Potential New Conure Owner

[guesswhokatysue]

My boyfriend and I are thinking about getting a Conure! I have ALWAYS wanted one, but my parents didn't want that big of a bird and cage in our house. Anyways, I have had budgies before, so I have some LIMITED bird experience, plus I worked at a pet shop and we had an amazing green cheek there during my time there. I fell in love with that little guy, and I think that's why I want a Conure now, to be honest.

I digress, neither one of us has any experience with these birds, and we want to know what to expect..personality wise, do they talk (don't want to be caught off guard), do they usually like people, etc.

I also have a list of acceptable foods to feed a budgie and was wondering if Conures can eat the same. (I am not referring to seeds, but fruits and veggies). I can provide my list, but in general it is green leafy veggies, peas, corn, fruits (any melon), berries, peaches, plums...thanks in advance

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Also, how much attention should they get a day? (By this I mean out of cage direct contact with human attention, any bird we get would get PLENTY of talking to and singing too and just goofing with attention in the cage).

 

[Mudkips]

I would say about 3-4 hours of human attention daily is the minimum.
Where you involved in the training of the conure at the petshop? Was the little guy out and about or in a cage the whole time?

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Where you involved in the training of the conure at the petshop? Was the little guy out and about or in a cage the whole time?

When I was at the pet shop the conure (like the African Grey before him) was a VERY popular bird among the employees. He would be in a cage when we were doing things that really meant we couldn't play, but usually if we were allowed to have him out while we rearranged toys he could sit on the cart or our shoulders,we would let him. Our customers loved to see the bird out and we loved to have him out. And when he had to be in a cage it was a HUGE cage that was all his, so he could fly and/or have a panoramic view of the store. His treatment was SO much better than the poor sad conure I saw last night in a pet store! He was in a cage way too small and probably got no fun time with people. I was so sad for him.

However, my involvement with that conure was almost four years ago, and I left the store not too long after they got him (I had plenty of time with the African Grey). I just don't remember much about what we fed him and the recommended toys and/or other little safety things. We didn't have to "train" our conure at the store per say, because he was tame and so young. They may have tried to get more involved when I left, I'm really not sure.

I have cats and a dog. I was planning to train the cats with a spray bottle (and constant supervision). My dog would probably not bother the bird, but that doesn't mean he gets a free pass either, he would never ever be around the bird while no one is looking. Would it be too stressful if I kept the bird in the bedroom while we sleep and/or are at work? Then moved the bird into the part of the house where all the "action" is during the times we are home. If that's too much stress, there is a room I can dedicate solely to the bird, but I wanted to see if there was a way to make sure that it could see us more and be more apart of the family.

 

[wenz2712]

Welcome to the forum

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Thanks It's a helpful forum!!

 

[beck]

I have cats and a dog. I was planning to train the cats with a spray bottle (and constant supervision). My dog would probably not bother the bird, but that doesn't mean he gets a free pass either, he would never ever be around the bird while no one is looking. Would it be too stressful if I kept the bird in the bedroom while we sleep and/or are at work? Then moved the bird into the part of the house where all the "action" is during the times we are home. If that's too much stress, there is a room I can dedicate solely to the bird, but I wanted to see if there was a way to make sure that it could see us more and be more apart of the family.

Be very careful with the cats- even a scratch can be deadly. I don't have cats, but I do have a French Bulldog and a big Pit mix. They both learned they're not allowed to get too close to the bird cages. We put them in another room when the birds are out though... I don't trust them THAT much.

