Just took my IRN PeeGee to vet for checkup, and was informed she is overweight! Vet says she is eating too much safflower seeds (those little white seeds she loves) and nuts, not enough veggies! Vet also says PeeGee's favorite foods (apples, corn, grapes) are low in vitamin A.
Bottom line is, I need to find a way to get this fussy bird to eat more broccoli, carrots & other yellow-orange fruits & veggies that are high in Vit A, and less seeds. She is very picky, anything she doesnt like gets tossed on the floor.
anyone have any tips for getting IRN's to eat the right foods? Thanks, all!
Need diet tips from members
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Hi LAAnnie - I'm sorry to see your post hasn't received any replies as I would like some suggestions as well. My vet has told me that my irn is a 'heavy bird' also. She is quite happy to eat whatever we eat for breakfast and dinner, but getting her to eat her fresh fruit & veg every day is a drama. Even if she starts out scoffing down things like snow peas she soon tires of them. It's hard to know what she is going to eat on any given day so I just put out a variety each time - most of which remains untouched. I have heard that if you steam and mash some veg they are more likely to eat it - but quite honestly I don't always have the time. I usually have to prepare her food the night before and leave it in the fridge so it's ready to go in the morning anyway. I hope we get some answers!
Diet problems
Dear Carrie,
Thanks for your input. I just ordered some new food specially for ringnecks, called Bird-Elicious. It's all hand-prepared and contains lots of fruits and vegetables. It takes a long time to receive it, but I'm hopeful it will be acceptable to my bird. Here is the link, see what you think:
http://www.passiontreehouse.com/
Annie
PS, I've tried mashing, steaming, etc. Not much luck. A bite or 2 of carrot, and of course raw corn on the cob, her favorite -- vet says its too starchy.
Thanks for your input. I just ordered some new food specially for ringnecks, called Bird-Elicious. It's all hand-prepared and contains lots of fruits and vegetables. It takes a long time to receive it, but I'm hopeful it will be acceptable to my bird. Here is the link, see what you think:
http://www.passiontreehouse.com/
Annie
PS, I've tried mashing, steaming, etc. Not much luck. A bite or 2 of carrot, and of course raw corn on the cob, her favorite -- vet says its too starchy.
i've found that IRN's can be a little hesitant of new foods, particuarly when you just have one IRN by itself. Any strange food in the bowl is either eaten around or thrown out!
The way that I have gotten around it is by making fresh foods fun. my IRNs have pellet food available all day in their bowl, but every day I give them a 'kebab' of fruit and veges.
Start by getting fruit and veg your bird already likes, and thred them onto a metal skewer. the ones i use have a loop at the top which is not quite closed, so it works as a great hook to attach the skewer to the cage.
then take the skewer out to the bird, show them it the same as you would a new toy and attach it to the cage. once the bird is happy eating things off the skewer, you can try putting new things on the skewer. the good thing is that they cant just throw it on the ground, and chewing the big chunks off the skewer is fun!
you can also put non food items like beads or wooden clothes pegs between the food to make it more like a toy.
hope that helps!
The way that I have gotten around it is by making fresh foods fun. my IRNs have pellet food available all day in their bowl, but every day I give them a 'kebab' of fruit and veges.
Start by getting fruit and veg your bird already likes, and thred them onto a metal skewer. the ones i use have a loop at the top which is not quite closed, so it works as a great hook to attach the skewer to the cage.
then take the skewer out to the bird, show them it the same as you would a new toy and attach it to the cage. once the bird is happy eating things off the skewer, you can try putting new things on the skewer. the good thing is that they cant just throw it on the ground, and chewing the big chunks off the skewer is fun!
you can also put non food items like beads or wooden clothes pegs between the food to make it more like a toy.
hope that helps!
Bird Kabobs
Thank you, Carly -- that's a great idea! I will try it tomorrow.
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Mikaela
- Posts: 3752
- Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2005 5:12 am
- Location: Islamorada Key, Florida U.S.A.
