Finches too Good for Pre-Packaged Food

[flrancho]

After hearing some people here talk about the safety of leaving crushed boiled egg out for birds and the mention of pre-packaged egg foods, I decided I'd go out and try some of the pre-packaged egg food, mainly because I thought it would be easier than boiling eggs every few days for the birds, and that a pre-packaged mix could probably get the mix ground finer than I can do by hand. I also got some finely chopped dried veggies for them.

My finches love crushed up boiled egg, so they should love pre-packaged egg food, especially since its ground so much finer and contains more than just egg, right?

Apparently, wrong. The first time I gave it to them I mixed the packaged egg food mix in with the fresh egg. For the first time, they didn't touch their ground up egg I gave them. I've tried giving them the egg food mix dry and adding some water to wet it and they won't touch it, through they'll gladly accept crushed fresh boiled egg. I experienced the same thing with the veggies. They love fresh veggies and will eat them all the time, I put in the dried, pre-packaged veggies..... snubbed. So apparently my birds think they're too good to eat packaged foods and only want things I give them fresh. I find it kind of funny, but a little irritating since I did buy a whole bag of both dried veggies and egg food.

I gave them the packaged egg food again today, without the option of fresh egg, but haven't gotten home yet to see what they've done with it, if anything. Anyone else have birds that won't eat pre-packaged items and will only eat fresh?

Any ideas to get them to accept the dried foods other than try, try and try again?

[6finchfriends]

Mine won't eat it as well as fresh. I've never had any fresh egg go bad even when I leave it for the day, so unless it's an emergency, I boil eggs. They eat in the morning and when the egg gets dry, they don't touch it. I don't add oil to help keep the fresh egg soft because IMO I think birds are pretty smart and if the eggs get dry they shouldn't eat it. Of course I don't live in the South where it's hot either. That could have something to do with fresh egg going bad quickly. I always give fresh veggies every morning. I think it's important for their diet and their mental well being to be able to forage and rip apart little bits of dandelion leaves and grated carrots. Gives them something to do besides sit in front of a seed cup.

[Ursula]

Same here, I fully agree with Trish! Mine like the fresh egg much better too and they also get romaine and grated carrots and some other veggies daily.

I can't imagine that the dried veggies have much vitamins left, I don't think it can be as nutritious as fresh ones.

I chop the hardboiled egg in a small herb chopper and put a little cornmeal in it, that makes it nice and crumbly. The pieces are very small that way and they love it.

[cindy]

I just got an order of ABBA 92A Nestling eggfood in...it smells good. I set it out in little dishes in every cage...right away they went for it, tails in the air. My owls were all over it as well as my BC. Mine do not like the Quiko eggfood Petsmart sells.

[lovemyfinch]

I have to admit, mine don`t care much for the dry stuff either
Ex: the night before last I came home from work and just didn`t feel like making a new batch right away. The only baby I have is my little owl, so I figured what the hay, it`s already in their egg mix. Very very very little was missing from the dish.
In the morning they got their fresh eggfood and different story all together.

[ac12]

I mix dry egg food w the Zurpreem pellets and they are all gone when I go to change the dish.
BUT like any food change, you need to give them time to adjust to the new food. Sometimes it will be fast, other times it will take a LONG time. If yours do not eat pellet food, then it will be harder. I would try mixing the dry egg and veggies in with the seeds and see if they eat it. And again, give them time to adjust to it.

There is a technique in the FIC that I use.
Remove their normal food an hour or so before lights out.
Then put out the new food for a couple hours in the morning.
After a couple hours, put their normal food back in.
After a while they will start to eat the new food.
This is how I got my wife's canary to start eating LaFebers canary pellet food.

[6finchfriends]

It's the Quiko food I tried. The smell out of the bag is really STRONG. I have no doubt the ABBA is much better but I've never ordered any. I have however mixed with egg and they kind of eat it. I think whatever works for your birds is okay as long as they are getting the nutrition they need and aren't getting sick. I make up a bunch of egg food at one time then freeze several packages for later use. Makes it pretty easy and eggs are cheap for 5 dozen at Costco. But then, I'm retired and every day is Saturday I have a lot more time than you young'ens.

[Chichireeo]

My green singer also won't eat packaged eggfood or egg biscuits. What gets to me is that the guy used to eat it. But now he has raised the standards and the things he used to eat are no longer good enough. I still try and offer it. He just won't touch it. Now I just bought Cede tropical finch. Let's see if he goes for that.
He also will not eat the broiled egg I stored in the fridge from yesterday. Has to be same day boiled. And then now that I've given him quail eggs, he is rejecting chicken eggs.
As for veg, he always gets them fresh cos it's fun for me too. But the veg needs to be very fresh or he'll hold out for better stuff. I recently planted a fennel bulb in his cage (hydroponic). It is growing those thin whiskers and he is eating it.
The only dry veg I've given him is the herb salad. He used to pick through it and eat some. Now he only plays with it. Hop on, throw it all around, then fly off. I started growing those herbs in a nursery for him. (echinacea, valerian, yarrow, etc.) But these plants grow soooo slooow. So for now he'll just have dry herbs.

[cindy]

Trish Quiko I agree is strong and if it get wet yuk! But the ABBA92 with greens is light and the Nestling food has a slight nutty smell, I swear the birds smell me giving it out and good nuts!!! no pun intended!!

The Higgins ProTeenSnack Attack eggfood is ok but my birds quit eating it and if it gets wet it smells...or they eat it and go for a drink and leave some in the water yuk. I used the ABBA prior to trying everything else and it just was not the same as ABBA.

[6finchfriends]

Thanks Cindy! When I get some Gouldians ( a saint from FF is going to send me some eggs when her birds start nesting again- if it ever cools down, (!!! I'm so excited!!) & our one and only little bird fair is Sept. 17 so if someone is breeding good looking, healthy Gouldians I might pick up a pair but I'm expecting them to be very very expensive. Probably over 120.00 a bird for normals) I will be buying ALL the good stuff for them when I finally get some. Not that my Societies are any less deserving but they seem to be healthy and happy with the goodies I'm giving them already.

[cindy]

Trish...I have been happy with some of the ABBA products I've tried.