Newbie

[HisPrincess]

Hi! I'm new to this site. I purchased my baby, a pineapple green cheeked conure, from a breeder about a month ago. She is a little over 3 months old. The breeder did not believe in trimming wings, nor in covering cages. All of her birds were handfed, played with every day, and their diets were amazingly healthy! I spent a good 2 1/2 hours with the breeder, meeting a bunch of the babies. I chose the one who most often flew over to me on her own.

It took me a while to name her, but I eventually decided on Tink, because her personality is very much like that of Tinkerbell! Cute as a button, but determined, stubborn, and independent!!

I have some questions for all of you with more wisdom than I, if you don't mind.

1)Should I cover her at night? I've read that most people do; however, since her breeder didn't, I don't want to freak her out. Her cage is in our living room, and we are up quite late at night. She does seems to fall asleep on her own around 8:30pm or so, and she does have a snuggle hut that she loves.

2) She can sometimes be quite nippy, and today, she was the nippiest she's ever been with me. Usually, if she's nippy, it's because she's hungry or tired, but today she was neither. I don't know why she was being do cranky! Also, I've noticed that lately, although she wants me to get her out right when I get up (she's already been up for hours at this point), she still gets all "hungry-nippy" with me. It's like she won't eat until I get her out, but then she nips at me because she hasn't eaten! Lol.

3) toys - she doesn't seem to like ANY of the many toys I have bought her. The only thing she loves is her snuggle hut. I rarely see her play with any of her cage toys. And when I get her out, she wants nothing to do with her play gym or the toys attached to it, either. Ideas?

4) She loves baths!! I mean, she douses herself! She looks like a newborn chick when she's done. For now (summer), I don't worry so much, although I have seen her shaking a bit, as if cold. But I REALLY worry for winter! (If I don't let her take a bath first thing in the morning, she gets mad, squawks, and keeps trying to fly over to the sink.) I try to let her snuggle inside my clothes, but she doesn't want to, and when I try to gently wipe her off, she freaks. Any suggestions?

Finally, my youngest daughter (15), got a cockatiel (Maurice) shortly before I got my conure. (He stays in a cage in her room.) Any tips from any tiel owners would be great, too!

Thanks everyone

P.S. I DO have her wings trimmed, for her own safety. People are always coming and going in our house, and I don't want her flying out a door!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

Many congrats on Tink, and also congrats to your daughter and her cockatiel.

Since I personally don't have the pleasure being owned by a conure, I'll answer the questions I can

Yes, I would cover her at night if she's in the living room. All my fids get covered for that very same reason. Ripley, my GW, freaked out the first few nights that I threw a blanket over his cage, but within less than a week he was completely fine with it.

Baths are GREAT! Even in the winter, especially if the house is dry from the heater. As long as she is in no draft, she should be just fine. Many birds shake afterwards. Mine even shake in the summer after a bath.

As for the toys, perhaps try showing her what they are for. Have you tried little foot toys? Maybe she prefers something she can hold onto and explore.