Conure Diet

[mango&dex]

Hello! I recently got a new green cheek conure for my green cheek conure Dexter who lost his yellow sided green cheek Mango. They have bonded really well and it’s only been a week, they have not been fighting and have instead been preening and playing with eachother. However I did change their diet to a mix between seed and pellet specifically Zupreme Fruitblend and Pure Fun. My vet recommended it but she did also say not give him sunflower seeds unless as a treat and I noticed there is a lot in the pure fun. I mixed the two foods together so should I pick out the sunflower seeds individually? I know that they’re really high in fat and I don’t want either of my parrots developing health issues from them. I attached a picture of the two foods from Zupreme what they look like mixed together + a pic of my conure’a food bowl as I picked the seeds out of it.

 

[Mizzely]

I probably would. That's a lot of sunflower seeds!

Random question, but do they eat that size? My green cheek would only eat the cockatiel size.

 

[mango&dex]

I probably would. That's a lot of sunflower seeds!

Random question, but do they eat that size? My green cheek would only eat the cockatiel size.

they do! they loveee the banana chips

 

[orphansparrow]

I also have a Green Cheek conure (for 16 years) and recently lost his flock mate. I also would pick out the sunflower seeds. I don't give him those at all anymore, but instead small pieces of nuts for a treat. I would also save the banana chips or any dried fruit for treats when training. That's a lot of sugar.

If it were me, I would start the transition to TOPS (Totally Organic Pellets) and/or Harrisons. As far as I know, they are the best pellets on the market. TOPS contains quite a bit of greens, and Harrisons are fortified with vitamins, also some greens. Both have no food coloring or sugar. Both are organic.
Harrisons comes in a variety of types and sizes - fine or coarse. My guy is happy to eat either size. I feed him the "Adult Lifetime" variety. I rotate between the two brands or sometimes combine them.

Here are some links:

https://a.co/d/iMnaxbL

https://a.co/d/3bs3N4M

 

[Mizzely]

Remember that best is relative. The best is the one your bird eats, does well on, and fits your budget.

There's nothing wrong with Zupreem. Ideally, avoiding sugar and dyes is great, but I feed Zupreem Fruity to Ripley and he does well on it.

I won't personally feeds TOPs. I like Harrison's a lot but it's expensive and not in everyone's budget, and right now my bird isn't eating it when offered, so it's not doing him a lot of good.

Don't feel pressured to change to the "best" if what you are doing is working well for you

 

[orphansparrow]

Good points Shawna @Mizzely

Why won't you feed TOPS? Is there something not good about it? Years ago I had a great Avian vet who was very old and has since passed away, but she was adamant I switch to TOPS or Harrisons, and my next vet confirmed that with his opinion so I've always thought they were some of the best but yeah, your birds gotta eat too!

 

[orphansparrow]

Also, @Mizzely is right. Those pellets are more expensive. I realized years ago that I'd have to be that loser who orders water on coffee dates to afford my parrots. lol. If you can't afford the pellets, I think as long as you try to get them to eat veggies by mixing it in their pellets, they'll get the nutrients they need. It took literally years - maybe 3 - before Duckie would eat veggies. But don't give up!

 

[Mizzely]

Good points Shawna @Mizzely

Why won't you feed TOPS? Is there something not good about it? Years ago I had a great Avian vet who was very old and has since passed away, but she was adamant I switch to TOPS or Harrisons, and my next vet confirmed that with his opinion so I've always thought they were some of the best but yeah, your birds gotta eat too!

Because it doesn't have adequate Vitamin D3 for my birds who can't get sunlight 6-8 months a year. I also feel there's more digestible nutrients in grains like corn than in alfalfa (that's not based in fact, just my gut reaction).

Do I prefer Harrison's? Absolutely. But we all gotta do what we gotta do

 

[mango&dex]

Remember that best is relative. The best is the one your bird eats, does well on, and fits your budget.

There's nothing wrong with Zupreem. Ideally, avoiding sugar and dyes is great, but I feed Zupreem Fruity to Ripley and he does well on it.

