Conure eating habits?

Question

My conure wont eat any fruit even if I hold it near its beak. Is there anyway I can make the fruit more appealing to him. I'm thinking about removing all his seeds and placing only the fruit in his cage. But I'm afraid he might decide to just go hungry until I put the seeds back in. What do you suggest?

Answer 1

Well, there are zillions of ways to entice a bird to eat new food. You can dice the fruit, cube it, mash it, freeze it, peel it, stick it on a skewer, hide it in a fav toy, put it in his normal dish, put it in a dish on the floor, you name it! The trick is, to offer it every single day, even if it's for a year. But even when you offer it in new ways, a bird that is a hard-core seed junkie may not even look at the food.

But the following is how I got my 5yr old seed junkie budgie to eat any, and all, new food that comes her way; right before bedtime remove his food. First thing in the morning, give him a mix of his seed with some finely chopped fruit/veggies. He should go right for the seed, but he'll be able to get used to the taste and texture of the new food. Then remove the mixture at noon and replace it with his normal food. You can still incorperate the veggies/fruit in his cage, hanging on skewers and such in different sizes and shapes. Also, I find that, if I cut an apple in half, and I take a bite out of one side, the bird may want a bite on the other side.

If I where you, I would not be so worried about him eating fruit. Too much sugar is not good for the health of your bird, veggies (think kale, carrots and peas) are high in vitamins for your bird. And if you can, convert him to an organic pelleted diet, Kaytee and Harrisons make this. Birds are sensitive to anything sythetic (think chemicals), so I prefer organic food. One last thought, birds can have vitamin deficencies when on seed, without an owner knowing. So a way to give him more of what he needs, sprout his seed. Sprouts provide wonderful nutrients and enzymes for birds, they really are a "super food". Don't know how to sprout? Here you go! : http://www.landofvos.com/articles/sprout...

I wish you luck!