How to convert an all-seed eater?

[Jessica]

I'm sure that this question has been asked many times, but I desperately want to know what is the best approach and method to convert my lovebird, EJ, to eat a pellet diet along with fresh fruits and vegetables?

I have tried numerous times to convince him to try new things, but I fail... so I know that I must be doing something wrong. I offer him some sort of fresh fruit or vegetable almost every day. I chop up some in bite-size pieces and put them in a dish; others I will put on one of those kebabs to make it look like a toy. Sometimes he is curious and might nip at the fruit or vegetable, but he will always then go wipe his beak about a hundred times and will also go get a drink to make the taste go away (I guess???). Yeah, and if he has to wipe his beak and get a drink because of a certain food, he is not going to try it again. Sometimes he will get so mad at the foreign food that he will just squawk at it over and over trying to make it go away.

Concerning pellets, he won't even touch them. I honestly don't even know where to begin offering him this food since he considers it the devil's food and that it shouldn't be touched.

Oh, and he's not totally unwilling to try new things. When I first got him, he would only eat safflower and sunflower seeds. He now really likes to eat raisins, dried papaya, and dried peas. It gives me hope, but I still don't know where to begin with him.

Any advice or tips would be so helpful. I know that he needs to be eating a more healthy diet. I just want to do it the "right" way and not the "wrong" way that is going to starve him or just totally turn him off from trying anything new whatsoever.

[tewkipig]

well my budgies used to only eat seeds and millet. well as far as vegtables and fruit ,i tried fOr months to get them to eat letTuce now its their favorite. sooner or later they'll just eat it. my vet says you can weave it through the bars of the cage so it will be like a toy. if you have more than one bird, if one eats it then the other will to probally.

as far as pellets my budgies still eat seed not pellets ,actually one time i took away all the seed and put in pellets other than slowly mixing them like you should, and this was only in the coarse of like 5 minutes but i sat and watched her. she sat down in corner puffed up and tried to look sick until i brought back the seed.
if you can't get him to eat pellets then just buy a really good quality seed mix. a good brand is higgins. also make sure that the seed is the right size, you can't give a macaw budgie seed for example.

sorry for such long post , if you don't have a good seed mix tamera can help you find one in the e-store probally.
GOOD LUCK!

[tamara]

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=7

We have successfully converted several birds on this diet. The key is crunching it up and taking away the seed.

[Jessica]

as far as pellets my budgies still eat seed not pellets ,actually one time i took away all the seed and put in pellets other than slowly mixing them like you should, and this was only in the coarse of like 5 minutes but i sat and watched her. she sat down in corner puffed up and tried to look sick until i brought back the seed.

Your budgie sounds like my lovebird! If I take away EJ's seed, he will hang onto the side of the cage and will just give me this death glare. He also will bang his beak against the cage like, "Oh, no! You did not just take away my seed, did you?" I'm gonna try the whole lettuce idea. That might work with him. Thanks!

We have successfully converted several birds on this diet. The key is crunching it up and taking away the seed.

Do I totally take away his seed? And I never thought about crunching it up. I'm gonna try that. Thanks!

[tamara]

We have successfully converted several birds on this diet. The key is crunching it up and taking away the seed.

Do I totally take away his seed? And I never thought about crunching it up. I'm gonna try that. Thanks!

Yea! I bet they will convert quickly. If you are concerned, just a TINY pinch on top will work or mixed in.

[Jessica]

We have successfully converted several birds on this diet. The key is crunching it up and taking away the seed.

Do I totally take away his seed? And I never thought about crunching it up. I'm gonna try that. Thanks!

Yea! I bet they will convert quickly. If you are concerned, just a TINY pinch on top will work or mixed in.

It worked... and, I must admit, I am amazed! He was pretty grumpy with me at first, but he actually started eating the crushed up pellets. Thank you so much for the advice! I never thought that crushing it up would make a difference. Now, I just need to buy him a better brand of pellets.

[tamara]

We have successfully converted several birds on this diet. The key is crunching it up and taking away the seed.

Do I totally take away his seed? And I never thought about crunching it up. I'm gonna try that. Thanks!

Yea! I bet they will convert quickly. If you are concerned, just a TINY pinch on top will work or mixed in.

It worked... and, I must admit, I am amazed! He was pretty grumpy with me at first, but he actually started eating the crushed up pellets. Thank you so much for the advice! I never thought that crushing it up would make a difference. Now, I just need to buy him a better brand of pellets.

I'm glad I could help! I would recommend http://www.trueloveaviary.com/roudybush.html or http://www.trueloveaviary.com/haadlifi1lb.html or both! We use the crumble in the roudybush.

[Jessica]

We have successfully converted several birds on this diet. The key is crunching it up and taking away the seed.

Do I totally take away his seed? And I never thought about crunching it up. I'm gonna try that. Thanks!

Yea! I bet they will convert quickly. If you are concerned, just a TINY pinch on top will work or mixed in.

It worked... and, I must admit, I am amazed! He was pretty grumpy with me at first, but he actually started eating the crushed up pellets. Thank you so much for the advice! I never thought that crushing it up would make a difference. Now, I just need to buy him a better brand of pellets.

I'm glad I could help! I would recommend http://www.trueloveaviary.com/roudybush.html or http://www.trueloveaviary.com/haadlifi1lb.html or both! We use the crumble in the roudybush.

I'm definitely going to look into the Roudybush crumbles! Valentine's Day is coming up, and I told my boyfriend, "Skip the roses. Buy me stuff for EJ!"

[Rodney]

True Love!

[tamara]

I'm definitely going to look into the Roudybush crumbles! Valentine's Day is coming up, and I told my boyfriend, "Skip the roses. Buy me stuff for EJ!"

*giggle* That's the sign of a true bird lover!!!