Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 10/24/2006

Question

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The text above is a follow-up to ...Thank you for getting back so quick my African Grey bird is 18 weeks old. I don't know what she was feeding he/she. I bought the bird from a pet store that is all she sells is exotic birds. I am feeding my bird friut blend colored hard nuggets that are different shapes and i also mix it with  parrot and large hookbill food that has a combination of seeds grains dehydratedfruits.Is that good enough? Shouln i keep introudcing fruits and veggies and hope someday the bird will eat them?

-----Question-----
I bought an African Grey bird a few weeks ago he will not eat fruits and veggies iI am concerned. I even tried yougart,scrambles eggs,mashed yams and oatmeal he seems to move it around or won't bother with it.I give the colored pellet food and mix it with the dried fruit and nut mix.Yesterday i bought a liquid vitamin to add to the water.Is this ok? Oh i also scrape the cuttle bone over his food every morning so he will gat the calcium. Any advice i need some about the feeding habits?
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Hi, Shelly.  Thanks for posting!

How old is this bird?  What type of diet did the previous owner have this bird on and what type of diet do you currently have him on?  

A parrot won't eat anything it does not recognize as food.  In other words, if you are placing food in front of s/he that the bird has never seen/eaten before, s/he doesn't know that it's food, therefore, it won't eat those particular items (the bird doesn't know whether this stuff is food, a toy, etc.).  For example, if you were to go to a foreign country and someone brings you a type of food you've never seen before and you don't recognize it as being food, you probably wouldn't eat it!  Also, some parrots are very finicky about the food they eat, i.e., some parrots prefer their foods sliced, some prefer their food, shredded, some prefer their food diced, etc.  Some won't eat things that are red, some won't eat things that are green, etc., etc.  

I do not advocate adding anything to a bird's water.  When you add something like vitamins, etc., to the bird's water, the vitamins get too watered down and aren't beneficial.  Also, when you add something to the water, bacteria starts to grow, and then a bird drinks "bacteria soup," which can cause illness.

A parrot doesn't need a lot of calcium unless the bird is a she and she's laying eggs and/or has babies to feed.  If your grey won't eat the cuttlebone when it's attached to it's cage wire, then it doesn't need it.

Visit my website for information you need about diet:

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Come back with any questions.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Shelly.  

Definitely yes, a parrot such as your grey needs to be eating fresh fruits and veggies and a variety of other foods, in addition to pelleted food and seed (reference my previous post and my website).  However, once again, a parrot won't eat anything it does not recognize as food.  You just have to keep offering your grey a variety of foods every day and eventually s/he will try the food you are offering.  However, your grey will always choose the seed to eat if it's available to s/he at the same time you are offering other types of foods.  Therefore, when you offer the veggies, fruits, etc., remove the seed so your grey won't have access to it.  Leave the other foods in your grey's cage for a couple of hours so s/he has a chance to try the food, then put the seed back in the cage.  Offer the fruits/veggies again later in the day once again removing any seed for a few hours.  Keep up with this routine until your grey is eating the food variety.  Seed should be left as an occasional treat or reward for good behavior, not an everyday food item.  Seed is high in fat and low in nutrition...basically, empty calories.  The pellets are OK to leave in the cage at all times.

Come back with any additional questions.

Chrys