getting them to eat fruit

[stonewind]

I have two zebra finches and read it was good to feed birds fruit. But whenever I put fruit in my birds cage, I've tried lots of different kinds, my birds avoid it. What can I do to try and get them to eat the fruit. I especially want them to eat fruit now that they will start laying eggs soon. Please replay as soon as possiple because I don't come here as much anymore. Thanks

[Karen]

Not all birds are the same - some don't need fruit at all. Zebra finches don't need fruit, while a Blue Streaked Lory, for example, doesn't need seed at all - just fruit and nectar.

Only one site I saw said her zebra finches liked banana sometime. Everyone, though, says that you need to make sure they're getting plenty of calcium if they're going to be breeding.

[popcornbird]

I think birds from the parrot family are the ones that need more fruits and veggies. My cockatiels don't care much about fruit but I feed them lots of vegetables. They just love them and consider it a treat. Every now and then, I give them a sip of juice from different fruits ie. grapes, watermelon, mangoes, oranges, etc. They enjoy the juice.

[Sam's My Baby]

I have a pair of zebra finches also, and they are not really fond of fruit. Usually if you put something strange in their cage they will be scared of it. You can try giving the female a special blend of food made especially for birds laying eggs. I also bred my zebras, after about a 5 or 6 times trying before it finally worked and they lived. The ones before kept dying. What I would recommend after they hatch is to separate the males and females becuase they will fight. I orginally had 6 birds, 4 males and 2 females, and the males all fought, they fought so much that they killed eachother. But, if you do have a big aivary it is not necessary to separate them. They can also breed very quickly if you do not separate them soon enough. You can keep them with their parents until they are adults. Good Luck!

[lovemymaltese]

You might want to ask your vet, I know that certain birds shouldn't have fruit.

[lovemymaltese]

I found this website that might help or atleast give you some information.

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww47eii.htm