How to Get Your Bird to Eat Vegetables! | Tips and Tricks | BirdNerdSophie

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

Gunna sound weird, but the way I got my birds off their all seed diets and onto veggies was with baby food (aka purees). I would add some very finely cut chop to it. Then put their normal seed into the mix. So the puree stuck to everything. When they went for a seed. They tasted puree in each one. Most also stuck to the various chop pieces. Over time I just added less and less seed. The chop went from fine to a bit chunkier, and the puree was phased out. I still keep puree on hand for summer months. You freeze it, and put it into their morning chop bowl on top, it adds a cold treat to nibble on. Keeps the veggies cooler longer so they don't spoil in 5 minutes from the heat! Love the idea with the broccoli stalk, I didn't even think about that! Going to have to give that a go next time I have one on hand.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s a really good idea! Assuming it’s no added sugar/salt then a great thing to try! Similar to using mashed sweet potato to get the seeds to stick! Let me know how you get on with the broccoli stalk! Saves it going to waste 😊

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

@@BirdNerdSophie Organic baby food, nothing added. Easy to make your own too, but I seen the baby food on sale, so went for it lol. I was going to give the sweet potato / yam idea a go, but figured a wide variety of puree choices might get them interested in trying more flavors sort of thing. It might of worked really well with my budgies cause they were still very young when I got them. Just happened to work with the 6 year old rescue cockatiel as well (who had never seen a veggie in his life). I know every parrot is different, it was even more fun figuring out how to get them to try pellets!

[@Smithaa1]

Thank u. I am trying this technique. Today i mashed banana & mixed her favorite chickpeas n cowpeas to it. She carefully picked the chickpeas chunks frm it😂😂

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

@@Smithaa1 That is the beauty of the baby food technique though. They can pick out what ever they like, but some of the baby food will always stick to it, so they are forced to taste new food combinations. with time, just add smaller chunks of the new items, which get bigger and bigger as they progress. My birds still like finely chopped chop. I am ok with that. I also have tiny beaks here. Again another great way to get something healthy into a parrots diet are sprouts :D

[@upandrunningat50]

cooked and mashed sweet potato mixed with the seeds they are used too (if on all-seed diet) will encourage them to taste the new food as they pick out the seed from it. Gradually reducing the volume of seed.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Drew, great tip! Mashed sweet potato (and egg also!) are a great way of enticing birds to try new things! They're also a great source of vitamin A too! Thanks for taking the time to comment! :)

[@susannemichelsen8879]

Oh, you do the same. Great idea, isn't it? 😊

[@wakeupfeelinggreateveryday1723]

this is really helpful

[@BartTheBardOfficial]

This was a really useful video! To use vegetables as enrichment is brilliant. So often we've had those broccoli stems and felt a bit weird about throwing it away as it's still edible, but now we've got an actual use for them!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad it was helpful! They love broccoli stalks 😊

[@walkwithwilz2525]

Love the video and all the helpful suggestions you have in ways you can entice your birbs to eat lovely healthy veggies, if only it would for humans too, it appears the birbs eat better than I do ha ha, but your flock look absolutely stunning just like their human, much love to you and all the family

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you Wilz! 💚 They definitely eat better than I do as well! Thank you for your lovely comment! 🥰 Hope you’re okay!

[@emilielindjensen5164]

You and you're birds are absolutely adorable ❤️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you for your kind words! 🦜🙂❤

[@susanwest3087]

Thank you for all your valuable information. It is so helpful to all of us that want to give our birds the best life we can. You are adorable

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you found my video useful - thanks for watching! 😊

[@TimRoseOfficial]

*_Hi my friend! Just wanted to stop by and show some support ^_^ Wishing you tons of success on KZbin! Like #6!_*

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hello! Thanks for your comment and support! I hope you’re having a great week!

[@vee2877]

Great tips but also 11/10 tshirt! ❤️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much! 😊 Favourite character?!

[@vee2877]

BirdNerdSophie ooooh that’s a tough one. I tend to like the villains, so probably N.Gin from Crash 2, because the missile stuck in his head is just so preposterous! What about you? Who’s your favourite?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Vee good choice! I love the animals, in particular the hog you ride from number 1 and the tiger you ride from number 3! 😊

[@vee2877]

BirdNerdSophie YES!!! They’re so cute!

