I'm getting worried

[Maeve me]

I have a 4 month old cinnamon green cheeked conure called nugget.
He(unsure of sex) is moulting currently alot, I have noticed that his beak is now peeling quite alot on both the top and bottom and I am getting abit concerned. He hasn't changed appetite wise and still loves his food. He has pellets, along with parrot mix and parakeet mix seeds. He has a large bowl of fruit and veggies a day, carrot, broccoli, strawberries, red berries, blackberries, cucumber, apple, banana, grapes, sweet corn, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, red chard, peppers, papaya, dates and mango. I will vary the amount of fruit mixed with the veggies.
I have mineral drops for his water and also he has a mineral block and cuttlefish. I am worry I am getting his diet wrong and giving to much sugar?
I will post the picture of his beak below.

 

[foxgloveparrot]

I don't know what's going on with him, but if you ever have any concerns with your bird's health, you need to take them to an avian vet. A vet can provide much more information than any member on this forum can. Only then will you know what's going on.

 

[LaManuka]

Hi Maeve, welcome to the forums to you and Nugget, who is completely adorable by the way!

Green cheeks (or GCCs as they're commonly referred to) generally go through a big first moult at around the age of between 8 and 10 months, although with some it can occur earlier depending on the time of year. I think you are correct in your thinking that his fruit intake should be cut down, as it is rather high in sugar which they do need for energy in the wild but not so much in captivity. I would also strongly suggest that you discontinue putting anything in his water. Adding anything to water can result in it fouling, and it's impossible to tell whether they are getting enough to do them any good or maybe even getting too much of a good thing. It may also lead to dehydration if it changes the taste of the water. Occasionally it will be recommended by an avian vet for specific purposes if a deficiency has been detected. For that reason it's a good idea to have your baby checked out by a certified avian vet. Understanding that I am not sure where you are located, the following link may help you find one if not already acquainted with one...

https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

A check with an avian vet as soon as practicable after obtaining a new bird is also invaluable as a means of ruling out any other health nasties nice and early.

Thanks for joining, and I wish you and gorgeous little Nugget all the very best!

 

[Laurasea]

pretty normal beak, they do peel and chip as beak as they continues to renew.

Less fruit as stated above. Lots of veggies, peppers, bell and chill are great source of vitamin A. Cooked sweet potatoes also great

 

[Maeve me]

I don't know what's going on with him, but if you ever have any concerns with your bird's health, you need to take them to an avian vet. A vet can provide much more information than any member on this forum can. Only then will you know what's going on.

I am trying to find an avian vet in my area but currently having no luck.

 

[Maeve me]

pretty normal beak, they do peel and chip as beak as they continues to renew.

Less fruit as stated above. Lots of veggies, peppers, bell and chill are great source of vitamin A. Cooked sweet potatoes also great

Thank you! Do you know of any favourites? he isn't really keen on veg so I want to give him a few options to choose from.

 

[Maeve me]

Hi Maeve, welcome to the forums to you and Nugget, who is completely adorable by the way!

Green cheeks (or GCCs as they're commonly referred to) generally go through a big first moult at around the age of between 8 and 10 months, although with some it can occur earlier depending on the time of year. I think you are correct in your thinking that his fruit intake should be cut down, as it is rather high in sugar which they do need for energy in the wild but not so much in captivity. I would also strongly suggest that you discontinue putting anything in his water. Adding anything to water can result in it fouling, and it's impossible to tell whether they are getting enough to do them any good or maybe even getting too much of a good thing. It may also lead to dehydration if it changes the taste of the water. Occasionally it will be recommended by an avian vet for specific purposes if a deficiency has been detected. For that reason it's a good idea to have your baby checked out by a certified avian vet. Understanding that I am not sure where you are located, the following link may help you find one if not already acquainted with one...

https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

A check with an avian vet as soon as practicable after obtaining a new bird is also invaluable as a means of ruling out any other health nasties nice and early.

Thanks for joining, and I wish you and gorgeous little Nugget all the very best!

I will stop with the added vitamins to the water then.
He is moult is bad and I had read that it was sometimes early for some birds, he has new feather coming through everywhere. Poor thing they are driving him mad.

I will up his veggies and reduce his fruits. Thank you for the help

 

[Skarila]

To me everything seems normal. I see there's a lot of pin feathers - that's a good sign. While it sounds incredibly early for a 4 month old conure get it's first moult, it's very much possible, I've read other's conures also moulting as early as at 5 months old. Possibly the weather/season change triggered it so soon (my conure is moulting much more now again)

The beak seems quite fine too - beak will peel and look a bit ugly at times, but it's almost like a nail - just keeps growing and the bird will chew on stuff to keep it trimmed down. Whenever I feed bit fattier pellets (Like the Harrison's power treats which are... treats for training.) my bird's beak literally shines within a few weeks! Helps a lot with the beak flaking.

Less fruits, more veggies! You can keep offering the veggies what's there, you can give berries daily as they're low in sugar, and you can give one piece of different fruit per day - one day some banana, other day papaya, third day apple, etc. I rotate both veggies and fruits daily just to keep stuff interesting. During strong moult more protein rich food is advised - try offering cooked beans, chickpeas and such (legumes). Make sure they're well cooked!

 

[Laurasea]

To get them trying more things, I offer lots if things most like at first. As they get used to textures and shapes they start exploring more foods. So most like fresh corn cut from the cob, bell pepper with seeds, peas, ( I just thaw frozen ones then offer, all my burds love peas) broccoli . You can boil a little pasta mince it up abd add minced steamed mix vegetables and serve warm, most will explore. I find offering outside of cage in shallow wide dish or hung on skewers, and curiosity will have them explore and nibble. Keep up offering lots of stuff different ways, expect to waste a lot. Something they might reject for months then it becomes a favorite. So don't give up or give in and offer same things all the time. Eventually most get awesome at giving everything a chomp or 2. At this point 6 of 7 will eat anything I offer. My old rescue quaker took 2 years to eat leafy greens like romaine, Swiss chard, and cabbagebut now she does!! !!@