Don’t Just Feed Your Parrot, Maximize Their Mood & Health
I receive questions on a proper conure diet often, including can you feed your conure fruit-
Conure diet – yes, you can feed your conure fruit. However, the strongest diets for conures are made up of 60-70% pellets and the rest vegetables, especially the beta-carotene veggies, such as carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin – as per my favorite expert, #TonySilva
This is because in nature conures don’t get the access to fruit – larger animals, such as monkeys, or larger birds, such as macaws – are the ones that get the fruits.
Conures, like many – or all – parrots, need the beta-carotene. My parrots receive vegetables daily, including carrots and a sweet potato once or twice a week (right now, looking to refine my parrot’s diet again).
My recommendation is that you reserve fruit and seeds for “special times” when they are with you and/or doing training.
Smart Parrot Keepers Control Biting In Creative Ways
A lot of people have issues with their parrots biting them. Of course, training can help with this; another easy thing is to be sure NOT to give them an unhealthy diet (which can make them cranky if they aren’t feeling well) and NOT to put fruit and seeds in their cage (medium-size parrots – smaller parrots like parrotlets, budgies, love birds require seeds as approximately half their diet).
Effortlessly create a strong and positive association to yourself by being with your parrot when they receive fruite/seeds. This way it is not a part of their regular diet and it’s a “treat.” Now being with you is a treat too. Of course, they may not want to go back in their cage then, may just want to be with you!
Pellets?
I’ve gone back and forth on pellets and I’ve consulted Zupreem to ask about their parrot pellets, I’ve asked my vets (including my father, a university veterinary professor) and experts- and they all agree:
Feed your parrot 75% pellets!
I’ve heard that pellets were created for chickens and that they are formulated by avian experts for parrots – and, you know how it is on the net, you can hear contradictory information, it doesn’t even require a lot of searching! So, I study my experts/vets and learn about how wise and how invested they are in the well-being of parrots. Then I know who to listen to. For example, my vet, Dr. Susan Clubb, breeds parrots so her advice is SOUND! My other favorite expert, Tony Silva, has dedicated his life to parrots and knows more about them inside and out than probably almost anyone else. He knows them from a scientific and experiential angle.
When I acquire a new parrot they don’t always have the same sheen as my flock. Given a couple of months and our diet of fresh foods (veggies mostly, grains, and minimal fruit/seeds) and colorless pellets, my flock always looks great. Their feathers grow beautifully and I enjoy happy, blissful parrots.
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