HOW TO GET YOUR BIRD TO EAT VEGETABLES - tips for parrot healthy diet conversion | BirdNerdSophie

HOW TO GET YOUR BIRD TO EAT VEGETABLES - tips for pet parrot healthy diet conversion !
Transitioning your pet bird on to a healthier diet can take time, patience, persistence and creativity. Don't give up on trying them with healthy food! Feeding your parrot fresh veggies is so important for their overall health.
Why parrots waste food: • WHY DO PARROTS WASTE F...
Safe and toxic list: freerangeparro...
Colour preference study (not the parrot one as I couldn't find it, but still cool): link.springer....
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Hi everyone, I'm Sophie, also known as BirdNerdSophie, and I make educational and entertaining parrot care content! I've been working professionally with animals since 2009 across different jobs including working as a zoo keeper, animal trainer, zoo presenter, animal care lecturer and farmer! I have been lucky enough to work with parrots of all sizes, including: blue and gold macaws, yellow naped Amazons and budgies! I have a First Class BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour and Welfare specialising in birds, and I have a growing flock of parrots who I love!
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[@tzxazrael]

i love the idea of "tricking" them into eating stuff they're "not supposed to"... my head keeps playing scenes of the little birdies marching up to it like, "haha you can't stop me!" and next time they're like "not only can you not stop me, it's delicious! DOUBLE NOM TIME~!" and then years later they have that sudden realization "wait!! you _WANTED_ me to eat this! I'VE BEEN BAMBOOZLED~ ...but it _is_ still pretty yummy, so...." xD

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha gotta bamboozle them into eating healthy! 😂😂😂

[@kuyuke]

Wow, 20+ tips! There's something for everyone to try, even if you've "tried it all!" 😅 Chopping veggies very finely in the food processor is what worked for Twig 😊 Thank you for another amazing video! 💜

[@BirdNerdSophie]

We’ve gotta be so creative with these cheeky creatures 😂 and ours like a finely ground chop too!

[@cozymatcha11]

Fantastic video! I love how this video is packed with so many approachable tips! The soaked and sprouted beans are a new concept that I have just learned about-- it feels like a whole new world I am exploring haha but still excited nonetheless. In addition the tidbit about using organic nut butter and herbs are definitely among the things that I look forward to trying from this video. I recently just came across your videos, and I have been binge-watching on your channel ever since! Thank you so much, Sophie! Also LOVE the Pokémon cards of your flock in the background ❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video - thank you so much for watching 😊💙

[@KarmasAbutch]

Can confirm - Pretending something is an off limits houseplant gets a lot of interest and curious sneaking from my cockatiels 😂

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha they’re so naughty 😂

[@deanf2696]

Keep up with the videos, there very helpful and educational, don't ever listen to the haters and trolls

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you very much 💙

[@onl4180]

Hey Sophie, another a very informative video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Greetings from Belgium

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you for watching! Hope you are keeping well 😊

[@curtismddltn]

Great vid as per usual! You said that parrots tend to prefer red/orange foods- which wasn't the case with hedwig and Gizmo who took ages to ever try hot coloured foods and much preferred greens! I wonder if there's a reason for that or if it's just down to individuals being individuals 🤔

[@BirdNerdSophie]

There will always be individual preferences! For example our tiels took to greens without any fuss 😁

[@IH753]

Great video Sophie, great tips and motivation from you 😊 thank you for sharing your knowledge with us 😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you very much for your kind words 😊

[@rachellebrandt9546]

This is packed full of so much great info, thanks!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad it was helpful! 😊

[@er1cf]

My conure is already accustomed to fresh fruits and vegetables, but this video gave me so many awesome new ideas to keep things interesting! What kind of micro greens were shown at the 11:50 mark? Thanks for this video!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you 🥰 those ones are wheatgrass!

[@zonabrown9241]

You have given me a few ideas❤❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hope you found it useful :)

[@heathersault5006]

Thank you for this, I struggle to get my gcc to eat vegetables

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You are most welcome!

[@ko.wildlifephotography]

Thank you for the very informative video. My Budgies are a little bit better in eating few healthy foods now. After daily long term struggles. However, maybe I should deploy more ideas to improve their intake of vegetables even further. They can be especially stubborn about trying new foods to the point they would rather starve. I especially like the idea of a broccoli stalk used as a foraging toy - when there is millet involved they usually have a good try at it

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They are such silly little budgies! But you have made progress with their diet which is great 😊

[@SirBenJamin_]

Hello Sophie. Do you know how to make home made parrot bells from seed? Like the ones you see in the pet shop, where seed is stuck together to form a block or bell?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! I don’t really recommend any seed bells, even if you make them yourself! It’s a lot of seed to be free feeding, and it would be better used in a foraging tray or for training 😊

[@momac9748]

Thank you for the ligh-hearted video My baby passed away yesterday after an accident due yo internal bleeding... I'm devastated...

