Green Rump Parrotlet loves millet

[karen]

I just got a male green rump parrotlet. He's eight weeks old, and I only have him for 3 days. He eats some seeds. I have given him vegetables which he hasn't touched. He mostly eats millet. At least he is eating the millet. At times, I can tell he's looking to be hand fed. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Mustang99]

Hi Karen, I don't have any experience with hand feeding but I do remember some postings where the little one reverts back to hand feeding if they're just weaned. I'm certain that you'll hear from someone with experience in that area soon. Have you tried to mix some millet in with finely chopped veggies? Another thought would be to mix a little egg supplement that you can get at the pet store with a bit of apple juice (unsweetened) just until it's a bit moist. Good luck...what's his name?

[Cydney]

First off, congrats on your new baby!

I fed my boy from one month on, so he weaned on his own time. I did, however, start making 'veggie mash' in order to start introducing him to veggies. I'd use our mortar and pestle to mash peas, green beans, carrots, bell peppers, sweet potato etc into a mush, adding a bit of warm/tepid water if necessary. I'd offer him this slightly warm either off the end of a dropper, letting him take the drop of mash when he wanted, or on the end of a spoon. It seemed to satisfy his need to 'be fed'. While I had him out doing this, I'd also offer finely chopped lukewarm veggies, pretending to eat them, then offering tidbits for him to taste. He'll try almost anything I eat or he thinks I try. :P Best of luck! Keep us updated!

[MetalPrincess8]

I'm also curious about this...I got Petey last Saturday and he's picked at his seed, but mostly chomped down on his millet. I know that eventually this will only be a treat for him, but want to make sure he's getting enough to eat right now. When should I start introducing veggies to him? I don't want him getting too spoiled with the millet, but gotta make sure the boy is eating! Any suggestions?

[Pado]

Hopefully one of the people experienced with hand feeding birds will chime in.

But the suggestions from Mustang99 and Cydney sound pretty solid to me -

I've also heard some newly weaned Parrotlets in a new home will revert back to wanting hand feedings - I'd call the breeder or whoever was hand feeding him for advice -

Millet is a comfort food and easily digested - youngsters should be allowed to eat as much of it as they want - it should be available at all times - Don't worry about them getting to much or getting spoiled. Millet isn't as bad as most make it out to be.

Keep all other foods available - even if they look like they aren't touching it and its a waste - its never too early to introduce new foods - if veggies, pellets, fruit etc is kept available to the birds (I recommend it on the bottom of the cage on a white paper-towel or a white paper plate - just my personal preference) the birds will eventually get curious as they play and explore and will test the food and realize it is food and meant for eating ( if its not kept available they will never learn it is food and tastes good). Keep a spray of milled close to or mixed with the other foods.

I also use the mortar and pestle as Cydney mentioned above to mix and make warm meals for my birds - Remember birds a very small and won't appear to eat much even though they are eating some of what we prepare for them.

Good Luck :)

[marce61]

Riddler eats mixed seed, millet and honey treat voraciously everyday.

Ditto:

I am curious also to see an expert opinion on this, just starting week 3 with Riddler. I have tried cut apple and carrot mixed in a small bowl of mixed seed to no avail. I had to start mixing his mini pellets into the seed tray.

The bowl I placed at the bottom of the cage looks pretty much undisturbed despite the pieces of millet on top.

However, Today he's all over a piece of wheat toast...:D

So, I think I will try the suggestion of white paper towel tomorrow.

[Pado]

Something that works for one person may not work for the next - all P'lets are different. Just keep trying different things - the key I think is to keep trying. The ones that give up when their P'lets are young end up with adults that won't try anything new. By the sounds of it you are doing a good job, him eating the toast is a great start ;)

You can even try making "toys" out of food . Hang fruit on string or stick on kabobs - weave food between bars - Do whatever just keep trying. You are bound to hit what works sometime. Rebecca has a picture of Kiwi eating corn off a toy she made out of it - she hung corn on a string and he loved it.

My Parrotlets love cooked plain oatmeal - my male learned to like this by me eating breakfast on a couch that sits next to the cage. He would come over to see what I was doing and I'd offer him the spoon through the bars - for the longest time he would move away from the spoon - then one day he tasted it and from then on its one of his favorite foods - he still eats it every morning. He taught the female when she came along to eat it.

I hear posted that most people buy their Parrotlets new toys and they won't touch them - then a month or so later that same toy is their Parrotlets favorite toy of all time. Just think if that person pulled that toy on day one, saying my Parrotlet doesn't like toys and never gave them a toy again - Doesn't work that way - same with food. They will ignore foods and then one day they'll try it.

[Carebear]

Putting the food at the bottom of the cage never worked for my p'let. Her cage came with an attached 3rd dish, at the opposite side from her seed/water dishes, so we use that for treats/fruits/veggies. One mistake I made when I first got Birdy was giving her a slice of apple or some other humongously large thing, expecting her to just eat off it. She doesn't. It has to be chopped up realllly fine. Sometimes we have to poke her in the beak with the food, and when she bites at it in aggitation she learns that it actually tastes good! Good luck! They do get less finicky with time.

[Pado]

Yea - goes to show they are all different and you need to try different things to figure out their favorite. Mine prefer large items so they can "shred" them into little pieces themselves :D

[marce61]

Thanks alot for the tips! Specifically, just keep trying to give him new stuff!
Riddler likes me to feed and leave him strips of WHeat Toast in the morning on the top of his cage :) So, the next day I placed a Oatmeal cookie up there and WHALA! As you can see I am trying a raw string bean also with little luck...LOL.


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