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Post by anzac on Jul 12, 2011 15:37:12 GMT 10
Since Tilly and Billy (my turks) refuse to eat fresh greens and veg, I was wondering if could feed them dried fruit? I get a bag for my rats and they love them (but then they are not fussy eaters) so can I give the turks some? It's the hard dried fruit with some soft apricots in it but I am happy to buy the dessicated fruit if they will eat it? After saying that, as spring approaches some grass is growing at the bottom of the cage (through the pavers) and they love eating that (well they are grass parrots after all ;D ) but I'm sure there isn't much nutrition in grass.
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ElyseB
Addicted Member
Posts: 126
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Post by ElyseB on Jul 15, 2011 14:52:46 GMT 10
yep ive seen it sold in pet shops, peeps loves them  |
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Post by anzac on Jul 18, 2011 14:54:14 GMT 10
I did try them on it, didn't touch a thing. I think I'll just have to give up on these 2 they just don't want to eat anything but seed and their supplemented grit  I suppose as some-one mentioned in an earlier post perhaps if they haven't been raised on fruit, veggies etc they are just not interested. |
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Post by twr on Jul 19, 2011 8:06:59 GMT 10
My Tinga won't touch fresh fruit, but will eat some dried fruit. He favours yellow (pineapple) and won't touch sultanas or apricots. The lorikeets love fresh fruit, but also enjoy sultanas and other dried fruits as a treat. I have had only limited success with veggies for the sun conure. They must be cooked, mashed & have dried veggie bird mix stirred through. He would not be caught dead eating a vegetable that still looked like a vegetable, including the all time favourite of most birds, corn on the cob. He simply does not recognise such things as food  |
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Post by anzac on Jul 19, 2011 10:13:34 GMT 10
Glad to hear that about some one else's birds not eating fruit and veg. I just worry about the nutrition factor if Tilly ever gets around to laying eggs and rearing them. I know my canaries love their greens when rearing their babies (along with the egg biscuit mix)
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Post by avinet on Jul 19, 2011 13:32:22 GMT 10
Glad to hear that about some one else's birds not eating fruit and veg. I just worry about the nutrition factor if Tilly ever gets around to laying eggs and rearing them. I know my canaries love their greens when rearing their babies (along with the egg biscuit mix) Convert the bird onto pellets - nutrition taken care of even if they don't eat fresh food. We were given a nice cinnamon cockatiel, Cindy, about 2 months ago - last thing we needed with 25 birds already in the house!!!! Anyway she had been living on a seed only diet for at least 4 years and was showing obvious signs of liver damage as a result. When we got her she didn't eat any vegies, just wanted seed, so we put her in with our 6 elderly tiels that are on a vegie and pellet diet. She didn't learn to eat vegies but soon picked up that the pellets the others were eating was food and quite acceptable as an alternative to seed. After 2 months her appearance has improved out of sight - feathers looking much better, put on a bit of weight, and looking more alert. So Cindy went to a new home last weekend - a vet nurse friend who was looking for a companion for her existing bird. Cindy fills the bill perfectly and will get far more neck scratches that we had time to give her. So, if nutrition and a balanced diet is a problem, feed pellets cheers, Mike |
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Post by avinet on Jul 19, 2011 13:35:58 GMT 10
Since Tilly and Billy (my turks) refuse to eat fresh greens and veg, I was wondering if could feed them dried fruit? After saying that, as spring approaches some grass is growing at the bottom of the cage (through the pavers) and they love eating that (well they are grass parrots after all ;D ) but I'm sure there isn't much nutrition in grass. I am not a big fan of dried fruit - it is usually high in sugar and you have to be careful that preservatives have not been used such as sulphur dioxide. And green grass is great to let birds eat - especially if it is seeding. Green seed is much more nutritious than when it has turned into dry seed. after all cows and sheep do pretty well on grass cheers, Mike |
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Post by twr on Jul 19, 2011 21:31:22 GMT 10
I buy organic dried fruit. Has no additives whatsoever, but yeah, the natural sugar is concentrated in dried fruit
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Post by anzac on Jul 20, 2011 10:52:05 GMT 10
As always thanks for the advice Mike, what pellet food would you recommend for turks? Cheers Leanne
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Post by lolwutburds on Jul 23, 2011 18:23:15 GMT 10
I agree with Mike, that grass they're eating is MUCH better than dried fruit When you're in the supermarket next, buy some of those sprouts in the fruit/veg section. They are packed full of nutrients and i find it easy to convert seed eaters to sprouts. |
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Post by twr on Jul 23, 2011 20:58:14 GMT 10
Tinga is not easy to convert to anything new. He came to me at 5 years old and he will not even try anything new. No way I can convince him that fresh fruit, or even corn on the cob, is actually food. He seems convinced that it will kill him. Not even seeing me or the lorikeets eat it in front of him makes any difference. He is a right, royal pain in the butt.
