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Healthy Daily Diet for Conure?

Skyperch

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My conure has been on a mix of Vita Prima seed mix and Zupreem Pure Fun for the last couple months that I've had her, and I think I'm about ready to transition her onto healthier food. However, I am having such a hard time figuring out a daily diet. I've been told that having another dish of fruits/veggies/etc. alongside a good pellet food would be good, but then I have also heard that you can skip the pellets if you do certain fruits/veggies/etc. (and mix it up seasonally) as the main meal.

I am very confused and unsure of what kind of diet she should have. I am fully willing to get the fresh foods and cut them up and prepare them for her as her main meal, but are pellets necessary? Are there certain foods that should only be given every so often?

I would appreciate some input, and maybe some insight as to what you guys might feed your own conure(s) on a daily basis? While I'd prefer to save money where I can, I'd like to hear about some good quality diets.
 

Monica

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If you want to go with a pellet free diet, then I recommend reaching out to Jason Crean or his FB group Avian Raw Whole Food Nutrition *OR* Leslie Moran of Best Bird Food Ever.

It's doable to feed a pellet and "seed" free diet, but you need to feed other foods in such a way that you bird receives all the right nutrients.


If it's too much of a hassle or you worry that your bird isn't getting all the right nutrients (only bloodwork can tell that), then feed pellets!
 

Skyperch

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If you want to go with a pellet free diet, then I recommend reaching out to Jason Crean or his FB group Avian Raw Whole Food Nutrition *OR* Leslie Moran of Best Bird Food Ever.

It's doable to feed a pellet and "seed" free diet, but you need to feed other foods in such a way that you bird receives all the right nutrients.


If it's too much of a hassle or you worry that your bird isn't getting all the right nutrients (only bloodwork can tell that), then feed pellets!
Thank you, I will reach out to them.

Outside of a pellet free diet, is there a certain brand of pellets you recommend? I've heard Zupreem is okay, but I heard that there are betters ones as well. Also, with feeding pellets, are there certain fruits/veggies that they should be given on a daily basis?
 

Monica

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I just pick up healthy fruits and vegetables from the store and feed em to my guys. I usually steer clear of lettuce but the dark green lettuces are honestly fine! No avocado, onions, garlic.... feed more vegetables than fruits, that kind of thing.

I'm not a big fan of Zupreem due to the sugars and dyes, but there is Roudybush, Harrison's, TOP's, Goldenfeast and some others out there, too.
 

Skyperch

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I just pick up healthy fruits and vegetables from the store and feed em to my guys. I usually steer clear of lettuce but the dark green lettuces are honestly fine! No avocado, onions, garlic.... feed more vegetables than fruits, that kind of thing.

I'm not a big fan of Zupreem due to the sugars and dyes, but there is Roudybush, Harrison's, TOP's, Goldenfeast and some others out there, too.
I've heard a bit about Harrison's from a few people, so I think I'll start there. Is there a specific kind that I should be getting for my size bird? I just noticed that there's a "high potency" one as well as a fine and coarse feed.

Other than that, back to the fruits and veggies--do you guys have a specific meal plan you prepare ahead of time to feed them every day? I've seen some people prepare enough at the beginning of the week to give every day, either blending or chopping all the ingredients and I'd like to do the same to give her some variety.
 

Monica

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You can start on the High Potency for 6-12 months or go straight to the Adult Lifetime. It matters not. If it helps :) Their recommendations



I typically do a chop large enough to freeze and then feed over several weeks.
 

Skyperch

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You can start on the High Potency for 6-12 months or go straight to the Adult Lifetime. It matters not. If it helps :) Their recommendations



I typically do a chop large enough to freeze and then feed over several weeks.

So I've started on the Harrison's this week, and while it seems like she liked it when I first used it, she doesn't seem to be touching it now (I filled the bowl sometime yesterday, and it looks almost untouched). I mixed it with her Zupreem to make it more appetizing to her, but I'm just not sure how much she's getting. I cleaned the bottom of her cage yesterday so I can see if she's throwing the food out of the bowl, but it doesn't seem like it. Should I be concerned that she's not eating at all? I still have some Vita Prima seed mix left over, should I throw some of that in?
 

Monica

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Try weighing out about 15% of her weight in pellets and keep an eye on her actual weight to see if she's eating the pellets or not.

If she's not eating them, she'll lose weight and you *DO* want to make sure she's eating something. If she's maintaining weight and the food is disappearing (should be a bit left at the end of the day), she's probably fine.


You can always weigh the food before you put it in and weigh again at the end of the day. :)
 

Skyperch

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Try weighing out about 15% of her weight in pellets and keep an eye on her actual weight to see if she's eating the pellets or not.

If she's not eating them, she'll lose weight and you *DO* want to make sure she's eating something. If she's maintaining weight and the food is disappearing (should be a bit left at the end of the day), she's probably fine.


You can always weigh the food before you put it in and weigh again at the end of the day. :)
She still won't step up for me, so unfortunately I don't have a solid way to know her current weight. :/

I'll try the weighing the food thing, though. I'll do that now and if it's still the same by the end of the night I'll add some seeds back in. :3
 

Monica

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She can still be weighed, if you set it up in such a way to train her to step onto a scale on her own free will. It can take several days, or longer, to train this behavior though.
 

Skyperch

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So, update: She has moved fully onto Harrison's without much trouble. It actually got to a point where she wasn't eating her old food anymore because she liked it so much better. :p On that note, I have two questions:

I still have a little of my Vita Prima Cockatiel and quite a bit of my Zupreem Pure Fun food from when she was transitioning. Would it be okay to give these in a separate bowl as a "treat" of sorts? Or is it better to not use it at all anymore? (I work at a pet store so I can easily donate it if not)

Also--the Harrison's food says that it cannot be stored in any container. However, for spacial reasons, that was my plan from the beginning. Is there a specific reason this can't be done? Or can it be done, and the packaging is just being overly cautious?
 

Monica

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Great news!

I would still feed the rest of the old food, if she is willing to eat it. No reason to waste it, honestly.


The Harrison's bags are designed specifically for the food to keep it fresh. However, I will still put it in an air-tight container! If you have the space, it's recommended to keep it in the fridge or freezer to have it last longer. The directions for storage are on the bag. :)
 

Shelli

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Bagel gets pellets.. I use Roudybush, Zupreem, Tops and we have used harrison's but I just can't justify the cost of feeding it. It goes bad so quickly and if you freeze it for too long it gets kinda gross. I like a lot of other brands too and switch it up now and then. He gets seed a couple times a week and veggies daily. Most of the time he gets fresh/seasonal veggies that I chop up in the morning. I tried making chop but he wasn't crazy about it. I think his diet is healthy.

You can go crazy heavy with all live foods if you want, but I'm just not up for the balancing act myself. You can include sprouts and all kinds of fun stuff that I'm sure you'll find in the groups that Monica mentioned. I've learned some neat things from avian feeding groups on facebook.
 
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