Conure Advice!!!

[hosscwazy13]

Long-story-short, I had a rescue cockatiel who passed at a ripe old age about 6 years ago. It's been heavy on my heart for a while to have a another feathered companion ♡ I've been looking into conures in particular and I know all the care and commitment that goes into keeping these specific birds.
There is a gal who lives not to far from me who has an assumed male conure (not DNA tested) that she's looking to rehome due to her allergies. The bird is est. 3-4 years old, and the gal got the bird (when he was 1) from a woman who had too many animals. That's all I know on the backround. In the ad she posted she's asking $500 for bird, cage and the food & treats. Or bird & food for $350. The cage itself $150, it's one of those corner cages that have a play area on top (online these cages run about $250) And I know conures from breeders can range from $200-$600 or so.

This is how she describes the bird:

Once settled in and gets comfortable she loves to give kisses and dance and be out of the cage.
But if someone new acts scared she will feed off that and be a butthead to them at first.
I was very firm with her when I rescued her and she’s fine with me now.
Did have a check up when I rescued her.
2.5 years ago. Was 1 yr old at the time.
I don’t clip wings I like for them to free fly.
When I clip her nails I usually wrap her in a blanket and clip them.
She’s not loud often. And with the blanket over the cage she’s rarely makes a noise. She will mock laugh at people when she hears people laughing.
I don’t think she has any bad vices.
Mainly it will be just getting use to you and then she’s fine
She steps up for me and goes to my shoulder no problem

Please let me know what your guy's thoughts are and if this is a good deal $-wise!

 

[brolie]

that's a decent deal. i went through almost the exact same thing before i got my jenday -- i had a cockatiel who died at 19ish (never knew her real age but we had her for 16 years) ... then i finally realized i needed a bird. got my jenday conure and eventually ended up with 7 birds within a year O_O my conure took a little time to work with but it was sooooo worth it. she's my baby. i'd say go for it, especially if that's an affordable range for you. i got mine + cage, food, toys, books, etc for $250 but that was totally luck

 

[EllenD]

First of all, what species of Conure is this? If you said so already then I missed it and I apologize..

I would hesitate on this bird, and here's exactly why:

-It's already had at least 2 owners, possibly more
-You don't know anything about where the bird originally came from as a baby, whether it was hand-raised/hand-fed as a baby or was a parent-raised bird, which makes a HUE DIFFERENCE
-There is likely a reason that this bird at 3-4 years old has already bounced from home to home to home, and it's most likely because the bird was NOT hand-raised/hand-tame, and as such probably is a biter, doesn't step-up, and will not be a loving, sweet, cuddly bird at all, made worse by all the different homes and owners
-If you're willing to put tons of work in every single day for at least an hour or more a day, possibly for months to years to hand-tame the bird, then it's possible, but if not then you will not likely be able to interact much with the bird

Most of all, think about what you could get for $500...again I don't know the species of Conure this is, but what you need to keep in mind is that you can buy a hand-raised/hand-tamed, sweet, loving, friendly, cuddly little BABY Green Cheek, Sun, Jenday, Nanday, etc. Conure that has just weaned and is ready to go to it's forever home for between $200-$400, and you can buy any number of appropriate, large Conure cages on Amazon, eBay, or better yet on Craigslist extremely cheaply.

***You are paying this person for the cage, food, toys, etc., you are paying them for the "stuff", not for the bird. And I am only telling you this, not because I don't want that poor bird to find a forever home, but because I fear that you'll have the bird for a while, and especially if you have young kids in your home, you're going to realize very quickly that the bird is not friendly, and depending on how unfriendly it is you're going to rehome the bird too...it's unfortunately and endless cycle that is created by people who get themselves into something that isn't what they wanted by buying a baby bird that is not hand-raised, they don't put the time into taming them because it's extremely hard, frustrating work, and the poor bird in the meantime LOSES IT'S TRUST OF PEOPLE MORE AND MORE WITH EACH NEW HOME AND OWNER...

