Shasta says: Yum Yum! more Harrison's please!

[Dr.Oviparous]

http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/ I recently switched My Umbrella Cockatoo from Kaytee Rainbow Chunky pellets to Harrison's high potency diet. She was a little reluctant at first, but now she goes crazy for it when she sees the bag. She loves it, and she hasn't chewed her feathers in days! HIGHLY RECCOMENDED! You can get it a lot less expensive at http://www.birdsafe.com This stuff is GREAT!

[LdyDrgn]

Right on Adam. That's good to hear

[toker]

awesome! good to hear!

[Reptscue]

That's great!
Any ideas on how to switch a seed eater to a pellet eater?
I got my Umbrella when she was 5 yrs old.

[schatzie001]

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?

[reptilemama]

An avian vet I used to work with always recommended Harrison's, and it really helped my lovebird who had had a very bad diet before I got her. She was much healthier on the Harrison's, but unfortunaterly her past caught up with her and after only 6 months or so in my care she had a heart attack and died. But anyway, check around with avian vets, because the one I worked with sold it through the vet clinic.

[Dr.Oviparous]

Any ideas on how to switch a seed eater to a pellet eater?
I got my Umbrella when she was 5 yrs old.

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.

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?

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!

[Reptscue]

Sindel is a 6 yr old DNA sexed female.
She is such a sweetie, doesn't scream or pluck much. She loves to be swung around and thrown up in the air on her back. She's such a clown.
They only thing I wish would change is that she doesn't talk at all. Only whines.
Her diet consists of Fiesta Macaw seed, greenbeans, pasta, tomatoes, cheese, and a few little odds and ends that I can't think of right now.

[Reptscue]

Sindel gets talked to a lot. Not only by me, but by everyone in the household. I think she may be holding out because she gets so much attention.
She gets very little cheese. (once a month) I will try to change her over to Harrisons. It's such a good diet.

[Dr.Oviparous]

Sindel sounds like a real sweetie! Doesn't talk? Do YOU talk to her? I'm sure you already know this but the more you talk to a bird, the more likely they are to pick it up. I constantly speak to Shasta. There's not much silence in my house, between Shasta and I having intellectual conversations (What's funnier? the bird or Dr.O being intellectual lol...) And the other birds having their "I AM THE LOUDEST TODAY" contest lol. The result is that from me talking to Shasta constantly, telling her what I'm doing, how my day was, or my newest theory about Steven Hawking (lol) She learns the same behavior. Shasta is VERY vocal. And she picks it up QUICK! That's why there's no swearing in my house, lol. Apparently the last time she was boarded over the weekend she had some pretty "Choice" words for one of the employees’ lol. So I would try that, just constantly talk to her; when you’re making dinner tell her what your making, what's in it, how your cooking it, who's recipe it is.... You can read to her also. If she's like any Umbrella I've met she probably loves to cuddle, so cuddle and read to her A great thing to read is Parrot care/behavior books. Parrots love to hear their names, and it gets their attention, so when you’re reading to her replace the words "bird/parrot" with Sindel. And use Excitement! in your voice. It's never too late for her to start talking.

I would really think about changing her diet, like you mentioned, from seed to pellet. But do it slow if you choose to change her. You said she doesn't pluck or scream much. You don't want to make sudden changes that effect change that. How much cheese does she get? (Birds are lactose intolerant....)

Are there any pics of Sindel around RTB? I'd love to see her