Timing for a new pet

[Boki]

I am wondering if anyone can help me with a decision that I have been pondering. I plan to get either a cockatiel or a conure. Chances are that it will be a conure as not many breeders seem to raise cockatiels near me. I know that I will wait until late November at the earliest before getting a new housemate. I am taking a 2 week trip in late November and that seems too soon to leave a brand new bird.

The question that I am pondering is that I already know that I will be taking an extended trip for the whole month of June in 2019. I don't know if that will be a problem for a new pet. Is 5 months enough time for me and the new pet to get to know and trust each other? Or should I wait until after June 2019 and get a new bird?

Are hand fed birds any quicker to adapting?

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welllllllllllllll... unless you have a thoroughly reliable bird-sitter/house-sitter lined up, I'd wait!


Since you seem to be pretty new to birds, may I offer some general info that you might find helpful, whenever you get your bird?

Hand-fed birds are probably/usually more readily adjusted, but... if parrots teach us anything, it's that they're all one-of-a-kind personalities.

Here are those basics I promised.

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Here's some reading on bonding for you.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html


Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns. I don't know where you are, but here are some links. I only have USA info...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.

What's the diet? That's critical for health. Too many are kept on seeds or other poor-nutrition things. They need veggies, legumes, grains... pellets are a good staple. Here's what I use.
Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

Since you're new parront, I'll just drop a note about avoiding teflon pans, which are lethal to birds if even slightly overheated.


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I'm glad you're here. Lots to learn and share and enjoy! Good for you, for reaching out and researching.

 

[Boki]

Thank you for the reply. I am fairly new to birds but I have had 2 adopted Amazons for about 6 months. These adopted Amazons are kept in an outdoor aviary because I live in the tropics. I have the diets down and yes I am using Harrisons but they clearly like the veggies and fruits more.

The plan for the new bird is for it to be more of a house bird. Therefore something smaller and a little quieter so thinking cockatiel or conure. My Amazons sure can be vocal at times but that is their charm when they are in a good mood. I live in a great neighborhood where we all care for each others pets and the Amazons are easily fed.

But your suggestion that I wait is related to time needed for bonding?

 

[lplummer52]

Cockatiel if you want quieter. Young cockatiels are fairly easy to tame, whether they're hand fed or not, in which case I'd wait. You have a Pearl Cockatiel already, right? Make sure a second one is the same sex. You don't want babies. Most Conures are pretty noisy, although my Sun (which is supposed to be one of the loudest) only sounds off for a specific reason...usually if she sees something disturbing outdoors, if she's on the porch and wants to come inside, or if she sees us outside and wants to come inside. In other words, we couldn't live in an apartment, but her calls don't bother me. But like GaleriaGila said, all birds are different. Hand fed tend to be more clingy, slow to play with toys and not as independent. Birdie was hand fed and has to be near us all day, every day. She plays with her toys if we're nearby, but generally WE are her toys.

 

[LeslieA]

Unlike lplummer, my Sunday is a screamer! She screams if I leave, if I return, if she hears a noise, if she is fighting, if she found food, if an intruder is in the yard, if an intruder isn't in the yard... GCCs are much quieter. A female Pineapple GCC hardly makes a sound.

Conures live twice or more as long as cockatiels. My PGCC lived until she was 19yo; Galeria has a Patagonian that's over 30yo. You must consider that!

What does your probable housemate say? So much depends on that. Both cockatiels and conure like attention with conures preferring free time/open cage if anyone is home. They're more trainable though.

Each species has its pros and cons. Since changes seem to be happening fast for you, please wait for things to settle down a bit. It will be in both your, your new housemate's and all the birds' best interests!

 

[Boki]

Thank all of you for very useful information that I had not read anywhere else, especially the point that the conures typically prefer open cage if anyone is home. That is something I have to ponder. I also realize that each bird can be different.

 

[noodles123]

Welcome. Birds inside are WAY harder than people think....I wouldn't get one unless I was certain I would be home A LOT and that I had the patience and tools to clean up after them. You WILL have to know how to handle biting and screaming (hint: punishment and/or running over when they yell will only make it worse). Also, Birds of any sort dislike being caged when near their flock/in general!




