Changing pellets for my bird's tastes

[allie]

maggie,

Luna has been acting strangely about eating for a while now, ever since she had to spend two weeks out on flat surfaces and was not allowed to go to cage or perch.

Then I realized that last summer she ate much later in the day too. In the winter she would eat Harrison's HP ravenously around 3pm with the sun streaming in, and again around 5pm. Now she wants to eat right as it gets dark, as she did last summer. So I feel better about that change.

However, she's doing more tossing and dropping of her Harrison's these days than eating it, and as much as I try, she still is a seed junkie and won't eat much fresh food.

Iwanted to ask you about TOPS. Totally Organic Pellets. Have you heard about them? What do you think of them? I know Harrison's are the most highly recommended, but I thought it would be kind of me to offer her variety in pellets as well as fresh foods in case she's bored with them or tired of them.

Is it normal for a Grey to go from ADORING a certain pellet and 8 months later, just change tastes and no longer eat it? Other than her recent plucking, she has no other signs of ill health, and is very active and noisey lately. Her droppings passed my vet's test over the phone. He said he wouldn't worry as long as they are well formed and they are.

What do you think? Offer her some different healthy pellets since that's her main diet? Do you have any other brands you would recommend that don't have corn as the first ingredient?

Allie and Luna

[Maggie-]

Allie,

We change our tastes in the foods we want to eat, don't we? Greys do too. Sounds like she's bored with the Harrison's. I've never heard of TOPS, but as long as a pellet does not have artificial flavors and colors, they should be okay. It would be nice to be organic too. Also, pellets shouldn't really be any more than 30% of the diet. I know Dr. Harrison disagrees, but remember that it's his profit.

You also need to try different ways of serving the vegetables and fruits. Go back to the Helpful Hints section of this site and read about tips from people on how they have served their Greys. That may help.

We all change. Change is good, most of the time.

Another way to get Luna more into the veggies/fruits is to eat them yourself by the cage and get excited. Show her how GOOD they taste!
But DO NOT let her eat off of the same one because we have bacteria in our mouths that will make them sick.

GREY'T Blessings,
Maggie-

[allie]

Thanks Maggie,

I have some TOPs on the way. I'll let you know what we think of them. Brown rice is the first ingredient. It also has spinach powder, which made me think of oxalates that block the absorption of calcium. I thought that was an odd thing to put in a daily diet, but it may not be as big an effect as is touted on the internet. Afterall, I'm no nutritionist or vet!

We are trying skewers, stuffed in toys, hanging from tree (she did nibble at some chard!), cooked, fresh, different shapes, and I ALWAYS share my healthy food but she just has a way of knowing what's good for her---and avoiding it! Today she finely picked out and discarded the swiss chard from her cube of lasagna! We certainly won't give up. She did, afterall, eat a cooked carrot a few weeks ago, which made me beam all day.

Allie and Luna

[Maggie-]

Allie,

It does seem odd that they would add the spinach powder for a daily dose. I suggest that you email the manufacturer and ask that question. They may not be nutritionists either. I would also ask about the credentials of the nutritionist helping them formulate their product.

Miss Luna is eating healthy foods, just like a Grey! LOL!

Maggie-