Sun Conure Questions & Concerns

[fiishsticks]

Hi there! I'm new here and I have just fallen in love with the Sun Conure at my work. I will be taking him home pretty soon but before that I just have a couple of questions:

I read on the website SunConures.com that most of their diet should consist of vegetables, correct? I was wondering if you could give me some different vegetables Sun Conures seem to prefer, which ones I shouldn't give, stuff like that.

Also, the Sun Conure at my work was taken to the vet just yesterday because he randomly stuck his foot out and started flapping his wings? Was he having a seizure?

Any other tips are welcome and appreciated!!

Thank you!!

[Savery]

Vegetables are good, as well as other human food. However, mine gets a mix of pellets and seeds, and is offered whatever I happen to eat. His favorites are pasta and bread. He'll eat vegetables but won't go crazy over them like he will for bread or pasta.

As far as "sticking his foot out and flapping his wings" - a little more info is needed there. Both of my birds will start flapping without reason (generally if they're trying to balance on something) but sometimes they just like to flap.

[4HAND]

I buy frozen bags of mixed veggies[no onion or garlic]and add them to cooked bean/pasta mixes.Also,remove fresh foods after 4 hours as the bacteria levels grow fast.Pellets should be available all the time.Seeds and nuts can be fed sparingly or used for handfeeding to build a bond or teach tricks.You can use the search option above to research seizures.Good Luck!
Tena

[fiishsticks]

Yeah unfortunatly i wasn't there for the incident so thats what I was told. I visited him today and he seems okay. The bird specialist there assumes he was weaned too early so I don't know. As long as its not epilepsy!

And thank you for the replys. (:

[Valo's Moirana]

Originally Posted by fiishsticks

Yeah unfortunatly i wasn't there for the incident so thats what I was told. I visited him today and he seems okay. The bird specialist there assumes he was weaned too early so I don't know. As long as its not epilepsy!

And thank you for the replys. (:

request the vet's documents... that should tell you the conclusions drawn after the exam (or call the vet). also, a blood panel could be helpful to detect deficiencies.

regarding diet - lots of fresh veggies and some fruit (we use a food chopper to cut up broccoli, carrots, kale etc for conure beak size ) together w/ birgie bread, pellets and some seed

[karine]

Hi, what brand of seed mix are you using?

[PowerBBS]

Our Sun eats veggies and fruit all the time. She loves them. When we put her to bed at night and give her the veggie and treat bowl she goes nuts in anticipation.


Contents:
Red Peppers
Orange Peppers
Yellow Peppers
Green Peppers
Apples
Oranges
Cantelope
Grapes
Broccoli
Coliflower
Carrots
Honey Dew Melon

All in a 6inx2in bowl.
Roughly at least three times a week we offer this to her and to our other three fids. She and the cockatoo both love this.

We also offer them brown rice, pasta, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, pinto beans, black beans, lentils, green beans, peas, and fresh from the cob corn (they all really love the corn), pomigranate, water melon and pineapple.

I think that just about covers the veggie and fruit diet we offer to our Sun (and all our fids). That and of course a seed and pellet mixture.

[fiishsticks]

That... looks really good. @_@

At work I try offering him veggies but he refuses them. How can I break him of this habit?

[PowerBBS]

Originally Posted by fiishsticks

That... looks really good. @_@

At work I try offering him veggies but he refuses them. How can I break him of this habit?

A birds decision on what it is that they feel they want to eat at any given moment is just that - it's their decision.

To help encourage a veggie or two, I'd start by trying to offer some sweet fruit to see if they like that. It's kind of like seducing them with natures sugar. Seedless grapes and orange slices are a good start I find. Typically if they've never had them, they're affraid of them. I find if you eat some if it with them, they tend develope trust for you more and and may start to try it. We started to introduce dehydrated carrot slices and they started putting them into their water to rehydrate them before they ate them.

It seems our sun fell in love with peppers first. The rest slowly developed as I started to mix it in within the peppers. It just takes time for them to discover what it is they like and for you to get the right combination.

[4HAND]

Get yourself a Kabob type skewer for birds or rabbits and offer the food in a hanging fashion.They will first play with it like a toy and then when they figure out it tastes good you can try the dish again.
Tena