Switching diets because 2 conures are not molting at the same time?

[Marisa K.]

Hey guys,

I've been keeping a pair of green cheek conures (both hatched this mid-April, and are ~4.5 months by now) since early August. They're free-ranged in my living room during the day, and are sent back to the cage for sleep. Their wings are clipped. Both are ~65 grams.

I have been feeding them Hagen Tropican pellets since I got them (the breeder weaned them with Hagen Tropical, if I remember correctly), plus ~ 1 quater coin per day per bird of Hagen seed mix as training & foraging treats, and half a carrot per day. I also feed them bananas/grapes (not much, only one grape for both of them) twice a week. I did prepare a bag of Harrison's high potency for the winter/molting season, as I read they need extra protein for molting.

The thing is, I noticed 2 days ago that one of them started molting, while the other didn't. Should I switch to Harrison's high potency right now? I read that too much protein would be bad for their kidneys, which is why I'm hesitating on the switch -- I don't want the not molting one suffer from extra proteins. Or should I mix the current Hagen Tropican pellets with the Harrison's high potency?

I did write down the pros and cons of switching to Harrison's high potency now:
Pros:
- They're just 4.5 months old and are still juveniles, maybe high potency won't hurt that much and will help them grow?
- It's getting cold here in Montreal, tempreature falling below 20℃ (68℉), and high potency (12% fat!) would help them resist the cold. I use heating pads to make sure they're sleeping in a cage of 26℃ (80℉), but during the day sometimes I do open a slip of the window for some fresh air.
- Mac (the molting bird) starts changing his feathers. It's still in the early stage of molting, though. Noticed his body plumage coming down at ~10 feathers/day.

Cons:
- Linux (the not molting bird) haven't started molting yet, and high protein in the high potency formula might be harmful to her kidneys.

I was supposed to meet the vet earlier this Friday, but the appointment got rescheduled to Sept 10. Really struggling with what to give them between this period. Any suggestions would be really helpful and greatly appreciated!

Oh and some extra info:

Hagen Tropican lifetime formula (The one I've been feeding them since the start if the month):
- 13% protein
- 7% fat
- 3.5% fiber
And lotsa info on minerals and vitamins.

Harrison's High Potency Pepper formula (The one I'm considering switching to/mixing):
- 20% protein
- 12% fat
- 5% fiber
Harrison's also said "feed for at least 6-9 months". But didn't specify if that's also the case for a bird already used to pellets.

 

[BirdG1rl]

@webchirp
@Zara

 

[Marisa K.]

@webchirp
@Zara

Thanks

 

[Zara]

Personally, I would focus on the fresh foods before those pellet changes. Tropican is a decent pellet. Carrots as the fresh food seems limited. Try adding in more greens, bok choy, carrot tops, broccoli, peppers, legumes, etc. Here is a helpful link;

My Chop "Recipe"

I see a lot of requests in bird groups and forums all over the web asking for a good recipe for chop. It's hard to give a definite or correct answer to that question because there simply isn't any right way to do it. (Chop, for those who don't know, is simply a name for "salad" or "mash" as some...

www.lilmonstersbirdtoys.com

I feed Tropican pellets to my lovebirds and we´ve never had any issues with moulting. And my birds moult often.

one of them started molting, while the other didn't.

The other will follow suit in time. That first moult can happen anywhere within a certain window of a few months. Each bird will do it in their own time when they´re ready

 

[Mizzely]

They are individuals. They will develop differently. That's normal and diet won't change that.