Sun Conure food question

[kellie]

Hey guys! I just got a brand new little sun conure. His name is Lukah and he is about 5 months old I'm still training him and he's learning so fast- he's incredibly smart! But I have a question for you guys...

How many pellets should he be eating a day and how many fruits and veggies?
-currently I provide about a third cup of fruits and veggies and a third of pellets

When he eats his pellets, which he just recently got interested in, he will attempt to eat them, scrape them along the underside of his top beak and even grab them with his foot and bite down, but he doesn't seem to actually swallow much or get much out of it. It seems like a lot of it goes on the floor. Is this bad or is he still just learning how to eat them appropriately or is he actually eating them right and getting enough out of them?

I've also never seen him drink water before. He has a water thing in his cage that I clean out and refill with water every day, but I've never seen him drink from it, though I know he knows its there. He's eaten a lot of grapes and apples so maybe these have enough water in them?

If you guys could let me know. I have tons more questions, but this should be good for now! Thanks!!

Kellie

 

[MissTaz]

I have a GCC and we have had her for a month I have never really seen her drink water either. And she seems to be just fine. I'm sure she drinks she just doesn't do it while I'm around I do see seed shells in her water when I clean it. I hope this helps.

 

[weco]

If you are mixing fresh veggies & fruits with his pellets & seeds, you should keep all the fresh stuff together & all the dry stuff together.....don't know where you are, but you should remove fresh fruits & veggies after a couple of hours because bacteria can start growing when left longer and now that spring is here, in the northern hemisphere, it will be getting hotter & bacteria growth will be faster, making removal necessary anywhere from an hour to 1/2 hour after being offered.....

You may not see him take a drink, but you can rest assured that he does, though if he is eating fruits & veggies with a high water content he may not drink as much.....

Speaking of water, if he dips any of his food in his water bowl/dish, you will need to change the water & wash the bowl/dish twice or three times a day as the temperature rises, to preclude bacteria growth.....

 

[Kalidasa]

I have a GCC and she drinks often and bathes in her water dish when I fill it up all the way. Believe me, they definately drink water.

 

[kellie]

Thanks so much guys! And I live in Arizona (so it gets suuuuper hot here!) I have a separate little container I put his pellets in and another that I put his fresh fruits and veggies in!

Another question: He is puffed up a lot of the time. Not all the time, but a lot of it. He's only been here for 3 days, so I thought this might be because he is trying to look more intimidating? (He doesn't trust us all that much yet although I can get him to step up and he will stay on my finger sometimes and other peoples fingers if I offer a treat)

However, i just read somewhere that this can be a sign of sickness? He doesn't have any other symptoms... eats well, plays well, makes noise, both screaming and talking, not wet around the nostrils etc. Should I still get it checked out or would it be safe to wait and see if once he gets more comfortable here he stops staying puffed up all the time?