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 Switching
your Bird from Seeds to Pellets
The basic
idea behind this method of switching is to make it
easier for the bird to eat pellets than seed. We
are not trying to starve the bird, but at the same
time we are going to make him have to make an
effort to eat seed rather than pellet.
First,
if you don’t already have, then you should have,
3 bowls near the top of the cage: water, seed,
veggie/fruit. Everyday, whether or not the bird is
on seed or pellet, he should be offered about a
"meals worth" of veggies &/or fruit
for breakfast (either fresh or frozen &
warmed). A meal for an Amazon size bird is about a
tablespoon. A meal for a cockatiel size bird is
about a teaspoon.
WEEK
1: Bowls
near top of cage are as follows:
1. Water 2.
Veggie 3. 50%
Seed, 50% Pellets
All
that you are doing WEEK 1 is
"taste-testing". More than likely the
bird will toss the pellets out of the bowl. This
is fine. Just be consistent.
WEEK
2: Bowls
near top of cage are as follows:
1. Water 2.
Veggie 3. Pellet
Plus
a 4th bowl placed at the
bottom of the cage with the plenty of seed.
Probably
this week the bird will ignore the pellets and
climb down to eat the seed. This is also fine.
WEEK
3: Bowls
are the same as week 2 with the following
adjustment:
In
the seed bowl in the bottom of the cage put a
measured amount of seed (eg 1/2 cup for an
Amazon sized bird).
By
the end of this week, the bird is getting really
tired of going down to the bottom of the cage to
get food. You can probably see his wing on his hip
as he decides if he wants to make the effort to go
down to get seed, or try those pellets that are
mighty handy to eat. You will notice some crackles
of pellets although you will probably not get a
significant amount of eating until week 4.
WEEK
4: Bowls
are the same as week 3 except that now in the seed
bowl on the cage bottom you put 1/2 cup minus 1
tablespoon of seed. Each week continue to remove
an additional tablespoon of food (week 5 put 1/2
cup minus 2 tablespoons, week 6 put 1/2 cup minus
3 tablespoons, etc). For small birds (cockatiels,
etc) only remove 1 teaspoonful at a time.
Continue
to remove seed until eventually you will realize
that there is no way that the bird is surviving
just on the seed you are putting in the cage.
Remember, we are not trying to starve the bird. If
you have any doubts as to how much the bird is
eating the pellets, stay at the same level for
another week or more as needed. Most birds convert
completely in about a month. Some may take up to 7
months. If you are convinced that the bird will
not convert, you may want to try a different
pellet - but start the conversion process from
the beginning if you do.
Pellets
& why to feed which one.
There
are 3 basic "flavors" of pellets
available for birds:
Pretty
Bird & Kaytee & Zupreem are fruity &
have food coloring & preservatives.
Lafeber
& Roudybush are molassesy-sweet and don’t
appear to have food coloring.
Harrison’s
is nutty and organically grown and has no food
coloring or preservatives. It is only available
through veterinarians and tends to be more
expensive than the other brands. However if you
are only feeding a few birds, this is usually not
a concern.
Based
on your birds nutritional needs and dietary
preferences, select the brand and type of food you
need. Dr. Carpino can recommend a specific product
for your bird.
How
much should your bird eat?
The
real question is " how much will your bird
waste?". Some birds eat fastidiously over the
bowl. Others grab a fistfull of pellets(/seed) and
let them all drop except the piece they intend to
eat.
However,a
fair rule of thumb is that a 500 gram bird (Large
Amazon) will probably go through 5 lbs a month
(consumption and waste).
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