Pellets~vs~Seeds

Chelle

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CHEESECAKE (Pineapple~GCC) 2/4/14
Hi I am new to the world of Conures. I have a 3 month old GCC that I have had a week and a half. I have done a lot of reading and learning in the time since I got her. I have read that pellet food is better for her to eat. The problem is.... She wont eat any of it and I have tried several kinds and sizes. She does not like fresh fruit and veggies either. She LOVES Seeds!!! What should I do??? or will it be ok if I allow her to eat just seeds?

:confused: Concerned Mommy
 

Kalidasa

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You can get her to eat stuff by eating whatever it is in front of her, then offering tiny pieces until she gets it. If they see you do it, they always want to try. Just be persistent. Start out with a 50/50 mix of seeds and pellets, then gradually add just pellets. Seeds should be for treats, or a small percentage of her diet. Research the diet she should be on, there's a ton of info online, here and elsewhere. Diet is very important. :)
 
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Chelle

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CHEESECAKE (Pineapple~GCC) 2/4/14
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What Pellets do you use? I have Zupreem Avian Maintenance Fruit Blend for Conures. Is this a good choice?
 

Featheredsamurai

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A parrot on a staple seed diet will most likely develop organ failure unless the seeds are greatly supplement, but even then their nutritional needs will probably not be met.
In my opinion the only good zupreem pellets are "Zupreem natural", although zupreem fruit blend is better than no pellets at all.

I highly recommend Harrison's pellets, I feed both Rosie and Kenji these pellets. When I got Rosie 2 years ago she was very ill from eating a staple sunflower seed diet. I had fed her roudybush, zupreem natural, lafeabers. Only after putting Rosie on Harrison's did I see a massive jump in her feather quality, weight, and mentality.

Never give up when transferring parrots to pellets, it took me 6 months to have Rosie no longer eating seeds.
 
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SoCalWendy

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Hi I am new to the world of Conures. I have a 3 month old GCC that I have had a week and a half. I have done a lot of reading and learning in the time since I got her. I have read that pellet food is better for her to eat. The problem is.... She wont eat any of it and I have tried several kinds and sizes. She does not like fresh fruit and veggies either. She LOVES Seeds!!! What should I do??? or will it be ok if I allow her to eat just seeds?

:confused: Concerned Mommy

Nutriberries look are kinda cool. They have several different kinds. One with veggies, one with fruit, etc. it also has seeds as well as pellets. Anyone ever try these? Are they healthy?
 

Kalidasa

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What Pellets do you use? I have Zupreem Avian Maintenance Fruit Blend for Conures. Is this a good choice?

If she eats them, then it's a good choice. You can always transition to something different if you choose. Try to avoid the ones that are colored like skittles, and the sweet ones. But if she's eating them now, there's no reason to throw them out if you choose to switch, just finish them and use them for transitioning. If you can't get a hold of Harrison's, Roudybush is readily available at petsmart and other places. That's a good one also. But I also prefer Harrison's....or should I say, my bird prefers it. :) it doesn't hurt to use several different kinds for variety. But be patient, some birds take a long time to try new things. You just have to try every day. :) good luck
Ps. And of course, fresh greens, veggies, and some fruit. Avocado is toxic...check out the list of toxic things when you get a chance.
 
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Chelle

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CHEESECAKE (Pineapple~GCC) 2/4/14
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Thanks for all of the advice!! looks like Harrisons is the most popular....I will get some tomorrow! My new baby means the world to me and I want to make sure she is getting the best possible.
 

Featheredsamurai

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Thanks for all of the advice!! looks like Harrisons is the most popular....I will get some tomorrow! My new baby means the world to me and I want to make sure she is getting the best possible.
Do you know somewhere that carries it? It's a bit harder to find if you don't know were to look. Chain pet stores do not carry it. Most avian vets will carry it, and sometimes good pet specialty stores. I order mine off of MySafeBirdStore
 

Kalidasa

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It's recommended to use the high potency for the first 4-6 months, and then to move on to the adult lifetime. I would recommend the fine pellets for her size. The adult pellets have a pepper formula which is spicy and they love it. They also sell Harrison's on amazon.
 

