Not a reptile....my newest addition to the Urban zoo. :)

[Will0W783]

So, I think my house is now represented by every main animal class, lol. Fish, arachnids, insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and now a bird!

My fiance grew up always having birds in the house, usually cockatiels but also parakeets. He's been missing having them for a while, and we kept talking about how to make it work with our cats and dogs and busy schedules. With a lot of recent remodeling, our spare bedroom had no animals in it, and the office was cleared enough to allow us to spend time on the desktop computers comfortably.

We went to Petco yesterday to buy a kitty condo for the cats to climb on and play in, and they had conures almost half off. They had two birds there, and both were born in May. One was a bit shy and nervous, but the other one kept climbing around in the cage and walking over and pressing his face to the door to watch us. It was soo darned cute. John and I hemmed and hawed and talked about how and the requirements and what all it would take....we left, but ended up going back for the little fellow once we got a ways down the road.

Tweeter (name he came with but it's cute) now lives in the spare room with a big cage and lots of toys. I also got him a jungle gym that's portable to carry into the bathroom or office when I'm bathing or doing homework so he can be with me. Last night he just wanted to cling to me and squawked when I finally had to go to bed...soo cute. He likes to burrow in my hair and nibble on it and snuggle into my neck. (awwwwww!). He's a character and so soft and beautiful!

I'm really looking forward to teaching him to step up and down, and maybe a few words. Any advice anyone else who owns conures can give me is appreciated. I've done a lot of reading, but it's always great to get input from other keepers. :)

Here is my little feathered friend:

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/1e2d6f83.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/90374007.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/b26a4cd8.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/9c7fa632.jpg

[alessia55]

He's a cutie :) I would give him more branches, and a place to sleep...like a snuggle hut. It'll give him a dark, cozy, soft place to rest at night.

http://featherfantasy.com/images/prevue%20Hendryx%20Snuggle%20Hut%20sm.jpg

[moshirimon]

Beautiful. I love parrots especially the indian ringnecks. The conures are extrememely pretty too but they get really fiesty if you don't give them the constant attention they need!!

[Gungirl]

The snuggle hut all the way. My Conure loves his. The only advice I really have that has made my bird happy and me happy is routine. He goes to bed at the same time and wakes up at the same time every day. It keeps him quiet and calm, the few times he stayed up late or was awoken early he was much louder all day. I guess he was cranky...? The other thing is change up his food often. They love all sorts of fresh fruit and veggies.

[dbassa]

He's awesome! What species is he? :freakedout:

[Will0W783]

Thanks Kat! I knew you'd have good advice. I'll get one of those huts as soon as I see one. I don't remember them being at the store Sunday. I bought oranges, broccoli, organic banana, spinach and kale today, and cantaloupe. So far he isn't too sure about the melon but went to town on a sprig of broccoli. How small should I cut things up?

[alessia55]

Thanks Kat! I knew you'd have good advice. I'll get one of those huts as soon as I see one. I don't remember them being at the store Sunday. I bought oranges, broccoli, organic banana, spinach and kale today, and cantaloupe. So far he isn't too sure about the melon but went to town on a sprig of broccoli. How small should I cut things up?

With their beaks, they can easily cut through melon, broccoli, banana, etc. My cockatiel gets whole pieces and eats it easily :)

and share some of those veggies and fruits with my Marshmellow please! :o

[Gungirl]

I normally give mine 1/2 inch pieces. Large enough for him to hold onto with his feet but small enough to maneuver around.

Something else you will want to do is get him a sand perch or a cement perch to allow him to trim his nails and beak on. Another thing your bird might love is when he is getting new feathers they grow hard cases on them. When the cases get 1/4" long or so I take and pinch them. Do not pull just break the case open. It can relieve a ton of itching for them. In the wild another bird will do this for them. My bird loves it when I groom him in this manner. My mother in laws bird however would rather you not do it. So it really depends on the bird.

If you have them near water and he puffs all up offer him a dish to bath in. That is his way of showing you he wants to shower or play in it. If you have any questions feel free to ask away. I love my guy and am always looking up more stuff about them.

[Will0W783]

I have a cuttlefish bone in there for his beak, but I can find a sand perch. I want to get him a ladder of some kind for inside the big cage, as well as a snuggle bed thing. He does puff his feather a lot and ruffle up, then smooth back down.

I had him out for about two hours last night. I let him explore the room while I sat on the floor with him and gave him broccoli and melon. He went right over to the bag of millet and squawked for it, lol. That's all he seems to want to eat, so I think I will have to not give it to him until he eats his seed mixture. The store told me to keep him on parakeet mix for another month or so because he's still small....is this right?

I also laid on the bed and watched tv and let him crawl on me. He snuggled right up to my chest, but took little nips at my nose and glasses every few minutes, lol. I had to remove my nail polish....he kept going for my finger and toenails. Silly boy. He's definitely a character.

[Gungirl]

I don't like seed mixes much for any bird. They tend to pick out the bits they like and leave the rest. Normally this can lead to a fat/unhealthy bird. I buy a few different kinds of Zupreem or also the Kaytee. This type of food along side of fresh fruits and veggies I think is the best choice. I have spoken with many owners and breeders and this is what I ended up with.


Bird Foods: ZuPreem AvianMaintenance FruitBlend bird food for Parrots and Conures (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=6211)
Kaytee Exact Rainbow Large Parrot Diet (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5911+6013&pcatid=6013)

[Will0W783]

Thanks Kat. I'm trying to get a good variety for him.

