How do we know that birds don't rely on their sense of taste? Birds in general, including all types of parrots, have almost no sense of taste and an even weaker sense of smell. Their dry tongues and nasal passages were not designed to pick up tastes and orders like ours are. If you look at your parrot's tongue it looks like a dry smooth finger. At the back of their tongue is a moist depression; this and the roof of their mouth are the only places that they are capable of tasting. (If you want an example of your birds lack of a sense of taste all you have to do is try eating one of the hot peppers that many of them love).

If not taste, how do they choose? What they lack in their sense of taste, birds make up for in their attention to visual detail and a good sense of touch (with that dry finger like tongue). They judge foods by their look and feel. They tend to closely inspect each piece of food visually before picking it up and then they play with it in their mouth before actually getting down to the business of eating it. So, it is first the look of a food and then the consistency, texture and temperature that matters.

If they don't care about the taste, why won't they eat new things? There are a lot of theories as to why birds are so hesitant to try new foods. The underlying reason that seems to make the most sense is that it is the only way to protect them from their own natural curiosity. All baby birds learn what is safe to eat from their parents and older flock members. They will not eat any food that they haven't seen another bird eat. This is probably the only way that they can be so curious and live near so many toxic things in the wild. They don't have some magic sixth sense that tells them what is toxic or what is safe so they must learn what is safe.

Are there other reasons why birds are so picky about what they eat? There are two reasons, other than those mentioned above, that together make up the biggest reason that birds are so finicky about what they eat. First, they are creatures of habit that usually like consistency and therefore prefer to eat the same things day after day. Along with this is the second reason; they can manipulate us better than even the most spoiled child. Most owners give up far to easy when trying to widen their bird's diet.

Hey, it sounds like you are saying it's my fault! It is. As with small children, birds cannot be allowed to choose what they eat. It is up to us as responsible pet owners to teach our birds to eat a proper diet. .

So, How do I get my bird to eat new things? In the rest of this article I will give you a method to use in improving your bird's diet. As is the case with all other forms of bird training there is no magic method and different things work with different birds.

The first step in preparing to improve your bird's diet is to be determined to make a change. You must be more determined than your bird is.

The second step is to get everyone to agree on what you are going to do. Everybody involved with the birds care must work together to change any behavior.

The third and most important step is to talk with your veterinarian about whether your bird should have an examination before you attempt to change him over to a new food.

Finally, you must decide on what changes to make. In most cases small gradual changes, working towards a long-term goal are best.

Now that you are prepared here is a step-by-step method that works with most birds:

1. Surround the bird with the new food. Put a little of it everywhere. Put some on top of his regular food, put some with his treat food, put some in his favorite toy, and/or on his favorite playground, etc.
2. Make him believe that it is your favorite food. Nearly every food that we recommend for your bird is safe (and healthy) for you to eat. Eat it in front of him; eat it while pretending that you don't want him to get your share of it. Make yummy noises. If you truly enjoy eating a food (or can pull off an Oscar award winning performance that makes it seem like you do) your bird is almost always going to eat the food as well.
3. Watch for signs that he likes it. If a bird goes from avoiding a food completely, to moving it out of the way, to picking it up and dropping it, to crunching it and then dropping it, he's starting to like it. There are other signs as well, what matters is that we get the bird to the point that he realizes the new thing is food and that he is not afraid of it.
4. Begin slowly decreasing your bird's current favorite foods and increasing the new food. Do not start this until you are sure that step 3 is working and the bird is starting to accept the food. This should be done in slow steps, 5% changes every other week or slower. During this time keep doing the earlier steps.
5. Watch your bird's weight and behavior carefully. A gram scale will make many aspects of your life with a bird less stressful. If possible, weigh your bird every day early in the morning before he has eaten while you are introducing a new food. If you are decreasing a bird's regular food you MUST WEIGH him at least once per week. Do not rely on looking at your bird or feeling his body to determine if he is loosing weight. Talk to us, your breeder, or your veterinarian about bringing in your bird for regular weight checks. We offer Acculab gram scales for sale at Parrot Island.

