
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May I add that parrots seem designed to compost and seed the world? They throw out far more than they eat. I feed my parrots a basic diet of Harrison's pellets. The B&G loves those. They also get a good parrot mix from Goldenfest. I give them big collard green leaves which they like to shred, the occasional grape and piece of mango, and hopefully they do eat a little! Honestly, I've stopped cooking for them, except the occasional sweet potato and boiled egg. It just didn't seem worth my effort. At dinner time, they can join us and have bits and pieces of what we eat.
Marie |
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Katie and Stanleys Mom
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 11:07:07
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I am new to the world of Macaws but I want to share what works great for my Zons and Cag. When they get picky on me (which I am wondering now if it is a seasonal thing), I start making their food more interesting to obtain. Almost like they have to work a little for it. This just spurs them on an intrigues them to eat. Here are some ideas:
1. I hide the warm mash in a corn cob husk and roll like a burrito and hang from skewer.
2. I hide nuts, seeds, whatever in plastic easter eggs that come apart with a little work.
3. I put veggies and or fruits in a shreddable clean box and close back up...like a little box that held jello (clean first...outside especially)
4. I make fruit roll ups from pureed fruits and veggies and roll up tight around mash or fresh veggies...they LOVE taking this a part and eating the whole thing!
5. Be creative with places to hide food. I don't know why this works but they sure seem to LOVE the hunt...and the rewards are so much sweeter for both of us. Maybe it will work for Macaws too!
Love and Scritches, Deanna
Contented wife of 25 years to Mark and Stay at home/homeschooling Mom to
Stella (B&G)
Stanley (DYHA)
Katie (CAG)
Tequila (OWA)
Iris (PBP)
Mouse and Maizy (the wonder Chihuahuas)
Nugget, Neville and Sophie (The poodle pack)and 4 human children: Andrea 22, Jimmy 18, Baxter 15, and Molly 7. |
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MMOXIEE@aol.com
Top Gold Member
81 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 11:39:31
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WOOHOO Deanna,
I LOVE your foraging ideas, we might have to put them on our website!!
L |
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macawdreams
Forum Admin
610 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 23:35:45
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Deanna,
Those are some great foraging ideas! Hey, how do you make the fruit roll ups? I might want to eat these myself. LOL.
Angie R.
Macaw Dreams Site Owner
"The future of Macaws starts here" |
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Sigmundine
Top Gold Member
USA
71 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2006 : 14:03:49
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I also use little paper cups, punch a hole and thread a piece of rawhide through, twist and hang. The macaws enjoy that.
Marie |
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Katie and Stanleys Mom
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2006 : 21:57:00
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Hi Angie,
Fruit roll ups are super easy. I just puree what ever fruit i have...fresh, organic if possible. Then pour out on parchment paper or wax paper. (If you have Silicon mats those work really well!) Both work well in an oven on low heat (150*). Let dry in oven until roll up is tacky but dry. Leave on paper and roll up. I use to use my oven but now I use my dehydrator which comes with fruit leather trays. When done I simply lay out on plastic wrap and roll up. The dehydrator dries at a much lower temp so nutrients are not destroyed as much as by the heat in the oven. I couldn't get my oven temp under 150. Magic Mill makes a great rectangular dehydrator with 12 trays. It dries a LOT of fruit and veggies. I dry quite a lot for my birds as well as my family. Have fun!
Deanna
Love and Scritches, Deanna
Contented wife of 25 years to Mark and Stay at home/homeschooling Mom to
Stella (B&G)
Stanley (DYHA)
Katie (CAG)
Tequila (OWA)
Iris (PBP)
Mouse and Maizy (the wonder Chihuahuas)
Nugget, Neville and Sophie (The poodle pack)and 4 human children: Andrea 22, Jimmy 18, Baxter 15, and Molly 7. |
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Katie and Stanleys Mom
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
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Need food suggestions
