New Parrot Mommy

Hi! I'm very excited to have found this forum. I am adopting a Patagonian Conure next week. He belonged to my former mother-in-law who passed away. No one else seemed able to take him in, so here I am, adopting my first bird! I'm an animal lover, currently mom to three cats. I have never cared for a bird before and have read some books trying to quickly get up to speed. But it's intimidating, especially since I've never seen him, or his cage, or know his diet or what he likes or doesn't lijeetike or anything! All I know is his name is Starbuck, he's 40 and needs a home. I'm sure he'll be very stressed after losing his person and then moving to a strange home. I think he is elderly for his species Andreas want to give him a good home. Any advice would be very welcome and appreciated!

Sorry that was so long, but I'm really nervous about doing the right thing. A little about me. I'm a (semi) retired musician, have one adult daughter, two grandchildren, 3 grand-cats, 3 grand-hermit crabs, 2 grand-fish and a 96-year-old mother (who lives with me.) My daughter, who convinced me to adopt Starbucks, lives very close and will help out.

Thanks for being patient and reading all of this. I'm grateful for any help!

My advise would be: BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE CATS!

Other than that I think out resident Patagonian Conure expert will be happy to answer questions and give further advise. I hear they are a special breed!

Welcome to the Parrot Forums!

Welcome to the forums, thanks for a lovely introduction!

Please do be careful with cats! Even their scratch or subtle bite can be fatal for reasons beyond impact - they harbor bacteria harmful to birds. Best advice I can give is to develop a foolproof plan for separation.

Fellow mod "GaleriaGila" is our resident Patagonian expert. Link to the life and times of her beloved Rickeybird: http://www.parrotforums.com/incredi.../62811-rickeybird-scrapbook-1984-updates.html

Welcome! How wonderful that you’re willing to take this guy in and give him a good life. You’ve found a great place to get information and to share the joys and frustrations of parronthood.

I’m sure Gail (GaleriaGila), mom to Rickeybird, will show up shortly and will be VERY excited to have another Patagonian here.


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Thanks to everyone who has posted! I appreciate the reminder to very careful with the cats, and I sure will be. Luckily, two of them are very old - 16 - and laid back and the other one is 12 and not too rambunctious either. But I'm still going to make sure they don't get near our new family member, because they are still cats

OMG, we need to be besties, for sure!

There was another Patagonian here, but she recently passed. So you and I are pretty much the only active Pati Parronts at the moment. One or two others sometimes drop by.

My guy is 34. I've had him since he was a little chick.

Please enjoy his links in my signature when you have time/interest

Welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TO BE CONTINUED!

Well, well, the household is abuzz with excitement. Welcome to you and your Patagonian.
Thank you for the heroic rescue.

Welcome and thank you for giving a home to Starbuck! There’s lots of great info on here - and many people willing to answer all the questions that come up....feel free to ask lots. Much of the information on here applies to most parrots, including your Patagonian.

So glad you’re here and look forward to hearing more about this adventure

I'll help you as much as you want...

Starbuck IS elderly; so's the Rb, but his behavior hasn't changed much, if any. Good care and diet are really helping birds live longer, especially if their genes are good (i.e., good breeding... or... your bird MAY have been wild-caught. Many were imported in the 60s-70s).

Do you have a Certified Avian Vet? I wouldn't be without one. We can help ypu find one, if you like...

Here's my input on diet.
Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Another couple of ideas...
My ol' man is an athlete and health nut. He actually EATS all the good stuff, so it's always around. I find that tossing various stuff into the food bowls at random is good... the variations and differences seem to stimulate curiosity and attention.
The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!

Patagonians have a rep of being loud and difficult, although real characters; some are good mimics. The Rb fits these specifications. My vet thinks the males are like this, while the females are much quieter and sweeter. In the few Patagonians I have known, this has seemed true.

I'll be glad to answer any questions you have.

Could we see pictures, please?

I'm so excited!

Thanks so much for the advice! I don't have a vet yet, but I plan to talk to my vet tomorrow. I'm pretty sure she will know someone, but if you know someone in my area, that's great! I'm more or less in the Philly area. I don't have any pics yet but will share as soon as I do. You're baby is adorable!

If your vet has no suggestions, I bet this person might.

Karen L. Rosenthal, D.V.M., MS, Avian Director, Special Species Medicine Clinical Studies - Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine Philadelphia, PA, 19104 - Tel. 215-898-4680

Hi everyone, I’m still waiting for Starbucks to arrive. Apparently there are issues settling my late mother-in-laws estate. I’m getting very impatient for my new arrival. All I have so far is this pic. . And he looks lonely to me. Wish he were here[emoji22]


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Wow!

Well, of course, I'm full of ideas!

