sun conure diet queries.

[Taleah1989]

i wont give up on my baby as unimpressed as he is at the 5 course buffet meal he gets presented with each day! I even try eating sum myself and then sharing with him so he sees me eating it....hes still not interested but. I have got him a little chew thing that is mixed nuts and fruit all stuck together which hes devoured in only 3 days so he is having some fruits at least its a start i guess

[gabbagabbawill]

definitely try dried mango and papaya... it's my favorite treat that I now use for training because he likes it so much... I wish you the best of luck with your bird... try reading up on training techniques.

A good source is Barbara Heidenreich. Her site: http://www.goodbirdinc.com/ I bought and read two of her books, and they are definitely worth the investment. She has a very honest and gentle approach with her work. Her training methods are based PURElY on positive reinforcement start with target and simple trick training and work up from there...

Also, check out her channel on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/GoodBirdInc

If you dig hard enough around her site, and watch her youtube videos, you'll get A WEALTH of information for free...

She also has a free to download podcast if you can find it, it's a good listen as well...

When you see video of her petting her blue and gold macaws that are lying upside down in her lap, you'll hopefully get the same impression I did! It's amazing how simple training techniques and positive reinforcement will get your bird doing exactly what you want!

Could your bird be molting? Mine gets a little fussy with new feathers coming in. Also, I can't stress this enough--make sure he's getting PLENTY of sleep. At least 10-12 hours per night. This usually means light out no later than 10-12 hours before sunrise. If you can't accommodate "lights out" maybe try moving him to another room, blocking the light or covering his cage so he can rest well. Also, give him plenty of baths. Birds dig baths.

When you're holding and playing with him, have a few "hand toys" that you can offer him to "re-direct" his biting towards. If he bites you, simply move him away from the biting area and introduce a toy he likes. Then, try to introduce the toys before he starts biting. He'll get the hang of playing with the toys and look forward to them when you get him out.

Some cheap toys that my likes:

clothespins: (got this from Michaels's suggestion) These are also about the same size and shape as a finger and make a great replacement for finger biting. Just take the metal spring out and offer him the wooden part only.

wooden coffee stirrers: I grabbed a handful of these from Chick Fil A one morning and he loves to chew through them.

baby hand/teething toys: I got a few baby toys that are pvc/ toxin free and he likes to chew on these... especially the teething toys that offer a slightly "rubbery" texture. Just make sure these are safe and that he can't chew parts off that are easy to swallow.

I usually keep these around me at all times as he likes to "preen" me, including my face, lips, nose, eyelashes, etc. It's ok when he's gentle, but when he bites hard, it sucks. So, I keep distractions for him at all times. Just make sure you aren't teaching him to bite you for the reward. This is why it's good to eventually introduce the toys before he starts biting you...

Also, when you're getting him to step up, EVERY TIME say "step up" or whatever command you like, and offer him a treat when he does it correctly. It's a really easy way for him to learn that if he does something good (what you want) he gets a small treat (what he wants). Eventually you can turn this into other tricks like turning around and waving. You'll be surprised how easy it is with some persistence. Once my sun knew one trick, it only took a day or two to learn several more. He loves training so much that he now sometimes begs for treats by "waving" his foot in the air. When he does this, I say or show the command for "wave" and get him to do it again before he gets a treat though.

[Taleah1989]

wow thank u so much! Ive tried the papaya and i get a disguisted response each time :S but give him a grape and its devoured he LOVES them and doesnt seem to get runny poo anymore so mayb it wasnt the grapes :S. But in all honesty that is ALL he will eat NOTHING else! he will barely try anything else and everything he does try he runs away and wipes his beak!

Now i dnt no if im doing the wrong thing when i do this so please correct me if so but when hes being a down right terd and biting me i tend to try turn it into a game so ill pull my fingers away and instead ill poke or pat his belly and make a cute little noise he usually stopsbiting as much i dnt no if its cos hes annoyed im tormenting him or cos he likes it :S same as when he lies on his back he always want to chew my fingers so i try put his foot infront of him and he will bite on that for a bit n ill tickle his belly and give him kisses, hes getting better but like everything has his feral days!
Hes gone off his pellets again so ive given him extra seed till he eats the pellets again as i dnt want him to go hungry! I will perserve with the fruit and veges but!! We will get there!

[GlassOnion]

Yes, distraction is good for biting. Keep distracting and the undesired behaviours will decrease.

I'd suggest you try sprouting the bird seed, sprouted seeds are extremely healthy just like veggies.

