My conures funny habbit has gotten old....?

[NervusTwitch]

We just recently bought a sun conure,Sunnie about 3 weeks ago.He is about 3 1/2 months old,hatched on 3-6-14.So far everything has been going well but changing his water out so many times a day has well....gotten tiring,lol.

What I noticed him doing a couple days ago was that he would take certain foods out of his bowl and take it to the water bowl and dip his food then return to the food bowl to then eat it.Problem is sometimes he drops the food in the water,if he does that he just leaves it there.He makes clean drinkable water very nasty fast.

The food he is eating now is a mix of dried veggies,fruits wheat ect....with very little seed at all.Im also giving him pellets but he isnt fully turned on to them just yet.But the ones he doesnt like,he just throws them in the water,he is really not eating them much, just takes them from his food bowl then drops them in the water.

I really want him on the pellets since about a month ago our Cockatiel passed away on us and the reason was of fat build up in the veins,then some og the fat broke off and went into the heart.She was given to us in Sept and was already 4yrs old and the previous owner only fed her seeds.We were never able to get her to eat anything else at all and I tried alot.

 

[sonja]

Lots of birds make soup with their food! Some food does get left behind but some of it gets eaten too. It's never bothered me that some of mine do it. They seem to take the task quite seriously.

 

[kq_fan]

If you feel it is not fun for you than maybe try a hamster bottle! My conure has one and it is way cleaner and to me more healthy. But sometimes it falls over or food gets smooshed (wonder how that happens ) into the straw thingy. So just check it ever day. I use a tooth brush to clean it out and a ear cotton swab to clean the straw. So you could try that it is a bit nicer in my opinion.

 

[Kiwibird]

Pellets are very unnatural in texture for parrots, and a lot of them prefer them "soft". Have you tried soaking the pellets before feeding? If you remove the need to soak them in the water dish, he might stop doing it.

 

[NervusTwitch]

I dont mind that he does,as long as he likes it and its healthy for him,but I just want him to have fresh clean water at all times to drink.I have been changing his water out anywhere from 5-10 times a day.

I may try the hamster bottle,or just add another stainless steel bowl on the opposite side of his flight cage so that I feel better that he has clean water.
I keep a bird bath in his cage and he does prefer to drink from it but he shreds his wooden toys and the saw dust...lol ends up in that too.

Thank you fro the info.

 

[NervusTwitch]

Would also like to ask,should pellets be available all day or just meal times?
Currently I give him almost a 1/2 cup of his mixed food and then add some pellets to that to get him started on it.I do this daily and dump it each morning and give all fresh foods.

 

[Kiwibird]

I just want him to have fresh clean water at all times to drink.I have been changing his water out anywhere from 5-10 times a day.

Changing the water 2x a day will not give enough time for bacteria to grow. Parrots don't exactly come from a sterile environment out in the jungle, some pellets soaking in the water won't hurt him. Of course, you don't want to leave messy water all day, but 5-10 times is more than necessary. Change the water midday and then again before he goes to bed if thats the only concern. Thats enough to keep it sanitary. Parrots are so messy, you can go nuts trying to keep them 'pristine'.

Would also like to ask,should pellets be available all day or just meal times?
Currently I give him almost a 1/2 cup of his mixed food and then add some pellets to that to get him started on it.I do this daily and dump it each morning and give all fresh foods.

Theres A LOT of debate on dietary schedules in the avian community. You need to research and come up with a schedule that suits you and your bird. I *personally* do not like to leave lots of food in the cage all day, it promotes overeating, obesity and all the diseases that come of it. I portion food (please consult your AV for appropriate portions for your bird) 2x a day and do 2 part meals. Kiwi is naughty and won't eat his produce if provided other options, so he gets fed produce FIRST when he's most hungry, THEN he gets his cooked mix (I use a cooked grains mix for parrots in lieu of seed or pellets). He gets about a half hour to eat it before I take it away. I usually leave some seed (a VERY small amount) OR a bird bar/cookie (check out the parrot-friendly recipes on the forum) to snack on. He gets 2 meals a day and some small 'snacks', including the occasional safe table food. He maintains a healthy eight and meets his nutritional requirements. However, there are so many different ways to go about it, you really need to see everyones POV and decide for yourself

 

[NervusTwitch]

I just want him to have fresh clean water at all times to drink.I have been changing his water out anywhere from 5-10 times a day.