So if you are looking to get a loving, sweet, friendly bird to add to your home and to make a part of your family with young kids, and you're willing to spend that amount of money to do it, then please, look at getting a young, baby conure that has been hand-raised/hand-tamed, who has just weaned and is ready to go to it's FIRST HOME AND FAMILY, AND HOPEFULLY IT'S FOREVER FAMILY...

 

[hosscwazy13]

Thank you for your thoughts! That's really good information. I also had some of those concerns.

Another thing, I just went to a Petco and they have a young male black-capped conure who has been at the store, unfortunately, for about a year. He's about 1 & 1/2 to 2 years old. He wasnt as popular in color as his sun conure peers :/ The employee at the store said he is a bit skittish and obviously hasn't had much one on one time with a single individual because, of course he's in a pet store and there's going to be all sorts of people and kids tapping on the glass which doesn't help. I more interested in this bird because 1. I DON'T have kids 2. I live in a quiet home with 2 elderly dogs & 1 tortoise 3. I DO have the time to work with the bird and develop a relationship 4. The bird has no prior homes and Petco will supply vet records (whereas the bird this random woman is giving away hasn't been to a vet in 2 years) I also have the perfect place in my sunroom for a bird, with many windows to observe the outside world

I'm also hesitant about buying from a breeder because some people have told me yes and no to that option. I don't know of any LEGIT, licensed breeders in Minnesota who aren't just "money hungry", and also I wouldn't want to traumatize a young bird, putting it in a box to travel out of state.

So I'm trying to weigh the pros of cons of my options.

 

[Jen5200]

I would love to weigh in and say that I have 3 conures and a cockatiel. They have all had more than two homes prior to coming to me. Mine are all friendly and cuddly, and I only had to work with one of them to curb biting. Mine were 5, 6, 6, and 2 when I got them. And while I have no idea whether or not they were parent raised, hand raised, etc - they are all very friendly and snuggly. Just to give you an alternate perspective on “previously owned birds”. The number of homes doesn’t necessarily determine their ability to bond with people or the amount of work it will take to have a friendly bird.

 

[DoubleTake]

I would think hand raised and parent raised would play a bigger factor when a bird is still a baby. At 3 years old, the bird is already matured and has his/her personality. So if you meet the bird and it is friendly the whole parent raised or hand raised is mute at this point imo.

 

[Flboy]

Both babies sound wonderful! Here is a totally different take on hand vs parent raised birds:
( http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/75081-introducing-birds-each-other.html#post726706 )

I've actually never had much of a hard time introducing birds to eachother, and I seem to notice that most bird owners here in Sweden have a much easier time of introducing birds than most bird owners in the US and the UK for example - I suspect that this is due to the fact that it's as of now illegal in Sweden to fully hand-raise baby birds unless they're abandoned by the parents, so, instead of taking a baby from their parents and hand feeding it and thus cutting of the bird's natural development and hindering it from learning how to be a bird - you have to let the bird parents raise their babies and then when they're ready you can start interacting with them as you would any bird - but while they're still staying with their parents and keeps learning how to interact with both people AND birds.
That and the fact that you are also required to keep at least two birds of any social species together (even bird-aggressive birds have to be able to see, hear and communicate with other birds of the same species or genus while not being able to get to them and hurt them) I think gives a pretty good foundation when it comes to birds getting along with other birds - and I think that's super great.
It's a pretty new law here though so not everyone actually does this yet, but a lot of people do and it works wonderfully!

For the older rehomed tyke, sounds more like a frustrated keeper, than a problem child! If the owner cares about the little guy, I would expect her to easily cut the rehoming fee by half or more!

 

[GaleriaGila]

GREAT advice and follow-up questions above.

Good for you, for reaching out.

I'm glad you're here!

 

[Terry57]

I would love to weigh in and say that I have 3 conures and a cockatiel. They have all had more than two homes prior to coming to me. Mine are all friendly and cuddly, and I only had to work with one of them to curb biting. Mine were 5, 6, 6, and 2 when I got them. And while I have no idea whether or not they were parent raised, hand raised, etc - they are all very friendly and snuggly. Just to give you an alternate perspective on “previously owned birds”. The number of homes doesn’t necessarily determine their ability to bond with people or the amount of work it will take to have a friendly bird.

