5 replies to this topic

[Carrie H]

I am a new QP owner.  Yoshi is 3 yrs old and came to me living off popcorn, pretzels, sunflower seeds, Bugels and noodles.

I have him eating a seed mix of some sort that a "bird lady" (lol) recommended from specialty bird store.  He actually has many different kind of seeds, and pellets, placed all over cage because he's supposed to "explore" each one...but he usually just goes for which one is closer. He's not very playful or adventureous as far as I can see.


I guess I'm confused when I'm supposed to be feeding him other things.  I've been making him breakfast, lunch & dinner. We are trying many new foods with him, but HE IS PICKY & doesn't like ANYTHING!  He absolutely will not eat any veggies.  Tried: Green beans, baked bean, corn, peas, carrots, green pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper, broccoli. I can get him to eat some fruits, strawberries & today he seems to like pineapple. Have tried: banana, apples, oranges, mango, green grape, red grape, cherries, peaches, pears.  He'll eat potatoes, any kind of noodle and CANNED chicken (not fresh/cooked chicken).

PLEASE give me some more ideas!!  I saw the nutritional chart another user posted and have tried MANY of the things on the list. Cottage cheese, yogurt, oatmeal, nuts, etc.

Tell me what you feed your QP on a daily/weekly basis.

[Jan Cullen]

Have you tried eating any of the food in front of him and making yummy sounds?  I am currently trying to get Shah off his current parrot food onto pellets.  Not making much progress but each time I change his food tray, there are more pellets popped in.  I occasionally find a pellet on the floor of the cage but am not confident he is eating them yet.  It all takes time.  Shah never ate vegetables or fruit when I got him but if he sees me eating anything, he just has to eat it as well (and no, I am not eating pellets).  I am sure others will be along shortly to give you a lot more advice on what you can do.

[Carrie H]

Jan, Yes I've been trying to eat in front of him, as much as I can. Or the kids are doing it too.  He almost seems like he's trying it, then he just throws it...kinda funny tho.  We actually have had him at the table with us eating dinner!  Doesn't help either, he just poops all over.  LOL I have pellets for him too, but I don't think he's touched them, just the seeds.

[LindeeV]

I leave pellets and fresh water in their cage at all times. I also leave some foraging treats hidden in toys and around their play area for them to look for. (They love peanuts in the shell, almonds in the shell, baby crackers, cheerios, puffed wheat cereal, and dry pasta)

My birds have their own set of ceramic dishes (which are actually the saucers off of the bottom of planters). I usually put a spoonful of whatever we're eating on their dishes, and they might end up with two or three different things to choose from, usually whatever we're having.

For breakfast they usually get a spoonful of hot cereal (oatmeal), a little bit of egg (scrambled or boiled), and a couple of blueberries or a strawberry. Often a little spoonful of greek yogurt.

For lunch it's fresh veggies, and whatever we're having. My birds like sugar snap peas, green peas, any kind of pepper, whatever we're putting into our sandwiches or salads. Maybe a bite or two of apple or pear. Cottage cheese, a bite of shredded cheese, a pinch of tuna or lunch meat.

For dinner it's usually cooked vegetables, beans, some type of whole grain bread or pasta, and maybe a bite or two of cooked meat.

I also bake birdie muffins (recipes in the food section of this forum), and they get one of those each day to pick at.

They probably eat less than half of whats on their plate at any given meal, but they have choices and a variety. I leave the plates out for about an hour, then throw away whatever is left over and pop the ceramic saucers into the dishwasher to be cleaned.

I'm finding that they won't eat something NEW for the first several times they see it, but if I keep putting it on their plate next to foods they enjoy, eventually they will try a bite or two and decide they like it.  I also try sprinkling some millet or hot pepper on new foods, because they will nibble at whatever is on top and end up getting a taste of the new food.



Oh, and I forgot to add....the fact that they have their own special "dishes" that they are accustomed to eating off of seems to help.

Since they like most everything that's served on their dish, I've found that they are more likely to taste something if it's served in the "usual and customary" manner, ie, the DISH.  If I put it on something else or serve a familiar food in an unfamiliar way, they are very suspicious of it.  

Crazy birds.

[Keri]

Jasper always has pellets and fresh water available.  He is usually given snacks and fresh foods 3 times a day.  He gets an assortment of things and it's usually different everyday.

As an example, yesterday he had...

For breakfast:  Some Bountiful Harvest with fresh diced red pepper
For lunch:  a few fan palm nuts (he LOVES these) and  a small piece of Avian Organics bread
For Dinner:  diced red pepper, diced mango, and a tiny piece of banana

He rarely eats everything I give him.  I gave him fresh peppers daily and then one day he decided that he actually liked them.  So don't rule out a food even if he ignores it.

[Carrie H]

Thanks everyone for your input!  I am going to try these suggestions!!!  Hopefully I can get Yoshi to like more things!