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Can Conures Eat Cherries?

A balanced diet for conures and other types of parrots is a necessity. A variety of foods is important for their growth and overall development.

Can conures eat cherries? Conures can eat both fresh and dried cherries. However, they cannot eat cherry pits because they are poisonous.

There are plenty of fruits and vegetables you can feed conures and other parrots. Here is a list for those of you who have conures or other types of parrots as pets. It is important to know what foods you can and cannot feed your feathered friend.

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Can Conures Eat Cherries?

Conures can eat cherries as long as you remove the pits first. The reason why you need to remove the pits first is because cherry pits may contain traces of toxins harmful to conures and other parrots.

Be aware, feeding your pet conure fresh or dried cherries will cause their stool to turn a dark red color, almost the tone of blood. So, do not be concerned if you see a dark red or red tone stool or droppings after feeding your parrot fresh or dried cherries.

Nutritional Benefits of Cherries for Your Parrot

Cherries contain the following nutrients that are beneficial for your pet parrot:

  • Vitamin C: Helps build and boost your parrot’s immune system. It also lowers their blood pressure and regulates blood sugars.
  • Vitamin A: Vitamin A is needed in all parrots’ daily diet. Conures tend to suffer from Vitamin A deficiency. It helps with eyesight, hearing, and bones. This is an essential nutrient for conures and other parrots because it helps prevent poor growth, respiratory disease, and failed immune system functions.
  • Calcium: This is a crucial nutrient all parrots need to have in their daily diet. Conures are more prone to calcium deficiency, which can lead to Conure Bleeding Syndrome. Calcium helps your feathered friend’s nervous system, bone structure, muscle development, neurological brain activity, and the functioning of enzymes.
  • Magnesium: Works in sync with calcium by helping your parrot’s body break down and absorb calcium. Without magnesium in your parrot’s diet, your parrot would suffer from a lot of growth issues, have deficiency issues, and suffer from muscle or head twitches. It also helps with your parrot’s arteries, vessels, joints, and other soft tissues. 

A balanced diet of all of the above nutrients is needed for your parrot to be as healthy as possible. Keep in mind that the consumption of too many cherries can cause your feathered friend to have diarrhea. Moderation of cherries and any sugary fruit is key.

Also, be aware that cherries, just like any other fruit, may be filled with pesticides. The best option will be to purchase organic fresh cherries if you plan to feed them to your parrot.

Can I Feed Conures Dried Cherries?

If you want to avoid the messiness of feeding your feathered friend fresh cherries or avoid accidentally feeding them a cherry pit, dried cherries are a perfect alternative.

Dried cherries will contain the same nutrients as fresh cherries. Just make sure to read the label of the dried cherries for any harming preservatives such as sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide causes an increase of aggressiveness, molting, and allergies in conures.

Dried cherries should be given in moderation just like any other fruit, you would feed your pet parrot.

The Dangers of Feeding A Cherry Pit to Conures

Accidents happen when you least expect them to occur. If you think your parrot ate a cherry pit, you should take them to the vet as soon as possible.

Some vital keys to look out for if you suspect your parrot ate a cherry pit are:

  • A change in their behavior. They may be a bit more vocal or may not be vocal at all if they are feeling uncomfortable
    • Vomiting
    • If their stool color has not changed from a dark red to the normal color after a few days.

Cherry pits contain cyanide, which is very harmful to parrots. The cyanide can harm your pet’s liver and kidney functions.

Can Conures Eat Oranges?

Conures can eat oranges. Oranges, like cherries, are a fun treat you can give your conure in moderation. It is very important to make sure to peel and remove any seeds before feeding oranges to your conure. Oranges, like other fruits bought in stores, often contain numerous amount of pesticides.

Oranges are a great source of:

  • Vitamin C
  • Calcium
  • Vitamin A
  • Fiber

As with any other fruit or food you feed your parrot, make sure to keep moderation and a balanced diet a priority. Oranges are acidic, so smaller portions are better for your parrot.

Will Oranges Change My Conure’s Stool or Urine?

Just like with consuming cherries, your parrot’s stool and urine will change when they eat oranges.

There will be an increase in urine being produced because of the water content oranges contain. Their stool will also be softer than usual. This is normal when your conure or other types of parrot consumes fruits with high water content.

If you notice their urine and stool do not go back to normal, you should contact your preferred vet and make an appointment to get your parrot checked.

Can Conures Eat Peppers?

Conures can eat peppers! Yes, you read that, right! Orange bell peppers are high in Vitamin C while red bell peppers are high in Vitamin A.

Parrots cannot detect spiciness like we can with our taste buds. So, chop up some small pieces or feed the seeds to your conure, they will appreciate it.

Just make sure you do not feed your feathered friend the stems of the peppers. Parrots cannot digest this well, and it can give them issues later down the road.

Foods Conures Should Never Eat

We covered what your feathered friend can eat. Now it is time to go over what conures cannot eat.

Here are some foods conures and other types of parrots should never eat:

  • Chocolate 
  • Avocado
  • Onion and Garlic

What Do Conures Eat In The Wild

Wild conures are often found in savannas, forests, and palm groves. Due to the different environments conures are found in, their food diet varies.

Depending on their environment, wild conures eat a variety of:

  • Berries
  • Seeds
  • Fruits
  • Different types of vegetation 

Can Diet Effect Molting?

Diet does not have an effect on molting among conures. However, there are other reasons conures molt.

Feather molting in conures is a once a year activity. Conures tend to molt after the mating season, which is around February. Some conures molt more than once a year due to diet changes.

Conures start to molt within 8-10 months after their birth. There are a lot of things that can influence a conure’s first molt occurring before 8-10 months, including:

  • The time of year
  • Weather changes
  • Maturity of your conure
  • Change of diet
  • Behavioral changes

Here are some key points to look out for when your conure is molting. The video gives some great advice and facts about conures while they are molting.

The Difference Between Molting and Plucking

Feather molting and plucking are very different. Molting is your conure’s way of shedding its old feather for new feathers. Plucking is a sign your conure may be dealing with stress, allergies, or a poor diet.

Here are some key signs to look out for to conclude whether your conure is molting or plucking:

  • Feathers Are in Pairs: When your conure is molting, the feathers will fall in pairs. If feathers are not falling in pairs or you notice any sparse spots, this is an indicator of plucking.
  • Scratching: New feathers mean more scratching. You may notice your conure scratching more often than usual, and this is normal during molting.
  • New Pin Feather: New pin feathers popping up are a key indicator of your conure going through molting.