Newbie with so many questions!

[Peapod74]

Hello! I'm a new yellow-sided green cheek conure owner and although we did everything completely wrong to start (petco bird, small parakeet cage, not a lot of research, I'm super embarrassed), we are completely enamored with the little guy and I'm researching everything I can so we can do best by him (or her lol). I've been reading these forums for a couple of weeks but still have a few questions. *Sorry it's so long!

How risky is it having birds and children re: psittacosis? Is there a definitive test that can rule out even carriers or only if there's an active infection? Does having a cage in my bedroom increase my risk? Should I not do that?

Does anyones bird have two big cages? I would like to have one upstairs in my room and one downstairs in the family room so that he can be where we are the most amount of time even if he's not out, I thought he might feel better to see us and hear us and watch us. Or would he feel more insecure without just one main cage that would be his home? his biggest chunk of time out is in my room after the kids are in bed and I'm reading or watching tv.

What size is minimum and what size is suggested for one green cheek conure? I'm a stay at home mom and he'll be out three hours a day minimum, hopefully more as long as I'm sure he can be safe, we do have a cat that I'm trying to figure out how to juggle with the bird. Right now he has one cage, 24x20, up in my room where I can lock the cat out whenever we leave the house.

How often do birds need to be clipped? Please no debates, I have young children who sometimes leave doors open. Is it something that you just take them every six months to the vet? Or watch for a molt and then take them? How do you know when?

Bands: he has an open band and it's loose enough to go above his knee. It's even open a little. I'm sure he's not wild caught, I doubt petco would be selling 20 year old wild caught conures? I worry that it can catch on things, I really wish he had a closed one but he doesn't. If I have it removed my only worry is would I have any problem if we moved someday from Nevada to California? Anyone cross state lines with a bird and have problems at agriculture checkpoints?

How many of you have your birds sexed? It's killing me not knowing lol! In fact it's been weeks and he has no official name (although we're leaning towards mojo or perry) because I don't know if he should have a boy or girl name!

I will be taking him to a bird vet next week to be checked out and have a nail trim, any questions I should ask when I'm there?

Thank you for any advice! Thanks to these forums our little guy upgraded his cage from the teensy one he came home in and is weaning off kaytee seed mix and onto roudybush pellets. He is so much fun, a little clown, runs to his door and chirps to come out, we adore him.

 

[MaraWentz]

Cant answer all, but you can get him tested for the disease.
Parrots and kids seem to get along fine as long as the kid knows how to handle it and that no matter how freindly the parrot s that they can bite. The 2, 6, and7 year old girls i nanny handle Erin my macaw and she was pretty wild when I got her.
Some people have multiple cages, many have only one due to space and money. Having more than one cage can lessen the chances of cage aggression.
The size, i'm not sure of for the cage and since you are set on clipping the wings I wold just watch the length and check them monthly. All birds grow at different rates.
Keep the band on anyway unless yo want to get him microchiped where ont he information they can supply also his band information, but if you do remove it and microchip keep the band and papers, so you have your proof.
Many breeders and stores sex thier birds before selling. i think it is a $90 test. My birds were all sexed previously to sale. You can chose a gender nuetral name, but yo seem to be calling an he lately, so go with a boy if youre not going to sex it.
Ask about a healthy diet, healthy human foods to give as meals during the day, treats that conures generally love, sicknesses/illnesses that conures are prone to, and when you should be back again. Ask him how often you should groom, etc.

 

[AFP520]

I don't think it's a problem having 2 cages, but make sure the sleeping one is where there is the least amount of light and noise. Conures need lots of sleep (10-12 hours)

The rule for clipping as we were told, was when the flight feathers begin to cross eachother on their back. You can also gauge by how far the bird will start to fly around your place and how long they can stay in the air.

No idea about the bands. DNA sexing is cheap if you find the right place. amysaviary recommended Avian Services Center: DNA sexing and disease testing for all species of birds. (http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/19554-potential-new-conure-owner.html#post157836)

We got ours done for $20 by:
Zoogen, Inc
PO Box 1157
Davis, CA 95617
800-995-BIRD (2473)
Home Page

 

[friedsoup]

Lets see you can have the bird checked for the disease but it is mostly aquired form extended breathing of the dust from dried bird poop and dander so let your bird bathe once or twice a week, He's a GCC they love water i.e. the nickname water babies.
2 cages alot of people have more than one cage the daytime cage and the nite nite cage so don't feel overprotective it's a reasonable solution so your bird get his full 8 to 12 hours of sleep so he don't get grumpy.
Depending on the bird most need clipping once every 4 to 6 months sometimes longer depending on diet and season I check everytime I'm about to take him outside just to be safe sometimes a couple feathers will shoot in while your not paying attention .
Ok band removal should only be done by a vet (personally until breeders are required by law to keep records they are a useless ) you can have them micro-chipped it isn't to expensive and all the information you want to follow your bird can be kept thru the company which sell the chip, My Bogart got chipped and I kept close watch he never even paid attention to the injection site (hmm that reminds me I need to update his information)
Sexing your bird can be done with a drop of blood or a feather sent to dna sexing company the pet store I use charges 29$ because that is what the test cost he makes no money on the deal your vet might charge something and you can have it done while he does your birds blood test or toe nail clipping (even being very careful you can get a bloody toe that is why we keep (Blood Stop™) close when trimming nails or clipping wings.
Questions for the vet: 1 does he/she have a payment plan? 2.are they an avian vet ? if not do they know one they can recommend 3. can you be in the room while they check your bird? 4. How do they handle after hours emergency ? If anyone can add to the questions they will I hope I've answered your questions so you have both peace of mind and feel confident and calm about taking your bird for his first vet visit. PPS. be sure to place a paper plate under you bird the morning of the vet visit so you can get a poop sample to take along you can cut out the area and put it in a plastic bag.

 

[Kern2012]

First off congrads on your new member to your family! Im not a professional with birds cause Ive only had Cooper for 2 months but I have learned alot! We just took Coop to the vet Wednesday, mind you all vets are different our told us that snice her wings were already clipped she shouldnt need to get them done again for 6 months to a 1 yr. We had her nails done and all they did was use a drimol to grind the points off them. I was going to have my sexed but I can pretty much tell by her actions that she is a girl. So it is not important for me that I did a blood test on her. I didnt buy her for her sex I bought her for her personality Two cages is a good idea! As long as you dont have your cage in direct sunlight or near a draft it is A OK! Im not sure about that disease cause I have no children. My Coop is my baby! LOL! If you are going to only let your bird out for 3 hrs a day she/he needs a good size cage. I have a starter parrot cage which was 100.00 at petsmart. I dont cage my bird she goes where I go I open the doors so she can comes as she pleases! Each to his own I know. i took my band off. The vet said she didnt have to have it on but i kept it in case I needed it. So if you did move just keep the band if it falls off or you take it off and show them, same thing as being on her leg, as long as it matches your shot records they should have given you at Petco. But enjoy your new addition and this is a wonderful forum to get all the information you need or any questions you have... the persons on this forum are very helpful and it is advice from persons who have had birds all their life and have more then just one! Enjoy!

 

[SweetPeasFriend]

Yeah new birdie!

Even with clipped wings our little mitred conure was able to fly quite well. We also tried the clip one wing, but she figured that out too. We eventually stopped, but I understand your caution. It's not just doors, but windows, cats, etc.