Changing foods

[Rocky's Rose]

My cockatiels were on a seed diet and i've been trying to switch them over to pellets by mixing the two but they only eat the seed. I've been trying for nearly two weeks now and they still are only picking out the seed....:( Should i just give them straight pellets and watch to see if they eat it??? Some advice please...

[Aly]

If they are breeding now I would not change their diet. It's too stressful during this time. I personally don't feed pellets but lots of fresh foods and seed but I just wanted to add that changing diet during breeding is not recommended. You should however increase veggies, fruits, etc so they can replenish their little bodies.

[tielfan]

Are your birds willing to eat treats from your hand? If they are, you could try offering them pellets this way. That's how my birds learned to eat pellets. I'd feed small treats with my fingers and slip in a pellet every now and then. At first they'd just spit out the pellet but eventually they started eating them.

[sweetrsue]

The best way to switch them over is to feed fresh foods and pellets in the morning. No seed should be left in the cage overnight. Give them the seed in the afternoon but then remove it after a couple of hours. I tried many different types of pellets but the one they like the best is Zupreem fruit blend pellets. I would wait 'till after they are done breeding like Aly said.

[tielfan]

You can try offering Nutriberries. They're intended to be a "complete" food like pellets, and it's usually a lot easier to convince a tiel to eat them. My flock says they're magically delicious.

You can also offer them soaked or sprouted seed and grains if you aren't doing so already. Germination increases the nutritional value of the seed significantly, and it's not too hard to persuade birds to eat it since barely-sprouted seed doesn't look much different than dry seed. It's a lot softer than dry food too, which makes it useful as a baby food once there are chicks to feed.

You can even try soaking the pellets - some birds like them better moist. Treat it like any other moist food, meaning don't let it sit around long enough to develop mold and bacteria. Buster and Shodu don't usually eat a whole lot of pellets, but pellets were their second-favorite baby food when they had chicks to feed. The parents would eat the dry pellets then drink water to soften them up.

[Rocky's Rose]

The best way to switch them over is to feed fresh foods and pellets in the morning. No seed should be left in the cage overnight. Give them the seed in the afternoon but then remove it after a couple of hours. I tried many different types of pellets but the one they like the best is Zupreem fruit blend pellets. I would wait 'till after they are done breeding like Aly said.

I have the Zupreem fruit blend pellets..... I was thinking of maybe giving them seeds and fruit in the morning... but my only concern is if Rocky would get any fruit because he is in the nestbox as soon as i get up in the morning..(which is around 5:45am) And i don't change their food until around 6:15am and by that time Rosie is eating the food from last night.(she also tends to stay in the nestbox during the night and day) Should i give them fruit and some seed in the morning and offer more seed at night???? The reason i wanted to change foods for them was because i read that once the chicks hatch the parents would feed them i variety of soft foods, pellets, and seeds(whatever they are fed) and they were mainly on a seed diet with fruit (when they would eat it) so i thought that i should try introducing the pellets.
So should i just give them the fruit and seed in the morning and more seed at night??:confused:

[poppabill]

ALL MY BIRDS EAT SEED, they were tried on pellets a couple yrs ago or so and they would not touch the pellets for the most part. I been feeding seeds for over 30 years and it seems to work well, i make my own mix of seeds by trial and error. Try putting a dish of seed and a dish of pellets and let them decide which they want. Remember though with seed or pellets veggies and pasta's and such are still a must, just my thoughts...be happy :)

[tielfan]

Don't take away the food that they're used to right now - they're already under stress from breeding and it's important for them to get enough calories. But you can offer soft foods in addition to their regular food and hope that they start eating it. Try soaking some seed, that'll soften it up. Offer some whole-grain bread - that was Buster and Shodu's favorite chick-feeding food. Offer some cooked food like rice, grain, even birdseed.

If you have access to clean chemical-free lawn grass, offer some of that. Unripe seed heads are a bonus. Grass and grass seed are part of cockatiels' natural diet so they're instinctively drawn to it, and it's an important baby food for wild tiels.

[Aly]

If you have access to clean chemical-free lawn grass, offer some of that. Unripe seed heads are a bonus. Grass and grass seed are part of cockatiels' natural diet so they're instinctively drawn to it, and it's an important baby food for wild tiels.

I also want to add that it's important for the grass to be away from the access of wild animals. For example, even if you know you don't spray your lawn with chemicals you should not simply pick some out for them. If you'd like to give them grass, grow it in a pot yourself. I am not sure that it has any nutritional value although I'm sure they'd go for it. There are alot of other veggies that you should give so they can replenish their bodies as tielfan said, they do need that during breeding.

