Switching Birds To Pellets

If you have a parrot that is just eating seed and is stubborn when trying to switch them to a pellet diet you should certainly try them on different brands, or you can make the pellets a little more enticing and fun for them. Here is what I found worked well for one particular fussy parrot.

How To Make Them

Having a good diet for your bird is very important and a seed only diet just doesn’t cut it for a healthy bird. Younger birds can be introduced to pellets as a part of their vegetables and fruit without too much effort in most cases, however the older birds can be very fussy if seed is what they have been given most often. While you can sprout the seeds they eat to help them switch over to pellets it is slow and can have bacteria issues if you’re not careful. Everyone has their brand of pellets that they favour and I usually use ‘Passwell Parrot Pellets’ when doing this. Here are the steps I use that may help some of you out there:

First off grab your pellets and make sure the packaging inside the box is sealed and preferably able to be resealed after use. Grab a measuring cup and pour them in until its at about the 150ml mark (this makes a smaller amount but doesn’t waste too much). Pour the pellets into a flat saucer and add 70ml of clean water, mixing them around to make sure they are evenly damp. Leave them to sit like this for around 5-10 minutes to soften, then grab a fork and mash them up into a crumbly mix.

I then throw in a little budgie seed to help get the parrot interested – it doesn’t take much, usually I just use a measure of around 45ml but you can add very small cubes of chopped apple instead if you wish – it depends on how fussy your parrot is and how soon you will use them. Sprinkle the budgie seed throughout the mashed up pellets, then use your hands to mix it all up evenly.

At this point some birds just like to eat the crumble as it is, even when it dries they seem to enjoy the blend (especially with some fruit and water). If not, simply get a small amount of mix and roll it in your hands to make a ‘pellet ball’ that should be the appropriate size for your parrot to hold. After making the balls put them into a sealed bag or container and place in your fridge for about 5 hours (or overnight if the mix is really soft). Once they have firmed up, take them out (making sure they’re not too cold) and try to get your parrot excited about coming over and trying them, roll them in your hand, hold them up for them to grab, whatever works in your situation.

You should have a good idea of what your parrot likes and how to motivate them to try new foods like pellets, but if you are new to birds or have inherited one from family or friends pick up a book that is based on the parrot you have for more education. If you have a rescue parrot (good on you if you have) things can be a little harder, especially if they have picked up bad habits like trying coffee and eating processed foods. In those cases speak with the people you adopted him from if possible, and make sure your new parrot is given a wide range of bird safe foods to choose from instead.

Remember, pellets are not a complete replacement diet for your birds. I usually use pellets for around 50% of their diet with the remainder being made up of fresh vegetables, fruit, and seed. If your parrot really struggles adapting to pellets and you have tried different brands without success, you can always help them through the use of quality bird supplements available on the market.