My Grey's cage is too big to move from room to room, but I have always done that with my Quaker. His cage gets rolled into the bedroom to sleep at night, into the living room for most of the day, into the office when my partner is writing and I'm at work, etc. It has never seemed to stress him out, but he is a very well adjusted little guy. If you get a baby bird, moving his cage throughout the day, changing his toys, etc. will help him learn that change is GOOD, and he will be less stressed throughout his life.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

I DEFINITELY plan to watch my cats like a hawk. One is so fat he lacks a lot of ambition but that doesn't mean that I would turn my back and basically hand him the little guy on a platter haha. Cats are sneaky, and mine are kind of outdoors cats (just because they SNEAK out!). I kind of want to do what you do, when I am in the office/spare bedroom doing homework and work I want to have the bird with me, when we sleep, I want to have the birds cage in the room, when we are watching T.V. I want the bird to either be out or at least have the cage with us. I just wanted to make sure it's not too stressful for the bird. W

What are signs of stress to watch out for?

What are good veggies to feed them?

 

[beck]

What are signs of stress to watch out for?

What are good veggies to feed them?

Here is a VERY good article about signs of stress in parrots.

Most fruits and veggies are good for them! The big no-no's are chocolate, avocados, caffeine, and the pits of fruits. I would also stay away from processed foods. My birds like kale, broccoli, carrots, corn, apples, peppers, zucchini, etc. Sometimes I also give them whole grain pasta, quinoa, or couscous.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Here's a dumb question then...I have a list (beginning) of foods that would have been safe to feed parakeets. Is it safe to say that the same things go for conures? Here's what I have:

​

Veggies served raw of course:
ü Lettuce
ü Dandelions (?)
ü Spinach
ü Kale
ü Chard
ü Zucchini
ü Corn
ü Cucumbers
ü Peas
ü Celery
ü Squash
ü Bell Peppers
ü Carrots (with tops)
ü Cauliflower
ü Broccoli
ü
Fruits:
ü Apple (seeds unsafe)
ü Bananas
ü Kiwi (seeds are safe)
ü Mangoes
ü All melons (seeds are ok)
[FONT=&quot]o [/FONT]Watermelon
[FONT=&quot]o [/FONT]Cantaloupe
[FONT=&quot]o [/FONT]Honey Dew
ü Berries
ü Peach (seeds unsafe)
ü Plums (seeds unsafe)
Unsafe Parakeet foods:
[FONT=&quot]X [/FONT]Onions
[FONT=&quot]X [/FONT]Garlic
[FONT=&quot]X [/FONT]Raw Potatoes
[FONT=&quot]X [/FONT]Citrus in excess

 

[beck]

Yep, that looks about right! And dandelion greens are fine, we got some in our CSA box a few weeks ago and the fids liked them.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Awesome! Thanks. I am sure there are plenty more food out there, but that was just the list I had compiled so far. Figured it would be bright to ask if the same foods applied to conures.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

OK, I found a 7 month old conure owned by someone an hour away..two things..he says they are feeding him "normal conure food"..I have no idea what that is! Second thing...would that length of ride be bad for the bird? Is there a way to make it more comfortable for the bird?

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Also, can you change their name or once they know their name that's the end of it?

 

[friedsoup]

Make sure you add citrus to your list for conures because it is wonderful for their feathers and mine loved to pick out each individual pulp and roll it around on his tounge then pop it with his beak and shake/shiver then do it again he would only eat about half of one slice but boy did he love them, and you get to eat the rest of the orange/tangerine.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Thanks! I will make sure to add citrus to that list. The girl at the pet shop today (she has an Amazon) told me that they really enjoy that! Is it ok if the seeds are in it? Does it need to be peeled or do they just rip into it?

Also, I think it is official, my boyfriend and I want to buy the Dusky Conure we met. We have been in the pet store two nights in a row, and tonight I got to hold him for a few short minutes! (the lady that first helped us was clearly not a bird lady and was sort of in a rush). He was friendly enough, at first when she reached in his cage he was unsure of her, but he didn't bit at her, and when he was out he let her give him a little head scratch. In a couple days we plan to go back and get him, hopefully he will still be there! We are both excited to bring him home and really get to play with him! My boyfriend has NEVER held a bird in his life, but watching me hold "Maverick" (which we will probably keep that name) and seeing how easily Maverick stepped up and was calm being on my finger helped ease some concerns about being bitten. He knows it can happen, but when you have never held a bird I suppose it can be intimidating!

