Hello from the new Girl

[TiaBug1120]

Just wanted to post a quick introduction....

I have recently (as in last night) adopted a 8 year old female sun conure Lucy Goosey. Sadly her owner's husband basically said it was the bird or him becuase of her noise. This was great news for me!! I found the flyer posted and was able to bring home this beautiful girl.

She is a little cautious of me but I am trying to give her a chance to warm up.

I am a 25 year old full time college student and mother of 4. I can't wait to hear/read from some experienced parrot owners.

 

[antoinette]

and congrat's with you new fid
Many members with Sun Conure's will be thrilled with the new addition to the forum.
Have you ever been a guardian before? What is the little ladies name?
Glad you giving the bird a chance to settle down, and to get used to all the changes.
Browse around, much will interest you
Have fun and enjoy your stay on the forum

 

[TiaBug1120]

Her name is Lucy Goosey and she is 8 years old

I have never owned a larger bird before but I have had many parakeets throughout my lifetime.

I just want her to be comfortable so i am trying to just let her settle in and do her thing.

The only thing that is kind of yucky is that her previous owners were smokers and having her in our living room, you can smell the smoke really strongly. Yuck! Little by little hopefully she will air out and in the mean time I am going to have to get some kind of cleaner for her cage to get the grime off.

 

[antoinette]

I love her name Lucy Goosey, cute
Glad you giving her time to settle in and get used to all the changes.

Did the previous guardian's mention how they used to bath her?
Right now you don't want to scare her off.
Did she get sprayed, dip into a bowl, the kitchen sink, perhaps even showering.
Please do not use any cleaner detergent when cleaning the cage. Hot water alone should do the trick.
Below is a very informative link, pertaining to the cleaning of cages, diseases etc

Cleaning Your Bird's Cage: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Bird Cage Maintenance

I have attached a link below, from A to Z about the handling, feeding, diets, daily care etc for Conure's

Sun Conures - Sun Conures as Pets - Sun Conure Species Profile

Please post some pic's we love sharing
Any further questions, just ask, many members will happily assist

 

[TiaBug1120]

Thank you so much!
They used to bring her in the shower but I dont think she is ready to do that with me. Last night when I brought her home she hopped right onto my hand when I said "step up" but today she is being more aggressive. She doesn't want to be held. Although she briefly hopped over to my shoulder. I think its just a matter of her getting used to me. She seems a little protective over her play scape, like she doesn't want me touching her bells. I am hoping she will warm up soon. Because of all this I dont want to bring her into the shower yet. I was thinking I might place a bowl of warm water out for her and see how that goes.

 

[antoinette]

Thank you so much!
They used to bring her in the shower but I dont think she is ready to do that with me. Last night when I brought her home she hopped right onto my hand when I said "step up" but today she is being more aggressive. She doesn't want to be held. Although she briefly hopped over to my shoulder. I think its just a matter of her getting used to me. She seems a little protective over her play scape, like she doesn't want me touching her bells. I am hoping she will warm up soon. Because of all this I dont want to bring her into the shower yet. I was thinking I might place a bowl of warm water out for her and see how that goes.

Yipe I agree, try the bowl, for the mean time. If you placing it in her cage, play with the water, using your fingers. Let her see that you are having fun.

Below is what I often mention to new members

Top on your list, a visit to an avian vet is a must. Let Lucy Goosey be checked over, peace of mind for a healthy bird.
Lucy Goosey, must have time to settle down and adjust. Just imagine how many new things the bird has encountered, during the 24 hours. So many new faces and voices, it must be so scary.
To gain your trust could take days, weeks, no one can answer that
Each and every bird is so different. She obviously feels a comfort zone in her cage.
Sit near the cage, talking and singing to the Lucy Goosey. Let her become familiar with your voice. Leaving the cage door open, offer her treats through the bars at first. When she willingly accepts them, try placing a treat near the open door. Eventually she will starts taking the treats from the door, make no attempt to touch her. When she does come out, she will probably climb around on the cage. Let her explore in her own time. To get her back in, place a treat inside the cage, making sure it's visible.

Hope this info helps a bit.
Remember time and patience is the best medicine.

 

[DustyDusky]

Welcome to the Forum!

Ohhh geez smokers >.< i feel the pain. Both of my parents smoke and i cringe every time i leave for school and leave Dusty behind. I end up coughing up a lung for at least a week following not being home... i can only imaging how my Dusty feels about it.

We love to see pictures here, so once she warms up to you and you can get a picture of her, please show us pictures

 

[HRH Di]

Good advice already give....so, I'll just say Welcome!

 

[TiaBug1120]

I snapped a few pictures while she was playing!

I bought her a new toy today....I'm working on slowly replacing the old smokey ones but I want to so it slowly so she's not upset by it.

 

[lisamarie973]

Aww, she's a beauty! congrats on your new baby, before too long she'll be the sweet little cuddle bug you've always wanted!

WELCOME AND HAVE A GREAT TIME, LOTS OF VERY KIND AND KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE HERE THAT WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HELP YOU AND GIVE GREAT ADVICE. SO ENJOY!! GLAD TO HAVE YOU ABOARD.

 

[TiaBug1120]

I hope so because as of right now I don't think cuddle bug is the right description, more like vicious snapping turtle lol (she clamped onto my finger this morning ). I do feel her pain though. She's must be totally overwhelmed. I hope that in time she will learn to love again....

