# Picky eater...



## Tamara21 (Jun 24, 2009)

Hello all....well I have asked Charis and Reti this but I still need some help.Petey is such a picky eater and he's not big on grit either (red, oyster or hi-calicium)...I see all these threads about the various things pigeons eat but Petey won't have any of it.He now eats two to three peanuts (in the raw seed mix) and mostly sunflower seeds from the mix again, but he won't touch the millet, canadian peas, brown rice, buckwheat, cracked or whole corn, greens or fruits (from the safe list), barley, oats - nope on the flaxseed.I know he is gaining weight now from 270 g to 284 g but that I think is because of the nuts and sunflowers....he was eating these tiny brown, round seeds in the dove mix...loved those, but has forgone them for sunflower seeds and peanuts.What do I do...he can't exist on such a un-varied diet and I know he gets tired of me feeding him peas and carrots as a sub when I think he isn't eating enough....I used to tell Charis he is a junk food junkie because when I first got him off the streets he would only eat bread...but I got him off that, now he won't even eat a ww piece of bread.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Have you tried small pop corn or defrosted corn?


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## Tamara21 (Jun 24, 2009)

Yep defrosted corn...of course I have to force feed that...Petey won't take anything on his own...pop corn you mean like "movie popcorn" sans...butter and salt? I just wish I could get him to eat something more...maybe he eats more then I think...but it sure doesn't look like it...I say that because there is so much of it that is on the floor of the cage and outside of the cage....


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Have you tried just offering the food......he is a pigeon. As long as he is healthy, he should get hungry enough and eat whatever you put in front of him. Maybe even take the food away..for a day and the give it back the next?

I have had pigeons that like certain things in the mix over others, but if you continue to give them the seed they will eventually eat the other stuff.

-Hilly


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## raptor (Jun 14, 2009)

well...raptor seems to prefer the rice grains in his mix. but then again i'm not sure if it's because he has trouble picking up the other grains since he's still young.

what i do is let him eat some rice, then i pick out the other seeds and lay them in a trail on the floor and we have a game to see who can get the most seeds first. this usually excites him into at least trying to pick them up...and those that he doesnt manage to peck by himself, i'll feed him the same way you give petey the peas and carrots.


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## Tamara21 (Jun 24, 2009)

Well he is good at getting his own food...he has seed bowls with all the stuff I listed as well as brown rice...like I said he just picks out the sunflower seeds and peanuts and leaves the rest...I can't do the taking the food away because I am not home with him all day...he is only out of the cage from 6:30 pm until 10: pm...except on weekends when he is out a lot more then that...so I would feel bad to leave him all day without access to food, in case I get delayed at work...I wouldn't like being unable to eat for 12+ hours if I was him...and I have left leafy greens, WW bread bits, fruit, even a french fry (after all he was a city bird) and he just sticks to eating what he wants...I just worry about the nutrion he is getting and would really like to not have to continue to hand feed peas and corn to a young adult bird.Because I have to force them he won't eat those on his own either (by that I mean by his choice, not that he can't eat them).He is gaining weight though...he is at 292 g....so at least he is putting some weight on.


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

He will eat the food that is offered. Most likely he picks out his favorites first...my pigeons have always done that.

Put vitamins in his water, that will help make sure he gets what he needs. 

I think that as long as he IS eating, not to worry. All pigeons have their favorites that they eat first, he does eat some of the other stuff just not much of it, lol!

-Hilly


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