Convincing bird owners of the importance of changing their
bird’s seed based diet is the easy part. Getting the bird to
cooperate is often another matter. Many pet birds are addicted to seeds
and strenuously resist change. Some birds develop poor eating habits
(seed dependency) during their holding periods in USDA Quarantine
Stations. Thousands more develop seed dependency during the time
they are in a pet shop, awaiting sale. Habituation is a function of
time and familiarity. Imported birds spend weeks in Quarantine Stations.
Similarly, a bird may spend upwards of year in a pet shop before purchase.
Feeding a seed mix is easy and cheap for the humans. So, seeds may be
the predominant food -- or the only food -- available during these
periods of time. Under such circumstances, birds, like humans, can
easily become habituated in their feeding behaviors
and dietary preferences.

Birds must gain a substantial familiarity with a given food item
before they will experiment with it or attempt to eat it. Unfortunately,
simply offering a new food item along with a preferred or favorite food
item is rarely, if ever, sufficient to get a bird to eat a new food item.
Typically, they completely ignore -- or throw out -- the new food, and
continue to consume the favorite food items.

Before beginning a forced diet change, it is advisable to have you
bird examined and tested by a veterinarian to determine it’s overall
state of health. Remember that birds are masters of deception.
They may well be very sick, although they are still able to hide their
symptoms. Obviously, forcing a diet change on a sick pet is not a good idea.

Be aware that some veterinarians will not see birds as patients.
Furthermore, some of those who will see birds actually have little or
no experience with birds as patients. When in doubt, ask.

For a number of reasons, I recommend that bird owners purchase
an inexpensive postal type scale. I advise all bird owners to weigh
their bird(s) at the same time of day, every single day. Record the
weight in a permanent logbook. The numbers may be graphed if desired.
.
Daily weight checks are especially important during a forced food
conversion because some weight loss is normal, but too much weight loss
could be an early warning of a true medical problem. As a rule, birds in
a home setting should not lose more than about 10% or so of their
original body weight during a forced food conversion.

Caution: Diet changes should never be forced onto sick
birds or those experiencing multiple stresses (for example, change of
environment, new cage mate, exposure to temperature extremes, etc.).
A forced diet change is stressful by itself! Adding that onto other
stresses could have dire consequencesfor the bird!

Specific Strategies for Pellet Conversion

First, a Word of Caution

Birds on a seed based diet are already chronically malnourished.
Birds are also Masters of Deception and excel at hiding symptoms of
disease. Thus, it is not unusual to find that birds on a seed based diet
are also subclinically ill.
These birds are apt to respond poorly to a forced diet change.
Therefore I recommend that all birds be examined and tested by a
veterinarian before beginning a major diet change.

Next, Change to Meal Feeding

In the wild, many birds eat during several discreet
"feeding bursts,"each lasting about 20-30 minutes. A morning
meal and an evening meal are a common pattern. They spend the rest
of their day flying to and from food sources and engaging in courtship,
grooming, playing, and other behaviors totally unrelated to eating.

This is in contrast to the typical pet bird that is on a free choice-
feeding schedule. Such a bird typically has plenty of food available
in its enclosure, twenty-four hours a day. Such a bird is never
more than a couple of steps away from food at any time. The
relative inactivity of most caged birds (compared to their wild
cousins) combines with boredom and the constant opportunity to
eat to result in obesity in many of pet birds.

Thus, a simple first step in changing your bird's diet is to return the
bird to the natural feeding pattern that nature intended for it. Instead
of leaving food in the cage 24 hours a day, offer food items for just
15-30 minutes, two or three times a day (Young birds may require
four meals per day). At the end of the time period, any uneaten food
is removed from the bird’s enclosure. No more food is offered until
the next meal. Water, however, should be available at all times.

In addition to being more natural, meal feeding has the additional
benefit of allowing the bird to get hungry between meals. A hungry
bird may be more willing to experiment with or eat new foods!

Caution: Meal Feeding is most applicable to medium and large
parrots. Tiny birds, such as finches and canaries, have a very rapid
metabolism and typically can not go for long between meals. I do
not recommend meal feeding for the small species.