I agree completely. Almost all my birds had previous homes, some of them many previous homes, and while some may have taken a bit more work, we have also had handfed babies that needed extra work as well. I prefer the older birds since their personalities are pretty much formed, and they have gone through puberty.

 

[EllenD]

Something I forgot to say that I should have, and I apologize for that, is that there is no harm in going and meeting the bird that the woman is advertising for sale...my post is more of a knock on the fact that this woman is simply trying to recoop the money she's spent on "stuff" rather than worrying about the bird, as her price is ridiculous. I just wanted you to know your options and the facts about the deal she is offering, which is not a deal at all...

There is nothing wrong at all with "rehomed" birds, that's not what I meant to say, though it came off that way in my writing. However, I guess my point was that you have to be very careful when buying a bird with 4 homes prior, especially if the person is asking a stupid amount of money for it...

As far as the young black-capped conure at Petco, it's sad that it's been there for so long, and I believe what they eventually do is put the bird on sale, keep lowering the price to a point, and then they move the bird to another Petco store and advertise it at the highest price again, like they are starting over and it's a new baby again. So if you really like this bird (and I suggest if you already haven't, you ask to get the bird out and see how he responds to you, will he step-up, etc.), then I wouldn't hesitate on this one, as the poor thing is just going to bounce around from Petco to Petco forever...

 

[YUMgrinder]

I'd say meet the bird and see the living conditions, state of cleanliness of the cage, how they interact, how he interacts with you, and you will get a better understanding of the bird and the situation.

What is the vet asking pricewise for the black capped? Black capped conures are beautiful, full of speckles on their neck, and a red patch on both wings (front of wing), and I happen to have one. I haven't ever seen another for sale here in wyoming, never in the store. I would be on top of that one, especially having the vet records and stuff. Are you sure it is not a standard green cheek? Sometimes they look similar.

as far as cages, they go for so cheap on craigslist and there is always an abundance of them making the price drop. Food and such, eh I don't like the idea of using used food. It could be expired, maybe it has been sitting open, you never know. I'd prefer new food and treats.

Do you have pics of either bird?

 

[EllenD]

I'd say meet the bird and see the living conditions, state of cleanliness of the cage, how they interact, how he interacts with you, and you will get a better understanding of the bird and the situation.

What is the vet asking pricewise for the black capped? Black capped conures are beautiful, full of speckles on their neck, and a red patch on both wings (front of wing), and I happen to have one. I haven't ever seen another for sale here in wyoming, never in the store. I would be on top of that one, especially having the vet records and stuff. Are you sure it is not a standard green cheek? Sometimes they look similar.

as far as cages, they go for so cheap on craigslist and there is always an abundance of them making the price drop. Food and such, eh I don't like the idea of using used food. It could be expired, maybe it has been sitting open, you never know. I'd prefer new food and treats.

Do you have pics of either bird?

The Petco near me, in State College, PA, always has a good variety of Green Cheeks, and has surprisingly had several Black Capped Conures as well, all "hand-raised". They always have a Yellow-Sided, a Pineapple, a Cinnamon mix of some sort, and then of course the Normals, along with the Black Cappeds, and yes, they are definitely Black Capped Conures. It's funny because the descriptions simply say "Hand-Raised Green Cheek Conure" or "Hand-Raised Black Capped Conure", but do not give the color mutations at all, and they are all the same price regardless. Last year they actually had the most gorgeous little baby Green Cheek that was a Cinnamon-Turquoise, and it cost the same as the Normal Green Cheeks did.

I know the Animal Manager at my local Petco, and I once asked her how they get hand-raised birds (they also get hand-raised Sun Conures, Jenday Conures, Nanday Conures, and beautiful Pearl Cockatiels), and she told me there are two main breeders they order from in the North East that hand-raise their birds...They are definitely hand-raised babies, as I've interacted with many of them before, and even though this little Black Capped Conure has been there for a long time and hasn't had a lot of human interaction, he'll be just fine after settling in to his new home and getting some one-on-one time with his new person...