[@ornithologydude8649]

My lot still refuse veggies, they only eat a bit, and they'll only eat green beans and cabbage. I'll keep trying to get them to eat chop, but i might need to book a consultation with you/ david? Also, i keep coming back to this video, making sure i got it all right

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Birds can be so fussy! Have you tried any fresh herbs with them? We would love to have a consultation with you, but we would need your parents to email us to say they are cool with is just because of your age!

[@ornithologydude8649]

@@BirdNerdSophie fresh herbs aren't available in my area for some reason. We get soggy sad stuff lol. My parents would be fine with me having a consultation, and yes if i decide to have a consultation, they'd email you! They honestly don't care what i do with the birds, mainly because I pay for everything for the birds and i work all the time to get money to provide for the birds.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@ornithologydude8649 that’s cool 😊 Could you buy some seeds and maybe grow some? That could be a fun project!

[@ornithologydude8649]

@@BirdNerdSophie yes i could! I am really good at sprouting seeds. I used to geow a ton of veggies including swiss chard but a storm destroyed my garden, along with an aviary i had.

[@treasuretrovel3816]

Great Video, Great Channel.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@mehere9724]

Brilliant idea Carrot through the cage .

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you like it 😊

[@NostressSeamstress]

Thank you for another useful video, I'll try the broccoli stalk and pepper, the last batch of chop (a whole lot of it) doesn't really encounter their taste, unfortunately, but I persist in giving it to them with some seeds and eventually they'll eat some of it, maybe lol

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Solange! Thanks for your comment! What ingredients did you have in your last batch and did you freeze it? I find that my lot prefer to eat crunchy veg, and some vegetables go a bit soggy especially when they’re frozen! I know a lot of people make it work but I haven’t as of yet!

[@NostressSeamstress]

@@BirdNerdSophie yes u, grise it and that's probably the reason, my last batch was also frozen but they ate it, however it was different. I followed one of the seasonal recipes by birdtricks which is surely good and complete but maybe too complex for cockatiels 🤔 I'm now adding more to ensure they eat enough greens.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Solange Grosso I have t actually seen the recipe for the Birdtricks diet - I know a lot of people use it but I’m sure there are fussy birds that don’t! I would love to just make a huge batch and freeze it but my little monsters are too fussy and precious and must have their food prepared weekly haha!

[@NostressSeamstress]

@@BirdNerdSophie we have such spoiled birds lol but I think all cockatiels are a bit fussy, this morning I gave them the broccoli stalk and chop with some seeds, they have also their pellets available, now I've finished working and I'll go home to see what and if they've eaten 😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@NostressSeamstress Perfect, hopefully they like them! It can take some time and repetition to get them to enjoy so don't be put off if they haven't touched much!

[@susannemichelsen8879]

I am steaming and mashing sweet potato and now pumpkin since it is in season and mix it with chop. I had to toss all my chop away cause it looked nasty after thawing. My husband vacuum sealed the chop in little portions. After thawing it looked like a mushy dark green glop. I am not freezing it anymore. This is not the first time it looked like that. 😒😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yeah freezing can definitely make some chops go a bit weird! Ours won’t eat thawed chop so it’s always made weekly here!

[@susannemichelsen8879]

@BirdNerdSophie after 1 year trying I am ready to give up with chop. He didn't even like my veggie grain bake anymore. I will give single veggies by holding it and pretending to eat it. He pretty much went for that. I cooked some quinoa, buckwheat is soaking as well as peas and mung and azuki beans which I will start sprouting. Wish me luck. Last time I had molt.

[@carolanne7755]

I give my bird vegetables on a feeder which hangs from the top of the cage you just thread the vegies etc on and hang up.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Sounds cool! 😊

[@Lcalvert66]

Are Chia seeds ok to give your birds? I have a Green Cheek Conure ..

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Absolutely! Best to sprinkle over fresh food as they take on a lot of moisture!

[@akcreations9603]

That's awesome 👍

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you!

[@huianxing3782]

She mentioned this, but don’t starve your birds. Some birds are pretty crazy, and will rather starve to death than eat something new. So do not leave them with something they don’t want to eat. Even with like pellets, they will not eat it, even if it’s the on,y thing they have.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yep starving is deffo not the way to go!