Introducing Pellets -- Cold Turkey
( Mostly for the experts )

Once a bird is on a meal-feeding program, it’s time to
introduce the pellets. The Cold Turkey approach involves removing
the old seed-based diet at night and replacing it with the new pelleted
diet, which will then be the only food available at dawn’s early light.
This procedure is quite simple and works well for some birds,
under close supervision. However, some birds may not recognize
the new pellets as food. These birds will whine and beg and may
actually starve themselves to death. Therefore, this method is
best reserved for use only by experienced aviculturists
or avian veterinarians.

Introducing Pellets -- Mixing

The Mixing approach to pellet conversion helps avoid the risks and
perils of starvation. This approach involves gradually replacing some
of seeds with pellets at mealtime. Start by replacing a small amount
of the seeds with a some pellets. Over time, replace more and more
of the seeds with pellets. In time, each meal should consist of 10%
pellets, then 25%, then, say 50% pellets, and eventually 70%pellets.

If the change is gradual enough, over time (several days to several
weeks), cooperative birds will transition onto pellets without much trouble.
Some birds, however, are smart enough to realize what is going on. These
birds will resist the pellets, whine and beg; doing their best to make the
humans feel guilty. It is at this point that many people cave in. Therefore,
the success rate for this method is not as good as with other methods.

Introducing Pellets -- Constant Availability

This is the best method for the average bird owner in a home
setting. Once the bird is comfortable with a meal-feeding
program, introduce the pellets as follows. Start by having a bowl of
the new food (pellets) available in the cage at all times. Continue
meal feeding the seed based diet. When the bird gets hungry between
meals, it may discover that the pellets are not so bad after all.

Once the bird is willingly eating some of the pellets between seed
meals, gradually replace more and more of the seeds in each meal
with pellets. Eventually, it should be possible to completely
eliminate the seeds.

Change Something Else

Some birds benefit from having additional changes in
their environment at the same time as the diet change. In this
way the new food itself may seem less frightening. For example,
remove all toys from the enclosure so that the new food becomes
the  only distraction. Heating the new food up slightly, or moistening
it with a little fruit juice may also encourage a reluctant bird to give
it a try.  Monkey See -- Monkey Do

Another bird that is already eating pellets can be temporarily
housed near the reluctant bird and used as a model or trainer bird.
In times passed, some aviculturists and veterinarians even had
trainer birds available for rent! Owners themselves can also act as
models by pretending to eat some of the pellets while the reluctant
bird is watching. Taking this another step, some experts suggest
that bringing your bird -- and its bowl of pellets -- to the dinner
table may be a rewarding ploy. Likewise, handfeeding the new food
items to the bird while you pretend to also eat some yourself may
help your bird to accept new and unfamiliar foods.

Caution: Do not feed your bird from your mouth because the
normal bacteria in human mouths may be harmful to pet birds.
Also, a bird’s beak can also do serious damage to a person’s
lips! Hospitalization may be necessary

 Common Sense Clues to Trouble

If any of the following symptoms persist for more than 24 hours
during the food conversion process, resume feeding the former
diet and contact your vet.

1. Unusual droppings, other than a change in color to a pale brown.

2. Unusual lethargy, or sleepiness at inappropriate times of day.

3. Constantly ruffled or "fluffed up" appearance.

4. Weight loss of more than 10 -- 12% from weight at start of
conversion process.

5. Constant whining, begging, or searching for food.

The Transformation Process

Modifying your birds diet from a seed based diet to a balanced
pellet based diet will produce some extraordinary results. As your
bird adjusts to the new healthy diet, you will see a definite
improvement in its appearance and perhaps even its behavior.

Many birds will experience a major molt 1 - 2 months after
conversion. This is because their body finally has the nutrients it
needs to make a proper set of healthy feathers. Owners have
remarked that their birds look more brilliant, that they talk more,
and are more playful and better behaved since they started eating better.

Patience is Rewarded

Consider all of the strategies mentioned above as you plan
your efforts to encourage your pet bird to eat properly. It cannot be
overemphasized that you must be very persistent and patient
with your bird in this endeavor. Changing your bird's diet
will require a total commitment on your part. It may take many
months to achieve the desired results, but the effort made and the
frustration endured will pay dividends in improved health and
long life for your companion.
 

Back to the Parrot Page