question around parrot food

[speeran]

Hi All,

I am just trying to understand the requirements of the Sun conure and if I am doing the correct feeding job.

I feel them fruits like apple, pappaya , pears.
They dont eat vegetables , only corn.
They eat spinach
They eat seeds like sunflower seeds.
They eats nuts.
Apart from this, they eat coocked rice, boiled egg white.


The only problem I have is that they dont prefer to eat vegetables.

So I am planning to start feeding them Harrison's pellets.

The question I have is that , once they start eating pellets, should I stop feeding them these fresh fruits, nuts etc etc or should I still continue with feeding these fresh things.

Thanks
syed

 

[jenphilly]

The basis of your sun's diet should be a top grade pellet (we are TOPs fans, but Roudy Bush or Harrison is well respected). But pellets should never be the only food source. In addition to pellets, you should have a good varied dry mix, Goldenfeast is a favorite for our house, but Higgins and Roudy Bush are great options too. Here is a link to mybirdstore.com, they do ship internationally. But if nothing else, this will give you some great ideas for what to look for. GOLDENFEAST BIRD FOOD by Bird Paradise

If nothing else, if you can find Nutriberries, they are a good choice to add to an otherwise healthy diet.

Spinach should be given only occasionally because of the level of iron which inhibits proper absorption of calcium. I personally only give a piece of spinach if I am making myself a salad and Ivory wants to steal a piece. I never put spinach in her bowl. Other greens such as collard or turnip greens, beets with their tops also would be a better choice for regular feeding.

Orange veggies are important - sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots (with their tops).

Apples are okay, but please be very careful and remove the core including seeds and actual center core.

Try lots of different veggies including green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, jicama, beets, swiss chard, hot peppers (you can even use dried peppers and mix into a mash), etc.

Pasta, rice, quinoa are all great choices to mix with fresh fruits and veggies to make a mash.

We do not feed sunflower seeds except for what is in their dry mix.

If you read thru the diet and recipe sections down below, you will find lots of great mixes that people make up for their birds. You can even make a large batch and freeze in small containers, so you just pull out a container every couple days and do not waste! Works great for us!

Good luck!!!

 

[jenphilly]

Sorry, did not comment about them not wanting the veggies...

There are a few tricks. I just posted yesterday that our guys won't eat carrots. So I put the carrots thru a blender and mixed in some applesauce to make it sweeter. I then just put that into the barley and pasta mix and mixed it all up. What they like gets coated, so you they eat everything they should! The chops or mashes are excellent for introducing new foods. You make the base of the chop or mash something you know your bird loves, then add in new stuff in tiny pieces or even pureed so its all mixed in! As time goes back, make the pieces bit bigger and bigger. Keep trying new foods. One day they will eat something new... its all just a matter of trying and not giving up!

 

[Kiwibird]

Whether they are on seed or pellets, NEITHER provides adequate nutrition on their own. As opportunistic omnivores, parrots do very poorly when fed only one type of food (i.e. just seed or just pellets). They need variety in their diet. They also need fresh produce every day, and lots of it! In nature, they eat primarily fruit, seeds, nuts and the occasional whatever else they can scavenge up. Fresh fruit and veg is especially important because not only do they get nutrients from fresh produce, they also get moisture. Parrots in captivity have a water dish they may or may not drink from enough to remain hydrated, but their bodies are designed to absorb moisture from fruit/veg really.

And just keep on feeding the fresh stuff you know your birds eat, and keep trying to get him to try new things. Try offering it in different "shapes" too. My bird will only eat certain fruits/veg if they are chopped into tiny piece, while others he will eat large chunks of, some he prefers shredded. For example, carrots- he would fling a carrot stick to the floor, but shredded or chopped carrots, he eats no problems. He will eat HUGE chunks of bananas and apples though. Broccoli he nibbles the tops off of, but won't eat the stalk. Leafy greens basically have to be pureed and mixed in with his food or else he won't touch those period. Parrots are weird like that.

 

[veimar]

My GCC won't eat any veggies, only fruit. He only nibbled on broccoli first, but then didn't touch it. He is horrified of carrots, even if I shred them. He wouldn't eat potatoes or cucumbers or anything like that. I tried everything! He tastes all the veggies I give him, but wouldn't eat. He loves apples, strawberries, and especially blueberries (those I cannot afford to buy often), and wouldn't mind some banana.
So I just stick with fruit and pellet/seed mix and fruit for now.

 

[jenphilly]

Too much fruit is not healthy at all for a bird, they need the veggies. Like kids, birds will eat what tastes the best and sweets are usually a favorite. But you are the leader of the flock and you need to help to teach your bird to eat healthy. Share the foods you eat with your bird. Make a plate of steamed broccoli or cauliflower with white rice. Sit down with a plate for you and him. Let him eat with you. Birds are flock oriented if their flock is eating the food, they will usually try it. And persistence is the key. It took months and months to get Ivory to eat fresh foods. She had never seen them in her almost 4 years of life before she was rehomed to us.