I won't personally feeds TOPs. I like Harrison's a lot but it's expensive and not in everyone's budget, and right now my bird isn't eating it when offered, so it's not doing him a lot of good.

Don't feel pressured to change to the "best" if what you are doing is working well for you

I gave Dexter the Harrison’s before but he is really picky and I feel like he likes a variety of texture in his food or maybe a variety in his diet. Right now we are working on his vitamin A deficiency so he gets fresh greens and fruits daily as his vet said.

 

[orphansparrow]

I gave Dexter the Harrison’s before but he is really picky and I feel like he likes a variety of texture in his food or maybe a variety in his diet. Right now we are working on his vitamin A deficiency so he gets fresh greens and fruits daily as his vet said.

Variety is the best anyway!

 

[orphansparrow]

Because it doesn't have adequate Vitamin D3 for my birds who can't get sunlight 6-8 months a year. I also feel there's more digestible nutrients in grains like corn than in alfalfa (that's not based in fact, just my gut reaction).

Do I prefer Harrison's? Absolutely. But we all gotta do what we gotta do

TOPS is also a pain in the rear with its crumbliness. I can never find the stats for Harrisons! TOPS says it contains 94.9IU/kg of Vitamin D3. Do you know how much they need?

 

[Mizzely]

TOPS is also a pain in the rear with its crumbliness. I can never find the stats for Harrisons! TOPS says it contains 94.9IU/kg of Vitamin D3. Do you know how much they need?

Tbh I don't remember what Harrisons is. Zupreem is 500 IU/kg as a comparison to the TOPS.

 

[orphansparrow]

Tbh I don't remember what Harrisons is. Zupreem is 500 IU/kg as a comparison to the TOPS.

Maybe a mix of both would be best!

 

[Shannan]

You have to do what's best for your birds, but with my Gray, who was originally on a seed based diet (back then, there was no pellets), I started adding pellets a little at a time and slowly adding less and less seed until the seeds were only used as training treats. I think if you can get him switched over to the all ZuPreem fruit (which is the only Pellet Walter would eat), then use the seeds as an occasional treat, you will find a nice compromise. The Pure fun is meant to be an enriching food, which means small amounts and having to work for it through foraging, or rewards for treats, etc. There are several articles and discussions on diet and diet conversions if you search around. Our conure is on Roudybush, which is the only pellet he will eat but he also eats a wide variety of veggies and fruit and loves Millet (which we use only as a reward). Congrats on your new bird. I am glad they are both getting along well together.

 

[mango&dex]

You have to do what's best for your birds, but with my Gray, who was originally on a seed based diet (back then, there was no pellets), I started adding pellets a little at a time and slowly adding less and less seed until the seeds were only used as training treats. I think if you can get him switched over to the all ZuPreem fruit (which is the only Pellet Walter would eat), then use the seeds as an occasional treat, you will find a nice compromise. The Pure fun is meant to be an enriching food, which means small amounts and having to work for it through foraging, or rewards for treats, etc. There are several articles and discussions on diet and diet conversions if you search around. Our conure is on Roudybush, which is the only pellet he will eat but he also eats a wide variety of veggies and fruit and loves Millet (which we use only as a reward). Congrats on your new bird. I am glad they are both getting along well together.

I’ll definitely look into more diet options! I’m going to the vet next week anyway since Dexter on antibiotics as a precaution since he got tested for diseases/illnesses like chlamydia and it came out negative. I’ll discuss with the vet on what I should do with his diet as well. Thanks for all the help and advice!

 

[Emma&pico]

I feed pellets in bowl
Veggies for breakfast/lunch time ish
Seeds are available in foraging toys I add millet banana chips nuritberries avaicakes too mostly when I am at work to keep them busy for day

 

[Shannan]

I feed pellets in bowl
Veggies for breakfast/lunch time ish
Seeds are available in foraging toys I add millet banana chips nuritberries avaicakes too mostly when I am at work to keep them busy for day

Same here, except no nutriberries because we don't like them.

 

[Emma&pico]

Same here, except no nutriberries because we don't like them.

Remi likes picking the safflower seeds off and throwing them

 

[Emma&pico]

Same here, except no nutriberries because we don't like them.

Indie loves them though