Birds love fruits included in their daily meal. But are all fruits good when included in your Green Cheek Conure diet? Can your Green Cheek Conure have watermelon, and if so, what about the seeds?
If you want to give your conure a treat, or just add some extra vitamins to its diet, you may be wondering about fruit. Which fruit can you give, and which fruit is better to avoid?
Can Conures eat Watermelon?
Yes, all conure species, including your Green Cheek conure can eat watermelon and the seeds and rinds as well. Watermelon comes with some benefits, including water, vitamins, and minerals.
However fresh fruits and vegetables should not make up more than a quarter of the daily diet of your budgie. Offer your pet a mix of fruit, not only watermelon, to offer your bird a good variety of nutrients when feeding.
Can You Feed Birds Fruit?
Yes, there are numerous fruits that birds can eat safely.
Is Watermelon Safe to Feed Birds?
Birds eat all kinds of ripened and bruised fruit from backyards and crops all the time, so yes watermelon, too, is safe for your budgie.
What Kind of Fruits Can Birds Eat?
There is quite a variety of fruits that birds, including your conure, can feast on. These include apples, pineapples, and pears as well as melons, orange slices, grapes, raisins, and currants among others.
Birds also eat berries, bananas, and grapefruit. In fact, these fruits can be placed outdoors for wild birds that visit your yard or birdhouse.
What Fruits Can You Feed a Green Cheek Conures?
Conures can eat quite a variety of fresh fruits. Consider offering your green cheek conure any of these fresh fruits:
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- Apples (always remove the seeds)
- Papaya
- Lemons (in moderation)
- Apricots
- Oranges (in moderation)
- Bananas (ripened)
- Nectarines
- Cherries
- Figs
- Pears
- Mangos
- Limes (in moderation)
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Passion fruit
- Guava fruit
- Kiwis
- Pineapple
- Pomegranate
- Tomatoes (in moderation without leaves or stems)
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What Kind of Vegetables Can Birds Eat?
Veggies are important for your conure, so offer your conure leafy vegetables to munch on like romaine lettuce or kale.
You can rinse these leafy greens and hang them in your conure’s cage while they are still wet. Bits of tomatoes will also be appreciated. These vegetables can be fed to birds:
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- Asparagus
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Corn
- Brussels Sprouts
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Cabbage
- Dandelion leaves
- Eggplant (without leaves or stems)
- Cauliflower
- Leafy vegetables
- Legumes (cooked or sprouted)
- Chard
- Okra
- Peas
- Potatoes (cooked and without leaves or stems)
- Pumpkin
- Radishes
- Red Peppers (without leaves or stems)
- Rutabaga
- Spinach
- Sprouted seeds
- Sweet potatoes (cooked)
- Turnip greens
- Watercress
- Winter squash
- Yams
- Zucchini
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What Vegetables Can Green Cheek Conures Eat?
Your green cheek conure will benefit from having fresh vegetables included in its diet. Apart from the list above, consider including specifically
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- Black beans
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Collard greens
- Green beans
- Kidney beans
- Peas
- Pinto beans
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See also: Can Cockatoos Crack Walnuts? 4 Facts and 3 Myths Unraveled!
What Should You Not Feed Birds?
Foods that need to be avoided when feeding your conure include:
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- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Apple seeds
- Avocado
- Fruit pits
- Chocolate
- Fat
- Onions
- Garlic
- Xylitol
- Junk food
- Mushrooms generally
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Also, leftover rancid meats or cheeses should never be available to birds.
What’s a Good Diet for the Green Cheek Conure?
At least 75% of your pet conure’s daily diet should be made up of high-quality bird pellets. Commercially made pellets are formulated with vitamins and minerals to offer all the necessary nutrients for your bird’s health.
The remaining 25% of the diet can be made up of fresh vegetables and fruit that are appropriate for your conure.
A conure will feed on seeds, fruits, vegetables, and nuts when foraging in the wild. It would be difficult for the single conure owner to replicate this diet, but many manufacturers of bird food do combine the same blend of nutrients in high-quality pellets.
Are There Benefits to Feeding a Conure Watermelon?
Including watermelon in your green cheek conure’s diet, offers several benefits that will contribute to your budgie’s overall health and well-being.
1.) Antioxidants
Antioxidants aid in fighting stress that can damage cells. When oxidative stress is acute, it can weaken your pet’s immune system, stunting development and potential reproduction. Watermelon contains selenium, and vitamins C and E which are antioxidants.
2.) Hydration
Watermelon contains lots of water, and unlike municipal tap water, it does not contain chlorine and fluoride, or other chemicals.
This is a great method for providing fresh water for your bird’s metabolism. So, along with a water bowl, include fruits and vegetables in your budgie’s diet.
3.) Minerals
Minerals are an important part of any living being’s nutritional requirements. When minerals are lacking, your conure’s health will be compromised, and when prolonged it may lead to a bird’s death.
While fruit offers a minimal part of the necessary mineral requirements for conures, quality pellets will meet these requirements.
4.) Vitamins
Conures need vitamins every day and some will be required in greater quantities for your bird’s health. Watermelon offers a variety of vitamins when added to your conure’s diet. Among these are beta carotene and Vitamin A.
Vitamin A is important for healthy bones, healthy eyes, reproductive organs, and the respiratory system. It also aids in preventing infections and boosting the immune system. Beta carotene contributes to the vibrancy of your conure’s colors.
Watermelon also contains vitamins C and vitamin K.
How do your Feed Watermelon to Conures?
Ideally, you should feed organic watermelon to your conure to avoid chemicals that may be toxic.
Wash any watermelon you plan to share with your bird thoroughly to remove toxins and chemicals.
Cut the melon into tiny pieces so that it can be mixed together with other fruit. If your conure does not eat all the fruit by bedtime, remove it from the cage.
Are There Other Human Foods that Can Be Offered to Birds?
Apart from the many fruits and vegetables listed, birds can also benefit from having some eggshells, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, and even peanut butter added to their diets in small amounts.
A Final Thought
The addition of fruits, vegetables, and watermelon can be a real plus in your conure’s diet.
While pellets will provide the majority of essential nutrients for your conure’s overall health and well-being, fresh fruits and vegetables will provide nutrition benefits as well as function as a treat for your favorite volatile.
Just remember to limit the quantities to a maximum of 25% of your conure’s daily diet. Watermelon is a safe fruit that your conure will enjoy, so this summer, make sure your share.