[Rocky's Rose]

I also want to add that it's important for the grass to be away from the access of wild animals. For example, even if you know you don't spray your lawn with chemicals you should not simply pick some out for them. If you'd like to give them grass, grow it in a pot yourself. I am not sure that it has any nutritional value although I'm sure they'd go for it. There are alot of other veggies that you should give so they can replenish their bodies as tielfan said, they do need that during breeding.

We don't use chemicals on our grass because of the other farm animals eat it and we have horses and chickens. My question is why couldn't you just use the grass from outside if its not sprayed???? Wouldn't they eat the grass anyways in the wild??? Yesterday i also made some birdie bread(from the recipe share thread....thanks:) ) and i was wondering if that would be okay for them to give the chicks when they hatch??? I added grapes,carrots,banna, and apple to it. They haven't touched it yet.... I froze the rest of it. Also can i offer them the pellets when they are feeding the chicks so they can use it to feed them??? Any other suggestions for chick feeding food would also be helpful. Thanks

[skthurley]

It's perfectly fine to offer them the birdie bread. It will be good for them and the babies!

Feel free to offer new foods to your pair during this time, just don't take away their former food. So keep their usual food in there, and offer lots of fresh veggies, some fruit and birdie bread. They may or may not try it, but there's no harm in offering it

[Aly]

Eggfood is good too.

[Rocky's Rose]

Eggfood is good too.

i know this may seem like a stupid question but what is eggfood???:confused:

[xxxSpikexxx]

This is egg food https://healthybird.net/store/product_info.php?products_id=990&osCsid=8887bf9221cbbdbbb77c42d9d7bd4cb6 You do have to be careful not to leave it in the cage for two long as bacteria can build and make a tiel sick. Of course this goes for all fresh food, which should be taken out of the cage after two hours.

[tielfan]

Also can i offer them the pellets when they are feeding the chicks so they can use it to feed them???

Yes. Pellets were Buster and Shodu's second-favorite baby food. They'd eat the dry pellets and then drink water to soften them up. Some birds prefer pellets that are moistened in advance by the human with water or apple juice, but mine won't touch wet pellets.

[Rocky's Rose]

How and what can I sprout with seeds???? I've read a little about it but i don't really understand it...

[tielfan]

There are various ways to sprout. I sprout in a mason jar with plastic canvas mesh in the lid. Like this:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/Sprouter.jpg

although I'm actually using the smaller jelly jar size now.

Mason jars can be found in large grocery stores, sold in multi-packs. Plastic canvas can be found in the needlework department of craft stores like Michaels. The standard size seems to be #7 (the size indicates the number of holes per inch), which is fine for bigger seeds. But for small seeds like millet it’s best to use a finer mesh (#10).

At night, put the seeds/grains in the jar and put the lid on. Rinse them a few times by pouring water in, swirling it around a little, and draining. Don't drain the water the last time; let the grains soak overnight. I add a little apple cider vinegar to discourage mold and bacteria.

In the morning, rinse and drain. It's recommended that you leave the jar tilted downward so it can continue draining, but I live in the desert and simply laying the jar on its side works well for me. Rinse and drain again in the middle of the day (optional) and once again at night (not optional). In the morning rinse it one last time and give it to the birds. Right before feeding you can add red palm oil, chopped veggies, or other supplemental items if you want. Total prep time: about 36 hours. Total time actually spent working on it: about three minutes.

I start a new batch every night. So I have two jars going every night: the one that was just started, and the one that was started the previous night and will be served in the morning.

I use human-quality grains from the bulk food bins at the local whole-foods grocery. Stuff like wheat, kamut, spelt, barley, rye, etc - anything that looks like a seed. Quinoa is a great addition. So is your regular birdseed. Lentils, mung beans, and adzuki beans are good, but other beans are best avoided unless you're willing to cook them after they've sprouted. For bigger birds you can include things like pumpkin seeds and popcorn.

[Aly]

How and what can I sprout with seeds???? I've read a little about it but i don't really understand it...

It can be easily done in a simple shallow bowl. Rinse the seed, add a bit of water the morning before, keep rinsing them and adding a bit of water as it gets soaked up. By the next morning you have fresh young sprouts. Rinse with apple cider vinegar a few times, then water and that's it!

[Rocky's Rose]

Ok thanks:D I'm going to town today so I'll try to pick up some seeds from the bulk store

[skthurley]

I sprout mine in little dishes, similar to the way Aly suggested