Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Jeanne K. writes:

My 8-year-old Yellow-sided Conure is very picky about vegetables.

She will only eat three.

She likes broccoli, carrots, and snow peas.

If I try giving her sugar snap peas, which are almost the same, she knows the difference and throws them out of the bowl.

I have tried squash, kale, and others, but she won’t eat them.

 

She’s good with fruits.

 

And will eat most of all I give her.

 

But I worry that she’s not getting enough nutrition, without eating a lot of veggies.

 

She does eat her small hookbill seed diet very well.

 

Any suggestions?

 

 

Dear Jean

 

It sounds just fine.

 

The three fresh veggies are healthy and great choices.

 

Just realize you have a lot of time to entice her to try new things.

 

At 8 years old you have another 15-20 years to try.

 

Have you tried scrambled eggs?

 

Regards

Catherine

 

This post will be helpful:

 

How Do I Get My Budgies to Eat Veggies?

 

Hi Jeanne,

 

Your bird has probably between 5000 – 7000 feathers.

 

Feathers are built on amino acids.

 

Amino acids are derived from protein.

 

Even with the seed diet in conjunction with fruit and vegetables,  will never provide near enough protein for the bird to survive a lifetime

 

I talked about that in-depth here:

 

What is The True Lifespan of Parrots in Captivity?

Pet bird feeding hack: We keep our veggies premixed in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator for easy daily use.

 

Best of luck

 

Stay safe

MitchR