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Post by mgaggie on Jul 24, 2011 11:13:08 GMT 10
You can buy dried fruit without sulphur dioxide, you have to go to pet shops or organic stores. I have one Quaker parrot and dried fruit is convenient for me as I don't have to worry about it going off or storage and availablilty. Sunny gets thawed veggies and sprouts (when I can grow them or buy cheap) every day.
Every thing in moderation I believe
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Post by anzac on Jul 25, 2011 11:03:20 GMT 10
Umm sprouts, good idea, I'll give them a go. At least Tilly has a "try" at the broccoli which is a good thing if she ever gets around to breeding or more to the point, if we ever get around to put their breeding box in there  |
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Post by mgaggie on Jul 25, 2011 20:54:41 GMT 10
anzac, I let sunflower seeds sprout and tried them out on a Rosella that would eat nothing but seed, and it gobbled them up.
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Post by twr on Jul 25, 2011 22:17:50 GMT 10
You can buy dried fruit without sulphur dioxide, you have to go to pet shops or organic stores. I have one Quaker parrot and dried fruit is convenient for me as I don't have to worry about it going off or storage and availablilty. Sunny gets thawed veggies and sprouts (when I can grow them or buy cheap) every day. Every thing in moderation I believe I buy mine online from here www.goodness.com.au/store/Dried-Fruits/c46/index.htmlNot all the dried fruits are organic. Make sure to read the product description to check what's organic and what's not. |
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Post by flossy on Jul 26, 2011 6:25:05 GMT 10
So back to the pellets......which brand is better? I use the Paradise Pellets for my Eckies as I was told that they were the "better" ones for them.....but I would like to know what everyone else uses?  (They are Vetafarm ones) Thanks guys. |
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Post by Robyn on Jul 26, 2011 6:38:49 GMT 10
Flossy, I don't have a set brand of pellets for my birds, however at the moment i have the paradise ones. I think most of the pellets i give my guys end up as powder on the bottom of the dish. LOL.
I don't rely on pellets as a main food supply just as a treat if they want them. Main foods for my lot is a bit of seed but heaps of fresh fruit & veggies & sprouted seed mix.
Personally I don't think you can go past fresh food for your parrots & if that is the case would it really matter what brand of pellets you use especially if like my birds they just play with it.
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Post by anzac on Jul 26, 2011 10:27:19 GMT 10
Mike was suggesting pellets for Tilly and Billy as they won't touch fresh food unfortunately and he thinks nutritionally wise, pellets were better than seed but I still haven't had a chance to go to the shop and buy sprouts.
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Post by anzac on Jul 26, 2011 10:28:27 GMT 10
anzac, I let sunflower seeds sprout and tried them out on a Rosella that would eat nothing but seed, and it gobbled them up. Great tip, thanks. I'll try it out on the fussy ones |
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I suppose as some-one mentioned in an earlier post perhaps if they haven't been raised on fruit, veggies etc they are just not interested.
(They are Vetafarm ones) Thanks guys. 