kiwiS

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Kiwi loves eating treats from my fingers, so when I intro-ed her to Harrisons I made them a treat first (fed from fingers). She took to them right away and now practically hops into her bowl to start munching when I put in a fresh batch every morning ^.^
 

Pajarita

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GCCs are fructivores and require very little protein so free-feeding seeds or pellets is a no-no. All of them love fruits once they start trying them so keep at it and feed the protein food (pellets or seeds) for dinner only and make it a measured amount. I feed mine gloop and raw produce in the morning and one level tablespoon of budgie mix for dinner. I don't think that pellets are the healthiest option for parrots but, if you decide to go that route, I suggest you use TOPs and nothing else (most especially not the fruity ones that have all kinds of bad things in them like sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors, etc)
 

kiwiS

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GCCs are fructivores and require very little protein so free-feeding seeds or pellets is a no-no. All of them love fruits once they start trying them so keep at it and feed the protein food (pellets or seeds) for dinner only and make it a measured amount. I feed mine gloop and raw produce in the morning and one level tablespoon of budgie mix for dinner. I don't think that pellets are the healthiest option for parrots but, if you decide to go that route, I suggest you use TOPs and nothing else (most especially not the fruity ones that have all kinds of bad things in them like sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors, etc)

What do you feed the rest of the day? Or do they just eat breakfast and dinner?
 

Gizmomania

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My conures go absolutely wild when I pull out the bag of Nutriberries. They each get one a day as a treat.

The Zon that I'm getting next week is on a seed based diet, I'm not thrilled about having to buy a seed mix while he's getting weaned onto the Harrison's pellets, but 'ya gotta do what ya have to do'.
 
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Chelle

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CHEESECAKE (Pineapple~GCC) 2/4/14
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Thanks everyone for your advice. I have been working really hard to get her switched over to the pellet diet. I am mixing Zupreem Avian Maintenance Fruit Blend for Conures and Zupreem Natural with added vitamins and minerals. I already had the fruit blend so I will mix it until we run out. I removed all seeds from her cage. am going to try and use the seeds I have left to make treats for her when we are not home (which is not often, I am a stay at home mom and my oldest has a disability that keeps us home most days) I bought some silicone trays to use to make cube treats. I am looking for a good receipt. Possibly with honey. I have seen several that use gelatin but I don't really want to do that. It doesn't sound healthy. I would rather use all natural ingredients. So far she seems to be eating however I am not certain as to how much. I fill her bowl and I can tell that there is some missing. How much should a 3 1/2 month old GCC eat a day? She is very tiny compared to all the other GCC's I have seen in the pet stores that are younger. I am assuming this is ok after all humans are not all the same size. :)

Here is a picture of my little girl!!!
 

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MonicaMc

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Please make sure that all bakeware and pans are PTFE free! Silicone is considered safe, but I have heard that even some have PTFE on them.

You are right about the size! There are different subspecies of green cheek conures, and weight may range from the 50 gram range on up to 80+ grams. I'm not sure if we have any pure green cheeks in the USA anymore, so their size will greatly depend upon which subspecies is most predominant in their genetics.


I have some tips on diet conversion in the following thread.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/23367-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html
 
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Chelle

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CHEESECAKE (Pineapple~GCC) 2/4/14
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I just weighed her and she is 48 grams @ 3 1/2 months. Should I be concerned or is the 40-80 grams for adults? also at what age are they considered full grown?
Thanks so Much
Concerned Mommy
 

MonicaMc

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She's pretty petite!!!!

For the most part, once they are weaned, they are as big as they'll ever get. They may put on muscle and weight, but they wont get any bigger.


I would recommend the Harrison's High Potency for her. You can contact the company and ask for free samples. It is on the pricey side, but it may help her to put on a little weight!


And if she loves seeds, then feed her sprouted seeds rather than dry seeds!
 
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Chelle

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CHEESECAKE (Pineapple~GCC) 2/4/14
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Thank you so much! I am new to all of this... Did not plan on adopting but she found me and I fell in LOVE immediately! I have had her for 2 weeks and we are inseparable. I have left her twice to run some errands and put her in her cage for short amounts of time and she sleeps in her cage. I also got her a play gym and I move it to where ever I am in the house so she can be with me. I love love love my little Prissy!!!! I will contact the company right away.
 

MonicaMc

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Good luck with her!!!! Conures are fun! :D
 

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