 

[Von1983]

lol I remember Cal's attitude towards my fingers when they were innocently trying to do something helpful like put some food into her cage....

All I can tell you is that this stage is very short lived because sunnies are so amazingly nosy and loving that they accept change of situation very quickly. I was like you when I got her. I'd read everything I could get my hands on, but my sheer panic that I was doing something wrong for her to be "attacking" me was overwhelming.

It was only when I took a step back and realised I had to listen to what she was telling me that we could progress in our relationship.

Instead of putting my fingers within reach, I tucked them all in so she could only explore a fist or knuckles - no spare flesh to grab. Pretty soon she was ignoring me in there. I carried on with the constant stream of babbling talk and one night about 2 and a half weeks after her arrival, something amazing happened.

Cal was on top of her cage and I was taking advantage by cleaning up inside her cage and sorting out a few things. All of a sudden, she let out a "coo" sound and clambered quickly to the entrance of her cage where my hand was. Not wanting to spook her, I decided to not ball up my hand and resigned myself to getting the plasters out lol. All of a sudden, she sat right next to my hand and placed one foot on it. Then, ever so gently, she explored my hand and fingers with her beak and tounge making little purry noises. I stood there and genuinely (I can probably find the "day after" thread I made on here) had tears streaming down my cheeks. She looked at me so sweetly and toddled into her cage for her supper.

The next night she literally lunged at me from the top of her cage. I got a bit of a fright but remained stationary. She groomed my entire fringe for me. When she'd finished, she clambered down the side of her cage until we were touching and groomed the ends of my long hair. Yet MORE tears. After that, it seemed like she was my velcro bird overnight and she has never looked back. I've never had a proper bite from her since that first couple of weeks.

I was so very proud of her because she was a bird born in an aviary, she'd had no human contact aside from the vet check as a baby and to be put into the carry cage for us to take her home. In under a month she was my snugglebug.

I swear, when that moment happens....it is SO rewarding, I can't describe. You have a lifetime ahead for the snuggles, get to know your bird as she is now because soon, it'll be a distant memory.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to LISTEN to her.

Many well done's on adopting her and getting her out of a smoky atmosphere....I suspect that sadly, her little body is having to cope with changes due to this. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that she could even be suffering from nicotine withdrawel!

You're doing great, oodles of patience, love, understanding and being laid back will ensure she senses just what a good person you are.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[TiaBug1120]

Awww that story is so heart warming. Thank you so much for sharing that with me!

 

[Von1983]

I just wouldn't want you to think you were doing wrong when all of us bird brains get in a flutter initially lol

 

[TiaBug1120]

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 I found my love potion lol peanuts!!! She took them from my hand and now she seems much more at ease! I am so happy

 

[Cowtown]

I snapped a few pictures while she was playing!

I bought her a new toy today....I'm working on slowly replacing the old smokey ones but I want to so it slowly so she's not upset by it.

She is cute... Like Ant said it will take some time for her to get adjusted.

You could take her old toys and soak them in the bathtub ins Hot water and bleach.. but put them outside for a few days to completely dry.. or you can use hot water and vinegar also.

I use a small pressure spray bottle on Abby... I bought it in the sports section.
That will help get the smoke smell out..

Like Ant said do not use any chemicals on her cage. You could get some GSE Grapefruit seed extract from the health store.

 

[TiaBug1120]

I found a recipe for homemade cage cleaner, basically hot water, baking soda and fresh lemon juice. It can't be kept because of the juice but I am going to try it. The problem i am facing is that she is a little timid about coming out of her cage so a I am just giving her time.

 

[Von1983]

ahhhh I'm sorry to break this to you

Please do not feed your birdy peanuts. As they are taken straight from the ground, they have a natural fungus that can make your bird sick. Not to mention the pesticide issues.

It's very sad as I'm sure they would all love them, but worth the risk.....?

Cal has many different nuts. Brazil, cashew, pecan, macademia, walnut....try those with your girl - there will be a winner!

 

[TiaBug1120]

I got them from a pet store....Petsmart....supposedly bird safe???

All Living Things Whole in Shell Peanut Treats - Bird - PetSmart

 

[Von1983]

A lot of food is deemed "bird safe" but it is not. Much like the dried fruit. If it is dried rather than dehydrated it contains sulpher dioxide.

I know there are some methods such as boiling to supposedly get rid of the fungus but I fail to see how it works without creating more bacteria. It more than likely says "not fit for human consumption" on the side....? This is why. If it's not fit for me, I don't deem it fit for Cal.

I think if you ask nearly anyone else on the forum they will tell you they think similarly to me on the subject - better safe than sorry.

Here is a fuller description....

Feeding your parrot shelled peanuts is one of the most common nutritional miss-habits in bird care. A lot of popular diets contain peanuts among their ingredients, but they fail to specify that these should be raw, stripped peanuts of good quality. The reason why shelled peanuts are so dangerous is that they can easily produce Aspergillus Fungus, a disease that will cause serious problems to your parrot's respiratory system. In addition, shelled peanuts can be toxic, as they produce aflatoxin, a powerful carcinogen (a substance that can produce cancer in animals).

There is a lot of conflict with this issue, some people disagree and feed them anyway, I just won't take any chances with my girly personally!

In saying that, I won't feed the wild birds peanuts either....*blushes*