Congo African Grey | Pellets

Parv

Regular Member
Registered
Hi All
I have been for the past 3 months or more, been trying to get my CAG; Lucky on to P15 pellets. I have turned them into powder and mixed in his smoothie to introduce it followed by slowly popping it into his food bowl, initially as powder then chunks etc. Lucky absolutely does not touch them, if he get one he will throw it as far as possible.
I've even tried to pretend to eat them etc. He is not taking to them at all.
Lucky is now 10months old and I did wonder if he was too young for them, as they are quite hard, but then i caught him breaking the pellets in half and releasing the. He is almost teasing me.
Can you help, or recommend any other pellets for him.
He enjoys his parrot mix, which had the normal seeds, peas, corns etc. He also loves almonds, walnuts and peanuts.
He is very fussy when it comes to fruit and veg. It's almost like he has to be in the right mood to eat it. I have tried an array if different fruit and veg. Help.
Lucky is currently molting.
To end this on a good note, he has just started to say HELLO.
 
Hi
Try some different pellets could be he really doesn't like the P15
I won't feed pellets mine get Deli Nature plus Nutrobal added to ensure they get everything they require a few people here have converted their birds on to pellets.
Some people use a combination of both pellet and seed, Nutriberries are a combination of both.
Will tag in KevH as he did convert his birds into eating both pellet and seed mix. Perhaps he has some tips up his sleeve think his macaw is on P15, his amazons on seed plus Harrisons
@KEV H
 
Thanks Dizzy. If Lucky are lots of fruit and veg then I wouldn't convert him. But I feel he is losing out, hence i think pellets may be the best option. The parrot mix would be more of a treat whilst I continue the house training etc. Can anyone recommend any other pellets which will provide all the nutrients for my baby.
 
People here seem to use TOPs which is totally organic and also Harrisons but both are supposed to be fed with the addition of fruit and veggies as they are not total coverage on the nutrition birds need.
Hence I use a good seed mux and Nutrobal which covers all the vitamins and minerals plus trace elements I do from time to time use a product called NektonS which has all the essential amino acids in it as well Some of my birds do have selective choices in their fruit and veggie eating preferences but I keep offering everything regardless just in case somebody one day wants to have a try! I live in hope
The other thing I do do for mine is have them regularly full blood tested to ensure I have all bases covered
 
I have got some of the flock on pellets but prefer a good seed mix that can add pellets too on the dry side of there food diet, I always think that birds need variety and learn different textures and tastes. experimenting wit different mixes and pellets can take time but in the long run there will be less waste if you find the feed it enjoys the most
 
Hi
Try some different pellets could be he really doesn't like the P15
I won't feed pellets mine get Deli Nature plus Nutrobal added to ensure they get everything they require a few people here have converted their birds on to pellets.
Some people use a combination of both pellet and seed, Nutriberries are a combination of both.
Will tag in KevH as he did convert his birds into eating both pellet and seed mix. Perhaps he has some tips up his sleeve think his macaw is on P15, his amazons on seed plus Harrisons
@KEV H
I would try Harrison's or Tops as suggested I've just tried using that p15 pellets for my macaw because the breeder said she liked them but she wouldn't touch them as for getting ur grey on one these pellets I blended them into powder and then added warm water mix it together so it's like a formula and try giving it on a spoon also mix it with ye seed it will soon get the taste of it then gradually decrease the seed and add dry pellets with ŵith it will take time but soon work I've converted 6 of my birds like that
 
I use a mix of Harrison's and seed (No sunflower, no peanuts) for my mini macaws. I got them used to the taste of pellets by sprinkling the dry powdery mix over their food for a couple of months and then adding the fine version of the pellets to their seed mix. They also get a fruit and veg mix daily and porridge oats in the morning made with unsweetened almond milk or sometimes a scrambled egg with kelp powder instead. And they have milk thistle mix added to their seed a couple of times a week.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Play using Tapatalk
 
To add to the all above, mine like Harrison's Power Treats which are particularly good for greys as they have a high oil content. Also, try lightly boiling or steaming veg such as broccoli or peas. My greys all love these items but hate most raw veg.
 
