Picky Eater Syndrome

[spiritbird]

Many people say "my (bird, cat, dog, child) is a picky eater. Our pets and children eat what they are exposed to early on. If they are fed veggies, fruits or pellets from weaning time they most likely will not be labeled as a picky eater. Birds do naturally get suspicious of new foods offered them but I do not think this is being picky.I think picky eaters are promoted by the human and not a learned behavior of the pet. What do you think about this?

[Robyn]

Yes and no. I had a dog who refused to eat any food other than IAMS or Taste of The Wild. Her food dish would literally stay full for a week at a time I have no clue what she was exposed to as a pup as I got her at a year old and we only found out she'd eat the TOTW after I had to switch foods due to my other dogs allergies and the "prescription" diets were far too expensive for my budget. As a child I was often fed veggies and a varitey of food but as I started getting older I started getting pickier and pickier. I know I am an extremely picky eater and there are some things I have never liked and never will while there are somethings I have recently (last 5 years or so) grown to dislike.

[kendrafitz]

I think it depends. There are many children who have sensory issues and therefore cannot tolerate certain foods due to texture. That is not a picky eater.

I am a ridiculously picky eater. I hate healthy food and only force it down when I am dieting. This isn't due to my parents, my mom served healthy food daily. My children are picky, which could be nuture over nature. Seeing me eat junk could have done it. Although as they get older they have become more open to trying new things.

Rosie is picky as well. It is a sensory thing. She will not eat soft food, she never has. She does not like the feeling of it on her beak. With her, I am just not sure if it is nature or nuture. I finally gave up and just stick to crunchy. The soft things like chop would just sit until I threw it away. It was a lot of work to just toss.

[PlaxMacaws]

I think all of your points and observations are good ones. I would say that in some cases finickiness may be attributable to an innate predisposition that's effectively activated by life experiences... so, not just one or the other per se. IOW, for certain individuals, being a picky eater may be attributable to a combination of genetic predisposition AND learned behaviors. It would be an interplay of both elements.

Every member of my flock except for Salsa are very picky eaters. As with Rosie, Maynard has never been willing to touch extremely mushy foods. While not as bad as Maynard, Jack is not crazy about many soft foods either. Zaf is about like Jack... he'll eat mushy stuff sometimes, but they're never going to be a favorite. Salsa, OTOH, loves mushy foods! He'd live on cooked oatmeal if he could.

I'm guessing that in many cases whether or not an adult bird enjoys wet and squishy foods may relate to the experiences it had with its feedings as a baby, and especially to those during the weaning process.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

I was amazed that Casper dived straight in to his first dish of cubes. He'd never seen them before and I was worried that he wouldn't like them or even realise that they were food.
I haven't tried them myself but they must be tasty.

[spiritbird]

I have been exposing my new linnie to carrots (one new food at a time here) in every shape and form. He pulled up the green top of a carrot that was hanging and began to take a few bites but did not repeat this when offered again in the same fashion. He will eat anything green with gusto. If the food is a different color its usually no go. I am beginning to wonder if color plays a roll because when I put a small sweet red pepper in the cage repeatedly he retreats from it as if it were a red monster. How important do you think food color plays a role in the parrots diet? Some pet birds seem to have color preferences and aversions like the color red. Hmm better switch to green peppers. I have been reading that the color red is frightening to some birds. I bet that does not include Macaws.

The TAG I had Rosie would only eat cooked veggies. So that may have come from her hand feeder who started them out on mixed cooked veggies. Its all very interesting. I still think picky eaters are not born just develope over time from exposure or lack of exposure to some foods.

Another interesting question asked is how do birds in the wild know what food is poison? I imagine their parents somehow teach them what is ok and what is not ok to eat. So in essence wild birds may be taught to be picky eaters from their parents.

[PlaxMacaws]

Some pet birds seem to have color preferences and aversions like the color red. Hmm better switch to green peppers. I have been reading that the color red is frightening to some birds.That had better not include male Eclectus Parrots ;). If it does then I suppose there are a lot of little green feathered guys around who are living in fear of the women in their lives ;)



I bet that does not include Macaws.I'm not sure about Macaws fearing the color red. But certain red objects tend to send Zaf into an 'attack it' frenzy. I have this bright red Dirt Devil hand vacuum that absolutely drives Zaf crazy! He's entirely obsessed with the thing. He's literally like a bull charging at a red cape. No matter where I put it, Zaf keeps close track of its location. The thing hasn't worked for years but I keep it around because it serves as an instant method to get him to run into his cage when he would otherwise choose to remain out and about. I just hold the little red vac a couple of feet into the cage and Zaf vigorously jumps inside for a charge attack. And it never, ever fails :D. I'm kind of surprised that he doesn't try to attack Salsa in the same manner, since Sals is about the same size, shape and color as this hand vac ;)

[spiritbird]

That is too funny. I thought you had only macaws. You must have a significant amount of bird calls. Can you get a video of Zaf vs. the vacuume cleaner?