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Oh my goodness, I am so so sorry to hear this. Sending the biggest hugs your way 🫂💙

[@momac9748]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you... I miss my baby girl so much she was the cockatiel of anyone's dreams ... I hope she is happy in birdy paradise... my baby angel ❤️

[@user-sb5zz2rl1j]

I'm so sorry for your loss.😥

[@birdyadventures]

thank you! This is helping :) I didn't wanted to have kids because of all the work and time and responsibility BUT I TOOK A CONURE XD silly of me ahaha. it's my precious baby

[@birdyadventures]

But it's difficult to evaluate the amount we can give them? Because of all the wasting

[@birdyadventures]

are radish sprouts ok? thanks!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes!

[@bethdenise9967]

Hi! I’ve been doing the smashed sweet potato trick for my cockatiel, Thank you so much for the idea!! 🙏🏻 For how long can I leave the smashed sweet potato available without it going bad?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You are most welcome 😊 as it’s cooked, it can’t be left out all day like raw food could, so a few hours would be fine!

[@dawnpelsor3903]

Can I have suggestions for freeze dried veggies? In the US .Thank you for all the suggestions, I will be replaying the video I’m sure 😃

[@user-sb5zz2rl1j]

I know that Birdtricks make and sell them, but I don't know the price. They have their seasonal feeding systems and they freezdry those. I believe they have four kinds.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes! Check out China Prairie 😊 www.chinaprairie.com/

[@Ragon121]

HI!!, I’ve been wanting a pionus maximillian for about a month and had been doing a whole bunch of research. I also would like to mention that I own a male cockatiel and I’m not sure if that would be a good fit because of the size difference and personality and beak size, what are your opinions on this situation? I’m open to hear some feedback and I would really would like to hear from your point of view. I would also like to say that I am in between of deciding if I should get a green cheek conure or a pionus parrot, I love all both of those parrots but I’m mostly looking if it’s a right fit for my cockatiel so he won’t be harmed in any way. Thank you in advance for the information you might give 🙏🙏💓!.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! I personally wouldn’t mix them due to the risk of injury from the size difference like you mentioned! But if they don’t mix and have their separate spaces and out of cage time it could work! Cockatiels usually get bullied by most other species so if you were looking for a companion for him for them to hang out, I’d get another cockatiel! But if you are looking to have another bird where they aren’t sharing spaces then you have more options 😊

[@Ragon121]

@@BirdNerdSophie ah! Okay thank you!

[@shanzalkhan6180]

hey i hope you reply to my comment but im looking to buy a cockatiel , what age should i go for so that i can tame it easily?, the pet store owner said 6 months should be fine , but i think its a little old , what age should i go for?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey, age isn’t a factor in the ease of taming a bird because every bird is an individual!

[@nirvool_6968]

Wanted to ask, is it normal for my tiels to be deathly afraid of tomatoes, to the point theyll fly to their highest perch if its in the room😅

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha it might be the colour that they are scared of! Check out my neophobia video 😊

[@easyybreezeyy]

Do you have a bird bread recipe?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

No I don’t, I usually buy store bought!

[@easyybreezeyy]

@@BirdNerdSophie wich one would you recommend?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@easyybreezeyy I like the TOPs one best!

[@easyybreezeyy]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you

[@Linda-qq5mg]

This is a wonderful video! Thank you so very much.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@HolyMeow33]

Hey Sophie, just wondering how you get those parrot portraits and Pokemon parrot decorations on the wall? What are they called? I've been looking for them for a long time, but I don't know what to search for. Thanks!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! The Pokémon ones are from Poke Pet Shop, the portraits are from a variety of places like Furry Royal and The Canvasist 😊

[@HolyMeow33]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your reply.@@BirdNerdSophie

[@zonabrown9241]

❤is it safe 4 my budgie ti have chia seeds also do you have a video on hormonal issues please ❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes! They are best sprinkled on chop! And yes I do!

[@zonabrown9241]

Thanks Sophie

[@BartTheBardOfficial]

The problem I'm facing with almost all of these ideas is that our birds are incredibly suspicious of anything new. They won't go near new things for weeks, sometimes even then they wouldn't go near a new small toy. They do eat when we have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but they more often than not won't touch what we've touched. That means we can't weigh them cause the scale is scary and large to them, we can't get them to play with new toys cause they don't understand them and they look unfamiliar, and on top they won't step up (after months) without seeing me presenting sweets. So they're not as tame and trusting to take anything from us even if they would be interesting. Honestly I'm at a loss after months of persisting. I'm sceptical of sprouting cause when I tried they got mouldy during the process so fast... They also dislike soft textures. It's all hard foods, thus seeds. We'll try freeze dried as a last resort, I guess 😒 it's sad for them honestly

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Sounds like some more desense work is needed with them! Even if they’re on an undesirable diet currently, you can still use these seeds before breakfast to train where they will naturally be a little hungrier. I have a video on neophobia which may help too. It can be a long process but consistency and repetition really is key 😊

[@BartTheBardOfficial]

@@BirdNerdSophie I'll have a look at that video thank you!

