Sun conure's diet

[Aratingettar]

Hi Conuranians


I'd like to seek your advice regarding the diet of a Sun Conure.
Cytrynka is fed with a rather diverse diet.
When we've acquired her, she was almost 100% pelleted diet, with few fresh fruits (apples mainly).
We have tried to introduce some more flavours to her diet, adding more fruits and some (limited) nuts. Over time, unfortunately she seem to lost her interest in Pellets (Harrison's high potency "red", tried with the "blue" harrisons but was even less interested).
Right now, her daily diet is some seeds (no sunflower), few pellets (harrison's red coarse) and a fresh fruit mix: apple, pear, banana, pomegrenade, cherries. She gets some nuts as treats (cashew, almond) but we try to limit that (maybe half a nut daily).
She's crazy for some of our "human" food like she loves pizza crust (home-made, just flour water and oil so should be "bird safe") and a butter (she steals bit of butter if she's quick enough on the table



Now my concers is the total lack of her interest for the veggies (she plays with it but do not eat it: carrots, green peas). Other concern is with the pellets, as she eats quite a lot of fresh fruits and she's not very interested in the pellets.



Should we convince her into veggies and pellets, or is it okay to leave it as it is, since the diet is quite diverse? But I'd prefer to be sure it is well balanced so she won't develop some serious nutritional shortages over time.
Regarding the Harrison's for the Suns , what is your experience: coarse or fine would be better?

 

[GaleriaGila]

Here's my best advice, and it has served the Rb well for decades.

Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Another couple of ideas...
My ol' man is an athlete and health nut. He actually EATS all the good stuff, so it's always around. I find that tossing various stuff into the food bowls at random is good... the variations and differences seem to stimulate curiosity and attention.
The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!

 

[Aratingettar]

The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!

Thanks Gail for your input. This trick I know, actually I know the taste of Harrison's pellets
So seems like we'll have to push her for the Pellets as a basis? Now she's having all-day access to the fruits (she have her places with fresh fruits waiting for her) and she flies into her cage if she wants seeds/pellets.

 

[EllenD]

You really need to try to limit the fresh fruit, as it's full of sugar, and this is very bad for birds. Fresh fruit should be more of a treat, or a "supplement" to her staple diet, but not a part of her staple diet. She really should be eating mostly pellets, with a supplemental seed mix that is fortified and varied with lots of different types of seeds and grains (no sunflower seeds in it), and then a lot of fresh veggies. The fruit and the nuts are only treats due to the sugar in the fruit, and the fat in the nuts.

As far as the veggies go, you need to try a wide variety of fresh veggies, and also try cutting them into different sizes/shapes until you find what she likes. Sometimes it's simply the way that they are cut or their size that keeps them from eating them.

Gail's Harrison-Pellet conversion is the best guide i've seen, and i'd start following it. The bottom-line is that if you don't give her the fruit or the nuts then she can't eat them. Right now it sounds like her staple food that makes-up most of her daily diet is fresh fruit, or rather "sugar", and that's not good at all.

 

[GaleriaGila]

About the fruit... what Ellen said!

 

[MonicaMc]

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

I would recommend grinding the pellets down into 'dust', mixing about 50/50 with seeds, then adding enough water to make a thick paste. Form little balls or 'cakes', then either air dry and freeze, or bake in the oven. (may want to add something to keep it sticking together if you bake). As your conure forages for seeds, he'll be getting some pellets, too!


Also - sprouts! Try getting a sprout mix and sprouting for him. If he enjoys eating this, then finely chop up some carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts or some other vegetables and mixing it into the sprouts. If he takes to that, then add in more vegetables!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

You could also try Harrisons Power Treats. They are ideal for conversion. They are the same size as the coarse and as such allow them the opportunity to eat with their feet. The power treats contain peanuts which suns cannot resist.



Also, the "coarse" pellets are rather large and not ideal for suns as a primary diet. You should try the "high potency fine". That's more ideal for sun conures as the primary diet since they don't have to hold it in their feet to eat it, but can rather 'scoop' it up with their beak. The size of the coarse may be what is deterring.


