hello everyone! My quaker fuzzy only likes Sun flower seeds! Is that normal or should i be worried?
I always put her fresh food and water out everyday and it seems like she only eats the sun flower seeds. Is it okay to buy just sun flower seeds for her to eat?? please help!

No, they're too high in fat. It's as if you were living on nothing but cake and ice cream.

My Clyde loves sunflower seeds, too, but he only gets a few each day for a treat. Buy some pellets (either budgie or cockatiel size) and mix it with his seed mix about half and half, then every day reduce the seeds and increase the pellets a bit until he's only getting a few seeds. Clyde gets maybe a half teaspoon of seed mixture and the rest is pellet now. Of course, he eats the seed first, but he also eats pellets and he likes budgie pellets best.

If you want a parrot to try something new, it helps to eat it in front of him. Clyde always wants whatever I have (except bananas -- he doesn't like bananas even if I'm eating one). Right now, for example, I'm eating a turkey sandwich and he insisted on sharing, so I pinched off a piece of the turkey from the side away from where I was eating and held it for him while he ate it. It takes some doing, but eventually, your bird will eat other stuff.

Welcome to the forum. My Quaker was addicted to sunflower seeds when I first got him, and it took quite a while to convert him to pellets, although he readily began eating fresh corn on the cob and apples.

Siobhan is right about it being similar to living on cake and icecream. I was complaining to a Lady at a parrot supply store that Rico only wants the sunflower seeds and does NOT want his pellets. She said, 'Of course not! You are taking away his candy!'

Zazu is willing to try a huge variety of foods and I limit his sunflower seeds. I used to mix in maybe 1 teaspoon of seed mix into his pellets but lately, I have been mixing the seeds into his fresh veggies. He ends up eating more of his veggies, I think. I noticed tonight when I tossed the leftovers that there were uneaten seeds in it still.

Good luck!

try giving him pumpkin seeds instead, my vet said pumpkin seeds are very nutritious for them and also almonds!Pumpkin seeds i buy from petco for birds right by there bird seed in the treat section, and I buy the almonds from the baking section so there slivered and salt free. He gets a few of each everyday. Best of luck!

Sunflower seeds are not good for everyday, not at all. I agree with others about pumpkin seeds. You really need to get your bird on pellets of some kind and also fruits, veggies.

Thanks everyone!!! I really appreciate all the great advice! Can anyone give me a tip on what kind of foods would be healthy for a quaker? I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopradize the well being of my baby! I love my fuzzy and want the absolute best for her! I'm on my way out now to buy my baby some pumpkin seeds for treats! Is there any special brand of food that is good for quakers? Please let me know! Thanks soooooo much for the advice!!!

Well, pellets are much better for them than seeds. I just get a mixture of all the small birdy pellets from the bins at the pet shop I go to, so I'm not sure of all the brands, but zupreme is a good brand, and I also mix in some Harrison's which you can get at the vet. When we first got Simon, our qp, he had been on a seed diet, and if I gave him the seed mixture they'd been feeding him, he would pick out the sunflower seeds as well. Once we went to the vet I switched him to pellets. I tried the conversion method that is listed here, but Simon was a little butt and would pick thru and only eat seeds, so after checking with my vet, I just stopped the seeds altogher, and he was fine. Be sure to give your baby plenty of fresh food as well....like veggies, fruit, brown rice and pasta. Mine took awhile to eat anything but corn, but I just kept putting it out every morning and night, and one day, lo and behold, I saw him with a bit of carrot in his mouth. Now he will eat most any veggie, not so much for the fruits, but that's ok...veggies are better for him anyway. He only gets 2 pumpkin seeds in his dish in the morning and evening, then as special treats during the day...but not too many.

Zupreme, Roudybush and Harrisons are all excellent, I feed Zupreme because it is the most readily available. I also give Pickles some veggies (Veggie Heaven from Beak Appetit) dried fruit and unsalted peanuts. (The Kaytee Island Luau mix).

Zazu eats Roudybush and Zupreem. I also give him a big selection of veggies, greens, pasta and beans. He gets a bit of seed in his veggies and today he got pumpkin seeds, which he really liked. I am growing some sprouts to see if he likes those. He doesn't seem to much care for fruit.

He also usually wants to take a bite of whatever I am eating and really likes chicken.

Kiwi gets Zupreem with a bit of Hagen's tropican parrot sticks for variety. He gets about a 60% mixture of this with the remaining 30% of his diet being fresh veg.. not really fuirt although he likes apple now and then..

he LOVES carb type foods lol... sweet potato cooked, carrots, corn, peas, whole wheat pasta, bread, chicken, eggs .. just about anything we eat thats parrot safe.. and the remaining 10% of his diet is seeds.. generally pumpkin or a cockatiel seed base to nibble on without sunflower seeds.. hoep that helps!!