How to Feed Sun Conures

Sun conures are small parrots native to hot, dry areas in northeastern South America. They are popular pets because of their bright coloration and playful personalities, although they can be quite loud. In the wild, they primarily eat the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, as well as flowers, seeds, and nuts from native trees. Sun conures are relatively easy to care for, but do best on a diet that is modified to meet their specific nutritional requirements.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• High quality pelleted diet
• Fresh fruit
• Raw, unsalted nuts
• Kale or other dark green, leafy vegetables
• Cuttlebone or mineral block

1. Feed your sun conure a high-quality pelleted diet. This should make up about 75% of the total diet, by calories rather than volume. Most sun conures will consume about 1/3 cup of pellets each day. Sun conures do best on pellets with higher fat content (8 to 10%) and lower protein content (10 to 12%) than the average.

2. Offer fresh fruits on a daily basis. Most sun conures relish fruit of all kinds, although they are often reluctant to eat vegetables. Choose fruits that are high in beta-carotene, such as papaya, cantaloupe, mangoes, nectarines and peaches. Berries are also an excellent choice for sun conures due to their high nutrient content. Most sun conures will eat about 1/2 cup of chopped fruit each day.

3. Give your sun conure a few raw, unsalted nuts each day. Not only do sun conures relish nuts, especially pecans and walnuts, they contain the healthy fats and Vitamin E that conures of the Aratinga genus need to avoid itchy skin and peeling beaks.

4. Offer kale, or another vegetable high in Vitamin K, to your sun conure two to three times a week. Conures are prone to Vitamin K deficiency, which can cause a dangerous health condition called "Conure Bleeding Syndrome". If your bird is unwilling to eat the kale, try attaching entire leaves to the side of the cage to draw his interest. Most birds will nibble at the kale while they play with it.

5. Hang a cuttlebone or mineral block in your sun conure's cage. Although sun conures are not as prone to calcium deficiencies as some species are, mineral supplementation is important for all pet birds.

6. Remember to keep a source of fresh, clean water available to your sun conure at all times. Consider using a glass bottle designed for birds to keep their drinking water free of droppings and debris. Sun conures tend to contaminate their water by dunking food and toys in it.

Tips & Warnings

• Sun conures have a diet naturally high in fat and simple sugars, so they almost never become obese. If your sun conure appears overweight, take him to an avian veterinarian to determine whether a medical condition, rather than diet, is the cause.
• If you are converting your bird's diet from seeds to pellets, try large pellets designed for macaws or cockatoos. These are easier for a sun conure to hold in her feet and gnaw on, which increases their appeal.
• Avocado and rhubarb are toxic to pet birds, and should never be fed.
• Even though your sun conure's diet is naturally high in fat, avoid feeding her junk food. Excessive amounts of sodium can be harmful to any pet bird.

Resources

• Meet the Magnificent Sun Conure