Bananas and Pumpkin!

[Rothe18]

Lol, just like the topic says, anyone ever fed their Java Sparrows cooked pumpkin, or a banana? I think they might enjoy it! And, while I'm on that topic, what about cooked potato or sweet potato? Let me know!

[Diana]

I used to feed my canaries with banana and they loved it. My javas don't eat any fruit or vegetable apart from letuce and egg biscuit I buy from pet shops despite my efforts, it all depends on how they have been brought up I guess. I would not recommend feeding your birds potatoes as they have no nutritional value, no vitamins and frankly, they are not even good for humans, it is just pig food. As for cooked food... again, I would recommend fresh vegetables and fruit, anything cooked was not designed for a bird.

[Rothe18]

How strange, my cockatiel wouldn't eat anything fresh except peas and corn, but my javas will eat almost anything I put in for them! Their absolute favorites are cucumbers and broccoli, but they love watermelon, pears, corn and carrots too. I'll try giving them banana, and avoid the potatoes, lol.

But does anyone have experience with pumpkin??

[debbie276]

There is an excellent article in the Finch Information Center about safe, toxic and unsafe foods.
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/safe_toxi ... _foods.php

There is a huge list of things to feed in moderation.

Protease inhibitors inhibit digestive enzymes and, when present in high levels in the diet, may decrease the avian body's Peasability to digest proteins and lead to pancreatic hypertrophy. Although these enzyme inhibitors are present to a degree in all plants, significant levels are found in all legumes, corn, lettuce, oats, peas, peanuts, barley, beets, buckwheat, wheat, rice, rye, turnips, sweet potatoes and potatoes (in VERY high amounts).5 Luckily protease inhibitors are readily inactivated by cooking,5 so if any of the above-listed food sources are going to constitute a major part of your birds' diet, you should cook them first.

[Diana]

I would stick to the normal food: broccoli, letuce, apple, bananas, boiled egg, carrot.

[dan78]

Sweet potato I've never used but I have heard of some people using it but I can't say how they prepare it. Your javas seem to have a liking to a large array of foods so they just may like banana but if not I've been told that cinnamon can help them try it. Any type of fruit is good to have ago try paw paw seeds and all mine seem to love it when chicks are around and they seem to like playing with the seeds.

[cindy]

Sweet potato is a favorite with Rummy, my parrotlet. Never tried it on the finches. I scrub it good and pierce it, microwave it until soft. He loves it. High in rich vitamins!!

[Rothe18]

LOL so I tried the banana, and that was a NO GO...I have never seen them immediately stop trying to chew on something!!

As far as oats being something to give in moderation...I usually mix in oats with their regular food...I guess I should stop?

Everyone seems to be against the potatoes lol. But nobody has answered me about the pumpkin...?

[debbie276]

http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/safe_toxi ... _foods.php

"Safe" fruit and vegetable sources include: spinach, broccoli leaves and florets, carrot tops, grated carrot, celery leaves, parsley, endive, Brussels sprouts, cooked peas, alfalfa, kale, dandelion, turnip greens, romaine lettuce, beets, spirulina, kelp, applesauce, winter squash, yams, pumpkin, apricots, citrus, and bananas. Fruits and vegetables should always be fresh, prepared hygienically, and removed from the enclosure within 4 hours to prevent spoilage. Increased urine from eating increasingly watery foods may result in polyuria, which should not be confused with diarrhea.

Another good chart is here:
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/nutrients_and_sources.php
It tells you what foods are a good source of which nutrients.