[@ivanfloresluna3891]

Do you have a video we’re you show how to get there trust because my bird always bits me when we get close

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! Thanks for your comment! My boyfriend actually made a vide on this recently, here's the link! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4HCg3dthat9g8U

[@lavisshsturniolo]

I got my two cockatiel I have just fed them cucumbers and seeds and I wanna introduce the to other veggies so this is a great video but if I put the veggies on something they eat they eat the thing that I put the veggies on 😢😅

[@BirdNerdSophie]

If that’s the case then you can try a different tip 😊 I’ll be updating this video soon with even more tips!

[@H.C.Q.]

Great ideas on how to get my cockatiel to eat her veggies. So far, she will only eat mushed up sweet potato. But mostly, she likes the dried Bird Greens and Fruits & Veggies that I bought at the pet shop. What are your thoughts on these products? Thanks

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Some of them are good, some are not! If you are happy to share what country you are in, I can give you my recommendation for those kinds of products 😊

[@barb8997]

I would be interested in those names too ty

[@starriq9083]

I got my birdies to eat vegetables by replacing there food bowl with vegetables instead of pellets and they looked at me like "wut did you just do" but then one of the got curious and tried it and the others saw and now they like it

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Nice one! Some birds are ore curious than others!

[@starriq9083]

Yup

[@erlynesanders935]

They love luttuce

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Tasty & crunchy!

[@vanessafarber3043]

Hi Sophie, can i ask, in your oppinion, are seeds healthier than pellets, im using tops. 1 tea spoon pellets and 1 T spoon of mixed seeds, don't know make of seeds it has fruit, nuts ect in it. Once its gone, im going to make yours. Love your video's. Thank you so much x

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Vanessa, it depends on the pellet quality really! TOP's are a great pellet but should be used in combination with lots of veggies, sprouts, herbs, spices, flowers, occasional fruits and healthy seeds etc 😊

[@vanessafarber3043]

@@BirdNerdSophie Thank you so much, i try to give equal amounts of seeds and tops pellets. They have chop in the morning, im now going to order some spice and flowers , the ones you've suggested in your video. Can you advise how much millet, i use millet for training but then cut down on other seeds. I use around 4/5 nuggets of millet when training my cockatiel. Do you think thats ok please. Thank you so much x

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@vanessafarber3043 hi Vanessa, yes that should be fine! If you can, get a set of bird scales and train your bird to be weighed so you can track their weight 😊

[@gwendolynduncan8937]

What is the link for sprouting seeds?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHS2hKN5h9SEicU

[@stilmotionpicture]

Can bird eat some salt?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Definitely not recommended!

[@stilmotionpicture]

@@BirdNerdSophie I thought so too. Thanks! By the way, I love your channel hehe I just got an Indian Ringneck . Hope it will be ok to trained

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@stilmotionpicture thanks for watching and congrats on your new bird! Take training slow and steady 😊

[@benjaminchoate9321]

My bird was trying to kiss your birds

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha love it - so cute! 🦜

[@Cosmicgypsie]

I absolutely love yours and your partner's videos... THE MOST INFORMATIVE ON KZbin... BY FAR. THANKYOU

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks so much for your kind words Donna! 😁💙

[@jenschuh8548]

🎉😊

[@susannemichelsen8879]

Agreed whole heartedly. ❤

[@wakeupfeelinggreateveryday1723]

My sweetie is enjoying the beginnings of introducing greens. Today is the shell of a green pepper (which is pretty) filled with cooked rice, mashed banana, seeds, mashed blueberry, mashed grape, and the broccolini is next. I layered the seed since she's eating mostly a seed diet now, and if she stays there at the mix, I'll lyk. My question is, as you make the diet more veggy than seed as you progress, and she takes to it, will that be enough food/nutrition for a full diet recommended. I'm intent on getting her to enjoy the fruits and veggies. Does plain sweet corn need to be mashed? It's mentioned with peas and may look enough like a seed. ty

[@BirdNerdSophie]

No the corn doesn’t need to be mashed! And is recommend watching my videos with Dr Jason Crean for more info on diet 😁

[@Lilladydark]

Thought I was just a failure with my cockatiels determination to see anything green as a poison. Even the eat it as a prime treat and pretend I don’t want to share doesn’t help with green. Worked for pellets but nooo, green just is not happening…

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Not at all! Diet conversion can take a long time! I have a more updated video than this with even more tips!

[@anushkafernando7046]

all this things you say like Bokchoy and broclie and bean sprouts all are raw right ??

