a little support please

snowsand · Post by **snowsand** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:19 am

Hey folks.

I have decided to switch Mojitos main diet to pellets. My decision is firm. I only mention this because I have tried on previous occasions and have flaked out. He refuses to eat them. And as soon as I can see he is hungry and refusing the pellets, I cave :oops:

He gets his seeds back, he is a happy bird and I hang my head.

I have tried 2 or 3 different brands, and slowly integrating them, he jsut eats around them until al the seeds are gone and all that is left over is the"yucky" stuff.

This time we have gone "cold turkey". No seeds, just pelets. I am using kaytee garded goodness, as I am trying to stay away from coloured pellets.

Should I continue offering him fresh food (as I do every day) so skip the fresh food so he just gets so hungry he has no other choice but to eat the pellets...awww poor baby...I can already feel my resolve waivering...

Am I going about this the right way? is Mojito suffering for the longterm good or is the mean old mama just torturing the poor little guy...

Thanks her the helping hand and supprot...

Melika · Post by **Melika** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:46 am

Switching cold turkey isn't a good idea, so we son't talk about that, lol.

Have you tried only offering seed at night/evening/late afternoon? If he can't have the seeds in the morning and afternoon, he'll likely nibble on whatever is in the cage.

And in the mornings, try adding the pellets to his veggie dish with his veggies. He knows new things come in that dish, no? You can also put some apple juice over the pellets, so they absorb it and have a good flavour. Yummy!

Hane will try anything I put in his veggie dish. ^_~

Also, he might just not like that brand of pellet. For some reason, all the birds I've had prefer Roudybush over all the others and it's a really good pellet. But you could also try Zupreem.

Let us know how it goes.

snowsand · Post by **snowsand** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:59 am

Thanks for the reply...I think you are right about the no cold turkey thing...I gave him pellet first thing and he's going totally rangy! I will try the apple juice thing...it's tricky but it sounds like a good idea. I have tried mixing them into his veggies...he eats around them...maybe if I make soft food...maybe with sweet potatoes...hmmm

I wonder where I can get roudybush pellets around these parts??????

I've heard from a lot of different bird owners that they've been a hit with their fids

Melika · Post by **Melika** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:03 am

I buy mine online, but there's a store locator on the Roudybush site
http://www.roudybush.com/index.cfm?fuse ... ome.stores

Making them soft might work. I've met some people who's birds simply refuse pellets on their own, so they cook them into foods, lol. Hopefully, you'll only have to do that at first. xD

snowsand · Post by **snowsand** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:06 am

What size pellet do you use/have you had success with? is there a big difference?

Melika · Post by **Melika** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:27 am

I use the small size. It seems just right.

And yes, there is a fairly large difference in the sizes. Too big, and you're wasting a lot of pellet. Too small and it's no fun (plus, your bird might try to stick some up his nose, like Hane did with a too small zupreem pellet). :roll:

snowsand · Post by **snowsand** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:34 am

thanks! you've been a great help
We will try the roudybush pellets and let you know how it goes

nil · Post by **nil** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:26 pm

why do you want to change a seed diet with pellets, anyhow?

i beleive that a seed diet with vegetables and fruits can be enough good like pellets

As i have seen here in forum, americans use a lot of pellets.In Europe
mostly use seed mixes with dried vegetables , fruits and pellets (no more than 5 - 10%), and also softfoods.
here is a european opinion: http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/ ... d/POS.html
.
i think both pellets and seeds are good but please no pellets with colourings.

And of coarse

Switching cold turkey isn't a good idea, so we son't talk about that, lol.

You can mix seeds and pellets 50% the first week, the next reduce the amount of seeds and so on untill remain only pellets , but you must check if he eats enough

Post by **Lauren** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:02 pm

My 2 seem to love the fruit and nut mixes, very little pellets in them, I'm using Tropmix and Premium Small parrot at the moment but I bought a small pack of 'Tropican' for tiels... and the waste is next to nothing compared with seed. Dont bother with large pellets, as I found out with Passwells, I had soo much left over pellet waste, I bagged it up and added it too my birdy 'muffins'. Every now and then I still get seed because well, parrots eat seed in the wild and its natural for them. But the fruit, legume and nut mixes are just as natural too!!!
Luckily my 2 took to the new food straight away, but I would of only given them seed at night, just as a comfort. I dont really think the cold turkey thing is a problem as long as they are still getting the fresh fruit and vegies daily.

You could try softening them like Melika said too.
Some people have luck with feeding both seed and pellet, but mine just pick out the bits they like and discard the rest. So its only ever just seed, or just the other stuff, fruit, legume and nut mix along with some pellets or 'crumbles'. I guess it just depends whether your bird is a fussy easter or not. :wink:

Its all up to you whether you choose seed or pellet. Its good to try a few brands to see which one is best for your bird. For IRNs get a mix/pellet for cockatiels or small parrots.

Melika, a pellet up the nose? haha :shock:

Lene · Post by **Lene** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:03 pm

All my birds eats pellets. Duke, Charlie (Conures) and Shrek (quaker) eat Tropican Lifetime Granules, Teeko (Cockatiel) eats Tropimix, Cory (Corella) eats Roudybush - large pellets, and Paulie (IRN) eats Vetafarm maintenance pellets.

This is what I've found through trial and error everyone likes.

They all get sprouted seeds - when I work morning shift 7am-3pm, they all have that for breakfast.

When the birds in the wild eat seeds, they're often sprouted or soaked

julie · Post by **julie** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:06 am

try soaking them in some apple juice and then when it is soft enough mix some seed into the mush, when they try to pick out the seeds they end up getting some of the pellets. Gradually reduce the amount of seeds and they should end up eating the pellet after a while.

snowsand · Post by **snowsand** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:16 am

Thanks everyone!

It really does sound like a great big "matter of oppinion thing" I think the idea of "a little bit of everything " is best as it is natural for hookbill birds to husk seeds I woyuld never take them away from Mojito 100%, ideally I'd like to reduce it to his favorite treat! I'd be satisfied if he would just eat the pellets in our seed mix.

THe seed mix I feed is the tropican one. I pick out the peanuts and Mojito picks out the pellets! :roll:

yesterday I tried an oatmeal/sweetpotato/broccoli bits/pellets mix and there was A LOT of waste! I suspect that all the gobs of oatmeal goo at the bottom of the cage are pellet covered gobs of goo! :lol:

He's a smart little fart and seems to have one up on me!

julie - I think the mushy pellets with seeds is sneaky enough that it just might work :twisted:

julie · Post by **julie** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:06 am

it actually worked with my aviary birds. they were trying to push the mushy pellets out of the way and ending up with it in their mouths. After you do it for a little bit don't add as much juice to it and eventually you should be able to just use the pellets.