Feeding Pet Conures

Knowledge of bird nutrition is constantly evolving due to heightened awareness of the importance of nutrition and increased research into birds’ different needs. As with all other animals, birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Different species of birds often require different foods.

There are a wide variety of conures kept as pets. Most pet conures in the United States originally came from countries in Central and South America. 

The most common conures kept as pets are sun conures, nanday conures, jenday conures, dusky conures, blue crown conures, peach front conures, maroon belly conures, green cheek conures, pineapple conures, and cherry-headed conures.

Should I be concerned about what my conure eats?

Proper nutrition is commonly neglected in pet birds. You should discuss your bird’s nutrition with your veterinarian. Too often, owners assume they are feeding a proper diet to their conure when, in fact, they are not.

Poor nutrition is a common reason for many health problems in birds. You should continually strive to improve your bird’s diet by constantly educating yourself about new concepts in bird nutrition, while applying a certain degree of common sense. Birds need to consume more than seed and water to stay healthy. Your bird’s health depends on how well it is fed.

What do wild conures naturally eat?

Wild conures, depending on their species and food availability during different seasons, eat an assortment of seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, flowers, and vegetation. Some wild conures even eat insects and their larvae. Wild conures generally forage for food in the treetops of the jungles and rainforests.

What should I feed my conure?

Conures are vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding, and other nutrition-related problems. A well-balanced and varied diet must be maintained at all times for these birds to stay healthy.

Seeds

Wild conures eat a great variety of seed types as different plants come into season. When fed as a high percentage of your conure’s diet, commercial seed and nut mixes provide a poorly balanced source of many essential nutrients, which ultimately could lead to ill health and potentially shortened lifespan.

A conure often selectively eats only one or two of its favorite types of seeds and nuts. Like most parrot species, conures particularly love peanuts and sunflower seeds that are high in fat and deficient in calcium, vitamin A, and other nutrients.

Seeds are highly palatable and preferred by birds, but nutritionally they are incomplete, lacking vitamins, minerals, and protein. Seeds should only be a very small part of a balanced diet but never the entire diet. Healthy molts, disease resistance, and long lifespan are typically achieved in birds fed a balanced diet year-round.

"Seeds are highly palatable and preferred by birds, but nutritionally they are incomplete, lacking vitamins, minerals, and protein."

If you gradually offer your bird fewer seeds, replacing them with healthier options, such as fortified bird pellets and a limited amount of fresh table food, your bird will eventually consume a more properly balanced diet.

Fruits and Vegetables

Vegetables and greens should account for 20%-40% of your conure’s daily intake. Pale vegetables with a high water composition (i.e., iceberg or head lettuce, celery) offer little nutritional value. Fruits are high in water content and natural sugars, so they should only be 10% of your conure’s daily intake. Avocado and onions are potentially toxic and should never be offered to your conure or any other type of parrot.

Fruits and vegetables must be washed thoroughly to remove chemicals and should be cut into small pieces appropriate to the size of the bird. It is not necessary to take the skin off. Offer fruits and vegetables in a separate dish. If your bird appears to develop a particular fancy for only one food item, reduce its volume or stop feeding it temporarily, to promote consumption of other foods. Fruits and vegetables should be left in the cage for no more than a couple of hours, particularly in warm climates, or they may spoil. Fresh fruit and vegetables left in the cage all day may spoil and cause a digestive system upset.

Water

Fresh, clean water must be available at all times. Depending on the quality of your tap water, you might consider using
bottled water. Dishes must be cleaned thoroughly every day with soap and water.

Pelleted Diets

The recommended diet for conures is pelleted food formulated for birds. Pellets should ideally represent approximately 75%-80% of the bird’s diet. Several brands of pellets are available commercially in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Pellets have been developed to meet all your bird’s nutritional needs. Hand-raised babies should be started on pelleted diets. Mature conures may be difficult to convert to pelleted diets. Different formulations are available for different life stages. Pellets are the ideal diet. Therefore, seed-eating birds should be slowly weaned off seeds onto a pelleted diet.

How do I convert my bird to a pelleted diet?

Some birds are more difficult than others to transition to pellets. Seek the advice of a veterinarian familiar with birds to get tips on how to make this transition easier. Converting seed-eating birds to a formulated diet is not always easy.