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Every fresh food we offer is raw 😊

[@synappticuser394]

Sorry it is Denise I have text you twice tonight I will have triple in finding what is best for my birds as I cannot radar right I have my phone to do it I have had my birds separate in it separate there are female and I have put them both in the same cage tonight's I want to see what happens because when we're together there's there's sometimes ferret when they are together I do not know if it's best to have them separated are leave them together I do not which is the best way for then separate cage all together

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! If they don’t fight then you can house them together 😊

[@amandasmith4709]

What is your thought on eggplant? I have heard it can be toxic because it is in the nightshade family. Others say it is safe.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Amanda! I have also read conflicting information- personally I wouldn’t feed it as it’s too much of a risk and the potential nutrition benefits from it can be found in other safe fruit and vegetables 😊🦜

[@CaroleRobinson]

Great tips

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks Carole, hope you’re having a great week!

[@Smithaa1]

Thank u for the ideas. Today i mashed banana & mixed her favorite chickpeas n cowpeas to it. She carefully picked the chickpeas chunks frm it😂😂

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Keep trying 🥰🦜

[@susannemichelsen8879]

I am glad you mentioned smashed banana. I was about to ask Sophie. I heard it from another parront on KZbin to try that. So, your bird ate his chickpeas? Did you cook or sprout them?

[@aliahossam6632]

This is going to help me a lot when I get my cockatiels, also can you please tell me what nuts can they eat?😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Sara! Hopefully they like their veggies! Cockatiels aren’t always that interested in nuts but you can give them a go! Some safe ones include almonds, walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts. I would not recommend feeding peanuts as they are very unhealthy! 🐣

[@aliahossam6632]

Thank you so much😊😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@aliahossam6632 You are very welcome!

[@anushkafernando7046]

Are those raw peas or cooked ??

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes raw 😊

[@gyno123]

Can birds eat tomatoes

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes occasionally! Only the tomato flesh though, not the leaves or vines as they are toxic!

[@kurapikakurta1997]

When we got Lemon (my cockatiel), he was on a mostly seed diet but he also had some veggies. Swapping him over was easy because of this, but it was hard for him to eat any fruit. We just bought some different types for him to test, and so far strawberries seem to be his favourite, although he’d rather have corn and zucchini. The test worked by placing a small amount on my desk and seeing what ones he went to. Unlike most birds, he seems to really hate apple for some reason.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Cockatiels usually aren't that fussed about fruit as it wouldn't make up much of their natural diet! I think the favourites here are apple, pear, banana, papaya and grapes!

[@susannemichelsen8879]

That's great that your bird likes veggies better than fruit. Mine loves fruit. 😊 I have a Quaker though.

[@candicet5973]

Maya is the pickiest birb everrrrrr she hates carrots and bell peppers and broccoli and everything that is not a tasty seed or a leaf. Rn I'm using the threading leafy vegetables throught the bars since she loves it like that, but I'm still trying for the more crunchier veggies. She still didn't try the sprouts, so I am going to try to make it that there is a 1 millimeter tail sticking out so maybe I can fool her

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You can do it! Persistence is key!

[@willyandolya3741]

Veggies are so important!! :)

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Absolutely! Thanks for your comment 😊

[@nancylee8030]

How do you wash your vegetables?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Just under the kitchen tap but different countries have different food hygiene standards 😊

[@LisaSmith-yb2uz]

It’s funny you say that most birds like peas 🫛. I’ve made a great mixed chop for my cockatiel, Trinity, and she picks out the peas and leaves them all behind! 😋🦜 but she absolutely LOVES her spinach the best! 😊👌❣️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha that’s so silly 😊

[@juliegardner9544]

Your videos are such a help, I lost my Sid 2 years ago (age 11) who absolutely refused anything other than seed and liver failure finally got the better of him. I now have another budgie, he is currently nearly 2 months and I am determined to get this one to eat healthier. I have ordered the seed from Garden Feathers and the seed sprouter, but I'm afraid like you although I do like veg I don't eat it very often. Is there anyway I can buy organic veg chop and maybe freeze in ice cube trays for later use?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks so much for watching! You can absolutely freeze it if you need to but some birds don’t like the texture so you can add chia seeds, rolled oats and edible dried flowers to soak up moisture!