[PlaxMacaws]

That is too funny. I thought you had only macaws.No, I also have that old red dirt devil hand vac that doesn't work ;). In case you thought my comment meant that I have one or more eclectus parrots, I don't. But I really like them.



Can you get a video of Zaf vs. the vacuume cleaner?I'd have to come up with a way to protect the hand vac from Zaf while simultaneously managing the video device. (I only have my phone for shooting video here.) If I tried to shoot some video of him going crazy attacking the little vac -which would occupy one of my hands- he'd likely do some serious harm to it, and quickly so. Or much worse, he may injure himself in the process :(. He's violent toward that thing! He literally goes wild for it.

[Mare]

Amigo is our picky eater. There are a few things like, mini peppers, walnuts, rice and corn on the cob that he will ALWAYS accept. One week he will love apple, then for the next three weeks, no way. He does that with many different foods, likes it for a few days (maybe) then, forget it! I couldn't say if it was nature or nurture but he won't touch junk food or any kind of processed food. Sassy is total opposite! She loves whatever we eat, spaghetti is her favorite :). She eats all her fresh veggies and rice mix, too, I believe she eats more than Amigo! The only eating issue I have with her is, she won't touch fruit. How I've gotten around that is to share my morning fresh fruit smoothie with her. She'll sit on my shoulder and pull the glass away from my mouth so's she can get her share, I don't think she realizes she's drinking fruit!

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

They seem to have the ability to sense the ripeness of fruit, too ripe or not ripe enough and it gets rejected. That's fine in the jungle where there are trees full of fruit in various stages of ripeness but when you have bought them a Pink Lady apple which is their favourite it's a bit annoying when they turn their nose up.
Why do grape skins get lobbed through the bars onto the floor when all other skins are left in the bowl?

[spiritbird]

If you are buying non-organic grapes it is a good thing the grape skins are not consumed. Parrots are smart.

[Lady]

I was amazed that Casper dived straight in to his first dish of cubes.
What are cubes?

I think there is no clear answer as some of the statements here are both true for some and not so true for others.

Lady seems to prefer orange in some foods as well as her first pick of a chunk of wood she will chew on. I have no idea what she was weaned on or from but I do know if I'm eating it she will give it a try.
She also likes cooked chicken quite well, sometimes I eat the meat from my plate before I sit down with her to share or I have to make a separate plate for her.

[Mare]

Jean-Pierre, so true about the fruit being at it's perfect stage, for Amigo..it's bananas (his favorite fruit). He loves them when there is still a little bit of green to the skin, any later and he won't go near it!

Alice, do you ever give Lady the chicken bone? When I roast chicken, I'll save a couple of the leg bones, still holding a little meat, she loves them! She'll eat what's left on the bone then crack it open and go for the marrow, very barbaric:)

[Lady]

Yes Mare, I use to give her the bones but my hubby didn't like it. Unless I can convince him it is okay I will stay clear. I know that she also likes crab meat but since the breakdown of the Fukushima power plant we stay clear of sea food all together :(.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

cubes: brown and boring looking pellets or nuggets or lumps of Harrisons Adult Lifetime Coarse Complete Organic Parrot Food
Nutritionally complete 100% organic diet for all medium to large Parrots. It says in the ad.
Highly recommended by Casper who has them every evening and doesn't get bored. He also gets spicy pasta in the morning and a selection of fresh fruit twice a day. We also give him a bit of our dinner if it is appropriate, cooked veggies, fish - he loves fish, or sometimes pasta. Someone mentioned oatmeal earlier (sorry, I forgot who) - Casper loves a teaspoon full of porridge when we have it in the mornings. Holds the spoon with one foot. Once the spoon is licked clean he throws it as far as he can.

[Lady]

LOL, I would love to see Casper licking the spoon! Thanks for the info about what cubes are. I'm pretty sure one of Tony's birds loves those Harrison cubes too~

[plax]

LOL, I would love to see Casper licking the spoon! Thanks for the info about what cubes are. I'm pretty sure one of Tony's birds loves those Harrison cubes too~Not so much... unless I put a light coating of peanut butter on them first. But Salsa absolutely adores cooked oatmeal. He makes quite a mess with it as well :(

[spiritbird]

I think we could chat about types and kinds of bird food all day. I just put up a new posting of some good stuff from Phoenix Foraging. Take a look.