Crimson Bellied Conure smells like spoiled fruit

[Woogy]

Hi all, I'm new to avian avenue and was wondering if anyone coupd help me out.

I have 2 male crimson bellied conures, Archie has just turned 1 and Milo is about 10 months old and they constantly smell like spoiled fruit. It's quite strong and noticeable. Their faeces don't actually smell, it's just them.

At first I thought it was from the fruit and vegies I was feeding them but when I trialled not giving them any fruit or veg for a week they still had the same smell.

They have shared a cage for the last 8 months or so and preen and bath very consistently so I dont think hygiene is an issue. I clean the cage regularly and use vinegar when cleaning their tray but the smell doesn't alway come out even after soaking it and drying in the sun.

I can't really remember when I started noticing the smell or if Archie started smelling after I got Milo or if Milo smelt when I first got him but I think it's been going on for about 6 months. We also have a cockatiel who is 9 years old and she smells normal, their cages are next to each other but she doesn't come into contact with the other two. I took each bird to the vet soon after bringing them home and had blood tests done which came back all clear.

I currently feed them vetafarm nutriblend minis with a vegie based chop and some fruit. They get fresh water 1-2 times a day (depending how grubby they manage to make it lol, sometimes it needs a third change). Their bowls are scrubbed with detergent every morning and their covers are washed every 1-2 weeks.

Besides their actuall smell, both are active, eating, drinking, sleeping normally and seem to be all round healthy which is why I've left this so long. I've done some looking into it and it might be diet related or possibly hormones but I'm just wondering if it's worth a trip to the vet considering coronavirus and everything, or if anyone has had any similar issues

Thanks

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Does the smell come from their feathers.. as in, do you put your nose up to their bodies to smell or is it a smell that comes from their beak? I have males and females and none of them have a smell. I feed mine zupreem natural, roudybush, Harrisons, fresh vegetables.

 

[Woogy]

The smell is coming from their feathers, when they're around my face and if I sniff their backs I can smell it.

Thanks for replying

 

[Shezbug]

I can rule out the vetafarm nutriblend pellets being the cause for the smell. Even though I don’t have a conure, I would guess if it was the pellets causing the aroma they’d make all birds eating them have a smell.
This is one of the pellets I feed Burt in his pellet mix and he was brought home eating only the vetafarm brand and he smell them either.

 

[Monica]

Can you get a good wiff of their breaths?

Maybe the smell is coming from their mouths and they are spreading it to their feathers while grooming?


Certain birds can and do "smell" and that smell is completely natural to that species. That said, I am not aware of conures giving off any kind of "perfume" - even my own.


Also, while you are at it, sniff their tails! Sometimes birds will make "soup" out of their water dishes and if they are bathing in it, that could create an aroma on their feathers.