Soon to be Conure Owner with Questions

lisamla

New member
Jan 29, 2022
4
7
Parrots
Conure x2
Hi all,

We are waiting to pick up our new conures but I have a few questions I'm sure you can help with before then. Our set up is a shared 24" x 24" cage with a playtop which will likely be kept in my office as I work from home. We may also get a table top play area for them to put on my desk. We are planning to also get a larger play area for them to keep in the familyroom (my husband is researching how to build one). We are planning to only feed pellets inside their cage (likely Harrison's or Tops) and chop will be given at a designated location (maybe the table top play area?) outside of their cage.

If you have more than one bird, do you give each bird their own bowl of chop/pellets?

I'm thinking we should give them pellets everyday (2 times a day) and veggie chop 5 times a week and fruit chop 2 times a week. Or should we give a mix of veggies and fruit everyday (75% veggies/25% fruit)? Should I give the veggie/fruit twice a day, too, or is once a day OK? I'd love to see example feeding schedules if anyone wants to share.

We are hoping to train them to go to the bathroom at a specific location. What should this look like? Another small play area with just a T perch, for example?

Thank you in advance!
 

foxgloveparrot

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Your first question:
Yup. It prevents arguments and makes sure each bird has enough and everybody gets the same amount (unless they need different amounts, which my birds do).

Second question:
Pellets every evening, vegetable chop every morning, or vice versa. Feed some seeds as treats for training. Fruit chop twice a week is good.

Third question:
Just a T-stand, no toys, no food, nothing that could take away attention from you.

Good luck with your birds! :)
 
OP
L

lisamla

New member
Jan 29, 2022
4
7
Parrots
Conure x2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
Your first question:
Yup. It prevents arguments and makes sure each bird has enough and everybody gets the same amount (unless they need different amounts, which my birds do).

Second question:
Pellets every evening, vegetable chop every morning, or vice versa. Feed some seeds as treats for training. Fruit chop twice a week is good.

Third question:
Just a T-stand, no toys, no food, nothing that could take away attention from you.

Good luck with your birds! :)
Thank you!
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Hello and welcome!
Diet changes should be slow and monitor weight. New burd often drop weight when coming to a new home from all the stress.. so personally I let them have whatever they were feed before for the first couple of weeks. But i start offering new stuff in separate bowl on day way . I've never done a complete pellet switch, but there are threads and guidelines out there.

Get
digital kitchen scale works great, and weigh as baseline the day you bring home. If a new weaned baby will still be slowly going weight and filing out adult green cheek, unsure on sun conure average 70 gram. Then weekly . Burds can get in trouble quickly with diet changes or health. So monitor weight is important. If bird is a healthy weight and it's unlikely yours will be over weight. Tgen you don't want any weight loss with diet changes. Sick burds can also loose weight quickly and when caught at weight loss taken to vet its easy to treat and save them. By the time you have " sick burd" symptoms tgey are critical and often 24 hours from death, quick action and support food, warmth can still save some but often its to late by then. Vets use % body mas loss as burds are different weights. To calculate take grams lost ÷ by normal weight × 100 = % lost = % body mass lost more than 3% find reason see vet more than 5% get to vet within 2 days, anything near 10% get to vet that day think about support feeding baby burd formula.
Example normal weight 70 grams lost 5 grams
5÷70= 0.0714×100= 7.1% body mass loss get to veterinarian.
Knowing this has saved several of my birds lives.

Parrots have a high metabolism and a simple quick moving digestive system . Their only large muscles are the flight pectoral muscle, little to no fat stores by design. So they can be flight ready and not weighed down . Also why they poop every 15-30 min on average.

That's why I recommend unlimited pellets available all day if feeding pellets. Or food always available, they are grazers / browsers not gut loaders.

We are always discussing diet and trying to work out what's best.

This is whst I do( and I'm not claiming its the best or only way, but I have and continue to research) veggies twice daily a combination of usually 6 kinds, but what ever I have on hand what it is season what I need to use up. Expect a lot of waste. I also prefer to not have picky parrots when it comes to pellets ( I did with my first parrot and that led to issues , so, lol, I swore never again) that's why I offer mine 3 different kinds in 3 different bowls and rotate what brands I buy. I feed 35% diet as seed mix, seed mix is in cage with pellets in separate dishes for when caged. 10% ot less of diet is berries fruit, I also feed boiled egg occasionally, sprouts, nuts, legumes, a soak and feed parrot mix with whole grains , and share a spoonful of any parrot safe food im eating.

My parrots come out of cage at breakfast and are excited to eat the veggies offered. They are out most of the day as I'm home. So several bowels of pellets are out for them. In cage are the seeds and more pellets. I cage them for 1-2 hours mid day , then out again, in the late afternoon I offer veggies leafy lettuce again.

Ok that was a long reply

Here are mine/ and awesome members out if cage hang out spots plus on top and above cage hang out spots
 
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GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
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8,742
Cleveland area
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The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Welcome. You have found the best parrot place. I'm glad you're here. You are doing it right... reaching out... preparing! Stick with us!

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