Conure Feeding Strategy

[DuskyEmmitt]

Hello. I recently brought my boy home (last saturday) and I am trying to figure out a good feeding routine.

Please correct me if this is wrong.

Morning time, I clear both food bowls and chop up some fruits (grapes, blueberries, apples) and put those in his bowl. Clean the water bowl out and add fresh. Put the fruit bowl and water back in the cage. Around 3 hours later ill take the fruit out and throw it away, replacing it with his pellet / seed bowl. 2/3 Pellets 1/3 seeds. Evening time when I get back from work, ill remove the seed bowl and add another fruit bowl.

I also have a seed bar on the side of the cage that he can pick at if he wants to snack.

So far he doesnt really seem to be that into the fresh fruits. He mostly picks at the seeds, occasionally going with a pellet or two.

I assume he will eat when he is hungry, and is likely getting what he needs, but should I assume? I want to make sure he is not malnurished!

Any suggestions?

 

[hacatta]

i wouldn't feed him that many fruits a day,they contain a lot off sugar,and are not good for your bird in that large quantities.
Try vegetables instead.
And seed sticks also contain a lot sugar and are just fat makers.
For once in a while they are good but not for regularly.
But as your boy is new you could do it if only to make sure he eats.
But overall it look sound
Good luck with you boy!

 

[bettietheripper]

My conure refuses to eat veggies, so if you find some that work for you, let me know!

 

[DuskyEmmitt]

My conure refuses to eat veggies, so if you find some that work for you, let me know!

So far he is not interested in anything other than seed, so I have a feeling veggies wont go well either. Going to hit the grocery store on the way home and grab a few things.

 

[hacatta]

My conure refuses to eat veggies, so if you find some that work for you, let me know!

So far he is not interested in anything other than seed, so I have a feeling veggies wont go well either. Going to hit the grocery store on the way home and grab a few things.

Some bird do not take well to vegs in the beginning but don´t give up.
They are like 2 year old kids that refuses to eat their sprouts.
this topic may help a bit,http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

Some birds like their vegs cooked and some not,so you will have to try different things.
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html
Here a list of safe vegs.

I wish you luck!!hope to hear how it goes!

 

[MonicaMc]

The sugar in fruit really isn't that bad. What's bad for you is table sugar.

The healthiest fruits to feed are exotic fruits. Fruits that have not been genetically modified or selectively bred for taste or color. At least, from my reading, modern fruits have more sugar content and less fiber content than their ancestral counterparts.


Saying that, most places do recommend feeding fruits as a small portion of the diet. Vegetables, healthy grains and healthy legumes should be fed in higher quantities than fruit.



PS, I think the second link is supposed to be this one!

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

 

[hacatta]

The sugar in fruit really isn't that bad. What's bad for you is table sugar.

The healthiest fruits to feed are exotic fruits. Fruits that have not been genetically modified or selectively bred for taste or color. At least, from my reading, modern fruits have more sugar content and less fiber content than their ancestral counterparts.


Saying that, most places do recommend feeding fruits as a small portion of the diet. Vegetables, healthy grains and healthy legumes should be fed in higher quantities than fruit.



PS, I think the second link is supposed to be this one!

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Lol i didn't notice that i got the wrong link thanks.
And i mend that the sugar in the fruit would be to high if given 2 bowls a day,not as a part of their diet.

 

[MonicaMc]

Welcome!


A lot of people say that parrots shouldn't have a lot of fruit because it contains too much sugar and sugar is bad for parrots. It's not exactly true about the sugar in frut being bad but I do agree, it's too much fruits being provided.

 

[DuskyEmmitt]

Welcome!


A lot of people say that parrots shouldn't have a lot of fruit because it contains too much sugar and sugar is bad for parrots. It's not exactly true about the sugar in frut being bad but I do agree, it's too much fruits being provided.

I would imagine berries and fruits are a large part of their natural diet. That said, I can't really get him interested in anything but seeds and pellets.

Is that a problem? Any tips on getting them to eat better?

 

[Dinosrawr]

I personally feel like it's a nature of habit when it comes to eating with birds, too. If you provide a child with candy and vegetables, they're likely to choose the candy. That's how I view seeds. Seeds are delicious, and instinctually a parrot is going to go for the most fatty (and delicious) source of food available. If they're always fed seed and the option is always there, chances are they aren't going to choose differently. Unlike us, birds don't often decide up New Years resolutions to eat healthily and start exercising !

