Hi there all! So great to be part of this forum. I recently adopted an adorable little guy (Finley) almost a month ago. He Is the sweetest little guy and I am worried about his diet and being a first time Conure owner, I was hoping to get some advice on things. He came to me at 2.5 mo's old and eating Supreme Fuitblend. I've kept him on that since and give him some Safflower seeds and millet as a treat. However, I have been trying to introduce chopped broccoli, cauliflower and carrots mixed with some Chia Seeds and he is not having it. No interested in those at all. Also, he is not a fan of fruit and so far i've tried strawberries, apples or grapes as well as dried coconut squares and he doesn't like any of them.. I'm debating on changing up his food to something more nutritional but not sure what. I have heard about Harrisons and Top's but is one better than the other? Also could i try one of those mixed with his zupreem fruitblend as well? Thanks so much <3
3.5 mo old GC and need help with diet
- Thread starter Bishrl
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Hello! Lovely conure, he's so cute!
It can be tough to get a bird to eat veggies especially if they weren't given them while weaning.
How large are the veggies being cut up? Are they raw or cooked? Parrots can have very strong preferences and some will only eat something one way, some like veggies and fruits cut up really small, like in a food processor while others like large chunks they can hold with their feet. Some birds may enjoy them slightly steamed rather than raw. Try sweet potato! A favorite of many birds!
There are some fantastic chop recipes on here, another thing you could try is making birdie bread! Birdie bread helps you sneak veggies in their diet and other great ingredients.
As far as Harrisons and TOPs pellets go, I personally use and prefer TOPs because its ingredients are great and it doesn't have anything artificial in it, Harrisons is decent too, but it does have a few ingredients I disagree with (Not saying anything about anyone who feeds Harrisons, just my preference) Yes you could mix two pellets but this isn't usually a guaranteed method of conversion.
As far as fruit goes most birds love it because of the sugar which is why it should be fed maybe 2-3 times a week in small quantities. Same with the veggies try feeding fruit in different ways, cut in up small, maybe get one of those stainless steel skewers and try putting fruit on that, my Gcc prefers dried fruit over fresh but dried should be even more limited because of the concentrated sugar (beware of sulphur dioxide preserved!) Try sticking fruit and veg through the cage bars, some birds enjoy playing with it and might sneak a bite or two!
Good luck, hope this helps!
It can be tough to get a bird to eat veggies especially if they weren't given them while weaning.
How large are the veggies being cut up? Are they raw or cooked? Parrots can have very strong preferences and some will only eat something one way, some like veggies and fruits cut up really small, like in a food processor while others like large chunks they can hold with their feet. Some birds may enjoy them slightly steamed rather than raw. Try sweet potato! A favorite of many birds!
There are some fantastic chop recipes on here, another thing you could try is making birdie bread! Birdie bread helps you sneak veggies in their diet and other great ingredients.
As far as Harrisons and TOPs pellets go, I personally use and prefer TOPs because its ingredients are great and it doesn't have anything artificial in it, Harrisons is decent too, but it does have a few ingredients I disagree with (Not saying anything about anyone who feeds Harrisons, just my preference) Yes you could mix two pellets but this isn't usually a guaranteed method of conversion.
As far as fruit goes most birds love it because of the sugar which is why it should be fed maybe 2-3 times a week in small quantities. Same with the veggies try feeding fruit in different ways, cut in up small, maybe get one of those stainless steel skewers and try putting fruit on that, my Gcc prefers dried fruit over fresh but dried should be even more limited because of the concentrated sugar (beware of sulphur dioxide preserved!) Try sticking fruit and veg through the cage bars, some birds enjoy playing with it and might sneak a bite or two!
Good luck, hope this helps!
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Thank you so much. I will try those. I'm still trying to determine as well his noises and actions. lol One minute he is sweet as pie and the next he is telling me off when i try to move him from my shoulder or head. He hates being in his cage too. He sits in there pacing back and forth climbing the bars wall to wall and doing this weird chirp sound anytime someone comes into the room. Is this normal?
I'm still trying to determine as well his noises and actions. lol One minute he is sweet as pie and the next he is telling me off when i try to move him from my shoulder or head. He hates being in his cage too. He sits in there pacing back and forth climbing the bars wall to wall and doing this weird chirp sound anytime someone comes into the room. Is this normal?
Most parrots would rather be outside the cage with rather than in, but Gcc can be that way more than other birds. Does he have many toys to occupy him? My Gcc climbs the cage walls sometimes (like when I first come home from somewhere) but he does know how to play with his toys by himself. The chirp sound is likely a greeting, mine makes a certain sound, it's two short whistles, when someone like a family member he likes, comes into the room. Green cheeks are known for their moods that can turn very quickly from being sweet to BITE! but not all of them will be this way or it will vary from bird to bird.Thank you so much. I will try those.