Again, if he won't willingly eat the veggies even when shared with you, then put the veggies thru a blender and coat the fruit he likes or what treats he likes. Try making sweet potatoes balls. Cook sweet potatoes, mix in other veggies, roll into balls and coat with fruit or nuts. Try baked potatoes, very few birds will turn down a baked potatoe! Mash them up, mix in veggies, but not chunks, again, puree them.

This is much like having a child, you would never accept your child to only eat candy and hot dogs would you? Same with your bird, you need to everyday encourage and make eating healthy veggies a positive thing!

 

[Kiwibird]

To be truthful, in nature, parrots don't eat vegetables really. Broccoli and carrots don't grow in the jungle. Things like pineapple, bananas, mangos, papaya ect... do. The NATURAL sugars in fruit is NOT bad for them contrary to popular belief. What it does is exacerbate aggressiveness during the hormonal season (but so does light, touch, the color of the shirt you're wearing on any particular day....).

If your bird is eating fruit, then that's great! Keep feeding fruit every day. If you haven't already, try sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed up) as they are very healthy for birds, and many picky eaters will eat them. Also try some "chop mixes" where many different fruits and veg are mixed, so the bird can't eat that yummy apple chunk without also getting a bit of spinach too.

Edit: I personally prefer to try to feed my bird *as close* to his natural diet as possible, which I know a lot of people disagree with as it doesn't include pellets, has huge variety and I'm more concerned with his intake of fruit than veg. Respectfully stating MY opinion here- Understanding what your bird would eat in nature gives a greater understanding of why they aren't so accepting of some of the foods you offer in your home, why so many parrots suffer from food allergies and MOST importantly- what food nature, not parrot food manufacturers, intended for them to eat. Here is some information on a conures natural diet (if you read carefully, you'll see their natural diet includes fruit, berries, nut and seeds ALL of which are deemed as "bad" for them for some reason when they live in a domestic home). I strongly recommend you do some independent research on the matter-

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-species/find-the-right-bird/wild-conure-feeding.aspx
http://birds.about.com/od/conures/p/greencheek.htm
http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/wildstatus/sun_conure/

 

[veimar]

Oh thank you Jen! I'll try that. I tried to make him eat rice with veggies form the same place with me, but he just nibbled on it. And he wouldn't eat any soft stuff like puree or mashed potatoes. He is horrified of the bowls that stuff is in! I had to buy some small transparent plastic bowls that he is not afraid of. Well, I guess he is still a a baby and didn't get good eating habits from Petsmart. But I'll keep trying - thank you for ideas!

 

[jenphilly]

Eating off plates with you is usually a great incentive... especially if they think they are sneaking or stealing food from you, seems to make it a great game they love to play. And you get him to try new stuff, win win

 

[kiwiS]

I feed kiwi a blended up veggie/fruit mash with some millet seed and raw pasta mixed together in the morning. Then at noon I switch it out with her Harrison+Roudybush pellet mix. At dinnertime her pellets are taken out and she is then fed a rice/sweetpotato mash with fresh carrots and apples chopped in. After dinner her pellets are put back in her cage, but she is usually out and about playing with me or on her play stand till bedtime.

 

[inge]

Great info and suggestions. I was about to post this same topic. Having a heck of a time getting my dusty conure to eat veggies. I gave her some steamed (plain) broccoli florets from my plate and she sorta nibbled but only a little and then moved on. I have tried kale, romaine, and fresh green beans to no avail.
So far, the only "fresh" stuff she eats is fruit and that is only if I am eating it, and even that is not for long. Today I scooped a bit of my fresh papaya for her, about a half spoonful. Nibbled but did not finish. She does like nuts like cashews, almonds, pecans, and walnuts--as well as dried fruit. I got a mix that has different dried fruits in "bits" and she seems to like some of that.

She came with Harrison's high potency and Harrison's power treats, but we are switching her to Harrison's adult lifetime as soon as this bag is finished. And she won't touch the treats even when I break them up for her.

I got some Nutri-berries too and she doesn't show much interest. Tonight I am making my husband a pot roast so I will save some carrots for her and see if she will eat them.

I am wondering if the high potency food is the culprit.

I will keep trying. The puree idea is good and to mix it stuff she does eat...I am going to try this!

 

[jenphilly]

See if she likes peanut butter too... another one of those great things that you can 'hide' the healthy stuff in!!

I joke its like having a little kid again, trying to convince them to eat the good stuff without a major fight!! Funny thing, when Victoria was little, she ate all the fruits and veggies without a problem, its not until I get a friggin bird that we have the fight over food!! But, I swear by having the nutribullet!! I puree all the fruit and veggies before making birdie bread too, no eating around anything baked in. Swear its like playing chess!!!

