|
We feed our sun conures a proportioned mix of seeds, pellets, dried
fruits, and fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement their diets.
Our daily sun conures food mix contains the following:
- 8Lbs Hartz Wholesome Select Parrot Diet
- 4 cups Pretty Bird Pellets for Parrots and Conures
Dried mango, and dried pineapple also, but they should not be mixed
with the rest as it can spoil. I usually drop a bit of each into their bowls at feeding time (About 1/4 teaspoon of dry, raw oatmeal as well)
and plain uncooked, unsalted in-shell peanuts are a must. Some sun conures may not
particularly like peanuts, but they all love to destroy the shells so no harm, no foul.
By the way, a few websites seem to have posted that peanut shells are toxic
to birds, without explanation of any facts. Some wild birds have been killed
from eating grower peanuts treated with anti-fungal and insecticides. These
peanuts are the ones you see at a farmers supply store and are meant to be planted,
whereas store bought peanuts for consumption are not treated and are generally
considered safe as long as they have not been exposed to water (Can cause dangerous
fungi to grow on the shells) We always buy the 1lb plastic bag of peanuts and keep
them stored in that bag, with a chip clip. Do NOT store in-shell peanuts in the refrigerator.
Fresh peaches, nectarines (favorites) as well as apples, oranges, bananas, jalepenos, cucumbers, and dried red peppers
are a great treat for suns.
If you give them any kind of peppers, just be careful
not to let them give you a kiss. Wipe their beak and feet with a wet cloth, because
they will have a red hot surprise for you otherwise! Many sun conure owners have had the
displeasure of tasting the fire of a red hot chili pepper just by forgetting.
ZINC: Always check the label of any prepared food items to make sure zinc is not in it. Zinc is a heavy metal that is poisonous to birds. Also make sure to prepare foods in a safe container. SEE: Household Toxins for more information.
Conclusion:
Sun conures like a wide mix of food, so try not to keep them eating the same exact thing day after day. The best
way to get a nutritional diet is to have a variety of healthy foods. Never completely change your Suns diet suddenly,
always try to gradually change it into new things. Always remove fresh fruits and veggies after they have sit in the cage
for more than 4 hours, as spoiled food can harm your bird.
FAQs
Why do peppers not burn my birds mouth?
Evolution. Plants have evolved so that their seed will be spread effectively. In a birds digestive systems, many seeds go
undigested. Since this is true, when the bird expels the undigested seed in it's droppings, the seed finds it way to the dirt
with a free supply of fertilizer. This is how the plants manage to spread. Birds and plants have evolved alongside one another
so that birdscannot taste the heat. It just tastes like
fresh veggies to them. Birds and hot peppers are said to be symbiotic (Definition).
We, on the other hand, have acids that react to the chemistry of the peppers causing them to burn. They
are absolutely not good for human consumption (even though we love them) for the fact that they literally damage everything that
they touch from entrance to exit while inside our bodies.
Theory: Pepper spray just might not effect birds at all
| 