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The baby is afraid of one thing... food. I put an ear of corn in there one day and I thought she was going to kill herself flapping around screaming. Sad to say, she eats mostly seeds, though I always *try* to feed her a little of everything I eat so she nipples alot. Her favorite, even above fruit is meat.
Hi....Midori has now been with us since March (he was born in January) of this year. I was extremely frustrated in the beginning as it seemed as if he didn't like anything! I persevered and kept offering different foods and it has paid off.....I now know what he really likes as well as what he just will not touch.
Some of his favorites are whole jalapenos, clemetines or naval oranges cut in half, cucumbers halved lengthwise, corn on the cob (blanched), red bell peppers halved, and spinach leaves....the spinach I chop very fine so that he can't just throw it around the cage and lose it through the grate on bottom....he has to sit at his food bowl to eat the spinach. The other things he likes to throw down to the bottom of the cage and eat them there.....they are too large to fall through. He also has pellet available at all times, and of course fresh water. Having three bowls works well.
I have tried lots of fruits and veggies, most he will not eat. I have found that food with seeds are the ones he likes best. Good luck.....keep trying....
Some of his favorites are whole jalapenos, clemetines or naval oranges cut in half, cucumbers halved lengthwise, corn on the cob (blanched), red bell peppers halved, and spinach leaves....the spinach I chop very fine so that he can't just throw it around the cage and lose it through the grate on bottom....he has to sit at his food bowl to eat the spinach. The other things he likes to throw down to the bottom of the cage and eat them there.....they are too large to fall through. He also has pellet available at all times, and of course fresh water. Having three bowls works well.
I have tried lots of fruits and veggies, most he will not eat. I have found that food with seeds are the ones he likes best. Good luck.....keep trying....
Kristi and Midori
LAAnnie - Have you received your food yet? I am curious to know if it is irresistible to them. I am in Australia so I guess it would take a LONG time to get to me! I would like to know if it's worth the wait. My vet has just informed that my little girl is obese!!! She weighs anywhere between 127 & 130 grams - which another vet told me was normal. Keep me posted.
Mikaela - my girl loves meat too - and I mean really loves it. If we are having lamb chops & veg for dinner - she goes straight for the chop. You have to beat her off for a bite yourself! Then she will chew on the bone for a good half an hour. It's a good way of keeping her quite anyway. She loves a good chicken bone too. I know it's a good source of protein for them - but it all seems so wrong!
Mikaela - my girl loves meat too - and I mean really loves it. If we are having lamb chops & veg for dinner - she goes straight for the chop. You have to beat her off for a bite yourself! Then she will chew on the bone for a good half an hour. It's a good way of keeping her quite anyway. She loves a good chicken bone too. I know it's a good source of protein for them - but it all seems so wrong!
Dear Carrie,
No I haven't received that special food yet. Meanwhile, I'm putting broccoli, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, and whatever other veggies I have on hand in the food processor, making a finely chopped mix. I give her a little cup of this every day. I think she ate a little bit of it. But it also looks like she was able to sift through those little tiny bits to get the corn (and leave the rest). Unbelievable. This isn't going to be easy.
I don't eat much meat myself, but I've seen her eat chicken (cannibalism?) !!! I don't think meat is too good for them, all that protein & fat is hard to digest. Just for an occasional treat. The bones should be fine, though.
No I haven't received that special food yet. Meanwhile, I'm putting broccoli, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, and whatever other veggies I have on hand in the food processor, making a finely chopped mix. I give her a little cup of this every day. I think she ate a little bit of it. But it also looks like she was able to sift through those little tiny bits to get the corn (and leave the rest). Unbelievable. This isn't going to be easy.
I don't eat much meat myself, but I've seen her eat chicken (cannibalism?) !!! I don't think meat is too good for them, all that protein & fat is hard to digest. Just for an occasional treat. The bones should be fine, though.
It seems all to close to cannabilism when she's chewing on a chicken bone - the kids think it's hilarious - especially when the bone is almost as big as her! I try not to let her get to much of the meat itself - just the bone. She loves cracking into the marrow - and I guess that's not bad for her.
