GCCs and Bananas

[myowndivinity]

Comments

[ochika]

My Severe Macaw has recently decided she will NOT eat the red pellets. She will start screaming for more food and her bowl will be filled with red ones. Its so weird.

[stainedfeathers]

My understanding is this: It's probably not a flavor thing at all. Birds have very, very few taste buds (humans having around 9,000 and birds somewhere on the spectrum of 25-400), however, they have much more sensitivity in their tongues. Because of this, birds tend to like foods based on how they like the feel of them over how they taste. (I know my bird LOVES anything yogurt textured. Mushy things are so much love.)

My sun conure would do the same thing, only he went through fads: one month he'd hate the red ones, and wouldn't touch them, one he'd hate the greens but loved the reds, repeat ad nauseam with different colors... I got tired of him wasting food and just switched him over to Zupreem Natural so that the pellets were all the same shape.

[ltdead]

Plus... they're healthier. When Jack was having his seizures, one of the first things the vet asked me was 'does he eat colored pellets?'

[myowndivinity]

Are colored ones really that bad? I thought about switching him to the Naturals, but I was worried that he switched from seeds to pellets so easily because of the fruity flavors and maybe he wouldn't take to the Naturals. Maybe I'll get a bag of the Naturals and try mixing them in.

[ltdead]

From what I know - it can be hard on the kidneys, and some birds are more sensitive to it than others. Obviously - most birds aren't going to get seizures from colored pellets, but my vet has seen something of a correlation, apparently.

[theoddbirdrant]

My quaker came to us eating the same coloured pellets and he would leave the "banana" ones too. So they wouldn't go to waste I would toss 'em outside cuz the squirrels seemed to enjoy them :)
However I ended up switching Loki over to pellets that were all the same colour & shape (Tropican then to Lafebers)

[myowndivinity]

I thought of that, but I think those pellets would be too little for Reginald. He likes holding his food. :)

[gf_girlie]

My green cheek only ate the bannana ones, so we named her Nanners. both birds now eat Harrison's.