I just wanted to know how everyone worked the transition from seed to pellet. I have put mostly pellet in the cage today with some carrots, apples, and just a bare minimum of oats in the bowls to entice them. I can't entirely tell what they're eating...it seems like they pick up the oat mostly and I'm not sure about the rest, but I do believe they are eating pellet and carrot...not specifically the apples at all. They are fighting over the food dishes...like they're looking for the seed in the dishes...the females chase the males away and then go back and forth. Anyway, I've been watching for over an hour...they keep pecking at the dishes...so I'm not sure if they're just resigning to eat because they're staring or what. They aren't happy, that's for sure...they're very much anxious and looking all over for an escape to forage on my carpet. I'm keeping them in the cage for right now...closed off all way of escape...no crumbs from the kiddos tonight. What I want to know is, should I put seed in the cage tonight for them? I don't want the poor things to be starving, but I want them to start eating the pellet and veggies too. Or do I just force it upon them as they have no other choice at this point? I am not a cruel person, so I want to just give in and baby them with their see diet. Any thoughts? I have to go work for an hour...I'd appreciate any comments...I'll check again when I get back. Thanks!

I had good luck with figuring out which cups were his favorites and filling them with pellets. I don't mix. He loves his flower cup and a pink cup he has. I put the pink one right by where he sits where it's most convenient and the flower cup by his perch. He just eats them when he feels like it. I usually see him eating them about 5 or 6 times a day. Also, I'm sneaky and only refill his 2 seed cups about once a week. So, he has to eat more pellets. This is probably something that is NOT recommended, (and my disclaimer is that I'm NOT recommending it lol) but I have gotten to know my bird's habits and he definitely tells me when he wants more seeds. I also shake them around so that he can get to the seeds. Once I see the seeds are mostly gone, I change them. I think it's more work for him to find seeds than to just eat pellets lol lazy boy. I had to do all that gradually, though, because at first he would have gladly starved himself rather than eat those pellets lol.

Okay, I just put a bunch of seed in the bottom of the cage on a dish...they're all eating from it like ravenous wolves! They did eat some of the pellets...I could tell...the dishes had a little less...but not much. This might be more difficult than I thought.

I'll let them eat from it for a while then remove it for the night and see what tomorrow brings.

I am working on Aruba too. He is eating the pellets now but still prefers the seeds. Now that I know he will eat the pellets if he must, I am not so worried about him starving. I use the seeds as a bribe to bond! Tonight when I got home from my councilor, I cut up some carrot and broccoli really small and put that, with some seed in the palm of my hand.

When he saw I had seed, he actually came out of his cage and flapped his way onto my open hand and ate out of it!! He mostly ate the seeds but I think he did get a little bit of carrot and broccoli too. Double pleasure because, while he will eat a seed from the tip of my finger, he would not previously eaten out of the palm of my had! AND I think he ate some veggies!!!

the trick with switching to pellets is to go at your birds pace... If the birds arent taking to pellets then mix some seed in with them. What your trying to get them to do is associate pellets wiht food, they honestly dont know it's food right now. it's like if i gave you a marker and told you to eat it. you'd be pretty sure it wasnt food... It's how they stay alive in the wild.
Be very careful, birds do begin to starve the minute their crop empties which with keets only take a few hours, they wont completely starve for a while but their body will begin the starving process which involves switching to taking energy from stored fat and muscle... which makes for sluggish birdies...

I have been giving Aruba plenty of seed to just not leaving it in the cage at all times. I mix seeds with some veggies and left them in there for an hour or two. Also mixed some seed with veggies and he actually ate them right out of the palm of my hand. Mostly the seeds but a few veggies too!!

Thank you...I will be careful to keep an eye on them...they do have a tendency to fly out of the cage onto the floor...of course there is no food there, but what has managed to drop out of their cages...maybe a crumb or something from the kids, but I clean the carpet every day. Anyway, I hope they don't get too hungry when they're out and about. =) I gave them see again this morning.