Well the impossible happened

[Keiichi18]

I found something else I can bribe Vert with other than pumpkin and that's Pecan nuts and, well the inside to one of those honey treats you can get in places like Wilko.

Though we now have an issue of a certain bird trying to bite my fingers when I try to give her a treat or she will go for them when I put my hand too near her (I mean she will take a pecan from my hand but).

 

[dianaT]

Have you tried unsalted pistachio most seem to like those.

 

[CaptainHowdy]

I found something else I can bribe Vert with other than pumpkin and that's Pecan nuts and, well the inside to one of those honey treats you can get in places like Wilko.

Though we now have an issue of a certain bird trying to bite my fingers when I try to give her a treat or she will go for them when I put my hand too near her (I mean she will take a pecan from my hand but).

How are you holding the treat for her? I tell mine 'gently' when I offer them something and they are in a snatching mood. I say it nice and calm and fairly quietly to them.

One of mine tends to get quite frustrated when he cant get into the nut, he's still learning how to crack them, and he ends up flinging them away and then snatching as he is frustrated.

I would start with bigger treats and get her used to taking those from you before you start going for the smaller ones.

 

[Keiichi18]

How are you holding the treat for her? I tell mine 'gently' when I offer them something and they are in a snatching mood. I say it nice and calm and fairly quietly to them.

One of mine tends to get quite frustrated when he cant get into the nut, he's still learning how to crack them, and he ends up flinging them away and then snatching as he is frustrated.

I would start with bigger treats and get her used to taking those from you before you start going for the smaller ones.

The only other real big treat I can give her is pumpkin, which I can only get one time of the year.

I'll try that though, but shes only recentally got bitey with me, before she just used to retreat.

Have you tried unsalted pistachio most seem to like those.

Pistachio's are the ones in the half split shells right, yeah she likes those too...even if she does throw the shells at me.

 

[DizzyBlue]

Have you tried dried pumpkin seeds from a health food shop?
Mine love a slice of cooked sweet potato (not mushy but firm)

 

[Keiichi18]

Have you tried dried pumpkin seeds from a health food shop?
Mine love a slice of cooked sweet potato (not mushy but firm)

Yeah, she likes them too but they are also in the food that she eats so pumpkin seeds aren't much of a treat.

Sweet Potato, I'll have to try that out when I get one next time. Any ideas on the biting issue?

 

[DizzyBlue]

Yup.... You need Roz advice
@Roz

 

[JackAndRob]

We add butternut and sweet potato to the veggie chop we give our birds.

A few small pieces in a bowl, with enough water to cover it, zapped in the microwave until it softens a little. We then run it under the cold tap to stop it cooking and feed it when it has cooled. You could cut small sticks to serve as treats. Cook, cool, then store in a plastic box in the 'fridge.

 

[Keiichi18]

We add butternut and sweet potato to the veggie chop we give our birds.

A few small pieces in a bowl, with enough water to cover it, zapped in the microwave until it softens a little. We then run it under the cold tap to stop it cooking and feed it when it has cooled. You could cut small sticks to serve as treats. Cook, cool, then store in a plastic box in the 'fridge.

Whats good as a chop as you call it, surely more than just butternut and sweet potato, not found a recipe that she 100% likes yet

 

[DizzyBlue]

There quite a few on site in the diet section

Chop recipe and pics

Hi, I have a hahns macaw he has been with us now for just over a week. And is making amazing progress he loves sunflower seeds and apples. But he isn't really liking pellets and is just wanting seeds He has a try of different veg but never really has alot at all. Apparently he was on seeds and...

theparrotclub.co.uk

Also Tonifrax is a chef with parrot knowledge

@Tonifrax

 

[Roz]

For the problem with biting, you could certainly try what CaptainHowdy suggested:

I would start with bigger treats and get her used to taking those from you before you start going for the smaller ones.

Also you might want to start giving Vert treats through the bars of the cage first where you and she are protected by the bars. Then gradually change to offering sometimes through the open door, and then outside the cage.

Another thing you can do is make her stretch for the treat - it is hard to lunge/bite when your neck is at full stretch. Preferably try to work it so that she doesn't feel she needs to lunge/bite. On the rare occasion she does, drop the treat and calmly walk away - lunging/biting = no treat.

If she lunges at your hands when they are too close, don't put them too close for now and keep pairing your hands with treats so that she will associate them with good experiences and begin to trust them.

