Sprouting seeds for baby conure?

[dinorap1]

My GCC is about 7 weeks old, and I just recently adopted him from a breeder. He is weaning from his formula and eating lots of seeds and pellets now. I read somewhere that it was necessary to feed baby birds sprouted seeds, or at least better for them. I noticed my baby conure (His name is Guac btw ) has trouble eating seeds...

So what are the benefits of using specified sprouted seeds? Can you sprout just any seeds or do you have to buy something special?

Also, I want to introduce him to fruits and vegetables and stuff. All I have currently are carrots. How do I get him to actually eat them?

 

[Lullx]

I personally haven't sprouted yet (It's too cold here and I don't have the right equipment yet), but most of the seeds in his food are probably sprout-able!

Birds tend to like fruits more, so you may want to try those first just to get him to try something new and scary. When I introduce new foods, I have to pretend to dramatically eat it myself before my guys will touch it. Think about it like you're trying to get a human toddler to eat something new.
For carrots, try cutting them into different sizes. My conures prefer bigger pieces, and they rip them apart themselves, but yours may like smaller pieces. Maybe put a few pieces into their bowl of seeds and pellets, and they'll probably get curious enough to try nibbling on it.

Also be sure to wash any fruit and veggies thoroughly before offering it! I soak mine in a white vinegar + cold water solution, then rinse them in cold water. It helps get any nasties off better. Since yours is still a baby, he may like cooked carrots more, but try both cooked and raw!

Good luck!

 

[Kalidasa]

I always have something going sprout wise. Here are my conure (and budgies) favorite: red spelt, wheat berries (perfect conure size, his absolute fave), broccoli, red clover, radish (they smell terrible, so I don't do these often), alfalfa, buckwheat. Occasionally safflower seeds as well. Most of these can be bought at health food stores or online. I use a jar. Sprouts are a good start to an excellent diet. Good luck and let know how it goes