SO, anyone out there own or have experience with the Dusky Conures? I have found two vets in my area that can treat exotic animals, so I plan to make an appointment a few weeks after bringing him home. (I want to give the little guy a chance to settle and trust us before we cart him off to a vet to get poked and prodded at). I read that they are "quieter" conures..especially in comparison to a s Sun Conure. His squawk didn't sound too bad, but I don't think he really got going either. We are just so excited, but in the couple days we have left to prepare for him we have a TON of questions!

 

[ConureCrazy]

Your list is fine! However iceberg lettuce and watery treats like watermelon should be fed in moderation since the water content can lead to liquid poo. Green cheeks are great birds! I've had cockatiels and budgies before, and my two GCC Bella and Zora just became a part of our family. They are well worth the investment. However prepare for them to be quite shy of your hands at first, they mau run away from moving fingers. I hope you do get one of these birds! Hope I was helpful!

 

[guesswhokatysue]

They are well worth the investment. However prepare for them to be quite shy of your hands at first, they mau run away from moving fingers. I hope you do get one of these birds! Hope I was helpful!

Thank you for your feedback! My boyfriend is getting more excited the more research he does. At first it was all about getting a bird that COULD talk...then he met Maverick..I made it CLEAR that these birds CAN talk but not necessarily and not super clear. However, they can learn cool little tricks and they love people, so that's a plus when it comes to birds. I think I have talked several people's ears off about these birds (two pet store employees, at different stores, and my new vet to be) and I feel pretty at ease with the decision of getting one. I feel like I have a good understanding of what is needed for these birds, and what to look out for...however I am sure that feeling will only last until I get him home, at which point I will probably be a little panicked.

Tonight is the big night we hope! When my boyfriend gets out of work we plan to go pick him up at the store (assuming that they still have him!). Before we make it official though we want to hold him again. He was fine for the 3 minutes I held him on my finger the other night. He was inquisitive about what was going on, and he let the other girl give him a good head scratch that he just seemed to love. I hope that his behavior stays pretty consistent with what I have seen so far. He was a little leery of her hand getting him out of the cage, but he didn't bite her, he sort of licked at her hand (the birds "bite" when they aren't being aggresive). I asked him to "step up" and at first he was like nope I like it right where I am, but I put my finger by his legs and said step up and praised him when he did (even though he wasn't my bird yet, I figured an early start at that game was a good thing). I asked him to do this once more with my other finger and the second time he seemed a lot more into it and stepped up like an old pro. I think he has some serious potential. When he was put back in his cage we stood outside it for a while just sort of looking at him,and he would perform a little for us. He would run up and down his toy latter (it ended in front of the plexiglass type stuff where we were standing) look at his through one eye, scuttle back down, turn around and repeat. It was so cute. Hopefully when we go tonight he is still there because if he is he wont be for long cause we are scooping him right up!

He is a Dusky-headed Conure, so he is a little bit more expensive than when the store has GCC in, but he seems SO worth it. From what I have read that species of conure is not as popular in the US but they make great pets.

Sorry for my rambling..can't tell I'm excited or anything can you? I will post a picture of him on here that I took the other night in the store so you can all meet my potential new baby! (BTW I say "he" but I have no idea what his sex is, and it will take a LONG time before I find out because DNA testing is NOT cheap ). Anyways, thanks for ALL of your feedback, it's been helpful in determining what we want to do!

 

[guesswhokatysue]

This is him in the Pet Store...I hope to get him outta there soon!

 

[AFP520]

DNA testing not cheap??? Ours was $20.00 to get done and took about 2 weeks. If you did not go to an exotic/all bird store, the lab they use probably charges more since it is not done in volume.