Workout for conures?

[quackerz]

Hello,

I've had my new buddy for 1 month now. It was hand raised by the breeder and pretty social. We got along quite fast. He had his wings clipped when I took it home and he's currently on zupreem pellets.

I play with it about ~1h per day and longer on weekends. Mostly we do step up, head scritches, training with treats. I'm worried that it's not working out enough and may develop cardiovascular disease in the long run.

So I wonder if there are any interactive aerobic exercises or tricks for conures to stay fit? I also don't plan to clip its wings again after they grow back, but for the time being I could use some advice.

 

[chocobyted]

I think the best exercise is flying for any bird. Though with flying they might get less tame - depending on whether you spoil them with treats or your own food.
I have 2 cockatiels, both I tamed (one from a pet shop in Canada, the second one from a breeder in California), both were very tame and no bites.

I had to leave the one in Canada with my parents (they love him). In very short time they spoiled him into a non-tame bird that bites them. They still love him, but he is more of a wild bird flying around at home, doing whatever he wants and never wants to get into the cage. The one in California never even learnt how to bite and doesn't even try. She is fully flighted and comes to my hand when I call out. Doesn't escape when she needs to get into the cage or gets in on her own.

So let his wings grow and he will get free exercise on his own. Don't spoil him with nuts and all he can get from your plate - I have one special plate for my California cockatiel, she doesn't eat from anything else unless I put something in it when she is outside.

 

[Luciana]

So let his wings grow and he will get free exercise on his own. Don't spoil him with nuts and all he can get from your plate - I have one special plate for my California cockatiel, she doesn't eat from anything else unless I put something in it when she is outside.

wait, this is huge! You trained your featherball to only eat in a specific plate?! Tell me how you did it, PLEASE. My 5 month-old crimson-bellied not only eats off my plate, he will also nip me if I pushed him aside, a little, just a little, just so I can reach my own food. The struggle is real.

How did you train him for that? It would be very useful and even healthier for him if I could put more conure-appropriate food in a side dish, then we'd both eat together, bonding in the meantime, minus the part of a parrot's butt on my strogonoff.