Birdie Bars

Posted by: Eclectus Forum - CBacon@mtnia.com - May 29, 1997

3 ounces uncooked quick oats
3 ounces other cereals (Shredded wheat crumbled or Grapenuts)
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
1/2 cup reduced calories margarine, melted
1 cup of the following mix (unsalted chopped nuts, raisins, dates, dried fruit)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, combine cereals, add other ingredients and mix well. Spray 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Bake for 30 minutes (until tester inserted in center comes out clean).

Remove from pan and let cool on rack. Cut into 16 bars. Wrap each bar in plastic and freeze. Break one bar in pieces appropriate to bird size! This recipe is good for people too!

Birdie Peanut Butter Balls

Posted by: Glenda - sweetepie@trellis.net - February 12, 2002

1 jar of no sugar/low salt peanut butter -crunchy peanut butter is good too.
Grapenuts Cereal or bird's favorite seed

Make small balls from peanut butter and roll in grapenuts and/or seed. You can use any kind of cereal, like cheerios, and crush them up in pieces but not like dust. My senegal loves this!

Birdie Popcorn Treat

Posted by: Beakers Best Birdie Recipes - beakers@probe.net - May 8, 1996

1 Tbs melted margarine
1 tsp wheatgrass powder
6 cups popped popcorn
1 cup assorted dried fruit.

Combine margarine and wheatgrass powder. Drizzle over popcorn, tossing to coat. Add dried fruit and continue tossing. Store leftovers (if any) in airtight container.

Brenda's Treat Sticks

Posted by: Brenda Dawson - brenda_dawson@lineone.co.uk - July 22, 1998

Untreated fruit tree twigs (or lollipop sticks)
2 cups of seeds, nuts, dried fruit and egg biscuit in variable quantities (to suit your bird's tastes)
egg
honey

Preheat the twigs/sticks in a warm oven (150 degrees C). Mix dry ingredients together and bind with the egg. Press the mixture onto the twigs/sticks (this bit is very messy, but fun!) Bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 20-30 minutes until toasted. Brush the honey over the treat sticks and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Serve and watch your birds demolish all your hard work with relish!!!

This can be adapted for anything from finches to large macaws (adjust the size and type of the dry ingredients accordingly). They love them and they last much longer then the ones in the shop. If you want to give your birds a real challenge, slow bake the sticks (at 100 degrees C) for 2 hours. If anything is left after four hours, please remember to remove (together with any debris) when the weather is very warm.

Brie's Hanging Seed Surprise

Posted by: Brie Renteria - Brie2k@alltel.net - July 5, 2001

You will need a spoonful of peanut butter, a spoonful of bird seed (any kind),a string or wire.

Form the peanut butter into a shape (heart, square, ext.). Sprinkle the seeds onto it. Put a hole in the middle of the treat for the string or wire. Thread the string or wire through the hole and hang in the bird's cage. Boy! Is he in for a surprise!

Brittany's Bird Treats

Posted by: Brittany Adkison - tropictango@hotmail.com - August 4, 1999

1 whole lettuce leaf
1 cup of dry oat meal
1 carrot (peeled)
1/2 apple
5 blueberries

What to do: Blend all the ingredients together until they are in a real fine paste. Then scoop out the paste, set onto a plate (I suggest pounding it into a shape such as a circle or heart) and put it into a microwave for two minutes. After heating the ingredients up, let it cool off for two more minutes (it can be very hot and it can burn the bird).

Buddy Bars

Posted by: Natalie - draven@draven.cx - March 5, 2000

1 ripe banana
1 1/2 cups (approx) Cheerios type cereal
1 egg (shell and all, cleaned)
1/3 cup chunky applesauce
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Place the Cheerios in a ziplock baggie and crush with a rolling pin - ONLY SLIGHTLY (enough to be broken into small pieces, not pulverized into dust!). Mush the banana well in a large bowl and add all the other ingredients, stirring well. Spoon into a lightly greased 8 or 9 inch square pan and bake for about 45 minutes at 300. Allow to cool and cut into bars, depending on your bird's size. Buddy, my conure, LOVES these!

Cockatiel Treats

Posted by: Debra - November 16, 2001

I have 4 very picky cockatiels. They will not eat anything but seed but these bars they will fight over. I hope your birds love them as mine do.

1/4 cup each:
- Crushed dried peas
- Apricots
- Nuts
- Crushed bananas (Dried or fresh)
3 Tbs Seed
3 Tbs Pellets
1 egg and shell (best if shell is dried and not damp)
1/4 cup + 1 Tbs Applesauce ( I use 100% natural)
3 Tbs crunchy Peanut butter

Mix dry ingredients in order. You can add anything else that your bird loves. It should mix very easy. I crushed everything, but you can according to your bird size. Fold in the applesause and peanut butter. It should end up like a paste.

Cook in a square pan, (easier to cut later than a circle pan), at 350 F for 30 min. It smells bad when cooking, but the birds love it. Hope your feathered family will like these.

Crunchy Treat for a Picky Tiel

Posted by: Sommer Jones - blancpage@mindspring.com - March 27, 2000

My cockatiel, Xena is a very picky eater and loves crunchy treats. So I made up this recipe for her. The amounts are very approx as it depends on how many birds you have. I only have one so this made about 25 or so little cakes.

eggshells from 2 eggs, pulverized and sterilized in oven
small carrot, scrubbed well, skin on, grated
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
some honey
bird's fave pellets (I used Kaytee Exact for Cockatiels)
Kaytee Garden Veggie Treat (pick out sunflower seeds since they don't work well in recipe)
1 egg yolk, some egg white (from the eggshells you used)
sesame seed

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Spread on ungreased cookie sheet about 1/4 inch thick, and form sort of a squarish mound of it. Bake in 250 degree oven 45min. Halfway through cooking, score into small pieces, so you have about 25 or so. Finish cooking, remove from oven, let cool completely. Remove from cookie sheet, transfer to plate and break up into pieces. Offer your tiel one or two pieces every week. Discard any uneaten portion from treat dish after a week. I keep mine on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap and this treat keeps well for several weeks in a cool, dry place. Xena enjoys picking this treat apart and eating it throughout the day.

Cuttlebone treat!

Posted by: Darcy - Djgrisier@aol.com - January 3, 1999

Cuttlebone
Jar of honey (for sub use Peanutbutter)
1 cup seeds (any kind your bird likes)
Nutty Buddy seeds OPT

On a paper plate pour SOME honey, pour the seeds in and mix well. Next put some of the Nutty Buddy mix in. Spread honey on the cuttlebone. Put the seeds on the it.

Now Freeze the cuttlebone for about half an hour so all of the seeds are stuck. Set in room temperature until it isn't freezing. Give it to your birds, they will love it! You can also chop the seeds in little pieces for little babies. I hope your bird likes it, mine does!

Finchie Favorite Seed Sticks

Posted by: Elizabeth Rackley - dorothyrackley@worldnet.att.net - July 25, 1998

I invented a recipe my finches love! (Other birds will enjoy these, too!) You need honey, seeds (any seeds your birds desire) and a large mixing bowl.

Mix honey and seeds together in large mixing bowl. Then, wrap in aluminum foil, leaving the top uncovered. Now, place in oven heated to 225F for about 1 hour. Place in cage an` watch `em go!

Fun bird treat!

Posted by: tiel owner - snapple466@yahoo.com - October 31, 1998

This is a really easy to make treat for birds. Cut half a bagel into four pieces. Take one of the pieces and spread peanut butter all over it. Then dip the piece into some bird seed so that it is covered with them. Then stick on some raisins or anything else that is small and healthy for your bird. This is a bit messy, but your bird will love it!

Green Popcorn

Posted by: Angie - abstokan@bignet.net - November 8, 1997

Air Popped popcorn or corny cobbers
Spirulina or Super Bluegreen Algae

Put popcorn in a plastic bag and add enough powdered algae to coat popcorn. Serve as a nutritional snack.

Hanging Treat

Posted by: Anna Leigh - orangeginger@hotmail.com - January 22, 1998

Take some peanut butter. Spread it on a pine cone. Roll the pine cone in your birds food mix. Hang using a twisty tie..then hang from the bird cage..! My cockatiel Tess loves it!.

Hawaiian Boiled Peanuts

Posted by: Steve Cornwall - capssteven@aol.com - January 24, 2002

This is very easy, cheap, healthy, and your bird will love them. Boil some raw peanuts in a little soy sauce or salt for about an hour, remove from liquid and cool in fridge. Put them in a plastic bag to keep them wet. You can also drizzle some honey over the shells and then refrigerate for a sweet nutty treat. They're also tasty for the human pet too.

Healthy Seed Bells

By: Jude Vaughan - Supplied by Courtesy Jude Vaughan, Parrot Society of Australia Inc, PO Box 75 Salisbury Qld Aust 4017 - July 5, 1997

Materials:
small terracotta pots
microwave-safe plastic wrap or plastic oven bag
length of firm wire (coat-hanger type is fine)
birdseed of your choice (measure it dry in your chosen pots to gauge amount needed)
two egg whites per cup of birdseed (or thereabouts)

Method: Prepare pots by lining them with microwave-safe wrap or oven bag. Bend the end of the wire that goes into the seed bell into a closed loop (so that birds and/or leg rings can't get caught on it when most of the bell has been eaten).

Beat egg whites until white and fluffy but still liquid - you're not making a meringue. Mix beaten egg whites and bird seed in a bowl until all seed is coated, then spoon the mix into the prepared pots, patting it down firmly. Push the uncoiled end of the wire through centre of mix in pot then out of the drainage hole until looped end rests flat on top of mixture, then push loop slightly into mixture.

Place on an oven shelf set high enough to allow wire to hang free. Cook for approximately 60-90 minutes in a very cool oven or longer if pots are larger size. The important thing is not to burn the mixture and slow cooking is needed to set it firmly.

Cooked bells will slip easily from pots, peel away the plastic wrap while they're still warm but don't handle the wire until it has cooled. Using a pair of pliers, twist exposed wire end to form a hook for hanging in the aviary.

Handy tip - Sometimes if you use large seeds in your mixture, the widest part of the bell which is exposed during cooking will become slightly crumbly. This only happens for a centimetre or two, but if they are to be given away, and you want a less 'rustic' appearance, just spoon the mixture into the pot as usual, but mix another beaten egg white with seeds for the last few centimetres and cook as instructed above. This extra 'adhesive' keeps the top layer very firm.

Hope this keeps your birds happy, and solves the problem for those members who don't relish using PVA (although it's not toxic) as a binder. I for one would prefer to eat egg white to wood glue!

Home-made Avi-Cakes

Posted by: Kerri - lonnaward@msn.com - October 15, 1998

Mix seeds, crushed cheerios, crushed pellets, and honey together in a bowl. You can also add any fruits or veggies if you want. Put the mixture in mini-muffin trays and cook at 225 F for 45 minutes. Let it cool and give it to your "kids". They love it!

Homemade Bird Treats

Posted by: Linda Loerzel - linvic@planet.eon.net - March 4, 1999

Mix 2 cups crushed cheerios (or shreddies if you don't have cherrios), 2 cups crushed pellets, 2 cups assorted seeds (I like to use colourful seeds for the bigger birds along with parrot premium). Add 1 1/4 cup honey and stir until mixture is wet throughout but not soggy. Maybe a little more or a little less honey. Corn syrup can also be used if you run out of honey.

Pour onto cookie sheet and spread out. Bake 225 for 40 to 45 minutes depending on where you live. I live 2000 ft above sea level so baking time differs. If it is near a holiday you may want to divide into sticks and place a tongue depresser in the center and later drill a hole through the tongue depresser so you can tie to the cage. If using the cookie sheet, halfway through the baking I take out and score with a knife so it is easier to cut when baked. My birds love it.

Honey Creations

Posted by: Brenna - brennbrenn@excite.com - September 16, 1999

1/2 cup of honey (liquid)
seed or pellets
popsicle stick with yarn tied to it

Bring honey to a boil then get a small mold or cup and fill with seed. Get a popsicle stick with yarn tied to it and push it down into the seed or pellets and hold it there. Then pour the honey into the cup or mold and let harden

Kromers Kraven Krunch

Posted by: katie price - picez510@aol.com - January 21, 2002

Bagel
Peanutbutter
Honey
Seeds or dried fruit

Smear peanutbutter over the bagel, be sure to cover it all.Then roll the bagel in your birds favorate seeds or dry fruit. Then lightly drizzle honey over it. Put in the oven at 250'F for about five mins or until honey slightly hardens. Let cool for five to ten mins before serving.My macaw loves this tasty treat and eats it faster than I can put it in his cage.

Papaya Crunch

Posted by: Jami - September 12, 2001

1 cup dried papaya pieces
1 cup uncooked oats
2 tbs honey

Place the above items in the food processor until you have coarse pea-sized crumbs. Mix enough of your favorite seed mix, dried fruits, nuts, etc., to make it all stick together. Flatten your mixture onto a cookie sheet. Bake on 200 for 1 1/2 hours. Cut into squares (serving size) and loosen from pan. Cool then seal in a ziploc bag.

These treats get hard and crunchy and my tiels like them MORE than store bought cruchy treats.

Parakeet Treat -- used to make your 'keets happy

Posted by: Katherine Booth - MuseWitch@aol.com - August 17, 1997

4 oz. sunflower seeds (without the shells work best)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 a tones container of sesame seeds
2 hard boiled eggs chopped
4 oz grapes, quartered.

Mix all the indgredients together. This makes 4 cups worth of food. I freeze it in batches of 1 cup. My parakeets love it. Enjoy!

Parrotlet Edible Car- a tasty source of veggies, fruits, & treats

Posted by: Rachel - Muldy@execpc.net - April 14, 1998

Ingredients:
two large carrots
a couple of raisins
celery stick cut in half
peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
toothpicks

Take one carrot and cut it so it will look like "wheels". Stick the toothpicks into them for later use. Take the other carrot and spread the peanut butter on it. Then rest the celery stick on the peanut butter/carrot. Spread some more peanut butter on top of the celery stick and sprinkle the raisins on it. Last, stick the toothpick wheels on the sides of the carrot.
*** Supervise your bird when down to the wheels - just in case

Peanut Butter Seed Bar

Posted by: Brenna - crazybaby778@usa.net - June 4, 2000

Peanut butter
Your birds favorite seed
Cardboard paper towel tube or something like it with holes punched in sides
String

Tie string to carboard tube through the holes, then spread peanut butter all over the paper tube. Then roll it in the seed and there ya go!

Quick Treat

Posted by: Nicky - nicky21au2000@yahoo.com - March 30, 2001

Buddy loves these treats, he can`t stop eating them lol... All you need is:
~mixed seeds
~crushed pellets
~some honey
~a little parsley or any fruit or veg your bird likes

Pre-heat oven to 200F or 130C. Mix seeds, crushed pellets, honey (enough to cover ingrediants) and parsley, or whatever you want to use, and when you have finished that, place in mini muffin trays. Place in oven for about 30 - 45 minutes, but be careful not to burn them as they can burn easily. Let them cool and serve to your bird ENJOY!!

Seed Sticks

Posted by: David - demerson@ncia.net - May 2, 1998

My Timneh loves the seed sticks that I make from pancake batter. I dilute the leftover batter and mix in pulverized sterilized eggshells, pellets, and mixed seed. I cook it in a lightly oiled skillet until it is set enough to handle and then slice into sticks. I bake the sticks in a warm oven until they are solid. I'm sure that the mix could be poured into any kind of mold and baked, skipping the skillet step.

Seed Treats

Posted by: Tanya - October 22, 2000

I wanted to teach Willow, my quaker, to do some tricks, so I needed a very tasty treat to reward her with. All you need is a healthy seed mix (no sunflower seeds) and honey. Put the seeds and honey in a pan together. It depends on how many you want, but for my one bird I use 1 cup honey and 2 cups seed and I store them away. Mix the two togeher well and then shape into little balls. Then put them in a container and put them in the refrigerater. Before serving, let stand at room temperature for a while. Willow loves these and they make great rewards.

Sweet Potato Balls

Posted by: Georgeann Suthers - suthers@sea.ar.ispnet.com - June 14, 1996

1 large sweet potato, microwaved till soft, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 mashed banana, 1 cup mixed fresh or frozen mixed vegetables, 1 cup diced apples, 1 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal, corn flakes or granola cereal.

Mix all together and add enough fruit or vegetable juice to make it form small balls. Freeze balls individually. Defrost and serve.

Snackeroos

Posted by: Purity - September 1, 2000

10 regular cheetos
15 salted sunflower seeds
A few pinches of oats

First cut up cheetos into a reasonable size then add the sunflower seeds, and oats. ENJOY! P.S. My bird loves this,and its simple!

Tiel & Too Birdie Cubes

Posted by: Denise - archambe@uiuc.edu - October 21, 2000

I have two tiels and a G2 so I came up with this birdie cube recipe. There's enough big stuff for the too and enough small stuff for the tiels so everybirdie's happy. These cubes are a great way to convert a stubborn bird from seeds to pellets or to trick a bird into eating its veggies.

2 1/2 cups fruit juice
3 cups cockatiel pellets
2 cups seed mix (the kind with dried fruits, nuts, etc.)
2 cups parrot pellets
3 1/2 cups canned fruit in juice
2 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 1/2 cups frozen corn or peas
2 cups oats
2 1/2 cups trail mix (natural, no preservatives)
7 1/2 cups pasta/rice/beans

Depending on the type of pasta and grain mix you make/buy you may need to presoak the beans for 24 hours before cooking. Boil the pasta, rice and beans until soft. While that is cooking, soak the cockatiel pellets, parrot pellets, and seed mix in fruit juice (I use the juice from the canned fruit... juice NOT syrup). Puree the fruit and veggies (not the corn/peas) in the blender and add to pellets. When the pellets are soft, mix in the frozen whole corn kernels, peas, oats and trail mix. Drain the pasta/bean mix and stir it in. When thoroughly mixed, use a teaspoon to pack mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Remove from ice cube trays and store in freezer bags. The recipe makes enough for two or three birds for a few months. To serve, defrost one cube per cockatiel or two cubes per cockatoo in microwave for 45-55 seconds or until warm. Yummy!