Sun Conure Diet

Question
Hi!
I got a 3 month old sun about 4 weeks ago. the diet he was on when we got him was just pre mixed seed,(sunflower seed and other stuff) OK any way. thats what he was eating and i know that is not good for him. i have been trying to get him to eat a variety of food and trying fresh fruits but he is being stubborn. when i give him his seed he picks out all the sunflower seeds and just eats those. i dont know how to get him to change. i give him crackers and cereal like cherioes (not honey nut) and another type of grain and wheat cereal ( not sugary cereals) he does seem to eat those. Alot of sunflower seeds though. bot he just wont eat the fruits. i also got him a food that you cook. it was called Beak Appetite. he didnt eat that either. he is sooooo picky. i just dont know what to do! i need some help.

THANK YOU!!!     :-)

Answer
hi. thanks for your question!  you are correct...seed only diets are not the best option for feeding your conure. in fact, the best diet for them is a pellet only diet however i have had my sun for 15 years and know for a fact he would rather starve to death than eat pellets.
the first thing i would recommend would be to switch to a seed based diet that uses safflower seeds (the little white seeds) as opposed to a sunflower seed base. reason being, birds can get "addicted" to sunflower seeds to the point of where they will not eat anything else.  safflower seed mixes are available at any pet/bird store and sometimes will say on the bag "no-sun" to indicate that they do not contain sunflower seeds.  you can also tell by looking at the bag ingredients or visually inspecting the bag for sunflower seeds. you can try "weaning" him gradually off of the sunflower seeds and gradually mixing in safflower based food or just go "cold turkey" (no pun intended).  
since your little guy has spent most of his short life thus far eating what he wants, it will be difficult to get him to eat certain foods such as fruits and vegetables. in fact, my conure still refuses to eat vegetables. i applaud your efforts in trying to get him to eat a wide variety of foods as this is very important. birds, like people, have their likes and dislikes when it comes to foods. you may want to try more "colorful" fruits like oranges...my sun loves oranges, pineapple, and strawberries. i don't know if its the color or what? depending on where you live, fruit selection can be limited at this time of year.  if he still isn't taking to the whole fruits, you could always try applesauce, fruit flavored yogurts, and dried fruits. i even tear off a little piece of a fruit bar, like nutrigrain or granola, and give him a little piece (no chocolate though!). be mindful of the fact that these items can be high in sugars and fats and give them sparingly...however i think its just this mix of sugar and fat that makes them so tasty to conures! (they are so like humans in so many ways).  as far as veggies go, the only veggies my birds will even touch are green leafy vegetables and i think they just have a blast tearing it up.
good luck with this and trust me, he is still young enough to be weaned off of the sunflower seeds that are mainly just junk.  he will continue to pick out the sunflower seeds only as long as you keep giving them to him...it will take time and experimentation to see what it is he likes and dislikes and those could even change over time. as long as you select a safflower based seed diet that is fortified with vitamins and minerals, you know he will at least be getting the nutrition he needs. continue to experiment with the fruits, crackers, cheerios, etc. good luck!  alicia