oddly enough, i haven't been able to get ivy to eat bread either. picky picky girl!

One thing I learned from Francesca is that birds can and do change. When she first came to us, all she would eat were Zupreem pellets, sunflower seeds and grapes. It took a 1 1/2 years before she started eating gloop. I would get very discouraged. It took her 10-11 months before I could get her to step up to a stick and not bite me. She still plucks and she still gets mental, but she has taught me that even the most damaged bird is capable of gradual change. After 2 years, she eats Harrison's pellets, multigrain bread, an assortment of fruit, gloop & veggies (with the hot sauce). I have learned from the birds that sometimes it takes a little trick, like in my case, the hot sauce, in Kady and Kita's case, it's the birdie bread, and in Ivy's case, it may be something else that makes the difference. Patience and inventiveness, those are the two attributes we need when trying to get our birds to eat well.

Just a quick note. Gloop is not about grains and rices, these are just the 'bait' to get them to eat the vegetables that you mix in. When one first starts transitioning the bird to gloop, it should be practically all grains and hardly cooked at that so the texture is almost like eating soaked seeds. As the bird starts eating it, you gradually start incorporating more and more veggies into it. The recipe I am using now for my birds has corn, peas (not sweet but green), carrots (both grated raw and cooked cubed), green beans, wax beans, beets, palm hearts, potatoes (very little, actually), broccoli (or broccoli rabe) and sweet potatoes and/or some kind of hard rind squash or pumpkin for the base recipe. The ratio of the final 'advanced' base recipe should be about 1/3 grains, rices and legumes to 2/3 veggies. To this recipe, the flavor of the day is added which means more veggies or fruits with the flavorings.

Sound like a great way to serve it. I will have to try. LOL hiding the stuff from hubby!

well, i don't have a problem getting her to eat the fruit and veggies, but she eats around the grains. she has no interest in seeds.

Isn't that something? Each is such an individual, and why that is a revelation I don't know,but it fills me with wonder. Two of my macaws love blueberries, the other throws them away. Two love the pellets, the other does not. One will kill for a chicken bone or scrambled eggs, the others don't seem to notice. It's really an interesting process, often frustrating, to figure out what works and what doesn't. I compost, and every other day, I dump the compost in a bucket and set it on the table to bring outside. This is what I've learned about Sergeant Pepper. He will turn up his beak at so many foods, but if they are all in the compost bucket (translated, not his, not his dish, therefore forbidden in his mind) he flies right over and starts helping himself. What a brat!

My Hys do not eat seeds either.

haha hys are such snobs, i love it

this morning, ivy decided again that the only thing she likes is mac nuts. it changes on a daily basis of course. though, the love of mac nuts always stays around.

that is so super bratty lol.

hys are extra weird with diets, i think. since they require a high fat/high carb diet, they seem to be even pickier than most birds. she looks very insulted when i offer her anything green lol.

Piaui's favorite food is mashed potatoes. Maverick loves just about anything.