He ate It!!!

[Corkysgirl]

I've been trying for almost a year to get my parakeet Jo Jo to eat eggs, fresh vegetables and fruit. He wouldn't have any part of it. I finally got him to eat dried greens. He absolutely LOVES dried parsley from ladygouldian.com and will run to it from where he is, arriving in 2 seconds to eat it. Today I made a boiled egg with mashed shell for my finches. I thought, let me just try it again. The worst he can do is not eat it...again. I thought...hey...I'll try parsley all over it! Maybe he'll get the idea it's food and I'm not really trying to kill him! He's eating it...and eating it. Maybe he's just eating the parsley. I'm not going near him to see...but he will for sure get a taste of the eggs no matter what and this is a good first step. Wow, I see new foods in his future. And when he sees his new bride eating them when she arrives in the next week or two, he will really be in heaven! He's still eating.

[DanteD716]

Congrats! It was always hard for me to get my hookbills to touch anything other than sees. Besides the cockatiels, who eat anything.

[Corkysgirl]

DanteD716 He really ate a lot. I'm so thrilled that we've turned the page to a new chapter. He's getting a girl friend, a very young juvenile soon. I hope she's been fed something else. Still, I will keep her in a separate cage at first because she's so young and for quarantine purposes so she's getting other foods for sure! Maybe she'll rub off on him and teach him a thing or two.

[delray]

Congrats! That's a big step! Lol!

[Corkysgirl]

Thanks delray! I was so surprised and pleased.

[delray]

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl --- Well hot damn! That's wonderful!

I love it when they expand their diets. Makes life so much easier!

I've had really awful luck trying to get hookbills to eat egg food. They don't seem to go for it like finches do.

[Corkysgirl]

Mia, I'm one happy mamma! I couldn't get him to eat anything...ever! I was happy as could be the day he ate parsley. He eats Herb Salad a little. I think he'd rather have Parley than seed, though he needs seed to sustain him. It's like candy. So...I have great plans. Watermelon and parsley...salad and parsley. I'm going to tease him by feeding the baby parakeet first and he'll see she...hopefully a she...likes it. Then maybe he will eat the foods to when I put him together. I'm actually getting the sister/brother bird of the yellow bird I posted...still yellow but just weaned...and out of the nest. So...in a week or two a new baby yellow parakeet. Jo Jo will be in heaven. But I don't want him to hurt her...so I have to keep them separate till she grows a little.

[KarenB]

Yay!

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- Oh how exciting!

I didn't know you were getting a girlfriend for JoJo! How wonderful!

I'm dying for another pair of parakeets myself!
I had to take a break from fostering some of the larger parrots due to the emotional toll. It's hard nursing them back to health and working with them through behavioral and emotional issues, only to give them up -- even when it's what's best for them.
So every few years, I've found I I take a break for a little while. But I've always had my own resident parrots in addition to the fosters.
I've been parrot-free for about 6 months now and it's killing me!
I'd just love another pair of parakeets. They're one of my favorites, as they're so social and easy.
Or maybe a pair of bonded conures. (Easier said than done to find a bonded pair!)
But alas, I'm going to wait until we're finished re-doing the bird room.

So I shall live vicariously through you, Corkysgirl!!

[lovezebs]

Corkysgirl
Glad to hear that Jojo finally figured out that eggs are yummy.
Hope he likes his new bride when she arrives.

Happened to be in the pet shop yesterday, and they had a whole crew of very young budgies. There was a lovely icy blue, a sweet tiny pure white, and a bright lovely yellow among the rest. I was so tempted, that I just about had to grab myself by the hair and drag myself out of there. They were oh so pretty... but I have my hands full as it is. Enough is enough.

[Corkysgirl]

Mia, yes that would be hard to give them away once you form a bond. We had parakeets during our childhood and I always loved them. Jo Jo really needs a friend. He is so in love with the parakeet on the seed bag. You would laugh if you could see how he sings to her and shows off for her. Then tonight I put a little bird my son gave me for Christmas on the outside of his cage for him to see. Inside it's styrofoam or something, formed just like a real bird, and has beautiful blue and yellow feathers. He fell instantly in love and cheated on his bird on a bag wife! Shame on him! He would run back and forth singing to both of them. We were laughing! I can't wait to see what he thinks of her...when he could finally play with her. It will be cool if/when you get more parakeets or conures. Can't have too many birds!
@lovezebs I totally understand. I went in Petco a few times since we had Jo Jo and had to rip myself out of there leaving all the parakeets. I wanted to get him a friend so badly. I love watching them all playing together. They're such animated, funny birds! We had one once that used to sit on my husbands head, then shoulders, then climb down into his dish at dinner time and eat his mashed potatoes...if we let him. We had another one that used to play with our little terrier. That was the funniest! The bird would tease the dog by sticking her tail out...like.."haha...you can't get me!" The dog "Gringo" (I did NOT name her that!) would jump and quickly try to grab her tail to pull it and the bird would pull it away fast, but then turn to bite Gringo's nose. It was a contest..."tail..vs..nose" They would do it over and over until one day...the bird no longer had a tail! She would also climb on the dogs head and sit. She would also sit and flip the cards over while everyone was playing card games. I love parakeets!

[Corkysgirl]

Wow! We have graduated! I just gave the finches whole romaine lettuce leaves. I'm lazy and they like to tug/play with them, eat around the edges. I think it's adorable! I thought, what the heck, it wouldn't hurt to try giving them to Jo Jo. He never ate romaine lettuce when I offered it before but he never ate eggs either. I put it right into his seed cup and said, "Here you go Jo Jo!" That's what I say when I feed him his seeds and greens." Maybe he understood that to mean...this is food and not poison, because he ran right over and started eating it. I didn't dare go near him. He's the kind of bird to stop what he's doing and if you do. Very skittish. I thought maybe he was eating the edges and checked when he was done. There was nothing left! I just put another little one in and he's eating it again. The first one was very small, baby romaine. I don't want to shock the poor thing with too many vitamins at once!

[Corkysgirl]

Here is a picture of Jo Jo flirting with his girlfriend...the green and yellow parakeet on the seed bag. He sings and shows off for her! His wife (hopefully a girl) just weaned, will arrive on Sunday. I will have to keep them separate until she/he's bigger and quarantined. I can't wait to see what he does with a real bird!

[Teagarden]

Corkysgirl So cute. Jo Jo will certainly be a happy camper when his wife arrives!