Learn How to Convert Your Bird to a Healthy Diet

Congratulations! You are taking the steps to ensure your bird gets consistent and balanced nutrition for a long and healthy life. 

Why Change your Bird's Food?

We know that changing your bird's food is no easy task. Birds are finicky and strong-willed. But, feeding a strictly seed diet to your bird is harmful for your bird's overall health. Only a small percentage of your bird's daily diet should consist of seeds. Download this flyer to learn more about seed diets.

Most avian veterinarians recommend that your bird's daily diet consist of at least 80% pellets. Begin converting your bird to a nutritionally balanced, pelleted diet today. Below are a few methods that have proven to work for other bird owners. Give them a try, and if you have any questions along the way, call our conversion specialist, Jennifer, at 1-800-345-4767 ext. 2017. 

Conversion Methods

Interval Feeding
For 20-30 minutes, three times a day, combine 50% of the seed-based food with 50% of the new pelleted bird food in a bowl. However, only fill ¼ of the bowl. After feeding, remove all uneaten food from the cage and see how much of the old and new food your bird has eaten. If the bird has eaten more of the pelleted food, then increase the amount of the new food at each feeding. Continue until the bird is eating 100% of the new pelleted diet. This method assures your bird will not starve, but should still be hungry enough to begin experimenting with the pellets. This process may take several days or several weeks, depending on your bird.

Ten-Day Gradual Method
For 10 days, fill your bird's food dish about ¼ full several times a day using the following proportions of the old and the new diet.

Day	Old Diet	New Diet	Day	Old Diet	New Diet
Day 1	90%	10%	Day 6	40%	60%
Day 2	80%	20%	Day 7	30%	70%
Day 3	70%	30%	Day 8	20%	80%
Day 4	60%	40%	Day 9	10%	90%
Day 5	50%	50%	Day 10	0%	100%

Remove Seeds Until Later In The Day
At bedtime, remove all seeds. In the morning, put fresh portions of the new diet in the cup. Leave the new diet in the cage until mid- to late afternoon. Then feed your bird's seed diet for the rest of the day. Repeat this process for several days or until the bird is consuming the new diet. Then offer only the new diet at all feedings.

Back and Forth Method
At night, remove all food from cage. In the morning, introduce the new food in your bird's food dish. Let the bird experiment with the new food, sampling the pellets, etc.  After an hour, remove the pellets and feed the old diet. Repeat this process throughout the day- new food for an hour, then the old food. Over the next couple of weeks, begin to increase the amount of time the new diet is left in the cage before offering the old diet until the old diet is no longer offered during the day.

For more tips and methods like these, watch our Avian Conversion Video or download our Avian Feeding Brochure.

Check Out Our Other Great Avian Resources

ZuPreem Avian Foods
There's a great-tasting, healthy ZuPreem food in a pellet size and flavor just right for your bird. 

FAQs
Have questions or concerns regarding your bird's health? View our Frequently Asked Questions asked by bird owners like you and get the answers now. 

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