Initially, birds may not even recognize pellets as food. There are several options for converting your conure to a pelleted diet. To begin, only fill the food dish ¼ full, once a day.

• Option 1: Offer 75% seed and 25% pellets in the food dish for 3 days, then a 50/50 mix for 3 days, then 25% seed and 75% pellets until your conure is fully converted.
• Option 2: Offer 90% seed and 10% pellets on day one, then 80% seed and 20% pellets on day 2, and so on, until 0% seed on day 10. If your conure refuses to convert, stop at 20% and 80% pellets until the bird converts.

Many conures are social and love to eat with their owners. To encourage your conure to eat pellets, you can pretend to eat the pellets when you offer them to your bird. When the bird sees you eating them, they may be more willing to try them.

You can also grind up the pellets into a fine powder that you can sprinkle on a very small amount of moist food your bird likes to eat (e.g., vegetables, fruit, cooked egg, pasta). If your bird eats the pellet-coated food, you can gradually grind the pellets into larger chunks, and mix them with smaller amounts of moist food over time, so that ultimately you are offering nearly all pellets with minimal amounts of moist food mixed in.

"It may take days, weeks, or months to modify a bird’s diet."

It may take days, weeks, or months to modify a bird’s diet. Seeds may be withdrawn completely only when you are sure your bird is eating the pellets, plus some fruits and vegetables. Transitioning foods can be a stressful time for you and your conure, but with patience, you can transition your bird from an unhealthy seed diet to a balanced, pellet-based diet. Remember to consult an avian veterinarian if you encounter any problems with this transition or with the health of your bird.

Can I feed people food to my conure?

As a rule, any wholesome, nutritious food that you and your family eat your bird can eat, but in small quantities (a tablespoon for a conure is equivalent to a dinner plate-sized portion for a person and is appropriate). Do not feed processed foods (cookies and crackers) to your bird. Prepared foods should never be cooked with oil or butter.

Follow the general guidelines regarding fruits and vegetables. Some birds occasionally even enjoy a small amount of lean cooked meat, fish, cooked egg, or very small amounts of cheese.

Dairy products should be consumed in moderation, as birds are lactose intolerant. Never offer any pet bird very salty foods (chips, pretzels, popcorn), chocolate, alcoholic beverages, or products containing caffeine (coffee, tea, soda).

Suggested foods include:

Will my bird have different dietary needs throughout its life?

Birds that are extremely young, stressed, injured, laying eggs, or raising young may have certain special nutritional requirements. There are specially formulated pelleted foods available for birds at different life stages. Consult your veterinarian regarding these situations.

Does my bird need extra vitamins, minerals or amino acids?

Your veterinarian can help you assess your bird’s diet and its unique needs. In general, a bird eating 75%-80% of its diet in the form of pelleted food does not need supplements. Specific vitamins or minerals may be more important at various times during a bird’s life (e.g., egg-laying requires calcium supplementation). Various vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as omega fatty acid supplements, are available for birds and should only be given under the guidance of an avian veterinarian. Birds on all-seed diets may be given powdered supplements until they are transitioned to a pelleted diet. Placing these powders on the outside of seeds is of little value, since birds remove the outer hulls from seeds before ingesting them. Small amounts of powdered vitamin supplements may be administered on moist food but are not generally necessary once the bird has been converted to pellets.

Does my bird need gravel or grit?

Conures do not need gravel or grit because they remove the outer hull of the seed before ingesting the kernel. Previously, it was believed that grit was necessary for the mechanical breakdown of food in the gizzard, as an aid to digestion. However, it is now known that only birds like pigeons and doves, which consume seeds whole, need gravel to help them digest seeds. Some birds over-consume grit when it is offered and develop gastrointestinal tract obstructions that are potentially life-threatening. Thus, grit and gravel should not be offered to conures.

What pointers should I remember about feeding my conure?

• Always monitor the amount of food eaten every day by each bird.
• Offer fresh water every day.
• Offer a variety of fresh foods, such as small amounts of fruits and vegetables, every day.
• Clean all food and water dishes daily.
• If your bird says no to a food item one day, it does not mean no forever — keep trying.