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I need to record or video him. Not sure if we can attach sounds to this or video but it's weird. I just noticed that i'm starting to see black marks on his wings now and I'm worried as i read something about stress marks. Not sure if that's what these are or not. He makes this weird one chirp noise constantly as well as some gurgling noises like he's talking or something. I do notice he sneezes alot too. He seems to get very irritated these days, if i try to touch him when he is just sitting on my shoulder. He is also making this beak grinding sound alot while sitting on my shoulder I hear that can be a stress sign or can be a comfort settling in sound to relaxation so not sure what it can be from. He is changing so much in behavior it seems as he gets older. He is not a fan of water either to bathe in or even just get wet. He is only happy when he's sleeping on my shoulder. He would just be content to sleep on my all night. lol.
When I first adopted my Gcc he had stress marks aaallll over his back and outside of his wings, it took around six months for him to molt all those feathers out and grow healthy ones. Birds in a breeder or pet store environment are usually pretty stressed and once you bring them home, give them routine, and love them they are a lot less stressed. Don't worry about beak grinding especially if they are getting ready to sleep or are relaxing.
Have you tried training? Target training is a very helpful tool as is trick training. You could target train him down your arm if you have trouble getting him off of your shoulder.
As far as bathing, there are many ways you can offer such as misting with a spray bottle above them and letting it fall down on them like rain, providing a shallow pan of warm water, you could lay some wet greens like lettuce or kale on top of his cage and see if he'll bath on that. You could also try sprinkling millet on the surface of a shallow pan of water and see if he get in there to eat the millet, at least his feet will be wet and it might tempt him. Most Gcc love or at least like water, mine LOVES water and he bathes in his water bowl, getting a larger water bowl might help, I got my Gcc a 20oz. stainless steel bowl and he can get fully wet in there.
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Thank u Soo much for that info. the thing that I worry about is he didnāt have those black marks when he came to me. His feathers where nice and green . They are just turning black over the last 2 days I think . So I worry itās recent stressing. Im going to make him an appt to get a check up since I never did that when I first adopted him.
the thing that I worry about is he didnāt have those black marks when he came to me. His feathers where nice and green . They are just turning black over the last 2 days I think . So I worry itās recent stressing. Im going to make him an appt to get a check up since I never did that when I first adopted him. - Thread Starter
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- #9
Also.. I forgot to ask. I know I should NOT cook with tephlon pans around him. I put him in another room with closed door when I cook. How long before I can bring him back out after Iām done cooking? Also how crucial is it to cover their cage at night? Iāve been doing that but I just ordered a new larger cage and it has a big stand on top and I canāt cover it.
BirdyBee
Well-known member
To be honest- I don't recommend using teflon at all in a house with birds, people have killed their birds this way even if they were far away.. but if you absolutely HAVE to, move him to a room that is furthest away from the kitchen, open windows if possible, and if you have an air purifier turn that on. Does your home have vents that go around most of the home? If so, you'll need to move him to a room without one.
It depends on the bird itself. If you put it in a darker room it should be fine
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Ok, Iām so freaked out now thinking about all the things i have subjected my little guy to that could have killed him. I am going out and getting new pots and pants today. Would these be safe? https://www.costco.com/.product.100812422.html
I am going out and getting new pots and pants today. Would these be safe? https://www.costco.com/.product.100812422.html
Welcome to the forum! I have a yellow sided green cheek conure too. 
Banana is a great introduction to fruits. You hold it while berb munches it. Blueberries are a constant favorite of his, these he likes whole. All other things I dice to make a chop. Just keep trying new things off of the safe for birds food list and eat some for yourself in front of em too. 
The pacing and little chirps while in the cage will get better with time. Try your best to ignore it and continue to offer toys and such to keep em occupied while in the cage. I bought a set of ceramic green pans off of Amazon for a decent price and they are of decent quality too. I also have a play top cage and again amazon sells a cover specifically design for those types of cages. I can include the link for you. The black marks are most likely from the pacing and climbing bars while in the cage, although I canāt say for certain so itās always good to have a vet check up to be safe. Mojito got them too at first but since he has calmed down while in the cage he doesnāt get them anymore. He loves baths but I had to ease him into it at first. All of these behaviors sound a lot like Mojito when he was around the same age as yours. Mojito is only 16 months now and we are dealing with puberty now. Which is a whole new challenge but I love hims no matter what he throws at me literally and figuratively lol
Banana is a great introduction to fruits. You hold it while berb munches it. Blueberries are a constant favorite of his, these he likes whole. All other things I dice to make a chop. Just keep trying new things off of the safe for birds food list and eat some for yourself in front of em too. The pacing and little chirps while in the cage will get better with time. Try your best to ignore it and continue to offer toys and such to keep em occupied while in the cage. I bought a set of ceramic green pans off of Amazon for a decent price and they are of decent quality too. I also have a play top cage and again amazon sells a cover specifically design for those types of cages. I can include the link for you. The black marks are most likely from the pacing and climbing bars while in the cage, although I canāt say for certain so itās always good to have a vet check up to be safe. Mojito got them too at first but since he has calmed down while in the cage he doesnāt get them anymore. He loves baths but I had to ease him into it at first. All of these behaviors sound a lot like Mojito when he was around the same age as yours. Mojito is only 16 months now and we are dealing with puberty now. Which is a whole new challenge but I love hims no matter what he throws at me literally and figuratively lol 
