Black on conure's feathers?

[Malaika]

I've heard of bronzing and stress bars, but I have no idea what this is. I just got my 3 1/2 month GCC six days ago, and I can't remember if it had these feathers before we bought it.

My conure only has it on a couple feathers as seen on the pictures I attached. Some things if needed:

• I've been trying to make sure it has at least 10 hours of sleep in quiet and dark place.
• Its feathers are clipped.
• Mostly on a seed diet, with vegetables and fruits thrown in.
• I take it out for at least four hours a day, if not more.

I'd like to know what this is, and what I can do to help it.

Also, on the topic of its diet, can someone give me advice on what to include in its diet and how much of each? I've seen little articles telling what to give, but I don't know in what proportion. Anything at all will be appreciated, thanks!

 

[LordTriggs]

those look to me like stress bars. Very common for when they move and also common for babies. Just let them relax.

How about we decide whether they're a he or a she instead of it? Seems a bit more friendly doesn't it? You can always get a dna test done when taken for a check-up and get a confirmation then.

As for food they should eat fruits, veggies, pellets and a little seed. No avocado, chocolate, apple seeds, they're toxic and will kill your bird. There are other foods so you need to research which you should have done before getting a bird. I suggest reading every single pinned post until you can recite them from memory. As for portions, I found a couple bits of fruit in the morning was good, leave for an hour or until they've eaten it, whichever comes first, then put some pellets in a bowl. You'd rather have too much and throw some away, you'll figure out how much they get through a day. Then in the evening some veggies for an hour. Then a little bit of seed as an evening snack. Try varying the veg and fruit to keep them excited and not get bored of their food.

As for time out of the cage right now is kind of a key moment. You need to work at their pace instead of a set time scale. You need to observe to see if they're scared about coming out. If they want to come out that's fine, as long as can be given really but if they want to go back to the cage that's their decision. The cage is their safe space so should never be the site of anything scary or confrontational. That's their own little room in your house and it does need to be respected.

How old are they? I don't think a clip should be done before 6 months unless they're in danger of hurting themselves. Just remember even with a clip you need to observe keeping windows and doors shut, they can still fly if they get outside and they won't know how to fly so will get lost and almost certainly die.

Just take some time, educate yourself as much as you can and you should have a fun life with them

 

[Malaika]

those look to me like stress bars. Very common for when they move and also common for babies. Just let them relax.

How about we decide whether they're a he or a she instead of it? Seems a bit more friendly doesn't it? You can always get a dna test done when taken for a check-up and get a confirmation then.

As for food they should eat fruits, veggies, pellets and a little seed. No avocado, chocolate, apple seeds, they're toxic and will kill your bird. There are other foods so you need to research which you should have done before getting a bird. I suggest reading every single pinned post until you can recite them from memory. As for portions, I found a couple bits of fruit in the morning was good, leave for an hour or until they've eaten it, whichever comes first, then put some pellets in a bowl. You'd rather have too much and throw some away, you'll figure out how much they get through a day. Then in the evening some veggies for an hour. Then a little bit of seed as an evening snack. Try varying the veg and fruit to keep them excited and not get bored of their food.

As for time out of the cage right now is kind of a key moment. You need to work at their pace instead of a set time scale. You need to observe to see if they're scared about coming out. If they want to come out that's fine, as long as can be given really but if they want to go back to the cage that's their decision. The cage is their safe space so should never be the site of anything scary or confrontational. That's their own little room in your house and it does need to be respected.

How old are they? I don't think a clip should be done before 6 months unless they're in danger of hurting themselves. Just remember even with a clip you need to observe keeping windows and doors shut, they can still fly if they get outside and they won't know how to fly so will get lost and almost certainly die.

Just take some time, educate yourself as much as you can and you should have a fun life with them

So, proper diet and letting them get used to their new home should help with the stress bars? (We've planning on getting a DNA test, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I am quite tired of not knowing its sex yet, but for now I've been assuming that it's a boy.)

I don't really set a time, so to say, for his outside cage time. I just keep him with me when I'm doing something where he can stay on my shoulder, or whenever I can just spend time with them. I've found out that he would much rather be out at all times, and comes out of the cage and onto me once its door is opened. Is there anything I should change about this?

We bought him with his wings already clipped (three and a half months old, which I stated up there), so there wasn't anything we could do about that. I'll keep that in mind though.

Thanks for the info on the diet! I'll definitely be looking more into this, just wanted to get some personal opinions from someone who knows the situation.

 

[clark_conure]

So, proper diet and letting them get used to their new home should help with the stress bars? (We've planning on getting a DNA test, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I am quite tired of not knowing its sex yet, but for now I've been assuming that it's a boy.)

I don't really set a time, so to say, for his outside cage time. I just keep him with me when I'm doing something where he can stay on my shoulder, or whenever I can just spend time with them. I've found out that he would much rather be out at all times, and comes out of the cage and onto me once its door is opened. Is there anything I should change about this?

We bought him with his wings already clipped (three and a half months old, which I stated up there), so there wasn't anything we could do about that. I'll keep that in mind though.

Thanks for the info on the diet! I'll definitely be looking more into this, just wanted to get some personal opinions from someone who knows the situation.

Basically everything LordTriggs said. And yes pellets are much better than seeds. But seeds are fine as treats, but them in the 10-15 percent category.

And no to the part in blue. That's fine, perfect. I don't think there can be to much time out unless it affects their sleep cycle.

I have no feelings on the wings clipped part. I prefer a tuned clip, where the bird can get about a foot up, but then slow gentle glide down. Some people like their birds to fly, some clip to short which can lead to a bird having a hard splat.

 

[LordTriggs]

oh yes definitely, never enough time outside the cage, but if they were being nervous about coming out I wouldn't force it. Possibly mixed up my words originally

sounds like you've got some fun times ahead