   Behavior can be an indication of problems but it also can be used to manipulate you. Along with consistent accurate weights it is a useful tool. This is where determination comes in. You must be more determined to make the change than your bird is to keep the status quo. Many people give up in a week or two of trying to change a bird's diet. One rule of thumb is that it may take twice as much time to change a behavior as the amount of time that behavior has been allowed to go on. Meaning, if your bird has been eating a certain diet for 6 months it may take you a year of slow and gradual change to get him eating a new diet. Usually changes come much quicker. It is a rare bird that with proper effort won't begin eating a new food in between 1 and 2 months.
   
   

6. Don't give up. If you follow the process above for as long or longer than recommended and the bird shows no signs of eating the food that you were trying to get them to eat, try something new. There are many different foods out there. If your bird won't switch from a seed diet to a processed diet, try switching it to a higher quality seed and natural food diet. If it won't eat Scenic Bird Food try Harrison's. If it won't eat carrots try sweet potatoes. Keep trying new things, but make sure that you are really putting the proper effort into each new thing and try each new food for at least 2 months before switching to a new food.
7. Try, try again. Just because the last time you tried to get your bird to eat a cooked bean mix doesn't mean that if you tried now he wouldn't start eating it. Though birds are creatures of habit, you never know when they will change their minds about something. Many people believe that the time of year and whether or not a bird is molting or in a sexual development cycle can effect what they are willing to eat. Also, each new thing your bird eats increases the chance that he will eat some other new food.
8. Don't stop there. Once you get your bird to eat a new food, get him to eat more new foods. Once you have him eating the best, most varied diet recommended, change it a little. Keep adding new things. Always offer him a little of any healthy food you are eating. As we learn more about birds and their nutritional needs, we will always be adding to and changing what we recommend. So, if you keep varying your bird's varied diet it will be easier to adapt your bird to what is best.

It is worth the effort to get your bird to eat new foods and a varied diet. We hear from many people that their bird won't eat pellets or won't eat people food (and even some who won't eat seeds). I know that these people believe that they have tried to improve their bird's diet. Unfortunately, they haven't tried hard enough or more importantly they haven't tried the right way. There are probably no birds out there that can't be taught to eat a varied diet. So many people give up and think that it is O.K. because the bird seems healthy and happy.

However, if you talk to anyone who understands bird nutrition they will tell you that happy and healthy seeming or not, your bird will suffer an early and possibly painful death if he is not fed a proper diet. I'm sorry if that seems strongly worded, but it is true. All of us should feel responsible for making sure that any bird we own is properly fed. This is true whether it is a $10.00 finch, a rescued cockatiel, a wild caught 50-year-old amazon or a sweet hand fed baby. Just like children, these little guys are in our care and we have to make the important decisions in their lives. I know how difficult it can be and I know how expensive it can be but if you agreed to allow a bird into your home you are honor bound to care for them properly. If not you should really reconsider owning any pets at all.

See our earlier newsletters, ask your veterinarian or us or read the articles in the Companion Parrot Quarterly (fka -- Pet Bird Report) on nutrition to determine what diet your bird should be eating. If you have truly tried the above method and is hasn't worked, talk to us at Parrot Island or another authority about other methods to try.

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Additional Diet articles:

• Recommended Foods Part 1: Formulated Diets by Scott Stork
• Recommended Foods Part 2: Seeds and Natural Foods by Scott Stork
• Recommended Foods Part 3: ''People Foods'' and Treats by Scott Stork
• Recommended Foods Part 4: Specific Bird Recommendations by Scott Stork
• My Bird Won't Eat That by Scott Stork
• Sneaky Nutrition by Micki Coatsworth
• Sally Blanchard's ''Famous Glop'' Recipe

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