How do I get my bird to eat bird food and not just seeds ?

Question

My bird is a Green Cheeked Conure, about 6 or 7 months old. The people I bought her/him (?) from were feeding it sunflower seeds and wild bird seed.
I bought some bird food (maintenance food that looks like light tan pellets and some fruit maintenance food that looks like fruit and smells like fruit) but Bobby picks thru the food to find the seeds( caused I stupidly mixed all the foods together). I also read somewhere on the net that this kind of bird likes cold. Cold water for a bath and cold temperatures too.
Bobby loves to sit on the window sill of my closed window and when I pick it up it's feet are very cold. Should this worry me ? Also, does anybody
know if a male or female talks ? Bobby is learning quite a vocabulary and talks it's head off to get me up in the mornings !!!!! I have read quite a bit on the net but still need some answers......thanks alot for helping me.

Answer 1

Parrots of all kinds need warm temperatures. If you've heard they like 'cold' temperatures, it probably meant 'cooler than the usual 70-75F'. While parrots can handle cool temperatures when acclimated, too cold can be bad - and cold feet or being fluffed up is a sign that it's too cold. If he's been standing on a cool surface willingly without looking discomforted at all, he should be fine.

About diet - it almost sounds like you got Hagen? I'm not sure, but the top brands are Roudybush, Harrison's, and Zupreem, but Hagen is pretty good too. I started weaning my lovebirds onto Hagen, then Zupreem Garden Goodness. Try to avoid the pellets with artificial colouring because this can cause some health problems from the dye and difficulty staying on top of his health when his/her poops are rainbow coloured from his/her rainbow food. Mixing the foods together isn't necessarily stupid, I did it and my guys beaked at it and learned that it was edible.
You can continue mixing it together, you can pretend to eat it yourself and act as if it tastes beyond the definition of the word delicious (parrots being very flock oriented will see you as a flock member enjoying a readily available food and will be tempted to try it as well), you can have a separate food bowl for the pellets should he/she be curious to try it on its own, you can mix it with other enjoyed foods. Some birds like baby food or vegetables/fruits. You can mix some pellets into these and give that a shot.
Also, some people will do a cold turkey switch where all seeds are removed, or most of them, and the bird is starved onto pellets. I don't think this is a good approach, especially since your bird's still a baby and doesn't know it'll HAVE to eat it yet, but it has worked for some people (with adult birds).
The key thing is patience. If seeds are what he/she's known, seeds are what they'll choose. It's a very slow, long process of weaning and you should be satisfied when your bird's content with eating about 80% pellets, 5 to 10% seed, and 10 to 15% fresh fruits, veggies, pastas, and grains as a daily diet.

I'm not sure which gender is best for speaking capabilities in conures, but if you're willing to go in for a $20ish DNA sexing test at the vet's, that'd be the only foolproof way of knowing.

Good luck! Remember, be patient. It took me six months to a year and a half to get my lovebirds onto a healthy diet. Don't give up!

OH! And have a look at this awesome site. There's a page dedicated to parrot diet. http://www.rationalparrot.com

Answer 2

I have a very picky cockatoo who only wants certain things. I do allow him a little seed, but have cut his portions way back. My vet suggested that I bake cornbread with the pellets mixed in. Rocky didn't care for that but your birdy might. What Rocky will eat is a little yogurt or oatmeal with the Harrison's High Potency pellets mixed in. I spoon feed him this mixture daily and he loves it. I also give him warm beans, rice, corn and peas every morning along with Zupreem Avian Maintenance and a little seed. He is a junk food junkie and so I used this in my favor to get him to eat what he needs to.
I don't know much about the Green Cheeked Conure except that they are really cute! Try to make his pelleted food more appealing by mixing it with something he likes and try the corn bread trick.
I hope it works, good luck!

Answer 3

I use to work in a pet store that mainly had birds, Just like people, I bird will pick threw it's food to eat what it likes best. I would still offer the mix, someday it may want something different, just like people. Also in most species of birds, the male is the best talker. About the cold, like one of the other answers cold is not good for birds, but probably prefers cooler temps rather than hot.

Answer 4

You have to mix the food in with the seed, gradually reducing the amount of seed every few days. Eventually, there will only be bird food left. Birds don't like hot water like we do, but the bath should be room temperature. Don't worry about cold feet; he's fine. If you don't want him to wake you up in the morning, cover his cage at night.

Answer 5

Rather than feeding fatty foods which may cause health issues in ur loved ones, I would rather suggest to you to change ur pets diet to white chickpeas and Green sprout seeds(whole green moong dal). Moong dal - Packed with protein and low on carbs, extremely light and easy to digest and is one of the best vegetarian superfoods. Sprouted moong dal is a powerhouse of nutrition. They contain abundant enzymes, protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Chickpeas - The iron, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc and vitamin K content present in chickpeas all contribute to building and maintaining bone structure and strength. The high fiber, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B-6 content, coupled with the lack of cholesterol found in chickpeas, all support heart health. They need to be soaked in water overnight and should be feed to ur bird at morning, afternoon and evening. Since cockatiels are notorious to single diet the initial days may have some trouble but eventually they will start feeding on them. You can see a significance change of wieght within a week. My Rio and Feni weighed only 55 and 66grms a week ago and after the diet change there is a great overall improvement in thier health and Im so happy after weighing them yesterday to be 70 and 84grms respectively.. Cheers. Happy petting..

Answer 6

Dont really know...sorry