Parrots - Pleasing the Fussiest Eaters
Sometimes, I wonder if parrots are really the bird embodiment of a toddler. They’re messy, they’re loud, they crave attention & they can say inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times! Above all they can be incredibly fussy eaters. Just like a toddler, some parrots will refuse to eat certain things & also like a toddler, they may just throw it in your face (seeds can hurt...). When it comes to feeding time, you may see your parrot digging through they’re nicely presented dinner and throw it all out, making a big ol’ mess of their cage in the process.
Now maybe one day they’ll develop a complete extruded pellet for a toddler. Thankfully however, Brown’s has developed one for your parrot!
What Brown’s Can Offer
It begins with a question: Can we eliminate selective feeding? Selective Feeding is the term used when a parrot refuses to eat certain parts of their diet mix. When they do this, it can cause an imbalance, causing a deficiency in certain nutrients required to keep your parrot healthy. Here at Brown’s, we like to surround ourselves with knowledgeable people. That’s why when faced with this problem, we worked with a team of Zoological Nutritionists who have a vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to Parrot Nutrition.
For years, we worked in development of creating the most complete extruded pellet, containing all the essential and beneficial nutrients needed to keep your parrot happy & healthy. With an Extruded Pellet, you no longer need to worry about selective feeding! All of the goodness is contained into one pellet! When using our extruded pellet, you can rest assure your parrot is getting a complete diet.
However, as we already know. Parrots can be tricky customers & may not be for this change in diet. Next, we look into how you can outwit a small bird into eating what you want them to eat.
The Art of the Deal – How to Swap a Parrots Diet
Parrots, they know what they like and they’re damn well going to get it. They’re are the masters of negotiating, you give them something they don’t like, they’re gonna throw it right back at you. They know how to get what they want. But you, you are much more savvy than a bird! I’m confident in your abilities to convince a bird to eat something nutritious.
The Gradual Swap: Now when it comes to swapping your diet over, the wrong way to do it would be all at once. If you eat pizza everyday and the next day you get a salad, you’re not going to be happy. However if you eat pizza everyday and the next day someone gives you pizza with extra tomatoes and mushrooms, you’re gonna eat it even with the extra healthy ingredients! You have to move things gradually. Begin with feeding their normal diet with some added pellets and see how you get along! You can do this as gradually as you wish, when you see them tuck away at the pellets slowly add more over the next few weeks. Eventually your goal is to make the plate only contain pellets. You can consider giving the parts of the mix your parrot likes as a treat separate from their main meal to keep them pleased.
The Treat Trick: If however at the first attempt your parrot is already throwing the pellets it out, you may have to try pulling a little sneaky on them. What you need to do is increase the appeal of the pellet. Begin by offering them as little treats every now and then. One way which works really well is putting them in different places around the cage to peak interest. Try and get your parrot to develop a taste for the pellet, once they know it’s not going to hurt them then begin the Gradual Swap process!
We hope the above helps in some way. Parrots with selective feeding is a common problem a lot of keepers suffer from. With the above information from Brown’s Pet Range we hope to have been of some help in getting your parrot eating right!
Conclusion
With everything in mind, the most important thing to remember is keeping safe. If we can help in any way, we can be reached on 01268 690706 or email us at hello@brownspetrange.com.