Hi Guys
My CAG has only recently starting biting hit nails, well he doesn't actually bite them but it contact putting them in his mouth, and occasionally bits them. Also I think he may be starting to pluck.
He has two cages, one regular size one, when we call his bedroom that he sleeps in a a 4ft wide by 3 ft and 8 ft tall that he spends most of his day in. We always have the doors open when we are home. He has toys etc in both cages, his bedroom has a play pen at the top of it....
I personally think his body clock may be messed up with it getting dark earlier now. He is left alone for around 4 hours in the morning, then someone is home for around 2 to 3 hours, then he his left for around two hours in the evening. I have asked my husband to leave the light on for Lucky, however, he has forgotten a few time. I have ordered an indoor sensor light to place near his cage etc....
I have changed his food diet from a parrot mix to harrisons course pellets. He seems to be fine with them, he stills has almonds and walnuts as his treats, and apples. He will be 14 months only in a fortnight. He loves sitting on my shoulder. He say bye to us in the morning and also says hello...when he wants me...
I am concerned about nail biting and the potential plucking, which he has shown no signs of in the past.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Parv
 
Hi Parv
The nail nibbling .... that's totally normal. Northing to worry about at all. When parrots get hold of food they use their feet to pick it up sometimes the are little bits left on the underside in the groove so they clean them. Lets face it would you handle your food with dirty nails? The other thing they do is they shed tiny flakes off the claw itself and they do nibble it off to get rid of it.
Try changing your perches from dowel wood or java if that's what you have to something more natural like gnarled apple branches or willow branches that will keep the nails trim, flex the feet muscles, help take off the little flakes and they also get to chew and destroy it which is great beak exercise.
Sensor light ... don't use one. 12 hours day 12 hours night time if you need to then purchase a timer switch on a dimly lit light that will come on before it gets too dark so won't make him jump when it does come on and that goes off when the 12 hours of daytime is over.
Hopefully you have an avian light bulb for him so he see's in proper parrot fashion a normal light bulb and indeed light through a window does not gie them the full spectrum of light waves they need to see properly. they have better and more specialist vision than us humans
 
Feather plucking is every Grey owner's nightmare! Hopefully he's not doing it, but if he is, there's every chance he'll drop the habit if you nip it in the bud quickly.

A good method alongside the advice above is to make them work for their food. Mine have most of their palm nuts, walnuts, corn-on-the cob etc (in short, their favourite foods) in something marketed as a 'party ball' or 'buffet ball' which makes them work to extract the food. You hang it up in the cage with a leather strip so they have to reach upwards for the food too. It's a good way of keeping their beaks busy. There are other so-called 'foraging toys' too, easily available on line.

Unfortunately, most greys simply hate being alone - they are never alone in the wild - and it's really hard to overcome this problem.
 
Tell me about it, Mr Dusky does not wish to be with other birds, his action every day is to break into me, although he does not like me I am better than nothing, he really is a man's bird. The problem is when he has reached his intended destination he starts destroying things, he found my tablets the other day, how he is still living I have no idea, but he is bright, healthy and luckily no feather plucking.

Another idea for occupying Greys is to wrapped their 'treats' in safe paper, I leave his nuts in the shell although I do have to break it for him first.
 
Hi Dizzy, thank you for your message. I'm relieved to hear the nail biting is normal.
I've not looked, however, I'm assuming I can purchase the willow and gnarled apple branches online.
I have a uv light lamp, I have this on 2-3 hrs in the middle of the day. Would it be better to have it switched on all day? Or in the evening when it dark, i.e. 5pm onwards.
 
Hey Oli,
Thanks for your suggestions. I do have foraging toys, which Lucky has worked out, so its doesn't take him too long to get to his treats. I'll purchase a few more and rotate them.
 
With regards to his diet, how much should he eat? I always think he's not eating enough. He'll be 14 months on the 12th.
 
If you have some woods or a park close by some branches will be easy to find for free. Willow, elderberry and fruit branches are good. Oak and hazel too. Changing the perches quite frequently helps keep things interesting for the parrot. Also you could try asking a local gardener or tree surgeon if you can have some of their cuttings. Sounds like you are caring for your bird well so I hope you aren't too worried. Greys are strange birds - mine cause endless worry as I always find new ways to feel sorry for them! Good point about the paper parcels Kendra - your Dusky sounds a lot like my Dusty...
 
My avian lights are on all day every day until my birds head off to bed. The vast majority of avian bulbs are guaranteed for one year at that number of hours so if one goes early like an arcadia or a sun glow then you can send it back and get a replacement.
If you have a read on the arcadia website its what they recommend for hours as well - all day
The light is for them to see properly as they have more cones in the eye than a human hence seein different spectrum.
The use of it to also provide the D3 to metabolise the calcium within the body but as your giving pellets its added in to them but it won't over dose your bird due to the original climate their species came from.
 
Thanks guys.
I'll contact a tree surgeon, as I am clueless when it comes to trees. Lol!
We've visited the Parrott Zoo in Lincolnshire quite a lot. 😊 We are about 2.5 hours N from Lincolnshire. We have some ash logs could I make some sort of feature out of this. We had an open fire, but stopped using this when we got Lucky, so we have a fair bit of logs.
I've ordered a few more buffet balls. The paper parcels are a neat trick, thanks Kendra.
 
Back
Top Bottom