[@shavargo300]

Thanks u so much I'm been trying so long to get my bird to eat there Vegetable I made some chop and the only way they can eat it if I Sprinkle some Brown sugar on it and I know is not Healthy

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I would definitely avoid using the sugar going forward - instead you could try adding some fruit for natural sweetness if that's what will tempt them to eat it!

[@qwqcc]

Hi sophie! hope you are well. I have tried just about everything my cockatiel doesn’t even want to eat fruits he is perfectly healthy I hand raised him so he is very comfortable with me so I know it isn’t anything to do with his health, I was wondering if you have anything in mind to try my vet and I have talked about a lot of ways but he isn’t interested. to give you some context you could say he is terrified of fruits and veggies he doesn’t want to get close to them at all he moves away from it even if I stick them between his cages bars do you have any ideas ? hope you see this stay well - trinity

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Trinity - I wouldn't worry too much about fruits as most cockatiels don't like them, but the veggies are more important! You can use positive reinforcement training to get him closer - if he looks at the veggies, give him a treat! If he makes any tiny movement towards them, give him a treat! You can also try baking them into bird read to start the conversion process, or try freeze dried veggies!

[@candicet5973]

Hey Sophie, do u know how to get baby birds who have never tried to eat by themselves to try to eat super tiny chop? Fluffy it was easier bc he was already trying to eat like that but Tiki never did it before and doesn't know how to do it

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Candice, as I've mentioned before, I have no experience with hand raising parrots. However you could lay some of a plate and have the other birds eat from it too to show him, or try a little on the end of your finger and offer it!

[@lesaboutin1430]

When you put seeds in something like the bell pepper or broccoli stalk, do you count them as part of the daily allowance of seeds? In other words, you don't give them seeds in their food bowl, but rather in the foraging/enriching veggie?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I see it as more of an extra as long as we don’t do too much 😊

[@lesaboutin1430]

Thank you for answering so quickly!

[@carolineshipp1237]

Hi Sophie, my 2 cockatiel brothers are 9 weeks old, can I start giving them veg yet or are they a bit young? Thanks

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Caroline! Yes you can definitely start them on some veggies now! I'd recommend peas, finely chopped broccoli and grated carrot! 😊

[@carolineshipp1237]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you 🐦😊

[@mahmoud7215]

You could take the seed looking parts on the broccoli and mix them with seeds

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Absolutely! 🦜

[@mahmoud7215]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you

[@ayesha199]

Do you have any tips for a blind cockatiel?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Great question! The riced broccoli mixed in with seeds should work well, as well as the peas! You could also try freeze dried veg as cockatiels often prefer foods with less moisture in and you can increase that over time! You could also hold the leaves and herbs in front of them and encourage them to come closer with your voice!

[@Ukman-england]

A white cane

[@judithtorres7965]

My parrot does not what to eat vegetables and fruits only seed like son flowers seed and 🥜 peanut he loves peanut

[@judithtorres7965]

He only wants peanut 🥜

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Following the steps in this video will help! I don’t recommend feeding peanuts at all as they lack nutrition and the shells can have mould in them!

[@judithtorres7965]

Ok

[@judithtorres7965]

Thanks

[@judithtorres7965]

I will

[@grantharper6033]

Hi Sophie, I have watched loads of videos on bird feed regarding seeds, fresh veg, fruit, herbs etc… but one thing no one has mentioned is…. Do you leave birds food available for them 24 hrs a day, or just the day not at night or just for an hour at a time in which case how many times a day? I have two cockatiels and two budgies all of which have come to me on 100% seed diets. They are slowly starting to try little bits of other things but I don’t know if I should leave food all day for them to graze on when they want or to limit access? Many thanks Grant

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Grant! I leave fresh food (veg, sprouts etc) out from 8am to 2/3pm, then I feed a dry mix (freeze dried veg, seeds, flowers etc) from 2/3pm until 8am the next day. I portion out the food so I expect them to have eaten it by the next morning!

[@H.C.Q.]

That is a fantastic question. I'm wondering if I'm overfeeding my 'tiel.

[@tiffilynn99]

​@@BirdNerdSophie where do you get freeze dried vegetables? I can't find it anywhere.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@tiffilynn99 where are you in the world? 😊

[@tiffilynn99]

@@BirdNerdSophie California

[@loradavis3288]

I can't wait to try all these ideas with Saphira! 🥕🫑

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hopefully they will be helpful 💙😊