lovebird not taking to diet change?

Question

So I'm the second owner of my lovebird. The man before had him on an all seed diet, but my vet told me that even with supplements an all seed diet is unhealthy for my bird. So i've tried switching him to new foods, such as harrisons and zupreem. I've been at this for months now and he wont take to anything else. any advice?

Answer 1

Months is nothing. It took me a good year and a half to have my lovebirds willingly eating a healthy diet (85% pellets, 5% seeds, 10% fresh fruits, veggies, pastas, grains). It takes a LONG time, but never give up because he will take to it and he will learn to like it.

Some people will try to starve their bird (it's life threatening for babies, but adults know they have to eat something) onto pellets. I wouldn't recommend that. I think that's like quitting crack cold turkey, it's just way too hard and dangerous.

What I did was I added pellets to their regular seed bowl so they would know it's there (I weaned 5 all-seed eating lovebirds onto the diet I said above the same way) and may try to beak at it. I even tried hiding some pellets inside of sunflower seed shells, but I guess they outsmarted me on that one. Didn't work. ;) Anyway, I gradually reduced the seed and increased the pellets so that there was an obvious surplus of pellets and significantly less seed seen. I noticed that adding a separate food bowl where I placed millet (treat bowl) worked as well. I began adding pellets to this bowl and slowly reducing the millet so that it would become a treat only for special occasions. With their regular food bowl, I was very careful in watching how they ate and what they ate. If I noticed them trying the pellets, I would take out more seeds and add more pellets. If I noticed no change, I would continue the mixture I had. As time went on, they progressed (with much wastage, but progression nonetheless) and I reduced seeds to less and less, increased pellets more and more, and it's like before I knew it, they were eating it and being cooperative about it all! It almost feels like yesterday I was wracking my mind about how to feed these birds properly, and I look at them now and they're so bright and happy, so healthy. :P

Be prepared to waste a TON of pellets (they will go stale if left too long), wait long months before your bird's ready to change (but some will transition quickly!), but anticipate the end result. When I did the switch from all seed to pellets + seeds + fresh foods, I noticed brighter eyes, increased awareness, higher energy levels, softer plumage, and overall much healthier birds.

You could also try different brands. Not one or two, but a whole whack. Many companies will be more than happy to send out free samples when you ask. Lafeber, however, does not have samples and will send you their treat samples. If you tell them your bird already eats pellets, they might send you an entire small tub (they did for me somewhat recently). Artificial colours and flavours are things you want to avoid, but sometimes using artificial colours can help speed the process up by teaching them that these weird little things that don't look like seeds aren't so bad after all, and they'll try it. Then you can transition them over to all natural pellets - and as you've already tried, Harrison's is a great brand for being all natural and organic. The first pellet I weaned my birds onto was Hagen Cockatiel Lifetime, these little pale green and yellow pellets that smelled like bananas. Then I went over to Zupreem Garden Goodness for small birds (my guys love veggies, so the dried vegetables in the mix were a big bonus), also natural. Then to Roudybush Lifetime Maintenance Crumble, which was a huge hit. Maybe it was the texture of the pellet, but it was something! Then I did Lafeber, which was okay, but not nearly as great as Roudybush or Zupreem. Then I scrapped the Hagen and offered Harrison's Fine. Other nice pellets are TOPs (Totally Organic Pellets) and... Well, that list is the best I can think of. Remember, avoid artifical colours - they can stain poop and make it difficult to judge the health of your bird.

I say this as if it's an easy process, but it's actually very long and arduous. It's been four years since I started and all birds will go bonkers for seed if it's available, so I use them as very limited treats. Otherwise, they're happy with their pellets and reduce most of what they haven't eaten to a fine dust that you can make birdy bread with!

Oh, and if he likes veggies or pastas, you can try hiding pellets inside. Or you could bake little pellets into birdy bread (lots of recipes here: http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/rbreads.htm ). Also, if you want to give it a shot, Avicakes, by Lafeber, contain pellets and seeds so if he takes the seeds from them, he'll have to make contact with the pellets no matter what; it's all stuck together. Lastly, many birds will be more open to trying new foods in the morning when they just wake up, so try changing the food and integrating in more pellets for them to eat then. I guess this works particularly well with meal feeding, which... doesn't necessarily work for parrots who forage and eat whenever they can, but it's worth a shot.

Good luck!

PS: A great link for diet and common parrot behavioural problems is http://www.rationalparrot.com

Answer 2

I switched my birds on Roudybush. They like it better than Harrison's and they won't touch zupreem. The biggest thing is persistance. They will eventually switch if you are persistant enough.

I would try Roudybush though. Write the company and see if they will send you a trial size. It is also available at most pet stores.

