what next?

[Janie]

Golly, the one thing I forgot to add was exactly what Shy started with....DO NOT TAKE HIS SEED AWAY! There is no doubt in my mind that my older bird would have starved to death w/o seed. He is on the thin side and the vet recommended taking his seed away a night and only offering pellets (which is will not touch) and I didn't even have the heart to do that. That would not have killed him since it was only to be done at night but still, there is no way I would ever withhold food from a bird while trying to get him to try other things.

I agree with MJ about the fruit, too. If you can get him to eat it, great, but it is normally not the favorite for lovebirds. My good eaters will occasionally nibble on dehydrated apples or even a fresh apple slice but my older bird won't touch any kind of fruit.

[shylevon]

Some vets will suggest that if you are going to attempt to remove seeds, for a limited time, that you do it at night. Birds forage first thing in the morning, so if they are looking about and only see pellets, they 'may' try them.

Being 'half asleep little birds' may help with their 'not quite knowing' what the heck it is they are chewing on, also. If you ever try this, be sure to give them the seed as soon as you wake up. If the pellets are too unpalatable for even a half asleep birdie, it is not fair to make him wait to long for something that he can eat. No one likes waking up to hunger pains and finding no food around.

[bubble]

when i first got me 2 lovies i took them to the vet for a check up, he asked me to decrease the seeds given to them gradually and replace it with pellets tell you the truth i didn't even try, of course i want them to be healthy but at the same time have a happy life. i only removed all the sunflower seeds from their seed mix (it's like my part time job picking out the sunflower seeds). i still let them eat their seeds but adding to their diet with veggies, fruit and birdie bread. now they are willing to try different things including pellets, rice and carrot/apple/celery juice...i am a happy mom and they are happy fids

[shylevon]

Why do you remove the sunflower seeds?? Sunflower is high in digestible oils and keeps the feathers and skin of birdies healthy, hydrated, and supple; especially in winter.

Unless they don't like sunflowers, that is.

[graushill]

One of my birds, Nemo the little plucker, is not supposed to eat sunflower seeds either, because he apparently didn't get them when he lived as a breeder bird and then when he came to live with us and tried them for the first time, loved them too much, and would eat them rather than any other seed in his seed mix. The vet has speculated that the trigger for his plucking could have been caused by overeating suflower seeds, and while it does sound very strange, it was after taking away sunflower seeds from his diet that he let most of his feathers grow back. He now gets sunflower seeds very, very sparingly, because like Shy says, they are very nutritious. In any case, Nemo is now in a low fat diet, but he still gets seeds every day. I did start like Bubble picking out the sunflower seeds from the seed mix which does feel like a part time job , but nowadays we managed to find a pet store that sells seeds separately, so Nemo gets a custom made sunflowerless mix. It's sadly more expensive, but much more convenient.

Just my obligatory Nemo story for the day .

Gloria

[bubble]

the vet said most lovies love sunflower seeds too much and they will only fill up with them, he said it's like eating ice cream and chocolate everyday. since that vet visit 2 years ago i started picking out sunflower seeds part time

[shylevon]

Well... if you have a problem with people eating ice cream and chocolate all day, every day, then you are no friend of mine.

I agree, that a bowl should certainly not be filled with sunflower seeds, at least not the same way I fill up my bowl with ice cream, but a few in their food dish seems like a wise choice. Just like one would not feed only millet, as it is a birdie favorite and most would eat it to the exclusion of all other foods, but to deny a tasty treat is just mean.

Now, I'm off to eat my ice cream and chocolate before anyone takes it away from me.

[LauraO]

Adding raw shelled sunflower seeds to birdy bread is a good way to get picky eaters to try it. I have heard many say sunflower seeds are not good for lovies because of the fat content, but I do give mine some as they are very active and eat a variety of food. NOW, if I can just get DH to stop giving them millet whenever he can I'd be alright .

[bubble]

shy, i am having an apple crumble with ice cream right now