 

[Tonifrax]

Its unlikely that you'll find a chop recipe that she 100% likes straight away. Sometimes you just have to stick with it and be persistent. The whole idea behind chop is to try and get them to eat a variation of different vegetables and sneak in stuff that they perhaps would usually turn their beaks up at. Vegetables containing beta carotene such as carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato etc are important as their bodies convert the beta carotene to vitamin A which birds are often deficient in when not fed on the right diet. I always include several of these types of vegetables. Then you should try and include vegetables that contain calcium as that is another common nutritional deficiency in parrots so you'd be looking to add dark leafy greens like kale, chard, broccoli etc. There's no hard and fast rule though for making chop.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GrUHW8KaHL2bxudBQInyXzKGnPUfv9JWxL830W1u2l0/edit?usp=drivesdk

This was one of the documents I used when I first started making chop as its quite a good place to start. I freeze my chop and usually make a couple of different batches that i alternate between whilst also adding some fresh veg from the fridge just for variation. You can also try sprouting seeds and theres some great resources on here that will help you with that

 

[Keiichi18]

Its unlikely that you'll find a chop recipe that she 100% likes straight away. Sometimes you just have to stick with it and be persistent. The whole idea behind chop is to try and get them to eat a variation of different vegetables and sneak in stuff that they perhaps would usually turn their beaks up at. Vegetables containing beta carotene such as carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato etc are important as their bodies convert the beta carotene to vitamin A which birds are often deficient in when not fed on the right diet. I always include several of these types of vegetables. Then you should try and include vegetables that contain calcium as that is another common nutritional deficiency in parrots so you'd be looking to add dark leafy greens like kale, chard, broccoli etc. There's no hard and fast rule though for making chop.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GrUHW8KaHL2bxudBQInyXzKGnPUfv9JWxL830W1u2l0/edit?usp=drivesdk

This was one of the documents I used when I first started making chop as its quite a good place to start. I freeze my chop and usually make a couple of different batches that i alternate between whilst also adding some fresh veg from the fridge just for variation. You can also try sprouting seeds and theres some great resources on here that will help you with that

I actually have a kinda good idea what she likes and what she doesn't...honestly Vert isn't the fussiest in the world (Even if she does hate the Pets at Home seed mix). For a beginning point would a bag of frozen veg work that has peas carrots, green beans, brocoli and califlour work

 

[dianaT]

You can try the defrosted mix veg but none of mine will touch it. So they have fresh some of it they eat or pick over and some of it they don't. As for parrot a certain seed mix - all mine have Tidymix .

 

[Keiichi18]

You can try the defrosted mix veg but none of mine will touch it. So they have fresh some of it they eat or pick over and some of it they don't. As for parrot a certain seed mix - all mine have Tidymix .

For seed mix there is a local shop where I am that does a fantastic one I just ran out on a monday and they wern't open on mondays....but the defrosted veg one will work I'll give thhat a shot to start with

 

[Tonifrax]

What type of seeds are in the seed mix that you usually get?

 

[Keiichi18]

What type of seeds are in the seed mix that you usually get?

Alsorts (half of them I can't name) but it has sunflower, millet, pumpkin, dried chili's/peppers, dried banana's and sweetcorn...which is kinda the stuff I can remember off the top of my head....it might have raisins in too.

 

[Keiichi18]

Its unlikely that you'll find a chop recipe that she 100% likes straight away. Sometimes you just have to stick with it and be persistent. The whole idea behind chop is to try and get them to eat a variation of different vegetables and sneak in stuff that they perhaps would usually turn their beaks up at. Vegetables containing beta carotene such as carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato etc are important as their bodies convert the beta carotene to vitamin A which birds are often deficient in when not fed on the right diet. I always include several of these types of vegetables. Then you should try and include vegetables that contain calcium as that is another common nutritional deficiency in parrots so you'd be looking to add dark leafy greens like kale, chard, broccoli etc. There's no hard and fast rule though for making chop.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GrUHW8KaHL2bxudBQInyXzKGnPUfv9JWxL830W1u2l0/edit?usp=drivesdk

This was one of the documents I used when I first started making chop as its quite a good place to start. I freeze my chop and usually make a couple of different batches that i alternate between whilst also adding some fresh veg from the fridge just for variation. You can also try sprouting seeds and theres some great resources on here that will help you with that

Thanks for the doc, followed it and well minus the fruit I added it all

You can try the defrosted mix veg but none of mine will touch it. So they have fresh some of it they eat or pick over and some of it they don't. As for parrot a certain seed mix - all mine have Tidymix .

I almost hit the nail on the head with this mix all it was missing was fruit and I need to trade the carrot out for something...other than that, all that was left (on the first bowl full) was reminents of broccoli and the skin of peas