Diet For A Baby Caique

happyfrown

happyfrown

Regular Member
hey
ive know the basics of a healthy diet as in lower sunflower, peanuts more veg, preferably pellets etc. I have a fussy baby which is fed (by breeder) what looks like basic parrot mix. ive tried some veggies but just chucks them out the bowl? Im aware this will take time getting to know what is preferred. im planning to try the chop I just seen on here.

I want to transfer him/her onto a pellet diet and I know every bird is different but was wondering if caique owners can tell me what brand theirs prefer? im hoping to save wasting money on <<usually expensive>> bags of pellets my bird wont eat!!
thank you
 
Hello and well done for looking at this important aspect of parrot keeping.
Firstly I will say I am not an advocate of pellets so can't advise there but with any weaning process it is about slow but firm treatment, so mix the current seed with say tidymix and over say 2 weeks cut the proportion of the old seed mix till it is on all tidymix. Also portion size, if you feed a bowl full the bird will still have enough choice to make a bad choice so for a caique I would say an egg cup of seed is ample in the bowl. For fruit/veg which imo for a caique should be 50% of the total diet it is chop it small to cut waste and feed a variety till you find what they like but feed it instead of seed not alongside so a nice veg mix in the morning, a little fruit lunchtime if you are about and then seed at teatime. Parrots unlike small finches and canaries will not die if the bowl is empty for an hour or so. If you think of it like a child, if you leave the biscuit tin out before tea with open access don't be surprised if they wont eat the broccoli bake you have made.
Hope this helps but it's just my way so see what others say.
 
You could also try nutriberries...they are a mix of seed bits, tiny pellets and bits of fruit and veg depending on which 'flavour' you get....it's not a cheap product but could help you transition away from the pet store type seed mix....as Marley says if you mix old and new types then gradually increase the new content that's a proven method.
Good luck and don't give up on the veg and fruit.... you could try lightly cooked if he won't have raw, or mash.
Peas are usually liked......I use thawed frozen ones of sugar snaps, and pomegranate is a favourite...although very messy!
 
Also be aware thet baby caiques like soft foods and have a high tolerance for fats ( because of their activitylevels).
She can have scrambled egg on toast, as mine do regularly. She can have small pieces of cheese ( not too much). She can have some of your breakfast muffin etc.
She can have warm mushy human baby foods and purees.
Mornings are the best for veggies. Feed them soft if she wont eat them hard. Dont introduce seed ( a VERY HIGH QUALITY seed), NOT SUNFLOWERS, until later in the day.
She can also have lots of fruit, not just apples. Easy on the grapes, very high in iron.
And get used to the waste. Nature has designed them to drop foods from the treetops for forest floor dwellers. Her forest floor is now your carpet lol
She will eat what you eat, off your plate. Nature designed her to eat in groups and learn from her flock. YOU are the flock. YOU eat your veggies too lol
 
You'll just have to try different things and see if he likes any, then certain things you can try again. There's some foods Archie wouldn't go near then I've given him it again a few weeks later and he's tried it again and loved it!

Archie loves coconut, you can buy little pots of these from Tesco, I pop them in the freezer so they last longer, just defrost them and serve!
Have you tried sweetcorn? My Caique loves that too, mushy carrot, cooked broccoli. Blackberries and Raspberries are always a winner with Archie and nice and soft and sweet for a baby Caique too.

I feed AS30 seed mix from Scarlett's parrot essentials, it's a no sunflower and no peanut seed mix, I use small chunks of walnuts as treats, he normally gets a piece when he goes in his cage without hassle for example.
 
so far he/she prefers the soft tinned carrot over fresh chopped carrot, like corn yes. I don't have any peas to hand but will be ordering more veg with shopping today.
do you take the food out the cage before bed time so they are more likely to eat what you offer in the morning?
im planning on making a food/play stand and baby bird will be out of the cage more than in. is this a good idea to have the food on a stand or is it better to know they
have to go to the cage to eat? im thinking that if the food is in the cage its more enticing when you do need them to go in he cage. if that makes sense lol
 
didn't like cooked broccoli, cucmber, tossed the peppers out, didn't take any notice of the watercress or spinch.
when my shopping comes with more veggies I will be trying the chop :)
 
Yes remove fresh food at night...I leave a very small amount of seed or pellets..especially for my Conure who seems to eat all day and all night!
Best to try veg as first offering of the day when they are most hungry and reserve your dry food for later on.
 
I'd keep trying the veg, don't just rule it out coz your Caique didn't eat it this timr
Archie never used to like cucumber now he loves it, yes usually cooked carrots nice and soft rather than hard, every bird is different.
 
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