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

Will0W783 · 08-06-12, 12:30 PM

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:

alessia55 · 08-06-12, 04:36 PM

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.

moshirimon · 08-06-12, 05:08 PM

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 · 08-06-12, 05:59 PM

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 · 08-06-12, 06:58 PM

He's awesome! What species is he?

Will0W783 · 08-06-12, 07:45 PM

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 · 08-06-12, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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?

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!

Gungirl · 08-06-12, 08:35 PM

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 · 08-07-12, 07:50 AM

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 · 08-07-12, 12:17 PM

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
Kaytee Exact Rainbow Large Parrot Diet

Will0W783 · 08-07-12, 02:19 PM

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

Will0W783 · 08-07-12, 02:23 PM

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

Gungirl · 08-07-12, 03:17 PM

Yes go ahead and use what you have. I would purchase some of this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...atid=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 · 08-07-12, 03:17 PM

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 · 08-07-12, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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