No Interest - Egg & Biscuit, Apple, Leb Cucumber etc

For all your questions about diet and food for your finches
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cookey
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Joined: 06 Oct 2011, 17:22
Location: Canberra ACT

Hi all. I've read through a number of the food and diet posts and couldn't find anything that matched my question completely.

On a daily basis, I mix up some soft food (egg & biscuit), chop up some lebanese cucumber, apple, spinach leaves and add some meal worms on the side. None of the finches are interested in any of the fresh food preferring only the finch seed. Just wandering if I should be bothering? I've been doing this for around three weeks now and still no takers, they don't even seem remotely interested.

I have Gouldians, Double Bars, Painted Firetails, Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu's and a Ruddy.

Any ideas?
"If your surrounded by yes men, one of you has to go".
Colin Powell
natamambo
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Joined: 19 Dec 2010, 23:16
Location: Melbourne

1) Throw in a canary, once garbage guts eats it the rest will follow. Then get rid of the canary if required.

2) Make up very small quantities and mix up with the seed, gradually increase ratios.

3) Remove seed, put greens in same bowl in same spot in aviary. After a while (couple of hours) put seed back in original bowl (remove greensfirst), after a while they'll get the hint it's food.

Gouldians will usually take it but they are slow learners, painteds will take the mealworms (especially if on nest) and nibble on the rest, can't comment on the others.
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mackstaa
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Or, throw in a pair of Red face Parrot finches, then keep them in there :)
Mackstaa
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desertbirds
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Location: Alice Springs

Try halving a fresh lebanese cucumber length ways, scrape down the length of it with a fork to soften the fleshy bits and sprinkle with seed. As suggested, place it where the birds would normally feed.
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E Orix
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Joined: 29 May 2009, 23:30
Location: Howlong on NSW/Vic Border 30km from Albury
Location: Howlong NSW

There are a number of ways you can try.
My own opinion is to cut back and give them their normal seed and only one extra,possibly Lebanese Cucumber.
Just keep giving them a slice each day and eventually they will start eating it. Then if you wish add another extra and repeat the process
Less choices until they become used to it.With the cucumber,atr first sit a piece actually in the seed bowl just near the edge.
Keep trying as these extras make the difference of successful nests and failures
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