How to Feed a Conure

Co-authored by Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD

Last Updated: April 20, 2024 References

Conures are beautiful birds that make great pets. They can live to be around 20 years old, so they need a healthy diet for a long and happy life. Provide fresh drinking water daily and feed your conure primarily with an organic or all natural pellet food mix, supplementing fresh produce, seeds, nuts, and grains. Be careful to avoid feeding your conure any toxic foods like avocado, cocoa, or onions. Clean the bird’s food dishes regularly to avoid contamination.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Choosing the Right Food

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1
Pick a pellet food. This should be the main staple of your conure’s diet – accounting for approximately 60-70% of its food intake. This food will create the base of a nutritious diet for your conure.^{[1]
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- Be sure to purchase a pellet food that is labelled “organic” or “all natural” so that you can avoid exposing your conure to any harmful additives.
- You should be able to find a high-quality bird pellet food at any pet store in your area.
- Consider purchasing a pellet food that contains a variety of colors to keep your bird interested.
2
Supplement with fresh fruits and vegetables. Adding fruits and vegetables to your conure’s diet is a great way to enrich the bird’s nutrient intake and provide a bit of variety. This group should account for approximately 20% of your bird’s diet. Be sure to cut the produce into small, easily edible bites before putting it into your bird’s food dish.^{[2]
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- Some good examples of produce your conure will like include mangoes, kiwis, apples, blueberries, spinach, pumpkins, and zucchinis.
- Make sure to wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly before feeding them to your conure. This will protect your bird from ingesting harmful pesticides.
- If the fruits or vegetables have a peel or thick outer shell, you should remove this before feeding it to your bird.
- The chopped pieces should be small enough to fit in your bird’s beak so there is not a lot of difficulty in cutting up the food for your bird.
- You may also want to consider purchasing organic fruits and vegetables.
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3
Add seeds, nuts, and grains. These food groups are a great way to add a bit of variety and extra nutrition to your conure’s diet, though they should be given sparingly and constitute the smallest category of your bird’s diet. You can incorporate seed mixes with the pellet food that you feed the bird most of the time, but nuts and grains should be provided in small amounts.^{[3]
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- You can give your bird healthy, non-sugary grains like barley, cooked brown rice, or crackers.
- Consider adding low-salt, unshelled nuts. Peanut shells can be toxic to conures.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Giving Your Bird Food and Water

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1
Place food dishes in the conure’s cage. Give your conure two feeding dishes – one for the pellet/seed foods and one for the supplementary foods like fruits, vegetables, and nuts. This will make it easier for you to clean the containers and replace the fresher foods more frequently.
- Make sure the food dishes are attached to the side of the bird cage so that the conure cannot knock over its food by accident.
- Typically, you should give your conure three tablespoons of pellet food each day, supplemented with a smaller portion of fruits, vegetables, seeds, grains, and nuts. Follow your vet’s feeding instructions.
2
Give the bird occasional treats. In general, you don’t need to give your bird treats very often, especially if you are already providing it with daily variety. This means that you should add fruits, vegetables, and grains to its daily pellet and seed food. You can give your bird some treats (once or twice a week) to keep it interested in the food variety.^{[4]
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- Try giving your conure some unsalted popcorn or some cooked whole-grain pasta.
3
Provide fresh drinking water. You should include one dedicated drinking dish inside your conure’s cage. Check it every day to make sure that the dish is full of water and not contaminated with some other element – like old food or excrement.^{[5]
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- Consider keeping the water dish away from the food dishes so that the bird doesn’t accidentally drop some of the food into the water while it is eating.
4
Dispose of old food regularly. Check the bird’s cage every day to see if there is any leftover food that needs to be disposed of. The pellets and seeds can remain in the cage for several days, but any fresh fruits or vegetables will need to be monitored for spoilage.
- Make sure you check your bird’s food dishes every day to prevent exposure to rotten foods.
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Clean food and water dishes once per week. Remove the food dishes once per week and clean them thoroughly with hot, soapy water to get rid of any food remnants that might rot. Rinse and dry them carefully before putting them back in the cage.
- If you want a deeper clean, you can disinfect your dishes with a three percent bleach solution. Allow the dishes to soak in the disinfectant for five to ten minutes, and then wash them thoroughly with water. You don’t want any disinfectant left on the dishes!
- Take your bird to another room while using the disinfectant, as they are very sensitive to fumes.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Knowing What to Avoid

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1
Avoid certain toxic foods. There are some food items that are toxic to conures. Some of these items include peanut shells, avocados, onions, chocolate, and cocoa. Do not give these items to your conure under any circumstances.
- You should also avoid feeding your conure anything containing caffeine or alcohol, as these can be highly toxic to birds.
2
Refrain from feeding fatty and sugary human foods. While some human foods are perfectly acceptable to feed your conure, others can be quite unhealthy for your bird. This is especially true for foods that are high in sugar, fat, and salt content. Conures cannot break down these elements very easily, so they are difficult to digest.^{[6]
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- Avoid feeding your conure sugary cereals or grains, processed foods of any kind, or food items containing meat.
3
Look for warning signs that your bird is not reacting well to its diet. Diarrhea and feather plucking, in which a conure plucks at its own feathers, may be signs of a poor diet. If you notice these behaviors in your conure, talk to your vet immediately.^{[7]
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- Diarrhea may be a reaction to a change in diet, so keep an eye out for runny stools if you’re in the process of modifying your conure’s diet.
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Consult your veterinarian. If you are unsure about what to feed your conure, make an appointment with your veterinarian so that they can answer any questions you might have. This is the safest option for your bird.^{[8]
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- You should also be able to ask questions of knowledgeable pet store employees or avian specialists.