She's been pretty good lately - eating cooked carrot and pumpkin - loves pumpkin. Likes peas and green beans too. I got some strawberries and she painstakingly picked all the seeds off the flesh one by one. But as usual after a couple of days she tired of that. She used to love raw chillies but got tired of them, but hasn't had any for a while so I'll get some more. I think she eats too much starch - rice, pasta etc - so I'm cutting right back on that as well. She eats dinner with us so she wants whatever we're eating. I tell you - it ain't easy pleasing them!
She's been pretty good lately - eating cooked carrot and pumpkin - loves pumpkin. Likes peas and green beans too. I got some strawberries and she painstakingly picked all the seeds off the flesh one by one. But as usual after a couple of days she tired of that. She used to love raw chillies but got tired of them, but hasn't had any for a while so I'll get some more. I think she eats too much starch - rice, pasta etc - so I'm cutting right back on that as well. She eats dinner with us so she wants whatever we're eating. I tell you - it ain't easy pleasing them!
below is a site which will hopefully help you with some of ur question. there is a list of where to find certain vitamins.
http://home.wanadoo.nl/psittaculaworld/ ... ta-Min.htm
http://home.wanadoo.nl/psittaculaworld/ ... ta-Min.htm
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Mikaela
- Posts: 3752
- Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2005 5:12 am
- Location: Islamorada Key, Florida U.S.A.
- Contact:
I was giving my girls a mixture of all kinds of pellets and seeds, mostly sunflower... (I know bad) for their cage food. Anyway, I just read that sunflower seeds attribute to an Irns aggressiveness. Ya'll ever heard of such?
I have since switched to a fruit pellet diet, with no seeds, just pellets. They didnt dig it at first but have accepted it now. I ony give the seeds as treats now. Baby will do anything for a sunflower seed. Even if it means having to sit on your finger and acknowlege my existance. She is SO independant. Peek-a-Boo is totally different, she is a sucker for love, not food. I think she has abandonment issues. Really, I do, no joke. She screams for me when I leave. Other family members have to talk to her almost the whole time until I get back. She wont let them touch her though. Both of my birds, for whatever reasons, only let me touch them. Peek-a-Boo will allow my husband the privilage of some shoulder time but she still doesnt allow him to touch her. She doesnt bite, she lets out this two alarm sqwack first as if to say "Man, I really dont want to nip you, but I will" She nips like a giiiiirl. Very gently but she has a look on her face like "There, you asked for it after my warning and you got it!"
Both of my girls love apples the best, in regards to fresh fruit. They look at grapes like "I dont know what that is but I aint eating it". Oh, and the food must be presented on a skewer, otherwise they are above eating the fresh fruit/veggies out of a bowl. I just hope I one day have them trained half as well as they have trained me.
I have since switched to a fruit pellet diet, with no seeds, just pellets. They didnt dig it at first but have accepted it now. I ony give the seeds as treats now. Baby will do anything for a sunflower seed. Even if it means having to sit on your finger and acknowlege my existance. She is SO independant. Peek-a-Boo is totally different, she is a sucker for love, not food. I think she has abandonment issues. Really, I do, no joke. She screams for me when I leave. Other family members have to talk to her almost the whole time until I get back. She wont let them touch her though. Both of my birds, for whatever reasons, only let me touch them. Peek-a-Boo will allow my husband the privilage of some shoulder time but she still doesnt allow him to touch her. She doesnt bite, she lets out this two alarm sqwack first as if to say "Man, I really dont want to nip you, but I will" She nips like a giiiiirl. Very gently but she has a look on her face like "There, you asked for it after my warning and you got it!"
Both of my girls love apples the best, in regards to fresh fruit. They look at grapes like "I dont know what that is but I aint eating it". Oh, and the food must be presented on a skewer, otherwise they are above eating the fresh fruit/veggies out of a bowl. I just hope I one day have them trained half as well as they have trained me.
~ Mikaela Sky