[Will0W783]

So should I use up the seed I bought? They said he's too small for the adult conure diets yet.

[Gungirl]

Yes go ahead and use what you have. I would purchase some of this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5911+6210&pcatid=6210&r=39 to mix in with it. Even though my guy is big he loves this little food. Your guy as a baby is more than capable of eating it.

[snake man12]

This is a parakeet correct? If so he is a beauty.
I may get a parakeet in the near future because I have always wanted a bird.

[Gungirl]

This is a parakeet correct? If so he is a beauty.
I may get a parakeet in the near future because I have always wanted a bird.


Its a green cheek conure. They are small Parrots about 2-3 times the size of a parakeet

[snake man12]

Its a green cheek conure. They are small Parrots about 2-3 times the size of a parakeet

Thanks. Be sure to teach him some awesome phrases:)

[snake man12]

Hey I was just wondering what is the noise level. Also do they chirp constantly all the time?

[Gungirl]

Hey I was just wondering what is the noise level. Also do they chirp constantly all the time?

I will pm you as to not take over Kim's thread..

[Will0W783]

Tweeter isn't terribly loud. He threw a tantrum this morning though...I think he wanted to come out to play when I got up. I fed him and he flapped his wings and squawked and jumped onto my hand. I cuddled him for a few minutes. My schedule isn't the best, but it is manageable...I have to keep playtime to nights though, because he wants undivided attention, lol.

I think he was testing me last night. I had him on the bed with me while I watched some tv, and he kept trying to taste my fingers and arms. He likes to chew on seams of clothes, but then he cocked his head at me, looked at my hands, looked at my face and charged over to nip my fingers. It didn't really hurt, but if I let him get going, I think it would have. I said, "NO" sharply and pulled my hand back. He is stubborn....kept trying for a good ten minutes before he came and snuggled to my chest. Is this normal testing the waters behavior? I gave him a cuttlefish bone and put a big piece of driftwood in last night so he can climb it like a ladder. I am going tonight to the pet store to get some more supplies for cage decorations and toys.

Kat, is saying "No" and pulling away my hands when he tries to chew on them the right way to teach him not to?

On a happy note, he seems to have learned "step up" already!! He was doing it pretty reliably last night. :) Yay, he is smart!

[Gungirl]

I found that my guy liked the "game" of no don't touch and me pulling away. He thought it was fun. Ugh. I eventually just let him bite me then told him no and tapped his beak. After about a week he figured it out.

One thing you will be thankful you did is potty train him. When ever you see him poop say poop or something along that lines. I taught my bird to poop on command in 3 days. Now when I go to take him out of his cage I simply tell him to poop and he does or at least he tries to. I have not been pooped on in a few months. Now when he is out offer him his cage every 10 minutes or so and ask him to poop so that he doesn't have any accidents.

Hope this all helps you. :)

[Will0W783]

Thanks Kat! Yeah, he did seem to be enjoying himself with nibbling me last night, lol. The potty training idea is great...I will start that with him. He has pooped on me every time, but it's usually after he's been out of the cage for a while.

[Gungirl]

Small birds tend to need to poop every 7-10 minutes.. it can be hard to train but its worth a shot.

[Will0W783]

Yep. Bird poop honestly doesn't bother me that much anyway. It's not really smelly so if he poops on me I just wipe it off with a Kleenex.

[Lankyrob]

Is it true that you can train parrots to "free fly" in the home but return to their perch to poop? There was one in my local pet shop when i was a kid (think it was a macaw) and i remember an adult telling me this but he could just be telling me to shut me up! :)

[Gungirl]

Yes some of the larger birds you can fairly easily and I am sure if you spent enough time any bird could learn that. I am against letting pet birds have full wings and I feel it is 100% safer to clip your birds wings. If you allow full wings you also open them up to many dangers.( open windows or shut ones, flying into cooking pots, out open doors, ceiling fans) the list goes on. My bird gets his wings clipped twice a year and it doesn't bother him at all. Just like you getting a hair cut.

[Will0W783]

Yeah I don't want to take the risk with all the other pets that I have. My cats would try to get Tweeter if he could fly around. As it is, he stays on my shoulder or chest, and I keep whatever room I'm in with him closed so the cats can't get in. I'm hoping that he will eventually be trained well enough for me to trust him to sit tight on my shoulder while I do other things, like cook or walk around downstairs. For now though, I'm keeping him away from the others and I intend to keep his wings clipped no matter what...I'm just not willing to risk him hitting a window or something else.

[Snakeman8]

if you want to get the bird to learn words. set him in front of the tv, it works.
trust me on this one;)

[Zoo Nanny]

Congratulations on Tweeter, he's a cutie. Safety is fairly easy to teach to a bird. Take him around your house and tap on all windows, mirrors and reflective surfaces then let him tap. You'll be amazed at how quickly they pick up on it. Cassie my too is fully flighted in the house and has learned the hazards. Saying that I also do not let her out if I am cooking or if the door is going to be open like when I'm bringing in groceries. If a bird is determined they can fly even with the most severe clip they just may not be able to get as much lift or distance. A startle will send them into flight mode.
Diet can be very varied, they can eat almost any veg or fruit along with legumes and grains. All of which are very good for them. Most important things to avoid are avocado, salt, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. There are some excellent forums out there that I can give you links to if interested. Best method of teaching is through positive reinforcement, easily done with a favorite treat.
Best of luck with your little one. Conures are one of my favorites, so much attitude packed in a little body!