I hope you can get more perches for him... if that single dowel is the only one, his feet really need variety. I really recommend getting those nail-trimming perches... they can eliminate nail-trimming, which was always so stressful for me and the Rb. It took a few years, but I eventually established a pattern/rotation that keeps him trimmed. I haven't had to do his nails in 20-plus years. I keep a dowel as the main "highway" down the middle of the cage, but the special cement/trimmer/textured perches are all over.
A few brands... but there are many: Polly's Sand Walk... Pumice Perch... Trimmer Perch...
Be sure to introduce them gradually: they're abrasive to their tender feet at first. I LOVE them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are smooth on top and abrasive underneath. Very easy to install/clean, oo.
Sweet Feet and Beaks Pedicure Perch xsmall for parrots, Feather Fantasy
May take a while to get the right combinations/locations, but was worth it for me and the Rb

And more cool new toys... the Rb loves small foot toys... mysafebirdstore.com has great variety and values.

He does look lonely.

I think his life is about to get much richer with you!

I'll advise and support you in any way I can... just ask... PM me anytime!!!!!

P.S.
What more have we learned, if anything, so far, about his habits, in and out of the cage?

Just heard from my daughter that they are still planning on bringing Starbuck to me! Hopefully within the next few weeks. I was so worried they would decide not to bother— whew! I have a recommendation for an avian vet and a loving home. All I need is the bird!!


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Great news! I hope Starbuck makes his way to you very soon!


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Jazzcloud said:

Hi! I'm very excited to have found this forum. I am adopting a Patagonian Conure next week. He belonged to my former mother-in-law who passed away. No one else seemed able to take him in, so here I am, adopting my first bird! I'm an animal lover, currently mom to three cats. I have never cared for a bird before and have read some books trying to quickly get up to speed. But it's intimidating, especially since I've never seen him, or his cage, or know his diet or what he likes or doesn't lijeetike or anything! All I know is his name is Starbuck, he's 40 and needs a home. I'm sure he'll be very stressed after losing his person and then moving to a strange home. I think he is elderly for his species Andreas want to give him a good home. Any advice would be very welcome and appreciated!

Sorry that was so long, but I'm really nervous about doing the right thing. A little about me. I'm a (semi) retired musician, have one adult daughter, two grandchildren, 3 grand-cats, 3 grand-hermit crabs, 2 grand-fish and a 96-year-old mother (who lives with me.) My daughter, who convinced me to adopt Starbucks, lives very close and will help out.

Thanks for being patient and reading all of this. I'm grateful for any help!

Click to expand...

Google "Care of Conures" as well as "Care of Patagonian Conure". Also, Google foods toxic to birds. Read the list and follow it. No avocados, no cabbage, no chocolate, etc. Do not use any non-stick pans other than ceramic and do not use an air fryer, or your bird will be dead in the morning. We don't smell the toxic off-gassing but birds sure do. Conures are shoulder birds. They more time they can spend on your shoulder, the happier they will be. Some talk, some do not. You do not have to teach them like you do larger birds. If your talks, it will pick up full sentences and talk like a human, on its own. They love apples (organic is best) (no seeds), seedless grapes, blueberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, papaya, broccoli, cauliflower - they need fresh fruit & veggies daily, a variety but they don't need it all at once. Whatever I eat - I give mine. Alternate quality seed with pellets and not the colored junk pellets that are dyed. I also give mine Nutriberries and millet sprays on occasion. Go to a bird show in your area. That's where I buy my birds' food and some of their toys too. Cheap seed such as what Walmart sells is mostly millet, which is very fatty and sunflower seeds with the shell is messier than a higher quality seed. Give the bird a week or so to settle in before you try to take it out. Enjoy your bird. Conures are sweet. They poop about every 15 minutes. Take it off your shoulder and put it on a perch and tell it to do its business. It will. Then you can put it back on your shoulder and keep yourself poop-free. It would be best to use a bird bib or a hand towel around your neck just in case and, never yell at the bird or hurt it. It will do its best to be good but they are little birds and you can't expect perfection.

Looks like Starbucks could use new everything, if he'll accept! A new, bigger cage, new perches, new toys, new substrate, possibly even a new diet! It'll be a lot, but if you can get him in to that avian vet for blood work and such, that'll also greatly help to see if he needs any medical attention or specialized diet or meds!

Still waiting with fingers crossed for Starbucks to arrive. There’s a lot of stress in the family following my former mother-in-law’s passing. I know Starbuck would be among her top priorities, but I’m kind of a outside the loop. Question, is ceramic cookware toxic to birds like other non-stick coatings? Since I’ve got some unexpected time to get ready for his arrival, I want to continue to educate myself!


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Jazzcloud said:

Still waiting with fingers crossed for Starbucks to arrive. There’s a lot of stress in the family following my former mother-in-law’s passing. I know Starbuck would be among her top priorities, but I’m kind of a outside the loop. Question, is ceramic cookware toxic to birds like other non-stick coatings? Since I’ve got some unexpected time to get ready for his arrival, I want to continue to educate myself!


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Click to expand...

That may depend on the brand... whatever cookware you have must be PTFE-FREE! A lot of brands will say PFOA-Free or something else-free, but if it doesn't specifically state PTFE-Free, then you should question it.