Change over from seed to pellets going well

[bill-e]

When I got Nike on 12/20/2015 she was on a seed diet and I think her feathers looked pretty bad. As compared to my much larger Amazon, Nike does not eat much. Having been told that she liked Zupreem Fruit blend I started her on that which she seems to eat though not relish. She still get's a little seed and a few nuts and some Nutriberries as well as some steamed veggies.

I weighed her a month ago I think, and she was 196 grams. Today I coaxed her onto the scale with a pine nut and she weighed 196 grams again so I'm happy that during this transition she is maintaining her weight.

I have read that the dye in the Zupreem isn't the best for her but she seems to be very color attracted (only eats certain colors) so I plan on keeping her on it until I'm almost out then I'll see if I can get her on the colorless version. Because of an Amazon.com screwup and the fact that she eats so little I have quite a bit of it so she'll be eating it for a while.

Anyway, I'm happy that I don't need to get her back on seed because she was losing weight during the transition....and I think that the color in her feathers looks better...I don't know how long it takes to make a difference but I think I see it in her belly feathers.

Oh, and this morning I had her on my shoulder while making a k-cup and my wife had left a bowl of cat kibble on the counter. Upon spying it Nike immediately (as with great purpose and determination) climbed down my belly and started eating the cat food out of the dish. I let her have one or two little kibbles before taking it away but I'm guessing that at her last owner's place, which included a cat, she would help herself to the cat food.

[Mare]

I'm glad Nike is holding her weight :). I buy the natural colored Zupreem pellets for my birds. The cockatiels love them, Sassy goffins girl eats them, a little but not with any enthusiasm and Amigo would not touch them. How I get Amigo and Sassy to eat them is grind the pellets and put them in their morning oatmeal..they LOVE oatmeal!

[bill-e]

Heh, never thought of oatmeal...I need to try that. I have some ground pellets in some frozen sweet potato that I made, she eats that. but she is not an aggressive eater of anything...even the seeds, she is a grazer.

She likes to dip her pellets in water so I was thinking about trying some healthy njuice to see how she likes that.....I cant believe I spend so much time thinking about food concoctions for her ;)

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

I was surprised and pleased that when we first offered Casper the boring looking Harrison's cubes in a fetching shade of hearing-aid beige that he didn't even hesitate before diving in with relish so I don't think you will have any trouble changing Nike's diet to uncoloured.
I give him about ten pellets , a nutriberry and three or four sunflower seeds in the morning in one bowl and some fresh fruit in another and it all gets topped up in the evening. He is twice the weight of Nike so he obviously eats a lot more. He tends to eat when we do - flock feeding syndrome?

Those greys are fussy eaters:
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Details of the job ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Kathy LaFollett ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr

[spiritbird]

You are doing so well with her. Personally I do not like any bird food with dyes.

[Sucre]

Right now, I am watching all of my gang (except my parrotlet) throw temper tantrums because I ONLY put spinach in their bowls this morning. I've been sick all week and didn't feel like starting my day steaming and dicing and chopping. Sucre promptly threw all of his to the floor of the cage, and is now trying to remove the bowl which will join the spinach in the floor as soon as he can work it out of the holder. My little rogue lovebird that I can't seem to integrate in with my other lovebirds is having a meltdown, and has just turned her bowl upside down.

I usually give them a variety - sweet potatoes, fruit, spinach, broccoli - apparently spinach is not the group favorite.

Bill, I have some of those colored pellets you are talking about. That is what I used initially to try to switch Sucre from seed to pellet, then I got worried about the dye, so I started using the natural colored pellets. He took to them just fine, and now with the fruit colored ones, I just sprinkle a few here and there in their bowls. They all seem to like them, just not giving them to them in excess. I was really surprised at how quickly I was able to switch Sucre over to the pellets. Much less mess for me, and much healthier for them. I still put a dusting of seed on top.

How much (ideally) should a large bird eat daily? We have the large parrot pellets, probably feed 20 or so twice a day, half of which wind up in the bottom of the cage where they can't be retrieved by Sucre. He also gets a bowl of "treats" every day, fresh veggies and fruits, and occasionally crackers when he demands them. He loves a good cornbread stick!

And, please tell me more about the oatmeal. Are y'all cooking it? What type do you use? Quick oats, rolled oats, flavored packets??? (Because we all know I need to spend more time cooking for my birds...)

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Casper loves his porridge oats in the morning, he only gets it when we have it for breakfast and we use gluten free* oats made with a mix of three parts soya milk and one part water. He likes it so much that if he is on meds we mix it in with his spoonful because we know he is going to lick the spoon clean before throwing it on the floor.
*All oats are gluten free but most farmers use the same harvester as they use for wheat so there is a risk of cross contamination. Apparently I am intolerant to gluten. I thought I was pretty easy going. :th_smile:
Let me know when you get bored of me posting this pic:
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Porridge ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Jean-Pierre Declemy ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr