Kappa's eating habits

[asterroc]

For the past week I've been wondering why Kappa's water always has crud in it. Every time she eats her beak gets covered in whatever she's eating (including pellets, I have no clue how they stick to her beak). This evening I didn't get much time with her so when I just changed her food now I decided to sit next to her and read my webcomics, and I finally figured out the answer. She was scarfing down on the almonds in her food tray first, of course, and she picked one up, hopped over to the water dish, and deliberately dunked her beak (with the whole almond in it) into the water before coming back to her food dish to continue eating it. I have absolutely no clue why she did it. I've heard of this phenomenon before, but this is the first time I've witnessed it.

Comments

[meig.livejournal.com]

Gremlin does this. Supposedly, pellets are so dry (and since birds don't have saliva), the water helps it go down easier. Gremlins's water is disgusting every night.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I got a water bottle, but it doesn't seem to be actually dispensing water. If it turns out that it really is easier for them to eat with the water though, I can just freshen her water twice a day, it's no biggie. T$ actually did so himself tonight before I got home b/c he noticed it was icky. ^_^ I'm so happy he likes her so much, I really hope that she warms up to him more. (It's not that he'd *refuse* to change Gabe's water, it's that he wouldn't think to check.)

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

My conures will often go get a long drink at their bottle after they've reduced some pellets to dust, but they really seem to -like- super-crunchy food. And they still occasionally end up with pellet goo all over their beaks.

[weirdlilfaechld.livejournal.com]

Autumn did that constantly with her pellets, so now I add a drop or two of warm water or juice into each dish on top of the pellets, mix it around a bit until the pellets are slightly moist, and she no longer does that. It also sticks the veggies to the pellets so Andrew doesn't get a chance to eat just pellets and nothing else anymore.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Kappa actually eats her veggies, it's so cute! Except the orange or yellow ones. Seriously, she leaves the yams, carrots, and squash, though she does eat the corn. I've been giving her a premade mix from the store I got her, but I'll soon start making my own.

[weirdlilfaechld.livejournal.com]

Oh, the comment about Andrew actually had nothing to do with your post. Only the part where I said that adding warm water or juice to their pellets got Autumn to stop making birdy soup wasn't me babbling. Maybe try some red peppers that she might be interested in, or pureed orange veggies/baby food so that it sticks to the rest of the food and she has no choice but to try it? Or use a microplaner to get it tiny, that works almost every time I try it.

[demigoth.livejournal.com]

I wondered the same about my cat's water until we caught him purposely dunking his dry food pellets into it and fishing them back out to eat. We do give him half a can of wet food every day, I guess he just wants to be more spoiled. :)

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I think she's been dunking her veggies too though, and they're a moist mush.

[demigoth.livejournal.com]

Weird. It's possible that it's just plain fun to dunk food in water, I suppose. Or force of habit/instinct. Or they're trying to piss us off, heh.