Conures are comical and lively parrots native to South America. These social birds love to be around people and will often be interested in what’s being served at mealtimes.
It’s so tempting to give your conure things that they enjoy eating, but is everything that you want to give your bird safe for them? As parrot owners, we know that fruits and vegetables are healthy parts of their diet. However, what’s safe for humans to eat may not always be the case for our pets.
If you’d like to share fruit with your bird, the good news is that it’s safe for conures to eat pineapple. The fruit is also full of nutrition. For both people and birds, pineapples are beneficial and delicious.
Wild Diet of Conures
Conures in the wild eat a mix of seeds, fruit, vegetables, insects, and flowers. They forage for whatever they can find, often raiding farmers’ crops for a tasty meal.
Captive Diet of Conures
Trying to give your pet bird the proper nutrition that they require can be difficult. Many conure owners think that they’re feeding their birds the right foods, only to find out from their vets that their conures have diet-related health issues.
Conures love seeds and nuts, but these are high in fat and should only make up a small part of their diet. Instead of a seed-based diet, conures should get most of their nutrition from balanced pellets and fruits. If you’re switching from seeds to pellets, do this slowly. Add pellets to the food dish with the seeds until you’re sure the bird is eating the pellets. Withdrawing the seeds and adding only pellets can confuse your bird, and then they won’t eat anything!
Pellets should make up about 70% of a conure’s diet, fruits and vegetables can make up the other 25%, and seeds should be no more than 5%. Clean water should be available at all times.
Feeding Tips
Monitor the food each day to make sure the food is being consumed. Some birds refuse to eat their pellets while waiting for the good stuff, such as treats, fruit, nuts, and seeds. So, mix it up! Mix it up! To avoid conure boredom, the fresh produce that you offer every day should be of different varieties, including pineapple. Clean all the food and water dishes daily to avoid bacteria growth.
If your conure doesn’t like something one day, keep trying! They could surprise you and decide that they love it the next day. Always feed your bird the recommended amount of food to avoid obesity. Overweight birds can have health problems.
Health Benefits of Pineapple
Pineapple is healthy for your conure, and besides the peel, every part of the fruit is edible for them. Pineapples provide food, fiber, and water. This juicy fruit will help your bird consume more moisture as they snack.
The core of the pineapple is a source of vitamin C and bromelain. These antioxidants and enzymes can help protect your bird’s cells from free radical damage and boost your bird’s immunity. Since the core is not as sweet and juicy as the rest of the fruit, your conure may not enjoy it as much. Cutting up small bits of the core to mix with the outer, sweeter parts may entice your bird to eat them.
Pineapples are packed with beta-carotene. This gives them their yellow color, but it also gets turned into vitamin A in your conure’s body. This can support your conure’s eye health, bone health, skin, and beak.
The fiber in pineapple will also help your bird’s microbiome regarding their digestion and intestinal tract.
Canned Pineapple
Your conure can enjoy canned pineapple if you don’t want to deal with slicing up a fresh one. The only things to watch for and avoid are added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Pineapples in their own juices with no added sugar or sugar substitutes are best. Pineapple in heavy syrup should be avoided because it has too much sugar for your bird.
Dried Pineapple
Dried pineapple is safe to give your bird, but it can be chewy. It’s best to cut dried pineapple into smaller pieces so your bird can easily eat it. Preservative-free pineapple is the safest for your conure. Please keep in mind that sulfides, such as sulfur dioxide, are commonly used as preservatives in dried fruits, and these could harm your bird and should be avoided. If you’re cutting up a fresh pineapple and want to save it to feed your bird later, you can dry it yourself in the oven. Small pieces on a baking tray allowed to cook slowly will be the healthiest option for your bird when it comes to dried fruit.
Do Conures Like Pineapple?
Most birds like pineapple. However, every bird is different. What one bird might love, another won’t even taste. Most birds do like pineapple because of its natural sweetness. As long as your conure doesn’t eat too much of this sweet fruit, they can safely enjoy it in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Cutting the fruit into small pieces is one way to serve it. You can also place a thin wedge with the outer skin still attached in your conure’s cage to give them something to work on that entertains them with the different textures. Just ensure that you wash it very well before offering it to your pet bird.
If you’re teaching your bird new tricks, small pieces of pineapple can be used as an incentive for them. If you only give them pineapple during training sessions, their desire for the fruit can be just the thing to get them to perform your request.
Be sure to remove any uneaten pineapple pieces after a couple of hours to avoid any bacteria overgrowth.
Final Thoughts
Pineapple is a safe, tasty, and healthy snack for your conure. When fed in the right proportions as part of a balanced diet, this fruit can be beneficial in many ways. Aside from being delicious, it provides nutrients that are essential for your bird.
Avoid dry and canned pineapple with added sugar or preservatives. Pineapple is safest for your bird in its purest forms. Whether it’s fresh, canned, or dried pineapple that you’re choosing, your conure will enjoy the taste and texture of this tropical treat.
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Featured Image Credit: nastya_gepp, Pixabay
