what are the little seeds?

[Nikki]

Toby gets Kaytee Supreme Cockatiel Fortified Seed Mix. I leave pellets in the cage and mixed with the seeds but he spits them out as well as not touching his veggies or birdie bread. There are several different seeds and some cereal looking puffs in the seed mix. He picks out only the tiny round seeds and spits the rest out the side of the cage.

What are the tiny round seeds, and is he getting adequate nutrition with just those for the time being while he's in diet transition or should I give him a vitamin supplement until he starts experimenting with vegetables and fruits?

[catfish]

It's probably millet, but I'm not sure to be honest.

You might want to read the article on ethoxyquin we have stickied in the diet section. I believe Kaytee is a brand that uses that chemical. I chose to not use food that has that as a perservative.

[raiven]

For your bird that will not convert from a seed diet try soaking a seed mix over night. Most birds love that. There are mixes available to order on the net such as Totally Organics or you can go to a health food store and buy whole seed from the bins. Reta has an article about it will try to find a link. for you. :)

Here we go and good luck: http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showthread.php?t=1533

[Nikki]

WOW! I didn't even think that they would market a food with such an unsafe product in it. I just bought what the breeder said she weaned him to.

I guess we'll be going with zupreem. I didn't like the look of those really bright pellets anyways, looked like a preservative and artificial coloring nightmare.... maybe Toby is smarter than me (YET AGAIN :rolleyes: ).

And they probably are millet, that's all he seems to want to eat. Gonna have to start being aggressive with him using all the forum information on getting him converted to something healthy and make him start eating his veggies.

Thanks as usual for the awesome information.

[catfish]

For diet related questions I will always refer you to the stickies in the diet section.

It's not going to say a pellet diet is better than seed or seed is better than pellet... it's going to give you information and from there you can decide which one sounds best to you.

Most of us do not feed specifically 1 type of food over the other. I believe most of us offer a quality seed with pellets available, but most of us try to feed fresh foods too.

[chapala]

And remember, offer the new food first thing in the morning, sprinkled with a little bit of millet if you need to. Be sure to take all food out of the cage at night to eliminate early morning snacking. The bird is hungriest in the a.m. so by feeding the new food (preferably soaked or sprouted whole grains plus very finely chopped vegetables to start) then, he's more apt to try it. You need to be very persistent, offering every day even if it seems he's not eating any of the new food at all. And be sure to offer the food he is familiar with a few hours later and the rest of the day. You don't want him losing weight, just offering the new food first.
Reta

[Nikki]

I've been contemplating taking out his food bowl for the night, but I hear him snacking at night and I feel guilty...lol

But tonight, I'll try it and feed him his first soaked seeds in the morning. I also bought him some feeding cups this morning that hang on the cage kinda like the ones built into his cage because I think he's afraid of eating on the ground of the cage where I was offering the fresh foods.

Crossing my fingers that I can get him eating something healthier than the preservative-laden seeds that I've been offering him.

[chapala]

Remember that wild birds roost at night, they don't eat. Early morning and late afternoon are prime feeding times. Parrots have a crop where they store food, and in the wild don't eat all the waking hours with food in front of them at all times. So don't feel bad about taking the food out at night - they are designed for that!

I would get rid of the seed mix with preservative and buy a good mix. Check out the one for small birds at www.parrotsontheporch.com (http://www.parrotsontheporch.com), all organic, and can be fed dry or soaked or sprouted. There are other good seed mixes out there. I buy the ingredients and mix my own so don't know all the good ones. I have heard Volkman's is good, and know there are others.
Reta
Reta