Conure doesn’t like fruit or veggies.

[Jay]

My seven month old green cheek conure will not eat fruits or vegetables. We’ve tried bananas, mangos, apples, bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots. He’s snubbed them all. He’ll go to investigate it, and just kind of shake his head and fluff up in disapproval. We’ve tried both big pieces and cutting them up small; we’ve tried them by themselves, and mixing it in with his pellets (ZuPreem). He’ll just dig around and pick out the pellets and eat only those. Is this something we should be concerned about? Is he just picky? What are some other things we could try?

 

[cab124]

I am going through the same thing. I have a green cheek conure who just won't eat most fruits, veggies, pellets, or anything that is good for her.

Here is what I have learned:

Even if the bird snubs the veggies that you offer, continue to offer them. At some point (maybe days, weeks or months later), the bird may suddenly start eating something. For example, I have offered my bird broccoli may times over the course of a year, and she always snubbed it. But recently, I purchased a bag of steam-in-the-bag broccoli and suddenly, she started nibbling at it. She doesn't eat a lot of it, but she seems to be eating some. On some nights she won't touch it, and on others, I find pieces of it all over the place. Also, I used to offer her pomegranate seeds and she never touched them. Then, all of a sudden, she started eating them. Then, after several times, she stopped eating them again. Just keep offering a variety of fruits and veggies in different forms. You just never know when your bird might eat some. It can be frustrating, because it takes time and effort to prepare and serve them, and it seems like such a waste to continually be throwing them away. Hang in there!

 

[Fuzzy]

Jay and Conure friend!

Keep trying! There is nothing to beat vitamins and minerals in their natural state from fruit and veggies. It took Kobe (Pionus) 7 years before he'd try carrot (cut every way you can possibly imagine!) - that was a lot of carrot I threw away but we got there in the end. You could string some fresh fruit and veggies on a birdie skewer (half game, half toy). Also try sprouting grains and legumes. With Kobe again, I found he liked peas (I just poured boiling water over some frozen ones, let sit for a minute or two, then drain), so I put them on top of other foods I wanted him to try.

 

[Monica]

Here's some additional tips if they would help. Don't give up! Just keep trying!

Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips

A healthy parrot starts with a healthy diet. Although the perfect diet is controversial, many parrot enthusiasts and experts agree on one thing; a seed only diet is a diet that is lacking in essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that adding fresh foods and pellets to a...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Leih]

Have you tried eating them with him and offering some to him? My conure will eat anything if he sees me eating it, flock behavior. My lovebird doesn't care if I think it's good, she still won't eat it. My conure's favorites are bell peppers and apples and strawberries. He gets fruit sparingly, but they seem to be a good gateway to eating fresh.

 

[Jay]

Have you tried eating them with him and offering some to him? My conure will eat anything if he sees me eating it, flock behavior. My lovebird doesn't care if I think it's good, she still won't eat it. My conure's favorites are bell peppers and apples and strawberries. He gets fruit sparingly, but they seem to be a good gateway to eating fresh.

Yes, specifically with the mangos and peppers. I would sit with him and eat a couple pieces, show them to him, offer them by hand, and leave some in one of his dishes. He did lick the mango once when I held it out to him, but he shivered and fluffed and scuttled away, never to touch it again.

 

[Jay]

I am going through the same thing. I have a green cheek conure who just won't eat most fruits, veggies, pellets, or anything that is good for her.

Here is what I have learned:

Even if the bird snubs the veggies that you offer, continue to offer them. At some point (maybe days, weeks or months later), the bird may suddenly start eating something. For example, I have offered my bird broccoli may times over the course of a year, and she always snubbed it. But recently, I purchased a bag of steam-in-the-bag broccoli and suddenly, she started nibbling at it. She doesn't eat a lot of it, but she seems to be eating some. On some nights she won't touch it, and on others, I find pieces of it all over the place. Also, I used to offer her pomegranate seeds and she never touched them. Then, all of a sudden, she started eating them. Then, after several times, she stopped eating them again. Just keep offering a variety of fruits and veggies in different forms. You just never know when your bird might eat some. It can be frustrating, because it takes time and effort to prepare and serve them, and it seems like such a waste to continually be throwing them away. Hang in there!

Do you mean you actually steamed the broccoli and she ate it then? Because I haven’t tried anything cooked yet, just raw. Maybe he’ll like it if it’s softer?

 

[cab124]

Do you mean you actually steamed the broccoli and she ate it then? Because I haven’t tried anything cooked yet, just raw. Maybe he’ll like it if it’s softer?

Yes, Mango won’t touch raw broccoli, but she she does nibble at steamed broccoli. Also, I sprinkle a few safflower seeds on the steamed broccoli just to get her interested. I also eat some steamed broccoli in front of her just as others have suggested.

Also, something else I have noticed with a previous bird was that if I offered her veggies in the living room, she would not touch them. But if I offered them to her while she was sitting on a perch in the bedroom, she would nibble on them!! Be creative and try different things like this. You just never know how they might respond. They are strange little creatures that think differently than we do!!

 

[Jay]

Yes, Mango won’t touch raw broccoli, but she she does nibble at steamed broccoli. Also, I sprinkle a few safflower seeds on the steamed broccoli just to get her interested. I also eat some steamed broccoli in front of her just as others have suggested.

Also, something else I have noticed with a previous bird was that if I offered her veggies in the living room, she would not touch them. But if I offered them to her while she was sitting on a perch in the bedroom, she would nibble on them!! Be creative and try different things like this. You just never know how they might respond. They are strange little creatures that think differently than we do!!

I’ll give that a try! Thanks!

 

[Zellie]

I got my white winged parakeets to eat fruit and veg by making a very fine chopped mixture starting with apples, carrots, walnuts, sunflower seed, pellets, red pepper, kale, frozen green beans, broccoli, all in equal portions, plus a touch of maple syrup and a slice of whole grain bread to absorb excess moisture and make it stick together some. I chopped fruit and veg in food processor to sesame seed size pieces. I almost pureed the nuts, seeds, whole grain bread and pellets so they can't pick them out. I freeze little scoops / spoonfuls of it and thaw overnight before feeding. Overtime, I reduced nuts, increased pellets, and added other types of veg.