Conure Diet?

[Scotty T]

So I was at a local bird store. She specialize in birds of all kinds and seems to be a pretty good breeder although......

She asked what i'm feeding my Conure for a diet.
I said raspberries, blueberries, lettuce, broccoli, etc..

She said don't feed them that, it's all water and sugar. In my opinion it's healthy sugar. anyway.....

She said feed them rice, beans, and pasta.
I'm really not on board with that. I was told by the vet not to feed the bird any pastas or bread due to the fact they get a high yeast content in their bodies which is not good for them.

I agree to add some rice and beans and maybe lentels and what not. But no fruits and veggies? Something tells me she's a little off her rocker.

Thoughts?

 

[FutureDVM]

I think variety is the key. I don't see anything wrong with what you're feeding, and they definitely need their veggies and fruits. Pastas and bread in moderation are good as well but I wouldn't replace the fresh foods you're already feeding.

I feed my conure Harrison's pellets as a staple along with a little bit of the Bountiful Harvest food from My Safe bird Store. She also gets 1-2 Nutriberries per day and she always gets fresh mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn, green beans, etc.). I'll also throw in some fresh spinach or broccoli or whatever other fruits and veggies I have sitting around. I've also started feeding her a mix that I got from the bird store that you cook in boiling water, then drain and feed. It contains a variety of beans, grains, fruits, veggies, and a little bit of pasta.

I hope that helps

 

[Enjru]

Lettuce (especially iceberg lettuce) is really poor in nutrition, being mainly water. I would forget about lettuce.

Broccoli is very, very good in nutrition, but try to get organically grown broccoli because all those tightly packed florets can harbor a lot of insecticides, etc, if these sprays were used.

Raspberries and blueberries are quite good, but yes, they are high in sugar, so I'd try and feed more vegies than fruit. Doesn't mean you can't feed any fruit!!

Pasta is 100% carbohydrate. I'd consider pasta to be a cheap filler food only.

Normal, polished white rice would also be a cheap filler food only. However, unpolished brown rice or wild rice mix would be more nutritious.

Beans are very good, nutritious foods to feed.

 

[Scotty T]

The lettuce I feed her is only very green lettuce.
I don't even eat iceberg, I wouldn't feed it to my baby.

 

[Scotty T]

The lettuce I feed her is only very green lettuce.
I don't even eat iceberg, I wouldn't feed it to my baby.

 

[Carpinslerk]

Is it bad that I work in a pet store and have no idea what a nutriberry is?

I give my sunny cucumber, carrot, capsicum, beans, peas, celery, grapes and apple with occasional pears, banana and other berries if I remember to buy them.

 

[roxynoodle]

Broccoli is one of the healthiest things you and your birds can eat. Also make sure there are some orange veggies for vitamin A (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash). Leafy greens also tend to be high in calcium and to some extent vit A.

Like Enjru I feed more veggies than fruit. I don't even always feed fruit daily, sometimes I do 2 veggies mixes instead.

I also feed a bit of bread, pasta with tomato sauce and wild/brown rice, but not daily. However, they are complex carbs and provide our bodies with sugar that is not a simple sugar. Everyone gets all worried about sugar, but it is what our bodies run on, basically. There is a difference between eating a good, multi-grain bread and eating cookies, lol!

Once in awhile I give some beans or cooked chicken or turkey or even a chicken bone for added protein. Again, not daily. Usually they get some peas and green beans every day, but those aren't the same as other beans I guess on the protein count. Nuts also provide a lot of protein but they also have a lot of fat. Conures do not need a lot of fat the way many macaws do, so feed sparingly. But, if the bird doesn't like meat or beans, this is a protein source that is usually easily accepted.

Mango is also high in vitamin A and birds who eat fruit easier than veggies may enjoy that. My vet told me with the S. Americans to feed mango and kiwi more than other fruit, so those are the fruits I tend to buy for them.

 

[lexx510]

So I was at a local bird store. She specialize in birds of all kinds and seems to be a pretty good breeder although......

She asked what i'm feeding my Conure for a diet.
I said raspberries, blueberries, lettuce, broccoli, etc..

She said don't feed them that, it's all water and sugar. In my opinion it's healthy sugar. anyway.....

She said feed them rice, beans, and pasta.
I'm really not on board with that. I was told by the vet not to feed the bird any pastas or bread due to the fact they get a high yeast content in their bodies which is not good for them.

I agree to add some rice and beans and maybe lentels and what not. But no fruits and veggies? Something tells me she's a little off her rocker.

Thoughts?

She is definitely a "little off her rocker," lol. Lettuce may not be very nutritional, but raspberries, blueberries, broccoli and many other fruits and vegetables have tons of nutritional value. It's not a matter of opinion, it's a fact. Past, on the other hand, is a carbohydrate. While it does have some nutritional value, it is mostly broken down into sugar once digested and stored in the body as fat (hence all the low carb diets, lol).