FINCHforum

I have heard people say they have switched their BCCBs over to egg food and other substitutes for live mealworms. I have tried freeze-dried blood worms but my birds didnt touch them. Of course that might have been because their were meal worms there too. Do you have any suggestions for how to switch them over to non-mealworms?
thanks,
Lori

This topic has been discussed before so you might want to do a search on it.... however, in brief: stop feeding them the live worms at the end of breeding season and do not re-introduce them the next breeding season.

What happens is that they have to make a decision whether to raise their young with just eggfood, etc. or 'wait' for worms. So you may have a season or two without young if you try to switch them over.

To add to what Anna said, I would start offering eggfood before they are set up for breeding, to get them used to it. Also, the protein in the eggfood can serve to stimulate them to breed. Some of my birds don't like the freeze-dried bloodworms either, though most do. And you can't offer them an occasional mealworm as a treat, either, or they will look for them to feed their babies.

My rccb's just switched with the next clutch. I started feeding plenty of eggfood, freeze dried blood worms and seed, pellets and veggies. I noticed they really didn't eat the blood worms or the eggfood, but ate losts of veggies and seed. I think they like having a choice. I have three paper plates in the cage that I change 2-3 times a day with fresh food.