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Any ideas on how to switch a seed eater to a pellet eater?
I got my Umbrella when she was 5 yrs old.
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Aren’t they GREAT! I LOVE Umbrellas, What's yours name? Switching from seed to pellet, lol, very slowly sometimes. But then some birds take right to it. There are sooo many different opinions out there by sooo many qualified people that is very very hard to decide what is the correct way to feed a parrot. Is yours feeding on only seed right now? In my opinion, some seed is good for Umbrellas, Not so much for nutritional reasons. But more for enrichment. Seeds and nuts are so fatty and oily that a "seed heavy" diet almost always leads to an overweight bid depending on the species. Right now, I think the best diet for an umbrella is 75-80% Harrisons, 15-20% fresh veggies and fruits, and 5% seeds and nuts. Birds need to be able to work for their food sometimes. Having to crack open seeds and nuts is a very small "challenge" for them, but it still gives them something to do, and can be stimulating for them. Shasta (My Umbrella) only gets about 5% seed in her diet. The nuts and seeds she gets, she has to work for. Most of them she either has to "find" in her cage, and retrieve them out of food toys. or when we are playing, and she learns something new.
It was proven a few years back that rats and small children will balance their own diet as long as they are offered the right choices. The study showed that over time the children made perfectly balanced diets, but not one day at a time; for a couple days they would eat mostly grains, then for a day they only craved milk, then fruits. They didn't balance them by the day, but over time. I think birds are the same way. They know by instinct what they need. So when a food that you offer isn't eaten the first time, or second, keep trying. Just because a bird doesn't want it that day, doesn't mean they won't crave it the next. A big reason why some birds won't balance on their own is because they are spoiled on other "human" foods. Shasta absolutely LOVES french fries and tater tots. So if she has too many of them, that is all she wants, and does not want anything good. So treats are alright once in a VERY long while, but careful not to spoil their appetite.
We also have to remember that If a bird eats a whole french fry (lol, I know, when has any bird eaten a "whole" anything
...) it is like a human adult eating several whole big orders of fries. So if a bird is given a treat, make sure it's in moderation.
What will work for one bird, may not work for the other. It might be extremely exciting and fun for one bird to change food, but Very stressful, and damaging for another to change. For Shasta, she was already on about 90% pellets (Kaytee Rainbow Exact). It was a little stressful for her at first to change to harrisons, but eventually she came around. To change yours from seed to Harrisons, I would try little by little to sneak harrisons into her seeds. See how she/he reacts to it. Watch her/him eat and slowly give less seed and more harrisons. Just don't rush it, give them time to adjust. I'm not sure if you’re offering fruits and veggies also, if not, I would do that also. When feeding harrisons, it's recommended that the diet for Umbrellas be about 80-90% Harrisons, and 10-20% veggies and fruits. I throw in the 5% seeds and nuts mostly for entertainment for the bird.
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You should write them and tell them about Shasta, ya know...They may send you a free bag or coupons!
That's so encouraging because they can be real stinkers when you change the food. Is that sold in stores or just online?
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Harrisons is not sold in stores, only in vet offices, and online. At the vet it is usually $15-$20 a pound (!) depending on the type of harrisons. Online it's more like $7-$9 a pound.
I've talked to Nancy at Harrisons about Shasta, She's very optimistic. She asked for before and after photos. Very nice friendly people there!
