Addiction to Sunflower seeds?

So I was reading somewhere that if given a seed mixture, birds can become addicted to sunflower seeds. Kiwi was given to me last month on a full seed diet, and I've been hesitant in getting around to changing it, but as of recently she has started having a lot of diarrhea. Once I replace the seed (and she gets more sunflower seeds), bam, she has regular poops again. I think the reason i've only noticed it now is that when I first got her, I would give her lots of treats and nibbles of my food, but recently i've been cutting back on it because I know that carbohydrates etc. aren't good for a bird. On top of that, i'd treat her to fruits and veggies, but she only really likes the sweet fruits... which is also a problem. Is this a legitament cause for Diarrhea or has anyone dealt with it before? I think I'm going to take her to the vet anyways... but what are your thoughts. Would she starve herself to death if i remove sunflower seeds from her food?

My GC gets watery poop when she eats fruits but right now Im trying to convert her to pellets. She is on a seed diet right now and does not have watery poop. It might be the fruits but your right the vet is best to make sure. I wouldnt think she would starve to death if she will eat everything else in the bowl besides the sunflower. I know how you feel though if I would let Cooper have it her way she would only eat sunflowers too. I only give her them for treats Keep us updated and Good Luck

It's a good idea to get Kiwi off the seeds; many conures become addicted and it's like their life revolves around getting those seeds. Pritti's poop gets watery after eating wet produce like apple, cucumber, grapes, etc. I wouldn't call it diarrhea - I would call it watery, but a normal watery in light of what he ate, and he has no symptoms of being ill. it happens just about daily because he eats wet produce most mornings. So talk it over with the a-vet and bring your little list of questions about poop, nutrition, sleep, etc. and get a good feel for what would be normal vs. potential problem. Some vets say that birds should eat all like 80% good bird pellets, and no more than 20% other food like produce, grains, etc. Some say plenty of fruit and vegetables and grains. So even if the a-vet says one thing, you can still discuss another option for feeding that you have in mind. I usually keep the fresh foods in separate bowl and separate place than pellets. Recently I started adding a small second pellet dish right along side the fresh food bowl, and Pritti now eats a little fresh, a little pellets, and so on. so you can try something like that too.

Jasmine has a small amount of seed and a slice of apple/carrot/grape/cucumber etc in the morning. Her poop is watery to start with. Then as the day goes on she has to resort to the pellets (in separate dish) and by tea time her poops are solid and reddish.
I remove most of the sunflower seeds from her food and these along with pine nuts are her treats for good behaviour and learning new tricks

Just take the sunflower seeds out they are very bad for your bird. Seed diets are not good for birds either. Alot of people think that the poop of a seed eating bird is normal however it is not.

Offer her something she will eat instead and mix seed to pellet. Birds on a seed diet do not live as long as birds on a pellet diet. COnures need some fat in their diet from nuts / seeds. ALmonds. walnuts and pecans pumpkin seeds are good alternatives to sunflower seeds.

Birds poo will become watery if they eat lots of fruits because of the moisture in the food. If you feed alot of orange veggies the poo can look orangish from the food you fed. Redish when feeding red peppers. My conure loves hot peppers any hot pepper he goes after.

My birds food has a lot of different stuffing it sun flowers, pumpkin seeds, millet, peanuts, almonds, pasta, peppers, veggie cracker things, and mangos! And for treats I give him yogurt covered cherrie rings!

A-vet explained to me that the sunflower seeds themselves are not really bad - but it is that they are taking the place of foods that supply proper nutrition and that birds can become deficient in vitamin A and calcium, and get too much fat when they don't take enough other foods because they are full from the sunflower. it made sense to me.

Instead of feeding dry seeds, feed sprouted seeds. Sprouted seeds have more nutrition and vitamins in them than dry seeds. This is a great way to feed sunflower seeds in a healthy way!

Wish my conure loved sunflower seeds! They would make a great training treat! But alas, he prefers safflower seeds... and no one hulls safflower seeds...


Fruits and vegetables are *NOT* treats. They should be an essential part to a healthy diet, with vegetables being fed more so over fruits. Feeding Feathers group on Yahoo recommends feeding approximately 30% grains, 15% legumes (healthy - not cheap, cooked or sprouted), 45% vegetables and 10% fruits as a 'base diet' of fresh/cooked foods, and this can be fed in addition to a pelleted/seed/sprout diet. Heck, it can take up as little as 20% of the diet on up to 90%.


Moist foods = more watery droppings

Dry foods (i.e. pellets) = a higher need to consume more water


True diarrhea can potentially be a sign of a sick bird. However, stress, consuming too much liquid, or not eating recently may also result in abnormal droppings with no form.