Changing the water 2x a day will not give enough time for bacteria to grow. Parrots don't exactly come from a sterile environment out in the jungle, some pellets soaking in the water won't hurt him. Of course, you don't want to leave messy water all day, but 5-10 times is more than necessary. Change the water midday and then again before he goes to bed if thats the only concern. Thats enough to keep it sanitary. Parrots are so messy, you can go nuts trying to keep them 'pristine'.

Thank you
I knew they can get messy,but our cockatiel was really clean,she didnt make much of a mess at all,this guy though is a whole other story.
Thx again,I wont worry to much then.

 

[BoomBoom]

Sounds like a conure to me! Mine enjoys it a lot. Maybe you can add another water bowl in a different part of the cage so he has a different source incase he gets creative with one?

Also, your bird seems to enjoy moist food. How about offering him fresh veggies and fruits instead of dried ones? It is 100 times healthier for him too.

 

[NervusTwitch]

Sounds like a conure to me! Mine enjoys it a lot. Maybe you can add another water bowl in a different part of the cage so he has a different source incase he gets creative with one?

Also, your bird seems to enjoy moist food. How about offering him fresh veggies and fruits instead of dried ones? It is 100 times healthier for him too.

I have tried fresh and cooked.He just hasnt taken to them yet.I have even tried mashing them up.He will taste of broccoli,kiwi and sometimes spinach,but you can forget carrots,he just picks them out of the bowl and drops them to the bottom of the cage.

 

[BoomBoom]

I'd go with fresh over cooked for the nutritional integrity. I'll list stuff below that's a hit with my sun conure. If you haven't tried it yet, it's worth considering:

Apple (fave hands down)
Red Bell Pepper (flesh and seeds)
Banana
Canteloupe (flesh and seeds)
Mango
Orange (in moderation)
Jalapeno peppers
Serrano peppers
Plum
Tomato (in moderation)

There are more I forgot to list. My conure also does not like veggies (which is better for him than fruits) so I mix serious veggies with fruits in what we call a chop mix. I freeze rations in a ziplock bag and feed to him first thing in the morning and when I come home from work - when he is hungriest. Keep offering to him fruits and veggies if only a slice here and there daily. Maybe he will accept it in time

 

[NervusTwitch]

I have tried mango,banana,green bell pepper, and jalapeno.I tried in the afternoon but will try in the mornings and see if its any different.I always try fresh before cooked but thought I would try cooked to see if thats the way he liked.

Yeah I keep offering him some daily with hopes he will at least give it a good try,some he will not even go near yet.

Thx again for all the info

 

[JasmineGCC]

My GCC jasmine has pellets available all day and she eats them when she doesn't have a choice! I give her a small handful of seed each morning which she eats up but no more until the following morning. She also gets fresh strawberry/blueberry/grape and sweet corn/broccoli/carrot but she prefers fruit. Her fresh bowl is on opposite side of her cage to her water bowl. She also loves mashed potato and scrambled egg so sometimes gets supper if we are eating those. Once a week I hang a millet spray up in her cage too.

 

[NervusTwitch]

My GCC jasmine has pellets available all day and she eats them when she doesn't have a choice! I give her a small handful of seed each morning which she eats up but no more until the following morning. She also gets fresh strawberry/blueberry/grape and sweet corn/broccoli/carrot but she prefers fruit. Her fresh bowl is on opposite side of her cage to her water bowl. She also loves mashed potato and scrambled egg so sometimes gets supper if we are eating those. Once a week I hang a millet spray up in her cage too.

My teil that passed away recently was also named Jasmine.

The food we got Sunnie when we bought him was a variety of dried fruits,veggies,nuts,wheat,oats and alot of similar stuff,the only seeds it has are sunflower seeds and there are not very many at all.He also really doesnt go after the sunflower seeds,he goes after the dried fruits first.
Its made by Higgins,is this considered healthy food?If so I will continue to mix with pellets for awhile until he ends with having more pellets daily to slowly change him over.