If keeping indoors, plan on in-home sitter for travel, plus eliminate all sources of teflon/pfoa/ptfe (many hidden in things that heat, such as curling irons, blow-driers, mic microwave meals etc).


No cleaning products...bleach, windex, lysol, air fresheners...anything in a bottle at the store (unless certified avian safe) is out.


Eliminate ALL scented products, candles (scented or non), bbq grilling nearby, smoking, perfume, hairspray, scented oils, glad plug-ins etc etc...


Plan on a wake-up and bedtime routine and research "night frights"


Get a certified avian vet ahead of time.

 

[Terry57]

Is the trip in June a one off thing or are you planning on travelling a lot? If you will be away often, it may be better to hold off.

Conures live twice or more as long as cockatiels. My PGCC lived until she was 19yo; Galeria has a Patagonian that's over 30yo. You must consider that!

Not necessarily...I have a couple of older Cockatiels, one is 19 and the other is 29.

 

[Boki]

Thank you for your concern and to answer some of your questions. I am home a lot working one a 2nd career as a writer. This June thing is sort of a one time thing and I really don't see me traveling that much although it is possible I could take a 10 day trip either in the spring or the fall.

I never heard of a problem with microwave meals and I will research that. I do believe that most of the problems with teflon and etc are related to poor or no air circulation in the house. I have fresh air flowing through my house 24/7/365. I will still avoid the teflon and etc to err on caution but I am pretty confident that the fresh air will be good for the bird.

 

[noodles123]

Boki- it takes VERY little Teflon (Also known as PFOA, PTFE, PFCs (plural chemical class) )to kill a bird. There are numerous cases (documented) in which people lost their entire flocks due to teflon being heated up on a totally separate floor..and it has killed birds when hidden in non-kitchen items (such as the heat resistant coating in heat lamps and the coating on space-heater coils. You should not use ANY Teflon in the same house with a bird, EVER. Seriously..the damage can be very fast acting and it is irreversible. You can easily buy products without it if you do a little research and get stainless steel cookware at thrift stores.


Popcorn bags (Teflon) : http://www.ohiocitizen.org/campaigns/dupont_c8/c8_grocery.pdf (aka fluorotelomers)--these are used in other microwave meals as well.
More documentation of Teflon-related bird deaths: https://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/bird-death-diaries#.W749gPZRfIU
Wild birds killed OUTDOORS due to nearby Teflon manufacturing: https://www.ewg.org/research/bird-death-diaries/wild-bird-deaths#.W74-DPZRfIU


It is NOT just Teflon that you need to worry about, but also off-gassing plastics in general

(especially in the oven/microwave etc)--DO NOT MICROWAVE PLASTICS ETC...it is just too hard to know whether there are fumes (undetectable to humans and deadly to birds): One instance relates to a Jenny-O type turkey in the bag (cooked as directed and not burned)-while the company denied PFOA/PTFE usage within their product, they indicated that it contained Nylon fibers, which obviously could also produce toxins when heated. On Amazon, customer reviews indicated that after using similar products that the air within their homes had a fumey/plastic smell.
"
Birds have lungs but they also have air sacs, seven to nine depending on the species. The air sacs reach into the bones, and they have no diaphragm. Due to their lung physiology birds cannot tolerate fumes from candles, plug in fresheners, perfume, Teflon, off the shelf cleaning products, etc. Any type of chemical, odorless or not, becomes life threatening when used in their living area.We require an Orientation Class for all potential adopters or foster homes and stress to them the hazards of these products. To send the message home even more we reference the “canary in the coal mines” and that if the fumes will kill a bird then how harmful is it when exposing themselves and their family to these same airborne toxins."

 

[Sunnyclover]

Wait until after the trip and Conures may or may not be quiet. My GCC is quiet but my sun and nanday are LOUD. I know some people with loud GCC so it really depends. Never get a conure and expect it to be quiet.