Smoothing the transition from seed diets to pelleted diets.
Converting your bird to a pelleted diet
Converting your bird to a pelleted diet
sometimes takes persistance and patience, but the payoff is
great: better nutrition and longer life for your bird, less mess
and cleanup for you.
When converting your bird to any new
food, you must observe the birds carefully. Their droppings
should stay about the same number and not be black. Black
droppings mean the bird is not eating. Either weigh your bird or
feel its breast to check for weight loss. If the bird loses 10%
of its body weight, return to its regular diet and try again in
two weeks.
Hints
- Mix with regular diet and gradually decrease former food.
- Moisten with water or fruit juice, decreasing the liquid over time.
- In the evening, pull the bird off the regular diet and offer only
the pelleted diet over the next day. If the bird has not eaten, give it
back its regular diet for fifteen minutes, and repeat the procedure.
Tips for bird feeding
Remember that
- Moistened foods should be removed from the cage after four hours.
- Food and water cups should be kept clean at all times to reduce the
growth of harmful bacteria.
- Extra vitamins and supplements should be used if you are feeding a seed
diet, but should not be necessary if you are feeding a pelleted diet.
- Store all foods in a cool dry place or refrigerate.