 

[hosscwazy13]

Thank you for your input EllenD! I do have a feeling pulling me towards this poor little guy at Petco. He needs a quiet home where he can decompress from petstore life! I'd rather not give business to chains like Petco, but I also don't want this little bird to be cycled through different stores forever with his "price" always changing :/

There's one more thing I'm wondering about too, I will be leaving for Alaska in about 5 weeks time, and my mother (who is also a big animal lover) would be looking after the bird for me the week I'm gone. If I got the bird within the next few days, I'll have 5 weeks to be present and see how the bird does. My mother is concerned about having to entertain/train/work with the bird while I'm gone, but I see it as the bird having extra time to settle in and get acquainted with his new surroundings BEFORE I try to teach him anything. I'd rather him know that he's safe before I try to give him any stimulation, given the fact that he's probably been overstimulated most of his life in Petco!


I've worked with horses for about 15 years, and I know how fragile their minds can be if they're not in the right place to start learning and taking in new information! So I'm kinda transfering my thought/training process from working with horses and how they would feel in this situation, to a little bird who needs some time to just BE the black-capped conure he is & figure out who he is. Knowing he's been in a petstore for so long, he definitely needs it!

Note: Another positive is that I do live with mom right now, so the bird would NOT have to be moved again before my trip. Our home has a lovely sunroom with 5 windows that overlook our backyard pond! Not to mention there's lots of critters to observe and we have a great view of sunsets in the West. Sounds like heaven compared to Petco!

Thoughts?

 

[YUMgrinder]

our petco rarely gets birds. The manager says they come unannounced, and there is no choice in what they get. They get a lot of GCC, pineapple and cinnimin and regular mutations and they are the same price too. I've only seen two nandays, one of which I now have. I have only seen 2 cockatiels, one of which I also have. They get sunnys every once in a while but it's rare it seems. They always sit too, I guess this part of the world they don't sell well. I have always gotten mine for like half off since I wait till the price is reduced.

Maybe you should wait till you have a few months to let a bird settle in, it might be confusing if it has to be babysat for 5 weeks in just 5 weeks time.

 

[MonicaMc]

I've had 4 conures... none of them came from a breeder or a store. All were second hand-plus birds. Two were "older", one that came to me with health issues and later passed away. The other is still going strong. The other two were both probably younger (one for sure), and both have also passed on... one possibly due to a genetic defect in the family (she lived longer than her relatives but still died at a young age ), and the other - I don't know if from neglect or possibly genetics as well.

Sometimes you never know... As far as the green cheek goes.... some things that scream out to me...


Once settled in and gets comfortable she loves to give kisses and dance and be out of the cage.
But if someone new acts scared she will feed off that and be a butthead to them at first.
I was very firm with her when I rescued her and she’s fine with me now.

I don't think I like how this person handles their bird. To me, it sounds like the bird was forced to comply and doesn't know positive reinforcement training

Did have a check up when I rescued her.
2.5 years ago. Was 1 yr old at the time.
I don’t clip wings I like for them to free fly.
When I clip her nails I usually wrap her in a blanket and clip them.

No major concerns here... but

She’s not loud often. And with the blanket over the cage she’s rarely makes a noise.

How often is this blanket required to keep her quiet?!?!?!

She will mock laugh at people when she hears people laughing.
I don’t think she has any bad vices.
Mainly it will be just getting use to you and then she’s fine
She steps up for me and goes to my shoulder no problem

After everything has been said, I can't agree with this at all...



The black cap at Petco you should be able to buy at a discount since he/she has been there for so long. If the store wont give you a discount, you can always contact Petco directly and ask them about it, too. Or, at least, try to contact the district manager for that area.



If you have the type of training with horses that I think you probably do, then either bird could be a great choice, but I wouldn't pay $500 for either bird, personally...