Getting them to eat real food...

[CrystalinNC]

How difficult is it to get baby tiels to eat regular food, such as veggies, green, and such? Can you wean them to food rather easily?
Also..if they are weaned to just seed...how difficult is it to get them to try new stuff when they are fully weaned? At say, 8-10 weeks?

[Chrissy and Flock]

Well Crystal I have a tiel... you have heard the old saying "you can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink" she does not like veggies except for corn.... but I keep giving it to her anyway... She is 9 yrs old next month and she has definate ideas on what she wants and doesn't want... but she is healthy and happy. All you can do is make sure they have access to the good stuff and hope they eat it.... I feed them seed that has fruits and veggies added just in case they won't eat the fresh stuff... are your babies handfed? what I have been doing with AngelBaby is if I give her something she's not too fond of I mix up a small amount of formula and mix it in with it ... she eats it no problem... :haha:

[CrystalinNC]

that's a great idea with the formula...
I will see what kind of formula she uses! =)

[Chrissy and Flock]

Crystal I found some bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts at the grocery store today, all four of my birds seem to like them.:D I could hardly believe my eyes all of them eating good stuff :haha:

[Dot]

Crystal I found some bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts at the grocery store today, all four of my birds seem to like them.:D I could hardly believe my eyes all of them eating good stuff :haha:

Big no no. Please don't buy them at the grocery store. I was just going to suggest sprouting seed when I saw your post. The sprouts at grocery stores have been know to have all many of problems, salmonella being one that I can think of.

I suggest you go to FeedingFeathers, a Yahoo group. Read their files and start sprouting your own. I am sprouting seeds and grains tonight. I just did legumes.

The problem with buying them at the grocery store involves more than just health issues. What you need to sprout for them is important. Just alfalfa will not provide them with what they need. As a matter of fact, alfalfa is carcinogenic and sprouted alfalfa is better but still retains some of the carcinogens. (This is information I picked up at Feeding Feathers.)

I am not an expert. As usual, I am the village idiot. Those nice folks at Feeding Feathers have answered a zillion questions for me.

One important note is that on some boards people will tell you to just soak the seeds overnight, or that when the shoot first appears, it is the best time to feed the sprouts. Dr. MacDonald spoke at The Parrot Festival and "nipped that in the bud." Sorry, couldn't resist that one. That is not the best time to feed sprouts.

I have learned that legumes need to have a 1/2 inch tail before they are fed. Grains can be soaked overnight and fed. The soaked grains can be frozen.

The major problem that I didn't understand is that one must sprout seeds, grains, and legumes. If you do that, then you are providing your bird with what he needs. Just sprouting seeds alone is not enough. I cannot explain the amino acids and all of that, but if you go to Feeding Feathers, they can explain it to you.

[Don]

I think most folks want to feed cockatiels as if they were larger cockatoos' or Amazons or other commonly kept parrots - But, they aren't tho -

They are a bird that evolved it's habits and needs in the arid dry interior of Australia and are basically a seed and grain eating species. while it's not unreasonable to expect(hope) for them to accept a more varied diet, please be sure to supply enough of what they are willing to eat, as well as some of what you want them to eat in moderation. Cockatiels can live a good long life on a high quality Cockatiel Mix, spray millets and a few veggies/fruits thrown in.

Don

[Chrissy and Flock]

Thanks Don, I will stop worrying about my little girl then because she does eat lots of seed and millet I will continue to offer it to her. Sheesh she weighs 133 grams.... How about sun conures? mine weighs 123 grams thats what they both weighed this morning.... just for good measure AngelBaby weighed in at 501 grams and Cassie is 488 grams....

[Don]

""How about sun conures?""

they are a subtropical conure, they'll eat everything a macaw would - and alsmost as much !
Aratinga (ara tinga) basically means little macaw.

Don

[Chrissy and Flock]

Sunny will eat most anything that don't eat him first ...:rofl: he will at least try new stuff...:)

[Gen120]

My sun conures eat everything..and look foward to their veggies and fruits,birdie bread,and seeds..as well as their roudybush pellets!:) Mango weighs 104 and Pepper weighs 105...both sun conures. My cockatiels weigh: Snickers 89 grams,Cricket 90 grams,Cheif 100,and Piper weighs 90...and Sammy my LCA weighs 345..the vet said that Sammy is healthy..but I am trying to get her to play more and eat fresh veggies/fruits...How can I teach her to play with toys,eat veggies???

[Chrissy and Flock]

Wow guess my tiel and conure need to be on a diet.....

[CrystalinNC]

Don...thank you! I feel so much better then about the one tiel that I have who's turning his beak up at everything BUT seed...
I will still keep trying to offer other things...but at least it's nice to know it's not life or death!
Yes...i give them lots of whatever they will eat! Thanks again!
Oh...and you're right, my green cheek will eat whatever I give him (unless it's brocolli)