New Conure Only Eats Junkfood

[micaskye]

Hi guys,

I'm very new to birds and last weekend found myself with a Sun Conure. Sadly, he doesn't seem to like anything I put in front of him but sunflower seeds.

I've tried better parrot foods, but ended up getting a bag of the seedy junk to help him adjust (that's what he was eating before). I have seen him eat: sunflower seeds, a noodle (he borrowed my spaghetti) and a piece of dried papaya. I've tried fruits, veggies, anything. He won't touch it. I'm mail ordering some Harrison's soon, but i'm worried he won't eat that either.

How do I get my bird off the junkfood? Help!

 

[mellykyitus]

it'll take time for him to adjust to a new diet, mix seeds with his new food, or sprinkle them on his veggies. my galah wouldn't eat fresh foods either when i first got him, i used to finely grate carrot and mix it with his sunflower seeds so he got a taste of it while rooting around. also warm foods seem to go down well, trie mashed up sweet potatoes and serve while warm. if he's tame see if he will 'shae' his food with you. with rocky he wants to eat what i eat so i eat fruit and veggies infront of him and he has some then, or takes some porridge off my spoon.
rocket goes down well cos it has a peppery taste that birds love.
if you're worried you could get some vitamin drops to put in his water til he adjusts to his new diet, or a vet check.
in the wild sunflower seeds are only in season for a while and birds eat all they can before there gone, instinct is probably taking over. but a gradual change should do the trick, he can still have some seeds as a treat once he's on his new diet.
(sorry for the long answer) x

 

[suebee]

be mean, :63: like any child i do not think she will starve herself

cut your self up a plate of fruit, and sit and eat it where she can watch you eating, when she shows interest, offer her some, it might take a few trys:32:

what harrisons have you got her?? i feed mine the super fine and although thats what my brother sent up with her, she came off it as soon as i offered more varied foods, so i put bits of fresh fruit in with the pellets so the pellets stick on fruit! sneaky but it worked :32:

and i dont give her a days ration all at once, so through out day she will get different foods, if i am in i won't offer fruit an veg till lunch, by then nut would have begrudgingly eaten some of her pellets

she loves her seeds, apple, oranges, peas in the pod, corn on the cob, beef, chicken, egg white and as for junk food, she lurves that!!!! noodles in sauce, burgers, ham, cake etc, these she might get tiny tiny tit bits off

on the grounds of a little of what you fancy, won't hurt you plus watching her slink about trying to steal abit is too much for me to bear!! and too funny:32:

it might take a little bit of time, but she'll come to your way of thinking :54:

 

[micaskye]

Thanks for the prompt responses!

I will definitely be trying some cooked food and eating in front of him tonight. I'll see if I can find some vitamin drops or toss some in with the food order. I think grated food in the pellets is a good idea. In the last two days he's started taking food from me, but it still a little skittish and scared of us. He's been getting what my rabbits eat to taste with some fresh fruit and has shown no interest. For now, I'll let him have all he wants of the nuts and slowly add less and less to the pellets. I am ordering Harrison's superfine. What I have now is technically a cockatiel food that was the closest I could find to harrison's.

We're also learning to adjust feeding to when he's most likely to be hungry, so that might be helping. He wolfed down the noodle when I ate lunch yesterday. I planned to visit the vet for wellness and learning to clip wings and nails in a few weeks when he needs it, though obviously if he starts looking peaky he'll visit early. He's loud and busy enough that i'm not too worried for now.

 

[jusdeb]

The good thing about conures is that they are curious birds . Just keep trying new foods , put it on budgie mix and let it go cold turkey .
They actually do become addicted to Sunflower .

Oh Harrisons Mash contains ground sunflower so be aware of that .