Here is a sprouting guide with pictures
http://staringatbirdsandgoats.blogspot. ... uting.html

[Taleah1989]

great thanx! is it better to do the sprouting yourself cos i have seen u can buy sprouted seeds at the pet garden shop i go to. I was going to get one of those little foot toys but they r just cheap crappy plastic and he already picks diamontes off my shirt and tries to eat them so i dnt want him to get stuck into that and swollow plastic so def gunna try the clothes peg...way cheaper to! I got him a cute little ladder but he wont use it and my mum gave me a stick with a bit of bark on it for him to pick at....what a mess that makes!

[GlassOnion]

It's best to sprout your own bird seed and feed right when the tails pop out of the seeds, that's when they have the most nutrition.

Check out www.cabirdnerds.com, www.thingsforwings.ca
They have very reasonably priced toy parts that you can buy and put through a string to make toys

[gabbagabbawill]

I was going to get one of those little foot toys but they r just cheap crappy plastic and he already picks diamontes off my shirt and tries to eat them so i dnt want him to get stuck into that and swollow plastic so def gunna try the clothes peg...way cheaper to!

maybe stay away from the plastic ones then, especially brittle plastic that can break and become sharp.... Usually birds will only swallow what they believe is food, but better be safe than sorry...

Look up some bird toys called "shredders" they're good for birds to tear apart and don't make too much a of a mess... Also, foraging boxes are good entertainment for them.

I got him a cute little ladder but he wont use it

If it's not already, try hanging things near the top of his cage, most conures will stay in the upper third of their cage most of the time.

and my mum gave me a stick with a bit of bark on it for him to pick at....what a mess that makes!

As long as it's a bird safe wood, this is great! This is what you want him to do- make a mess! Maybe try some other bird safe wooden toys and objects without bark for him to chew on, so that it's slightly less messy.... If he's playing with it, then it's good. Encourage this behaviour. Give him treats when he chews on the stick instead of your fingers... what would you rather have, a small pile of shredded wood to clean up, or bloody fingers? Eventually, he'll go for the toys (sticks, shredders, whatever keeps him entertained) rather than bite you.

Let this be your mantra- "If he's playing with a toy, then he's not biting me".

Soon, he will forget about biting you all together and your time spent with him will be much more rewarding!

[SmallBird]

Thank you to GlassOnion. Our sweet bird will eat nothing but LaFeber Nutrimeals and Nutriberries, oatmeal, pasta, and whole-grained bread. The only way we can sneak fruits and veggies in is to hide raisins in his oatmeal and bananas in his pancakes. I will keep at it. Does anyone have good experiences with cookbooks for parrots? I'd love to get him to eat fresh food but I get consistent rejection. I'll keep trying chopped fruit and veggies and maybe someday he'll give in. I can't believe he wouldn't like fruit--he used to enjoy the occasional cookie. Anyway, thanks so much for the encouragement to keep at it.

[jane19]

I have a weaning sunny thats quite opposite. It nibbles on everything I offered, including seeds, carrots, greens, dry and fresh fruits, nuts, rice etc. Sunflower seed is its favorite also! maybe at some point your bird would be interested in trying whatever you are eating, then you can re-introduce some healthy stuff? This worked with my cockatiel, he was a millet only baby when I got him, now eats a good variety.

I also have a question for experienced forum members. Whereever I look for conure diet, the only answer is pellet. Honestly I don't trust processed food for humans, and pellet is kinda processed food for birds... The only pellet they sell at the nearest pet shop is Kaytee, full of artificial colour which puts me off. I wonder is there a healthy non-pellet diet I could follow? Or it could share the same diet as cockatiel: seed + nuts + fruits + greens + my vegan dinner(% of each category depends on his mood )

[marie83]

I have a weaning sunny thats quite opposite. It nibbles on everything I offered, including seeds, carrots, greens, dry and fresh fruits, nuts, rice etc. Sunflower seed is its favorite also! maybe at some point your bird would be interested in trying whatever you are eating, then you can re-introduce some healthy stuff? This worked with my cockatiel, he was a millet only baby when I got him, now eats a good variety.

I also have a question for experienced forum members. Whereever I look for conure diet, the only answer is pellet. Honestly I don't trust processed food for humans, and pellet is kinda processed food for birds... The only pellet they sell at the nearest pet shop is Kaytee, full of artificial colour which puts me off. I wonder is there a healthy non-pellet diet I could follow? Or it could share the same diet as cockatiel: seed + nuts + fruits + greens + my vegan dinner(% of each category depends on his mood )

I would send a PM to Pajarita about this, as is more knowledgeable about fresh diets than most of us here. Personally I do use pellets as a base diet for my birds and work in loads of fruit, veg and sprouted seeds but put in more seed for my 'tiel and the conure has a higher fruit percentage than my 'tiel. I would never use coloured pellets though, my preference is for TOPS or harrisons which I would get shipped in if needed if I couldn't get it in the UK (luckily we can). I will eventually switch to a completely fresh diet one day but at the moment I need to do a lot more learning on the subject first.