Gradual cold turkey
Routine is key to this method. It is suitable for birds of any age or breed but tends to work best for laid back birds who are not stressed out by change and enjoy eating treats. There is a certain element of tough love and mild deprivation, so owners need to be prepared for this and dedicated to making the change. If the bird is underweight another method maybe more suitable- owners should take advice from their veterinarian.
Extra dishes
Two extra dishes containing the new pelleted diet should be added into the cage – the highest by their sleeping perch, another in the usual place that their food is given. These should be the same type of dishes in which their regular food is given. A final dish for the old diet should be placed down low in the cage.
The idea is to expose the bird to the new pellets as he moves around the cage, giving him multiple opportunities to try them. Initially he may not even recognize them as food, so this continued exposure will help.
Establish a routine
Old food
A very small portion of the old diet should be offered 2 times daily, once in morning, once in evening. Remember this dish is the lowest one in the cage. This ensures he will have something to eat over the period he is transitioning to the new diet, but not enough to fill him up, meaning he is not hungry enough to try the new diet in the interim. Birds are smart and quickly recognize routine, so will soon understand that if they are hungry during the day, they will have to try the new pellets.
Treat time
A special treat in middle of day should be given- fruits, vegetables, cooked food. Whatever it is the bird loves and will not refuse. This helps maintain the bond between bird and owner. Ensure it is just a small amount and not enough to discourage grazing on the new pellets during the day. Do not give other treats during the day- this one is part of the new routine and should be extra special; if you give others during the day the bird will learn to anticipate this and will wait on the arrival of more treats rather than try the new food. Do not leave treats in the cage as moist food will spoil rapidly. Treat time can also be used as an opportunity to encourage the bird to try the pellets- crush up a few and roll the moist treat in the powder to allow him to try the flavour.
Stop the old food for breakfast
Once the routine is established, then stop feeding old diet in the morning, so he is hungry when he wakes up and only food available is pelleted. The bird should eat more and more pellets during the day as he is becoming more familiar with them and is hungrier with the lack of old food for breakfast. Do not be surprised if the bird preferentially selects a particular colour pellet (if multi-coloured product is being offered). This is a normal selection behaviour.
Allow the bird to acclimatise to this new feeding routine, remembering to maintain the lunchtime treat. Do not rush to the next step – most of us adapt to change better if it is gradual; this can mean a few days or weeks- every individual is different.
Tip: If the bird is still unwilling to try the new pellets
Take him out of the cage and pretend you are eating the new diet before offering it to him- just as you might a toddler. Sometimes birds can actually be fearful of the pellets and simply not understand that it is food. This can help convince them.
Do not ever mix the 2 foods- they will never convert onto the pellets unless they have the incentive of hunger to drive them.
How to know if the bird is eating enough of the new pellets?
A big question in this method is when is it ok to remove the old food entirely?
Weight the bird each morning at the same time to track his weight during the conversion process. Losing a few grams (up to 10% of body weight) is normal- the bird has been fed a high-fat, seed-based diet and is changing onto a lower fat pellet diet. If he loses more than 10% or appears lethargic or unwell at all during the process, he needs to see a veterinarian immediately.
Another way to monitor pellet intake is to count the droppings in his cage- put a clean sheet of white paper towel in the bottom of the cage each morning to enable the owner to see how many droppings are passed each day. He should produce at least one every few hours. Whilst considering dropping- as the bird’s diet changes, so will his droppings. They may become looser, or even change colour to the colour of the pellets.
Stop the old diet in the evening
Once the bird is comfortably eating the new pellets, to encourage him further, remove the old diet from the evening feed routine. This should see him eat more of the pellets during the day. The old food is now entirely eliminated, and he has been converted onto the new complete balanced diet.
This is the fastest of all the conversion methods, with most birds converting within around a week. However, it does require consistence and dedication on behalf of the owner and a small degree of tough love.
For more information https://www.zupreem.com/avian-conversion/tough-love/
Postdate: 26th March 2020