Parrots Need To Love Produce

Parrots should love to have a fresh bowl of produce offered to them daily. Lately, I've had a few parrot guests that turn their beak up and resist even tasting the delectable morsels of fruits and vegetables. It's summertime and the fruits and veggies are absolutely fantastic now. Parrots will only truly take eagerly to tasty ripe produce as their broad UV vision range allows them to see the ripeness. They can tell if it's not ripe or too ripe. If your parrot doesn't eat produce, try again and again to entice him or her. Don't just give up when it goes untouched.
Try an In and Out Crock (Smart Crocks) and place it near the perch. Some birds are too lazy to go down to the regular bowl to investigate. Select an assortment of ripe fruits and vegetables. Strive for a variety of colors and textures. A little orange, red, green, and yellow with some purple thrown in makes for a nice visual interest. Yes, that matters!

Of course, wash the produce and remove the rind, skin, or peel whenever possible. Pesticides and E Coli can reside on melon rinds. Use your judgment as to how to cut it up. Some birds like it small, some like big chunks.

If a bird is relunctant to taste it, sprinkle pine nuts or add a small piece of cheese to the top. I call this "priming the dish." They can't resist the nuts or cheese and that starts them eating. Another successful trick is to eat next to the bird or place the bird next to a bird that eats well. I have birds that won't eat carrots raw but love them steamed, and birds that won't eat a whole grape but enjoy grape halves. You just have to keep at it until you find success. And don't just feed what they like. Always strive to add something new, nutritional, and interesting.

In my opinion, birds that don't relish their foods can develop insecurities and become rigid with toys, relationships, and activities. When a bird comes to stay here, I do all I can to encourage a good healthy diet.