 

[veimar]

If my conure had a choice what he would eat, it would be ONLY sunflower seeds! When we 'rescued' him from Petsmart (literally, he was only a few days on the floor, poor thing, miserable, dirty and so sad - they gave us 30% off right away to get rid of him) we discovered that he wasn't eating anything else except the sunflower seeds from his Kaytee mix, and even those mostly fell on the floor. He didn't even know how to eat other stuff and I had to hand feed him for the first week crushing everything into tiny bits and making sure he swallowed something after nibbling on it. So still long way to go with the veggies. I'm heading off to get some sweet potatoes for him as somebody advised here - hope it will work since he loves sweet stuff.

 

[jenphilly]

Just keep trying... if you have veggies every night for dinner, just pull out a small pile for him before you add butter / salt / pepper. Before you know it, he'll be eating different things and you'll be spending time cooking for him like so many of us other bird slaves on here!!

You're willingness to try new things is all the help your guy needs!!

 

[Grenage]

Most of the high fat/sugar foods such as fruit and seed are ok in the wild, they're getting constant exercise, so it doesn't just turn to fat.

I give 2.5 teaspoons of pellets and half a teaspoon of seed mix in his food bowl. There's a second bowl with mixed vegetables (cabbage/sweetcorn/pepper/chilli/beans/peas/broccoli/fennel etc), and he'll generally eat what he fancies at the time; he gets one sultana each morning when I have my breakfast - and that's about all the fruit aside from a rare treat.

As long as he eats his seed and pellets, I don't worry about the vegetables. That said, he does eat them.

 

[MonicaMc]

Hi All,

I am just trying to understand the requirements of the Sun conure and if I am doing the correct feeding job.

I feel them fruits like apple, pappaya , pears.
They dont eat vegetables , only corn.
They eat spinach
They eat seeds like sunflower seeds.
They eats nuts.
Apart from this, they eat coocked rice, boiled egg white.


The only problem I have is that they dont prefer to eat vegetables.

So I am planning to start feeding them Harrison's pellets.

The question I have is that , once they start eating pellets, should I stop feeding them these fresh fruits, nuts etc etc or should I still continue with feeding these fresh things.

Thanks
syed

It's better to feed a variety of foods than not at all! The easiest way to get birds to try new foods is to be creative in the way that you present new foods! Putting a new food in a dish can be kind of boring.... hanging the food up, weaving it between the cage bars, maybe even mixing it with different colored foods can make it so much more interesting!

Spinach should be fed in moderation and not very much of it. Too much can be very harmful. So can kale and parsley for that matter! Feed less of that, and more of other foods.

A great way to feed healthier foods is to sprout the seeds! Sprout the grains, too! Living food is far better for them than "dead" food!

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

Edit: I personally prefer to try to feed my bird *as close* to his natural diet as possible, which I know a lot of people disagree with as it doesn't include pellets, has huge variety and I'm more concerned with his intake of fruit than veg. Respectfully stating MY opinion here- Understanding what your bird would eat in nature gives a greater understanding of why they aren't so accepting of some of the foods you offer in your home, why so many parrots suffer from food allergies and MOST importantly- what food nature, not parrot food manufacturers, intended for them to eat. Here is some information on a conures natural diet (if you read carefully, you'll see their natural diet includes fruit, berries, nut and seeds ALL of which are deemed as "bad" for them for some reason when they live in a domestic home). I strongly recommend you do some independent research on the matter-

Can I momentarily be contradictory and say that produce we purchase in the stores may not be nearly as nutritious as the fruits that parrots eat out in the wild? Thus the importance of vegetables that provide more nutrients than our fruits alone?

Cultivated vs. Wild Fruit | Mark's Daily Apple
Original Wild Foods vs. Available Foods Today for Instinctos (re: NUTRIENT PROPERTIES OF WILD AND DOMESTICATED PLANTS)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/o...tion-out-of-our-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 / http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/26/sunday-review/26corn-ch.html?ref=sunday


I don't disagree with trying to feed as natural of a diet as is possible, but our cultivated foods aren't nearly as healthy as their wild counterparts. Wild parrots also require more energy than our clipped, caged companions, so a wild diet may not necessarily be beneficial to our companions.


(just something to think about )

 

[veimar]

Well - we are doing some progress here! I figured my own trick to feed him "good" stuff. When he is out of his cage he often hangs out on our kitchen counter (don't get horrified - we don't fry steaks and have a powerful range hood). He has his own food bowls there. For some reason he eats much better there than in the cage. So I stopped putting pellet/seed mix and fruits in those bowls, but I put veggies and porridge (like oatmeal, rice or buckwheat) instead. I mixed banana with broccoli tops (these little buds) and flax seeds and he ate them really well. Now I'm waiting for him to try out the sweet potato.