How can i introduce new foods to a cockatoo, other than seeds?

Question

i have got a cockatoo. he is been with me for about two weeks. i have tried to give him many fresh fruits and vegetables. but he like only seeds. I have given him a small broccoli floweret and also tried giving him small diced pieces of apple. In the morning, before giving him fresh food, i take the seeds away from him, so that he can go for new food. but he just looks at it, inspects it and then goes away. he does not eat a single piece of anything. So in the afternoon, i have to put the seeds back in his cage. and he starts eating the seeds. means he prefer to stay hungry, than eating anything else than seeds.

he also has got a small metal ring in his foot. he keeps on playing with the ring with his beek. i don't know whether he dislike the ring, or is just playing with it. can anyone help me.

Answer 1

Your Cockatoo is not use to eating fresh fruits and veggies.  Seems he has only had a seed diet, which is not a good thing.  Birds, or just some birds, shy away from things they are not use to.  Just keep introducing them to him.  Give him a variety, small amounts of all things to try, and hopefully he'll try some.  I had a Cockatoo that was owned by someone else and never tried fruits or veggies for me.  I would leave your birds seed in his cage and offer the new things in a separate dish at the same time.  Just keep trying.  You can also try some reg people food also.  Like some pasta, rice, cooked veggies, all sorts of things, as long as it's healthy.  One of my birds loves pasta and potato's, eggs, even chicken.  Good luck with him.

As for his band.  I would leave it.  He probably likes playing with it, just a habit.  All birds get banded when the are babies.  It has info on it as to where they came from.  All my birds are banded also.

Edit:::  Someone mentioned HONEY...Please NO HONEY for birds.  There is something in honey that is VERY, VERY bad for birds.

Answer 2

i would maybe suggest putting it in a toy. something he has to pull apart to get. he may need stimulation. i have never had a problem with a parrot not eating as they are like todlers and put everything in their mouth usually. thats what they do best chew things and pull them apart.

Answer 3

I've never had a problem with my cockatoo eating new things, he actually sqwawks if he doesnt get any, he flew into our yard last january and we've had him since, he was obviously tame because he flew right onto our deck and just hopped in the cage we had there lol, try eating maybe the same kinds of things and as stupid as this sounds, say stuff like mm this is yummy, my cockatoo will eat almost anything I give him but theres 2 things I've found he doesn't like - weetbix and jelly which is fine, I give him the stalks of broccoli after Im cutting it up for dinner, and I also give him things like pasta, fresh corn on the cob cut up, vita wheat biscuits, crackers,ends of carrots etc, maybe put them in some of his toys. As for the metal ring, it has to be left on in case he gets out and he needs to be identified so that you can get it back, sure it annoys him now but he'll eventually forget it's there, as for the seed taking it away, try mixing it in with his seed, add a little honey for flavour to the vegetables so that theres something sweet on there that he likes as well - Also foods you shouldnt give cockatoos are onions, avocados and potatoes although every now and then I give my cockatoo a hot chip and he loves it - not all the time maybe once every 2 months. Good luck

Also if you want any more info feel free to message me.

Answer 4

Try him on a few raw peanuts, a slice of banana, an orange section and a piece of raw corn.

Telephone the seller and enquire as to the bird's former diet.

You must teach the bird to eat properly, just like you would teach a child.  Many months may pass before your cockatoo is eating a well balanced diet, but always provide the suggested foods even if he is refusing to eat them.

A good feeding program includes a measured amount of sunflower seed, a few raw peanuts, one yellow and one green vegetable (raw), and two fruits.  Consider a mineral block but it is a waste of time if the bird destroys it.

Do you live near a farm supply store?  Purchase

pigeon-size gravel mixture.  Buy crushed granite Red Cross grit and crushed oyster shells, and combine them into one mixture.  Put gravel into a clean dish.  Replace old gravel when needed (once a month).

Supplements are good:  Vionate powder to sprinkle on the soft foods;  Avitron vitamin for the water, and Linatone oil for the seed.

You may need to give your cockatoo an outlet for its natural tendency to chew.  Provide fresh branches and chewing material on a daily basis.

Answer 5

Hi, I'm not a veterinarian, but I have had similar problems with my parrot. The good news is that they've all been resolved with a little work!

First, you mention that he's eating seeds. This is a no-no! Seeds are actually the junk food of birds. The best thing for a parrot are pellets. Pellets contain all the nutrition they need. There are brands that are sold in veterinaries that don't contain any food coloring and are the best choice. The look something like grape-nuts cereal.

The first thing I would do is ween him off of seeds entirely. Later on, they can be used as a reward or treat. I mention grape nuts because that was how I convinced my bird to eat pellets. It's like getting a toddler to eat his vegetables. So, the first thing to do is see if your cockatoo likes grape nuts. Give him a few. If he does then you might be able to use the same technique I used. I mixed a few grape nuts in with the pellets. At first he just pecked around the pellets looking for the grape nuts but after a while he took a liking to the pellets, too. Once you have your bird on a pellet diet you can be sure that he's getting good nutrition. You mention that he prefers to go hungry rather than eat anything than seeds. I think you have to give a little tough love in regard, though the grape nuts trick worked with mine so we never were afraid the he'd starve. Although, he certainly did complain (squawk) incessantly.

Pellets are boring though, and at this point since he won't be eating seeds still you can introduce some good veggies. Parrots are like people. They love the sweetest veggies the most. This for my parrot happened to be corn. Before we gave him corn, though, he loved sweet peas, and before that, brocolli was his favorite. He likes it all though, but corn makes him go nuts. And, oh, there's another one! Peanuts, he loves 'em. And its great watching him take it apart with his claw and beak. Be careful with two ingredients that you'd never want to give your bird because they're deadly: avocado and chocolate.

About the ring on his foot. My bird was playing with his until one day he just took it off unexpectedly, I don't know how he managed to do it. I think that a veterinarian could safely remove it if your bird cannot by himself.

I hope this helps, take care.