Eva's Appt.

[angiemw]

Well, we took Eva to get a complete exam. She's in great health. Just waiting on some test results to come back. Going to make sure Eva is an Eva and not an Evan. LOL

Also, we did NOT get her wings clipped. The vet suggested we not clip them also. He explained in great details on how harmful it is for the bird mentally and other factors. So she has all of her beautiful feathers.

Now if I'm proceeding with her training as the suggest site from here has said. We are on the chop stick right now. She's pretty much got the touching it down. Also, she just loves her safflower seeds. LOL

We have her on a pellet diet that the vet introduced me to. (Hurt my back so I'm on rest right now and can't go get the container to tell you what it is). She only get's seeds as a treat as suggested by the vet. She loves her vegetable salads. Broccoli seems to be her favorite so far. Along with apple slices. I also have to watch her when she's out of her cage. She goes right for the dog food bowl. She loves pedigree dog food. LOL

So there's Eva's update. I'm so happy on how great she's doing.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

Have fun with your little flying baby. Batten down the hatches, fill all the cracks, tie everything down and train, train, and train. Your in for a wild ride! I hope you're feeling better soon and good luck with Eva.

 

[angiemw]

Thank you Molly. I did the stupidest thing and was riding on the bike trail, I tried to swat a bee away and lost control and ended up down the hill in the river. LOL Was my own fault. I'm sure in a few day's I'll be good as new.

As far as Eva, she's really starting to trust me more. She makes sure I'm up by 6:30 every morning and sits by her door waiting for that bowl of veggies. Then we do the touching game. I let her touch me with her beak then she gets a treat. If she lets me touch her head she gets a better treat. I'm at the point now she comes to the door just to get petted. And I can't forget that treat. She makes sure I don't. LOL It's really nice to see how far she's come in just a few short weeks. She was so scared at first, she ran to the opposite side of the cage when a person was just walking by. Now she comes to you and sings for you.

She's also not very good on her feet. She trips a lot. She jumps from perch to perch or from perch to bottom of the cage. If you watch her she struggles at times to get her footing and ends up on her side. Really crazy. The vet seems to think it's because she's so young and hasn't gained that muscle strength just yet. She goes back to him in 6 months unless we need to take her before that. He's keeping a good eye on her beak. After she got the jingle bell stuck on it, there seems to be a little crack in her beak. He said it will eventually grow out but he still want's to watch it and make sure it don't get bigger. I have to give her seeds out of the shell and softer veggies. I can't put a cuddle bone in her cage for her. In the 6 months he will file down her beak and check the crack again. So upsetting that happened. I still feel it could have been prevented. If I had known that a jingle bell could get stuck I'd have never put it in her cage.

 

[AFP520]

Not sure if you've read the around the forum, but make sure you understand the risks of not clipping her wings. After reading about broken necks and birds flying away forever, I will continue to clip mine. Mentally my conure seems just fine.

 

[angiemw]

I have read tons of sites that say it's good, and tons of sites that say clipping is bad.
The vet showed me where the breeder had clipped her wings but it wasn't done to where she couldn't fly. I can't get her out of her cage to be afraid of her flying right now. She refuses to come out. A friend of mine just brought me 4 conure training books. They are, "Taming and Training Conures" by Risa Teitler Professional Trainer, "The Conure" by Julie Rach, "Conures" A complete pet owner's manual Barrons 2 of those in paper back. Barrons is the publisher I'm assuming. I just got those today so hopefully those are going to help me train her.

I still am unsure about clipping her. I thought I knew, but I don't want her getting away. I don't want my baby hurt. UGH! Here I go again. LOL

 

[AFP520]

I've also read that once the bird can fly, it no longer needs you to get around. That will affect bonding and again, safety. I know some people think it's inhumane, but remember as a pet owner, you are responsible for the safety of your pet. Some places there are just too many hazards and if clipping the wings means more safety, I am all for it.

 

[angiemw]

I guess it's like letting my dogs out in the yard without a leash! That will never happen! Like I said, the breeder clipped the wings but not enough to where she's not able to fly. After I get home from work, I'm going to clip them a little more. Just to make sure she can't fly. She is too young to think that she can go where she wants. I don't want her getting somewhere I can't get her out of.