Can Conures Eat Grapes? [3 BENEFITS]

Earlier today while I was in the local aviary, I enjoyed feeding some birds in there. Among them were conures, on my way home I got curious whether they can eat fruits such as grapes. Read on to find out what I discovered by researching the topic.

Can conures eat grapes? Conures can eat both red and white grapes including the grape seeds just like other parrots. Grapes will provide conures with vitamins, minerals, and hydration. Additionally, conures can also eat raisins the dried version of grapes. However, due to the high sugar content of grapes conures should eat grapes sparingly to avoid digestion issues.

Fruits should never make up more than 20-25% of your conure’s daily diet, more than this and you will be risking nutrient deficiency in your conures.

If your conures are refusing to eat fruits you can feed them pellets that are made using different fruits to achieve the health requirements of the conures Zupreem Fruit blend from Amazon.

Are Grapes healthy for Conures?

The table below shows the value of nutrients found in grapes source

Nutrient	Value
Vitamin A	99.7 IU
Vitamin C	16.3 Mg
Vitamin K	0.3 mg
Vitamin E	22.0 mcg
Calcium	15.1mg
Potassium	288 mg
Magnesium	10.6 mg
Selenium	0.2 mcg
Phosphorous	30.2 mg

Let us dive into the specific benefits of grapes to conures.

Can conures eat Grapes? 3 Benefits

Vitamins

Like we have mentioned in this blog over and over, vitamins should part of a conures diet. The deficiency of some of these vitamins can lead to life-threatening health issues.

Grapes like most fruits contain a lot of vitamin A, most pet birds suffer from vitamin A deficiencies especially those that are fed an all-seed diet.

Vitamin A facilitates several functions in conures and all birds in general such as boosting the immune system, maintaining the health of the eye.

Its deficiency has been associated with respiratory and digestion system infections, poor production, and dull feather colors.

A grape or two can provide the daily minimum vitamin A that a conure requires for a healthy life. However, do not feed grapes only as this would harm your conure due to the high sugars of grapes or raisins.

Grapes are also a good source of vitamin C. While we have mentioned earlier in this blog that most caged birds do not suffer from vitamin C deficiencies.

The red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) and the willow ptarmigan/red grouse (Lagopus lagopus) as well as the crimson sun-conure have a special need for vitamin C since it facilitates the absorption of iron in the liver.

For other birds, vitamin C is synthesized in the liver from glucose, and these birds will only need external sources of vitamin C if they are suffering from liver disease.

Vitamin C promotes wound healing, blood clotting, and promotes strong bones.

However, for the softbills birds which are rarely kept as pets anyway, excess vitamin C can lead to excess absorption of iron which is normally dangerous to these birds.

Vitamin K, on the other hand, helps with the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, its deficiency is however not common since it is processed by bacteria that are found in the gut.

Grapes are also a source of vitamin E, whose main purpose is to act as an antioxidant to reduce the effect of oxidative stress that can cause cellular damage.

When combined with selenium Vitamin E help to keep the effect of oxidative stress in check. As a result, the conures will have a strong immune system, elimination of oxidative stress also promotes healthy reproduction.

Minerals

Like vitamins minerals are also a very important part of the health of the conures. The deficiency of some of these minerals can lead to life-threatening implications.

Calcium and phosphorous are the two most important minerals as they aid in the growth and development of the skeletal structure.

Calcium and phosphorous do however affect each other antagonistically given that a high concentration of phosphorus will lead to reduced absorption of calcium.

Aviary experts recommend that young, laying, and injured conures or other birds should receive a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1.

While mature and healthy conures can have a 1.5:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio respectively. This means that you should be wary of the fruits and vegetable calcium to phosphorus ratio.

This does not mean that you should not feed foods that have a different ratio. Your pet bird should be just fine if you offer these foods sparingly.

Plus a conure fed high-quality pellets like the ones we recommended above should be fine, there are also pellets made after mixing different fruits that ensures that instead of offering fruits which some conures may not like you can just offer these pellets and the bird will just be fine. Check out this brand from amazon.

Other than calcium and phosphorus, grapes also provide magnesium, iron, and potassium among others in trace amounts.

Magnesium helps in the transfer of phosphorous during the energy processing process. High calcium levels will hinder the absorption of magnesium.

Potassium on the other hand facilitates and balances acid-base reactions. Birds rarely suffer from potassium deficiency unless they have been subjected to severe exposure to stress.

Hydration

Making sure conures have easy access to clean and fresh water is very important. Additionally, conures fed on fruits and vegetables as part of their diet will benefit from the water content of these foods.

Remember we advise you to feed your conure high-quality pellets and they should account for about 75% of your conures’ daily diet.

Given that pellets are dry food they can end up dehydrating conures if they are not offered water or fruits and veggies diet.

How to feed grapes to conures

Like all fruits, the best form of grapes are ones grown organically free from chemicals and toxins that may end up harming your conure as they accumulate over time.

It can be hard to tell if grapes have been grown organically especially if you are buying them from a local grocery store or supermarket.

The first step when feeding grapes is to wash them thoroughly to remove pesticides.

Cut it into small pieces that your conure can eat with the piece, remember to mix it with other fruits or veggies to make a balanced diet. Gr. ape seeds are safe for conures to eat

At the end of the day remove any uneaten grapes from the cage to avoid contamination.

Are grapes healthy for conures?

Grapes are healthy for conures but can become a health concern when fed in excess. Grapes have a high sugar content that will cause digestion issues to the conures. Offer grapes sparingly as part of a balanced diet to avoid health concerns.

Summary

Can Conures eat Grapes? Fruits such as grapes should be included in the diet of conures as a way of offering a balanced diet. These fruits will provide much-needed vitamins which are essential for the survival of conures and all caged birds or parrots.