I know how tempting it is to share your 'human' food with them, but try to keep it in moderation. I would avoid the butter entirely. Pizza crust is fine as a rare treat. You could also try fruits. Skittles loves grapes (washed and peeled) he also loves strawberries and apples. For vegetables, he loves broccoli, sweet potatoes and corn.


Skittles diet consists mainly of the high potency pellets, power treats and fresh fruits and vegetables. I don't give him any nuts cause the power treats have nuts in them. I do give him 'naughty' human foods on occasion as a 'special' treat. Mainly pizza crust and pasta. He also gets farmstand fruit & vegetable juice daily.


I can't swear enough by Harrisons and Skittles plumage is the perfect example of how beneficial it is to them.

 

[Aratingettar]

Cytrynka loves power treats, but this does not translate into love for the regular pellet meals. I know how tasty the Power Treats are
Indeed she uses her foot to eat Coarse, but she'll crack a pellet with her beak and at least half is dropped onto cage bottom and wasted. I'll try to order HighPot Fine for her, we'll see if there will be improvement.
As for "human food" we pay close attention to what she "grabs", and of course it is a rare "treat" for her (like the pizza crust once a week). When it comes to fruits, she's a "fruit pig" she can't stop but it seems that it's not the best for them (although many sources claim that fruits are their nutritional base in the wild; but maybe their needs are different in the wild and in captivity).
And indeed Skittles' plumage is a good proof that he's doing well, with his beautiful saturated colors he's a handsome

 

[EllenD]

Well their diet in the "wild" is actually extremely varied, with lots of nuts, grains, seeds, plants/veggies, and fruits, far more varied than most people provide their captive, pet parrots.

HOWEVER, birds in the wild spend all day long, every day, doing nothing but flying!!! The sugar in the fruits and the fat in the nuts/seeds is converted into a source of energy and burned-off quickly by wild birds. Captive parrots, even the ones that are "Free-Flighted" every day, don't do a fraction of the flying or get a fraction of the exercise that wild parrots do, thus all of that fat, sugar/carbs just turns into fat stores...And this is why Fatty Liver Disease is one of the top early killers of captive parrots.

No, your bird wouldn't be able to "stop himself" when it comes to eating a ton of fruit, but you can stop it. All of that sugar every day is only being stored and then turned into fat-stores, specifically in his liver. So many captive, pet parrots die young of FLD, I'd hate to see that happen to you beautiful buddy...

 

[Aratingettar]

The decision is done: I'm ordering Harrisons HighPot fine as a main course, plus PowerTreats to bribe her. We'll keep fruits and few seeds as a daily addition to her main course. I want her to live a long, healthy life and will do all I can to provide it for her.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

The decision is done: I'm ordering Harrisons HighPot fine as a main course, plus PowerTreats to bribe her. We'll keep fruits and few seeds as a daily addition to her main course. I want her to live a long, healthy life and will do all I can to provide it for her.

Very wise decision. Skittles does the same thing with the Power Treats, half ends up on the floor. I have a pill cutter (that I don't use for pills) that I use to cut the power treats in half. Sometimes it works and sometimes it crushes them. When it works, I give him half and when it doesn't, I just put the crumbs in his food dish.



I think you'll find the HP fine to be a much better fit. Keep us posted!

 

[TiredOldMan]

Just so you know.

There is a slight difference in formulation between Harrison's HP coarse and HP fine. I have been considering trying the fine to try and cut down on waste.

 

[Aratingettar]

There is a slight difference in formulation between Harrison's HP coarse and HP fine. I have been considering trying the fine to try and cut down on waste.

