Emma
Addicted Member
My baby Jingo
Posts: 111
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Post by Emma on Jan 21, 2011 23:10:53 GMT 10
Hi I'm quite new to the bird world and probably getting a GCC or perhaps a Quaker soon. But I'm just checking I've got all the information right first. With feeding I've been researching a bit but I'm a bit confused at the difference, nutriously (sp?), between seed and pellets? I assumed seed (just small parrot mix) would be better as its more natural and tasty I would have thought but is it an un-healthier option to pellets?  Alongside pellets or seed I would be feeding my new baby birdie lots of fresh fruit and veg, is that alright if say a GCC is quite young, only just weaned a week or so. Is fruit only when they are a bit bigger or fine right from the beginning? Any advice on this, or what you feed your conure or other birds would be really helpful, sorry for quite a long post.  Eb. |
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Post by carlsandclan on Jan 21, 2011 23:37:36 GMT 10
Hey Eb. My quaker was weaned onto fruit and veg, along with seed. However, I now feed him some pellets, sprouted seed, fruit and veg. I started that right away. I offer my birds dry seed, but they all eat the sprouts over dry! I just figure that a little bit of everything is the way to go. Some birds don't care for fruit that much, but you can try offering apple and pear. I also give mine branches from safe trees like lilly pilly, eucalypt and bottle brush, seeding grasses, buffalo grass runners, dandelion.....there is heaps of stuff! Just a little bit of everything, really. Your new baby will let you know what he likes. As long as he eats a variety, it's all good I reckon! |
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Post by vankarhi on Jan 22, 2011 6:57:36 GMT 10
All my birds are weaned on fresh fruit and veges and bean mix I cook up and I add seed/pellets while they are weaning also.
Sprouted seed is healthy apparently than dry seed. But my birds all get some seed along with heaps of fresh stuff daily. The young ones LOVE their fresh stuff too and they should be shown all different types and colours of foods that are safe for them to eat. That way they don't freak out when they see new things to eat.
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Emma
Addicted Member
My baby Jingo
Posts: 111
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Post by Emma on Jan 22, 2011 19:58:02 GMT 10
Thanks Tracey I can't wait to experiment with fruits and see what they like. Are there any fruit or veg that isn't good for them? From what I've been reading they seem to be able to eat pretty much everything. Just checking if there should be some I should be watching out for. |
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Emma
Addicted Member
My baby Jingo
Posts: 111
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Post by Emma on Jan 22, 2011 20:01:33 GMT 10
Hey Eb. My quaker was weaned onto fruit and veg, along with seed. However, I now feed him some pellets, sprouted seed, fruit and veg. I started that right away. I offer my birds dry seed, but they all eat the sprouts over dry! Hey thanks for the info, I guess I'll just have to try a bit of everything. This 'sprouted seed'? Thats those little seedling things, is that available to buy in shops or do you have to grow it yourself? (And if it is grown at home how is that done?) |
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Post by carlsandclan on Jan 22, 2011 21:01:57 GMT 10
Sprouted seed is seed that you sprout yourself. You can use regular seed mix or create your own - I use regular seed mix for parrots to sprout. I rinse some seed in a colander really well, then put the colander in an ice-cream container, cover with hot water and let soak over night. In the morning, drain the seed and rinse well with warm water. Then sit back in the ice-cream container so the air can get all around the seeds. In a day or two, you should see little white 'tails' as the seed has started to sprout - the seed is at it's healthiest BEFORE you get green shoots. Give the sprouted mix a final rinse with a teeny bit of bleach, or some avi-cleanse - this stops bacteria and mould. The seed is ready to feed the next day! If you keep it in the fridge, it will last almost a week. It should smell a bit nutty - if it smells funny, get rid of it. It sounds like a hassle and work, but it really is SO easy to do! As for things our fids can't eat - there are toxic food lists all over the net. Do we have one here? I can't remember! lol. Basics are avocado, onion, caffeine, pits of stone fruit, rhubarb...there are quite a few things they can't eat, and if in doubt, don't feed it. |
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Post by Robyn on Jan 23, 2011 8:51:54 GMT 10
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Post by jusdeb on Jan 23, 2011 16:28:14 GMT 10
You will be surprised at just how much fresh fruit and veg the GCCs can tuck away each day , 1 pair eats twice as much ( salad ) as an aviary holding 4 pairs of equal sized birds .
I make up a salad every 3 days of celery , carrot , corn , apple and anything else thats in the fridge , I always add an orange ( skin on ) to keep it all fresh .
Greens and sprouts are given separately to the salad.
And they are on Sth American Pellets.
Apple Cider Vinegar a couple of times a week and they they are in awesome feather and very healthy.
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Emma
Addicted Member
My baby Jingo
Posts: 111
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Post by Emma on Jan 24, 2011 19:56:35 GMT 10
Woah thanks for all the information everybody. carlsandclan thanks for the instructions on sprouting seed, it doesnt seem too hard, you just use normaly parrot seed to soak? I will definitely have a look at those links Robyn and I might do some more research on what they can't eat, just to be sure. |
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