First Time Parrot Owner

[kalinka]

Hello Everyone
I bought my first parrot today (green cheek conure). My family used to have parakeets and I spent some time around them. I dont know much about birds, but I am trying to read a lot and hope that this forum will give some advice and help. I usually have a lot of questions, so hopefully you will not be annoyed by me

I brought mi bird Margo home about 2 hours ago, its very quite and sits on the bottom of the cage and not really moving... Is it just stress?

Please, dear owners, tell me more about this parrot breed. I read many articles, but still want to hear some info from real people.

Thank you very much for your attention___)))

 

[mysteryfoxes]

Welcome! And congratulations!

I'm very happy that you're researching to give the best life for your new baby.

It sounds like it's just the shock of being in a new environment. Your best bet is to give it some space to adjust for a little while.

Where did you get Margo? Also, what are you feeding him/her?

Again, welcome and this forum is a well of knowledge on anything parrot.

 

[kalinka]

Welcome! And congratulations!

I'm very happy that you're researching to give the best life for your new baby.

It sounds like it's just the shock of being in a new environment. Your best bet is to give it some space to adjust for a little while.

Where did you get Margo? Also, what are you feeding him/her?

Again, welcome and this forum is a well of knowledge on anything parrot.

I got her from a petstore, because I did not find any breeders in my area and I did not want to ship. But it came with a passport and all the vet documents. I got her FortiDiet, not sure if its good. What do you think?

 

[mysteryfoxes]

Well, you'll hear many say Petstore birds are awful, but that was never the case when I worked at PetSmart. I'm sure you've got an awesome little pal.

As for FortiDiet, I can't say that I'm in love with it. It's a seed based mix, which isn't a complete diet for Margo. I would recommend purchasing maybe a ZuPreem pellet blend (which contains many nutrients) because you can find them at most big box pet stores. Even better would be something along the lines of Harrisons.

Make sure to suppliment Margo's diet with some fresh fruits and veggies (he/she may not take to them right away -or the pellet food- but keep trying!) It's very important to have a good diet for your bird!

If you can, definitely run to the book store (or a pet store or Amazon.com) and purchase a few books on parrot keeping (I found [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Parrotkeeping-Comprehensive-Things-Keeping/dp/0793806666"]this book[/ame] and [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Parrots-For-Dummies-Nikki-Moustaki/dp/0764583530/ref=pd_sim_b_5"]this book[/ame] VERY insightful).

 

[mysteryfoxes]

Also, to add to that. Seed isn't bad for birds, just use it in addition to pellets and fruit, maybe in a small cup as a snack!

 

[kalinka]

Well, you'll hear many say Petstore birds are awful, but that was never the case when I worked at PetSmart. I'm sure you've got an awesome little pal.

As for FortiDiet, I can't say that I'm in love with it. It's a seed based mix, which isn't a complete diet for Margo. I would recommend purchasing maybe a ZuPreem pellet blend (which contains many nutrients) because you can find them at most big box pet stores. Even better would be something along the lines of Harrisons.

Make sure to suppliment Margo's diet with some fresh fruits and veggies (he/she may not take to them right away -or the pellet food- but keep trying!) It's very important to have a good diet for your bird!




If you can, definitely run to the book store (or a pet store or Amazon.com) and purchase a few books on parrot keeping (I found this book and this book VERY insightful).

Thank you very much for your advice! I always try to feed the best for all my animals ( I also have dogs). I know that the diet is very important.

What fruits would be the best for her?

 

[mysteryfoxes]

Taken from this conure website:

Fruits!

• apples (typically red)
• apricots
• banana
• berries (all types): blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries
• cherries
• citrus (only a few times a week, due to acidity)
• figs (fresh)
• grapes
• kiwi
• mango
• melons (all types)
• nectarines
• papaya
• peaches
• pears
• pineapple
• plums
• pomegranate
• watermelon (as a treat, as it has very little nutritional value)

Veggies!

• asparagus
• beets
• broccoli
• brussels sprouts
• cabbage
• carrots
• cauliflower
• celery (only very small pieces of the stem - the long, stringy pieces may otherwise get lodged in the crop and cause your bird to choke)
• corn (raw; on the cob is fun for some birds)
• jalapeno peppers
• kale
• peas
• peppers (red, green & yellow)
• potato (cooked)
• romaine lettuce
• spinach
• sprouts (bean & seed)
• squash
• string beans
• sweet potato (cooked)
• zucchini

 

[wenz2712]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new addition

 

[Turquoise]

Welcome to the forum. Can you tell us about how old your conure is? Staying on the bottom of the cage when it has higher limbs to climb to is generally not a normal behavior. It could still be afraid to move higher, but usually parrots want to be in the highest spot they can get to for safety, especially when they are not sure of their new surroundings.

I would suggest a vet check up as soon as possible to make sure your new darling is healthy. If it is showing to be in a great amount of stress, covering a corner of the cage might make it feel more secure. My Green Cheek loves to sleep in her little cozy hut & will hang out in it during the day also. They seem to need a special place to feel secure to sleep.

Good luck with your new dear one and let us know how it is doing. Give it time to adjust and if it is just stress, it should start coming around in a few days & show you just how funny & sweet a GGC can be.

 

[KevinT]

Although buying from a reputable breeder is ideal, I wouldn't be too worried about your bird's pet shop origin. Our first bird was from a pet store. Petrie was a newly weaned Grey Cheeked Parakeet, a little smaller than your conure.

He was a very healthy and happy bird, totally tame and affectionate (except with my son, for some reason) and a treasured part of our family.

Having said that, it might not be a bad idea to have a vet check to try to rule out illness.

Congratulations on your new bird!

Kevin