How do I introduce vegetables to my picky bird who only eats seeds?

Thanks for reaching out about Sophie. Vegetables are more important than fruit. Try limiting the seed offered so that the food bowl will be empty a few hours after offered. Ensure a second bowl with vegetables and other offerings is within reach at all times. More seed can then be offered later in the day. If a bird is bonded to your and sees you eating something, then offer it to them. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Akio. You are correct in that sunflower seeds and corn are a terrible diet for birds, the equivalent of drinking cooking oil and eating white bread. No vitamins, minerals, protein and other essential nutrients. Try measuring what you place in the bowl every morning, say 4 tablespoons. The next morning, same time, measure what is left over, say 2 tablespoons. Therefore he is consuming 2 T a day. Offering 1 tablespoon in morning, and one in early evening. In a second bowl, offer human food (vegetables, some fruit, pasta, beans, whatever). Eating your food in front of him, offering by hand or visualize you placing in the food bowl. Give it time. Trust and persistence is the issue. Good luck.

All you can do is offer her veggies, if she eats them or not is completely up to her, you can't force her eating something she doesn't' want to eat. birds on seed diet will often prefer seeds only, which is another good reason to switch to bird pellets.

The best thing you can do in this situation is to keep trying! Continued offering of various fruits and veggies will eventually spark the curiosity of your birds, and get them to try it out. If they don't like one fruit or veggie, try again at a later time, or try again with a different item. Making it interesting by hanging it up, adding it to a toy, etc can also spark curiosity and exploration and make them more interested in trying it out.

Thanks for reaching out about your parakeets. Try measuring and limiting amount of seed offered, allowing them to get hungry. You can remove seed for several hours, only offering the new food. Good luck.

If at first you don't succeed, try try again! Patience and retrying are your best bets. Birds can be picky eaters, and sometimes it takes several introductions of the same thing over and over before they decide to try (and like) it! You may want to try introducing those treats again at different intervals or times of day to see if they eventually start to check it out. In some cases, a bird may never be interested in it, especially if they weren't exposed to it when they were younger, and as long as they have a balanced diet otherwise, that is OK- toys or attention can work great for enrichment as well!

Gradually introduce a pelleted diet such as Exact or Pretty Bird. You can soak it in warm water to make a mush or paste. When you have them out, pretend to show an interest in the new food as this may also pique their curiosity. Decrease the amount of millet offered and have other foods available at all times.