[@shivsnorman]

@BartZeal I'm totally with you, my birds are the same. 😢

[@skort94]

Can freeze dried replace the fresh wet? Sunny LOVES freeze dried food and we have a freeze drier! I've tried most of these tips to not much avail because she just doesn't like wet food (and I've tried drying it with a paper towel to get most of the wet off). She'll eat soaked goodies with no issues at all and most sprouted goodies (she's not big into lentils), but she'll barely eat her veggies (she's especially fussy about broccoli). She'll usually eat her peas and corn, but when she has a choice between fresh peas or freeze dried, she'll eat the freeze dried every time. So if she could have freeze dried veggies in place of fresh that would be a game changer!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Personally I wouldn’t replace fresh with freeze dried - fresh will always be the better option! However freeze dried is great to offer alongside it and as a long term diet conversion tool to help your bird to eat fresh too 😊

[@CLEOtheConure]

This is helpful! I don’t have a bird yet, but I just want to ask, are green cheek conures loud? I can tolerate some noise but my brother can’t. Thanks!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes they can be very loud but everyone’s tolerance for noise is different!

[@matthewfajardo8461]

My tiels wont touch veggies :: gotta watch this

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@madelenewhite1576]

My budgie is a seed addict, I had him on healthier not store seed and now he throws them so I do your technique of putting store seed in a jar of water with a bit of apple cider vinegar. Man these birds are junk food eaters lol😮

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They can definitely take time to diet convert but the effort will be worth it 😊

[@ashleighwalls3429]

Do u have a bird bread recipe pls.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

[I usually buy the premade bird breads but there are a lot of recipes online :)

[@Jonas-ei7yg]

I'm getting a cockatiel for my birthday I can only get one but I have enought(4hrs+ per day to play with it should I still get one if I can't get another one

[@BirdNerdSophie]

The choice is yours, just bare in mind all of the life changes you might go through in the next few years and if the amount of time you would have with the bird would change!

[@Jonas-ei7yg]

@@BirdNerdSophie if everything stays the same is it fine to get a single cockatiel

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@Jonas-ei7ygpotentially! 😊

[@sandrarekker585]

awwww Pickles and Scampie are so adorable

[@BirdNerdSophie]

The cutest babies 🥰

[@andreagyorgy5032]

What’s a good brand of freeze dried veg please? Been giving my cockatiel chop but she just picks out the seeds😩 so frustrating

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Where in the world are you so I can recommend somewhere 😊

[@andreagyorgy5032]

@@BirdNerdSophie England 😁

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@andreagyorgy5032 I recommend: www.pollysnaturalparrotboutique.com/

[@andreagyorgy5032]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you very much😍

[@LucyBird]

This video is amazing!! I did not know that bright colored vegetables may be more appealing. So many veggies are green so I guess it makes sense that they may be boring for our birds. Going to try some more colorful things this week with my birdies 😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Don’t get me wrong, green veggies are important! But sometimes the key to get birds to try green veggies is to try other colours first! 😊

[@tzxazrael]

@@BirdNerdSophie yep, natuire will tell them "that's just a leaf, not very interesting" until they've been tempted into trying other things and start realizing "hey, mama/ papa actually sticks a lot of yummy things in here, even if it seems odd..."

[@mavisdavis77]

Brilliant information Sophie, thank you. 💜🦜🤩

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much 🥰

[@percompi]

Great video with very useful tips😋😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks a lot 😊

[@WeAreNotGoingBackEver]

Their playing in your hair is hysterical! 😂😂😂.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They are very distracting when filming 🤣

[@aneirinshelties]

Many thanks, Sophie, for yet another informative and fun bird tutorial. I truly appreciate you & your partners' generosity in communicating and sharing your bird knowledge and experience. Keep up your great work and kindness. 😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much for your kind words 🥰

[@MisterTene]

hi there :D

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hello! 🦜😁

[@bjFloridaGator]

Hi Sophie, have you got any good birdie bread recipes that are healthy for our feathers?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey 😊 I haven’t made any DIY ones myself yet, but I imagine there are a few tutorials on youtube! I just buy the pre-made mixes!

[@user-sb5zz2rl1j]

I think Birdtricks have recepies for birdybread.

[@jefferymerriner]

In our grocery stores now they're offering live plants you can take home and transplant but I buy them for my cockatiel to eat you can get basil Rosemary and parsley I just dropped a little pots down into a little bit better play pot and they'll eat that plant closer to the soil

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s awesome 🤩

[@onl4180]

Hope you gave them a good wash before you gave them to your birds. Greeting from Belgium