Seed is healthy, but it's best used as a treat once in awhile or as something sprouted which is crazy health for them and us! I'd try doing that. Also, feeding your bird what they desire least when they're hungriest may also help out, too, and food managing can also help. Not everyone believes in food management nor is it necessary, but I find with Avery that if I don't food manage, she turns into a little lazy fatty bum. As adorable as it is, it's frustrating trying to train her when she's not food motivated

There's also the option of making a mash, puréeing your food, or investing in something like Higgin's Wordly Cuisine. It's easy to make, smells great, and from what I've heard the reviews are great! But it may take time and some experimentation. Birds also love to steal food from you, so making something look delicious and then having them "steal it" might help, too.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Oh! And as for the fruit, it's really not bad if they're exercising and healthy over all. Fructose is one of the "worst" monomers of sugar, but it's not bad by any means. It can really help with birds with a sweet tooth, but you won't get as many essential vitamins from fruits as you will veggies is what I think is the major issue with them.

 

[MonicaMc]

To get birds to eat healthier, it helps to be creative!

Try leaving smaller foods hole, try dicing it in small chunks, cut it up in large chunks, try weaving it through the cage bars, try putting it on a skewer for the bird (creating a kebab!), try attaching new foods onto toys, try slicing it, try mixing it up.

Mixed vegetables (like this) may be more appealing to a bird than vegetables on their own.

 

[DuskyEmmitt]

Ok, so one more question. Is it a bad idea to leave food acessible all day? Should I be only offering food at eating times?

Thanks for all the great advice so far. You guys are awesome.

 

[hacatta]

i leave pellets all day in their cage,and sometimes nuts and dried fruit and vegetables.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Avery always has access to her pellets, it's just a controlled amount so that she doesn't over feed. Because she's small she only gets one tsp (heaping) of each type of her pellets (Roudy and Harrison's). She doesn't often eat it all, as we do training and she always had access to fresh fruits and veggies that I change out throughout the day. If she does eat all of her pellets, she'll get one more scoop of Roudy.

I always feed her a lot of fresh fruits and veggies in the morning after washing her bowls, change the overnight water, and provide her with pellets. When I get home, I change her water, I toss the veggies/fruit and replace, and monitor her pellets. I also always replace any left over pellets with "fresh" ones in the morning after washing.

It's basically two main "feeding" times, or rather food replacement. I do my best to change it up every time, so whatever she got for breakfast she doesn't get for supper. I hate repetitive foods (I like left overs, but I can't handle the same "type" of meal consecutively for supper), so I can't imagine doing it to Avery. I'd hate me if I did, haha!

 

[MonicaMc]

You can free-feed, that is, providing food throughout the entire day, or two 2-3 meal times. If you do meal times, then you would feed a minimum of morning and evening meals. Third meal, if one is done, would be at lunch.

I have heard that doing the two meals a day method may help with training birds, although I have trained birds while using the 'free-fed' method. I usually give my birds slightly over what they would eat within a day (which may change as the seasons change). This means that they get fresh food daily.

 

[yann]

i hide all the really good stuff in birdie bread pureed veggie, cooked grain mix, steamed carrots/yams/pumpkin or basically stuff they deem yucky~ add some healthy flour like spelt, almond, buckwheat, barley…….the list goes on! just add enough to give the mixture a stiff consistency.

my fids adore the birdie bread so it works out great for me! hopefully you'll have some luck with it too! but that being said it does not eliminate the need to feed fresh veggies & fruits…cooked stuff aren't always as good as their fresh counterparts but it gets at least SOME veggie into em!

 

[DuskyEmmitt]

Emmitt has taken a liking to grapes.

I have been giving him one in the morning and in the evening and he loves them. It is big enough that I can give one to him on the top of his cage when I let him out in the morning, and it wont fall through the cracks. He does tend to drop it on the floor occasionally, but usually when he is close to getting all of the fruit ouf of the middle. He breaks the skin and scoops all the good stuff out, leaving just an empty grape skin.

Tried brocolli and carrots saturday and he ate a little of the broccoli, didnt want anything to do with the carrots.

 

[Eugooglizer]

Excellent advice and ideas so far! I've had a lot of luck with "sneaking" items into Birdie Bread that would otherwise be ignored, and while the cooking process renders them inferior to fresh nutrient-wise, it's a start and better than nothing. I didn't see this mentioned yet so I apologize if it's already been addressed, but have you considered sprouted seeds? Sprouting seeds greatly increases their nutritional value as well as creating a bit more of a vegetable-like texture which, once they've become accustomed to, often makes birds more accepting of actual vegetables. There are various sprouting seeds and mixes sold that are specially formulated for birds to ensure those being used are safe. There's even a product called the EasySprout, available online for ~$10-12 that includes everything you need (except the seeds) along with simple instructions to make it easy and fool-proof. I'm in the process of trying to add more fresh veggies to my conure's diet and the sprouts are making the transition much easier, along with being a great addition to his diet in themselves.