Now that's a surprise to me. I thought that the only difference is the size. As Harrions is listing "fine" for the conures, maybe it's formula will be better suited for the Sun. Anyway, I just ordered Fine at least will find out what Cytrynka prefers. Now waiting for confirmation of delivery date, as Harissons is not something you'll buy in your pet store on the street in my country.
I'll keep you updated.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

The formulation is different cause the size is different. Also, you have to go with the size that's appropriate for your species. The "fine" IS ideal for conures. The "coarse" is more for larger parrots (macaws and toos etc).

 

[TiredOldMan]

There is a slight difference in formulation between Harrison's HP coarse and HP fine. I have been considering trying the fine to try and cut down on waste.

Now waiting for confirmation of delivery date, as Harissons is not something you'll buy in your pet store on the street in my country.
I'll keep you updated.

I also order it in as it's not readily available here in my part of Texas. The avian vets sell it but hang on to your wallet!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

While you can get it directly from vets (yes, hang on to your wallet indeed!) you can also get it from Harrisons directly (I know, duh! lol) but you can also get it at the MySafeBirdStore website and I believe Amazon sells it as well (not sure how they do their expire dates on Amazon though). But given you live out of the US, it may be more economical to try Amazon. Not sure. I use the MSBS cause its closer to me than Harrisons is. Plus, my vet charges $4 more for the food and their shipping is ridiculous. $16 for ONE bag and they are only an hour away.

 

[TiredOldMan]

While you can get it directly from vets (yes, hang on to your wallet indeed!) you can also get it from Harrisons directly (I know, duh! lol) but you can also get it at the MySafeBirdStore website and I believe Amazon sells it as well (not sure how they do their expire dates on Amazon though). But given you live out of the US, it may be more economical to try Amazon. Not sure. I use the MSBS cause its closer to me than Harrisons is. Plus, my vet charges $4 more for the food and their shipping is ridiculous. $16 for ONE bag and they are only an hour away.

I just ordered a resupply from MSBS today along with some power treats and a pound of pepper to see if they like them.

 

[MonicaMc]

Taken from Harrison's website. First 5 ingerdients of HP Course and HP Fine.
Ingredients | Harrison's Bird Foods


HIGH POTENCY COARSE
*Sunflower Kernels, *Hull-less Barley, *Soybeans, *Peas, *Peanut Kernels

HIGH POTENCY FINE
*Hulled Gray Millet, *Hull-less Barley, *Corn, *Toasted Soybeans, *Peanut Kernels

 

[BoomBoom]

Finally was able to get my sun conure to accept Harrison's (has been on Zupreem Naturals). This was just a few days ago after several failed attempts. Coarse did the trick. He would not accept it in fine. He likes to hold his food in his hand. I'll keep trying to switch to fine but for now I'm glad he's at least eating it. Still in the early days of transition.

I've always eyed pellets with suspicion though, if I'm honest. Its processed for one and seeing the top 5 ingredients listed by Monica like that reminded me of my reservations. I've compared the ingredients of various pellet brands before and most of the top ingredients are considered unhealthy (in large amounts) in their whole version. Stuff like sunflower seeds, millet, soybeans, peanuts. These are frowned upon here when served in their raw form. Add to that, the extrusion process probably degrades much of the nutrients of the ingredients from exposure to high heat.

I'll keep serving it though because so many recommend it (vets and community). That's a big body of knowledge and has to count for something. I know the argument that pellet is a complete food, I just have a hard time getting over my hang ups on processed, commercial foods. Trying to be open if not come to terms with it completely. For now I'm happy that Boomer eats pellets albeit as a 'dessert' after eating his staple stuff (fruits, veggies, cooked grains). He likes the hard, dry texture after glomping on moist stuff.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I've had the same questions as BoomBoom about the ingredients. I haven't bothered to get a more detailed answer from my vet simply because of the results. After it saved my Peaches life and what it has done for Skittles plumage and feet the result is remarkable but I just don't get how that happens. I do know that there are other ingredients that are listed (sea kelp, chia and alfalfa etc) which, lets face it, aren't things that you can find in every grocery store. lol.



I've never given much thought to the extrusion process etc, just assumed that 'organic' also meant 'minimally processed'. I'll have to look into that.