Hello everyone! I wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions. As my title states, I hope to be a future sun conure owner in the coming months. I am wanting to do as much research as I can, and would love any advice you may offer. I have been lurking on these forums for the past few days, absorbing as much as I can from previous post.
A little back story:
My family has always been big on pets and animals. I grew up with snakes, birds, cats, dogs, lizards, and turtles. I have always been around some type of animal or pet, except for my time in the Army. After turning 18, I joined the U.S. Army and served for 6 years and 6 months. I was medically discharged for sleep and anxiety related issues, and still have trouble with it today. I have been out for just over a year, and it has been a hard adjustment. I am still unemployed, as it is very hard to find a job that understands my situation. Sometimes I go days with out wanting to talk to anyone. Other times, I go several days with no sleep. The most I have gone is five days with out any sleep!
My therapist has really encouraged me to get a companion pet. I haven't had a pet since I have been out of the Army. I recently purchased two parakeets from the worst place, PetSmart. I knew that it was not smart to buy them from there, but I just couldn't help myself. They looked so scared in the glass cage, and I knew I could provide a better environment then what they had. I have worked very hard over the last few weeks calming them down.
When I first brought Indigo and Chompy home, it was a nightmare! Indigo escaped from the box and was flying around my room. I had forgotten most of what I learned as a child when it comes to handling a bird. I quickly turned off the fan, and stuck my hand between the blades. I was surprised at how stupid I was to leave the fan on when there was a chance for them to fly out! Indigo and I were so lucky to not have any injuries happen.
I later talked with some family members and did a bit of research myself. I had clipped wings as a child, and knew what to do. I just wanted to refresh myself. I clipped both of their wings and am proud to say I did a great job. They have since calmed down and are much safer. I keep the cage open during the day and have plenty of toys inside and outside. They both love to climb around the cage and even hop on my bed for a break!
They have even started to trust me enough to eat from my hand. This was a big moment for me, because just the sight of a hand scares them. The pet store used a fishing net to get them out of the cage. I know that they were not handled very well at the store, and I don't even know who the breeder was. I can only say that I plan on giving them a wonderful life, and will try to avoid those stress inducing things.
My plans for a sun conure:
What I am really wanting is a sun conure. I have loved suns every since I was a child. I have been working with a local, home based breeder for a while now and plan on checking out the babies soon. I feel that I am ready for the challenge of owning a conure, but would love any advice that you may offer. I will continue to read over these forums as time goes on.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
A little back story:
My family has always been big on pets and animals. I grew up with snakes, birds, cats, dogs, lizards, and turtles. I have always been around some type of animal or pet, except for my time in the Army. After turning 18, I joined the U.S. Army and served for 6 years and 6 months. I was medically discharged for sleep and anxiety related issues, and still have trouble with it today. I have been out for just over a year, and it has been a hard adjustment. I am still unemployed, as it is very hard to find a job that understands my situation. Sometimes I go days with out wanting to talk to anyone. Other times, I go several days with no sleep. The most I have gone is five days with out any sleep!
My therapist has really encouraged me to get a companion pet. I haven't had a pet since I have been out of the Army. I recently purchased two parakeets from the worst place, PetSmart. I knew that it was not smart to buy them from there, but I just couldn't help myself. They looked so scared in the glass cage, and I knew I could provide a better environment then what they had. I have worked very hard over the last few weeks calming them down.
When I first brought Indigo and Chompy home, it was a nightmare! Indigo escaped from the box and was flying around my room. I had forgotten most of what I learned as a child when it comes to handling a bird. I quickly turned off the fan, and stuck my hand between the blades. I was surprised at how stupid I was to leave the fan on when there was a chance for them to fly out! Indigo and I were so lucky to not have any injuries happen.
I later talked with some family members and did a bit of research myself. I had clipped wings as a child, and knew what to do. I just wanted to refresh myself. I clipped both of their wings and am proud to say I did a great job. They have since calmed down and are much safer. I keep the cage open during the day and have plenty of toys inside and outside. They both love to climb around the cage and even hop on my bed for a break!
They have even started to trust me enough to eat from my hand. This was a big moment for me, because just the sight of a hand scares them. The pet store used a fishing net to get them out of the cage. I know that they were not handled very well at the store, and I don't even know who the breeder was. I can only say that I plan on giving them a wonderful life, and will try to avoid those stress inducing things.
My plans for a sun conure:
What I am really wanting is a sun conure. I have loved suns every since I was a child. I have been working with a local, home based breeder for a while now and plan on checking out the babies soon. I feel that I am ready for the challenge of owning a conure, but would love any advice that you may offer. I will continue to read over these forums as time goes on.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
both of mine don't really scream which I don't know if that's just luck or how I've trained them. And I got my first one when he was 7 and I got Akiro when he was 2 months. One thing though he loves to chew which is normal through conures, he normally goes through a toy every one to two days. Which is normal for a sun conure.
