Thinking about our conures diet

[Mimsy01]

As some of you might remember when we got Foofany she was a little seed monster and it took us years to get her on a good fresh food and pellet diet.

I was thinking now she eats a ton of veggies and fruit and I probably give her a bout a 2 tbl of roudybush and 1/2 cup of veggie and fruit which she eats almost all of a day. She also gets some pasta/rice/beans/cereal daily..whatever I'm cooking for the humans and may get some extra cooked veg depending on what I'm making for humans. She can really eat a lot for a small bird.

Since we got Ellie, our blue crown we've been working on her diet, since she also was on a seed diet. (I think she tosses most of the seed and eats mostly just the safflower from what I can tell) she's been easier to move to pellets and is more than willing to try anything. She'll eat any of the ones we've offered-roudybush, golden 'obles and harrison. Veggies and fruit she tries, but mostly plays with and then throws. She will eat it if it's pureed with a little nut butter no problem, she loves her birdy smoothies.

I'll give Foo a little pinch of Ellie's seed since we've had it now and she mostly ignores it and would rather eat her fresh veg, fruit and roudybush.

I'm wondering however how much activity level plays a part in diet. Foo is extremely active, always flying throughout the house to see different people, hanging upside from everything, she can even hover pretty well in front of closed doors and fly through small spaces by tucking her wings in while going through. I was thinking it may actually be healthful for her to have decent portion of seed a day with such high activity. What do you think?

Ellie I'm thinking the opposite, we've only had a short time and the previous owners clipped her wings we are waiting for those to grow out. Plus she is older and a little arthritic, so even with flight I doubt she'll be the crazy acrobat that Foo is. Once I get her eating fresh foods more consistently I'm thinking she should really get a very limited amount of pellets and seed. I'll have to read up on which fruits and veg are best for and don't aggro arthritis as well. My girl friend has had rheumatoid since she was in her teens and I know she avoids certain things and eats a lot of others..but can't recall much so I'll have to educate myself a bit.

It's all seems logical, anything I'm missing with my thoughts?

 

[Piasa]

I think the right seeds in a diet are very important. I don't buy or feed bird seed mix, I order the specific seeds I want to feed and get organic human ones. Both my birds fly and are quite active, but I would feed the seeds regardless as part of a varied diet.

They get chia and milkthistle seeds daily, flax occasionally, hemp and sprouted sunflower occasionally. Chia and flax have omegas 3 & 6, hemp and sunflower have lots of good vitamins and nutrients, and milkthistle protects and heals the liver.

Pepitas are also super healthy seeds for them. However, mine won't touch them. They don't care much for flax either, but will eat a few.

A bird can only eat so much a day, and need lots of nutrients I am learning. So I try to make sure every single thing I feed gives them something(s) important.