How Do I Fix My Picky-eating African Grey Parrot?

Last Updated on October 25, 2024 by Mitch Rezman

Carol B. writes,

My African Gray likes safflower seeds, but will not eat them if there’s anything else in the mix, such as Higgins Safflower Gold. She also likes ZuPreem fruit blend but will only eat the grape or purple flavor pellets.

She will go through periods where she likes grapes and then doesn’t eat them, or likes cantaloupe and then doesn’t eat it. I’m at my wit’s end to try to give her a healthy diet.

Catherine replied,

Dear Carol

How long have you had your bird and how old is she? Has she always eaten just the few items or has she changed her diet, have you changed her diet?

More details will be helpful.

Meanwhile. I just responded to another similar customer’s question and copied my answer to her below. Some of what I wrote can be helpful to you.

Please take a look and get back to me with more questions and details about your issues with your grey.

I will do what I can to help.

Thank you

Catherine

Dear Summer

To start with, you have kept him alive for 9 years so you are doing something right. Don’t beat yourself up too much.

Ideally, when you brought him home that would have been the best time to offer veggies. But that ship has sailed.

We have 10 birds, all from rescues and I have found that the best way to get them to eat veggies is to see the other birds eat them. If you only have one bird then you are the other bird.

How Do I Get My Budgies to Eat Veggies?

That he wants to eat what you are is a good start. Let him have all he wants to eat.

Now are YOU eating the right foods so if he steals a few bites he is on the right track?

If you are eating chips and cookies and mashed potatoes and pasta, then he will want that too. How about when you make yourself a salad? Or a stir fry? Monkey see, monkey do.

So, myself, I make up 6 dishes of bird veggies daily. EVERY DAY!! As we have 10 birds, consisting of 6 budgies (one big cage), 2 cockatiels (each with its own cage), and an African Ringneck and a Quaker. (also each with their own cages).

I agree that most CHOP recipes are much too fussy and messy and do not improve after having been thawed out.

I do I guess a CHOP LITE daily. So I keep a few staples on hand for it.

Frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots, lima beans, store brand is fine)
Frozen corn (store brand is fine)
Fresh Kale (I buy the smallest bunch in the produce section)
fresh apples

I use a small chopper that fits on my blender but there are also small electric choppers that work very well.

I make a fresh veggie meal every morning.

What is The True Lifespan of Parrots in Captivity?

In the open chopper, I drop in some kale, then a couple spoons of thawed mixed veggies and a little extra corn (they all love the corn), then drop in a couple apple wedges and if I have them, a couple grapes. Then I whir it all together and it is chopped up.

Now the budgies like their food small and I put a pile into two wide dishes for the 6 budgies to share.

The Quaker and the Ringneck, I give them a dish with a few cut up bits of apple and a half a grape each, a few kernels of corn and then top with a small wad of chopped veggies.

Higgins Versele-Laga Safflower Gold Conure Cockatiel No Sunflower 25 lb

The cockatiels both are not big eaters of the stuff, but they still get a dish EVERY DAY. They get a single apple wedge and topped with a wad of chopped veggies.

Now at the end of the day (we pull the dishes about 2-4 pm) I swear the dishes don’t look like they have been eaten a lot of, but I feel like I have done all I can for them.

We also provide drinking water daily fortified with bird multi-vitamins.

TIPS:

I keep the frozen veggies in the freezer, but I use 3 plastic containers to hold a couple days worth each of the corn, the mixed veggies and the apple/grapes in the fridge to pull from, then replenish every other day.
The kale, I learned how to keep it fresh the longest in the fridge by standing up the leaves in a tall rectangular Tupperware type container. It lasts as long as 2 weeks, sprinkle in a little water, but not a lot. Leave the lid cracked some. If it turns yellow, it is time to toss and get a new bunch.
I don’t freeze my chop, the kale would get mushy (and nasty in my eyes). I just make it and offer it fresh daily.

When I started offering it to the budgies they turned their nose (beaks?) up at it, but once I sprinkled some millet on top, they dove right in, tasted it and started eating more.

Your bird is sized between the cockatiels and the Quaker/Ringneck, so you may need to experiment to see how he likes his corn, etc. Chopped or just thawed.

Years ago when I only just had one Indian Ringneck, he didn’t get chopped veggies. I was able to just give him a daily dish of the thawed corn and mixed veggies, apple bits and cut up grapes.

Higgins Versele-Laga Naturally Grown Spray Millet for Birds 12 Sprays

All of our current birds being rescues, and came from homes where they didn’t get veggies. Over time they all will eat SOME of the daily dish, even if it is just a tiny bit. I feel I have done the right thing for them.

So, I hope you can get somewhere.

If not keep letting him eat some of your dinner.

Reach out should you have further questions

Catherine

Summer wrote:

I have a 9 year old Cinnamon Fallow GCC. I got him when he was five months old.

My question is, do you know of any tricks to get him to eat vegetables? I read over and over that his diet should consist of many of them.

I bought him from a pet store that had been feeding him Higgins and that is all I can get him to eat to this day, as his main staple diet.

I have followed, and tried many of your recommendations for premium bird foods and have only ever manage to get him to eat one bite. He just flat out, refuses to eat until I start to become concerned because he is not eating at all, usually two days is all I can handle.

How Can I Get My Green Cheek Conure To Eat Vegetables?

I have tried every vegetable on the approved list for conures, many recipes for “chop”, including all of the vegetables I won’t eat myself, lol. I tried all of them RAW at first and then went through the whole list again trying them cooked.
He will eat a variety of fresh fruit and wants to sample anything he sees as food.

I have tried very hard to limit his sampling of human food, but he insist on trying whatever I am eating, he’s very persistent and pouts he doesn’t get his way.

Yes, he is a spoiled brat, but I love him more than anything and want to give him as long life and is healthy and happy life as I can.