Here is the article they have on switching.

One of the most common questions we receive is simply: "How do I get my pet bird to switch from it's current food, to a more healthy diet of Roudybush?" There are several answers to this question:

INTRODUCING BIRDS TO PELLETS OR CRUMBLES: Most birds are creatures of habit and will choose foods that look most familiar to them. Converting your bird to Roudybush is mainly a matter of convincing your bird that it is food. There are several methods that can be used; choose the one that is most appropriate for your bird. The most important factor in switching your bird to Roudybush is your determination that it will eat a nutritious, balanced diet. Your bird may initially act as if it does not like the Roudybush, but imagine a child that you are trying to convert from a diet of snack foods, candy and ice cream to a lower fat, healthy diet; it is a similar situation. Once your bird makes the transition you will find that it enthusiastically eats Roudybush.

1) Instinctual. The instinctual method can be used with a healthy bird that you can only monitor irregularly. It takes advantage of your parrot's instinct to eat at the highest location possible. It allows your bird access to its normal food while providing you the opportunity to know exactly what food it is eating. Place the bird's familiar dish in a low part of its cage. Put your bird's old food in this dish. Fill a similar dish with Roudybush pellets and place it in a higher part of the cage and be sure to place all water sources near this dish. Since the bird prefers eating from the higher dish, it will try the new food and start eating it. Eventually, Roudybush pellets will be the main food eaten by your bird. When the amount of food disappearing from the bottom dish is reduced to less than 10% of the food disappearing from the higher dish, try removing the lower dish from the cage. After removal of the lower dish, monitor your bird to be sure it is eating as described in 2 below.

2) Controlled. This method may be used with a very finicky, difficult to switch bird that is starting out at a good weight. It is generally the quickest, easiest method for switching most birds. Do not use this method on a thin bird, sick bird, or a bird you cannot monitor. Remove the old food and replace it with Roudybush. Clean the cage at the time of the switch and line it with paper. Do not use corncob or other litter because you won't be able to monitor the droppings well. Watch your bird's droppings or weigh your bird daily. When a bird isn't eating, the droppings will be very small and the green part will be very dark green, almost black. Or you may see a lot of urine (liquid) but almost no green part, which means your bird is filling up on water and not eating much. Give nothing but Roudybush for two full days for small species or three days for larger species. If at the end of this period your bird's droppings indicate it isn't eating, put your bird back on its old diet for 7 days, and then repeat the switching process. Most birds will convert the first time, and those that won't switch the first time usually switch the second time. If you can weigh your bird, keep your bird on Roudybush unless it loses more than 3% of its body weight. At that point, put your bird back on its old diet for one week then repeat the switch process, weighing your bird at the start of the switch. Disappearance of food from the dish is not a realiable way of determining if your bird is eating. Most birds will spill the new food out of the dish, looking for familiar foods.

3) Gradual Introduction. This method is best for a bird that is likely to try new foods or a bird that cannot be monitored carefully. Mix the Roudybush into your bird's normal diet, 3/4 of the original diet with 1/4 of the Roudybush pellets or crumbles. Gradually increase the proportion of Roudybush over a 3-4 week period.When you have reached the point where 3/4 of the diet is Roudybush, clean your bird's cage and line it with paper. Watch the droppings to make sure your bird is eating. Small, very dark droppings indicate that your bird is not eating. If that is the case, add back more of your bird's old diet until the droppings return to normal. Continue increasing the proportion of Roudybush more slowly, watching the droppings.

4) Handfeed as a treat. Some birds will eat almost anything they think you are eating. Act as if you are eating the Roudybush then offer some to your bird. This can be sufficient to teach your bird that Roudybush is food. Then the old food can be replaced with Roudybush. Again, watch the droppings when you make the complete switch.

5) Soak the Roudybush in juice. Some birds like moist foods and like certain fruits or fruit juices. Putting a bowl of pellets soaked in orange juice, apple juice, or fruit nectars may entice such a bird to eat the pellets. If this method is used make sure you only leave the soaked pellets in the cage for an hour or so to prevent spoilage. Once the bird is eating the soaked pellets, gradually decrease the amount of juice.

Answer 3

Pellets can be too much nutrition for lovebirds, according to my avian vet. A natural diet of seed, nuts, grains, veggies, pastas, rice etc is MUCH safer and healthier.
In the wild, a lovebird would NEVER eat a pellet, much less go looking for one, so it doesnt surprise me that your bird doesn't want to transition to them. Even if you DO manage to get him eating pellets, it shouldnt be more than 30% of his entire dietary intake. The kidneys and liver are 2 organs that can be affected by an all-pellet diet.

Answer 4

It can take a long time. Most places advise slowly introducing the new food by mixing it in with the old food