I am having an issue with a 2yo female budgie, housed alone separately from 2 others. She will only eat 1 or some days 2 types of seeds out of her mixes. I offer 2 types: Hagen original budgie mix, and Zoo-Max Fruitomax budgie mix. It seems like she's picking out either an oat groat or some kind of grass seed that's common to both mixes. She leaves the millet seeds alone in the mixes, but will eat spray millet.
I'm feeding all my birds Zupreem FruitBlend Flavor pellets, but I never see my little picky eater eating them. She eats so little seed, she must be eating the pellets, though! But the pellet cup usually looks untouched. I'm so confused.
She won't eat any fruit or vegetables that I've tried. I've tried raw baby spinach, Romaine lettuce, shaved raw carrots, cooked carrots, cooked broccoli, raw sugar snap peas, raw strawberry, raw raspberry, raw blueberry, raw blackberry, raw banana, cooked cauliflower, and cooked peas.
I will say that her feces is bright green recently, which I think is from the food dye in the pellets, as one of my other budgies is having feces of this same bright green color. So, I hope that means she's eating plenty of pellets? I have been gradually trying to switch off the Hagen seeds to the Zoo-Max seeds, which means she's eating less seeds overall because she doesn't like the new mix. Again, she's only eating 1 or 2 types of seeds. The Zoo-Max has dried fruits, veggies, flowers, etc., and more variety of seeds, so that's why I'm trying to switch all my birds to it.
Any suggestions? Specifically, how do I get her to eat new things? Thank you!
There are many budgie owners here with lots of experience who will have loads of advice for you, but I can tell you one little thing that worked for us. My Wally is only 4 months old, but having reached the point where he should eat more than seeds. I was trying all the things you mentioned, but no success - he actually would run from 'strange' food. Then I cut some apple paper thin and coated it in his favorite seeds and hung it on his favorite climbing toy. It worked. Then I dipped strawberry slices, then a spinach leaf. Now he is mad for spinach and has great fun tearing into it. Now that he has started, he's curious for everything, baby peas, bits of carrot, and so on. Your girlie is 2 already, so it will likely be a challenge as she is set in her ways. As I mentioned, there are lots of folks here who will have many good ideas for you. Good luck.
It can take a long time for a bird to try new foods, mostly because they do not recognize the new item as a food source. It will sometimes help if one bird sees another eating it, never withhold the birds accustomed diet thinking that it will force the bird to try the new food, that will not work and you could end up starving the bird. What the bird eats can effect the color of the droppings, but so can other things, can you post a picture of the ones that are bright green?
I've attached a picture of the droppings below. They were dry because I changed the cage at the end of the day. I think it's the urine that's discolored?
Picky Eater
State: 
