Shopping before I get my Green Cheek

A few questions I'd like a little help on before I hit PetCo in the am. All I have left to buy is food, bowls & of course the bird! lol so here goes

1. I'm planning on this stainless steal cup but which size? Medium or large?
PETCO Stainless Steel Coop Cup with Clamp at PETCO

2. Water BOWL or BOTTLE?
If bottle any recommendations? How do I teach him/her to use it??

3. About the food...
ZuPreem AvianMaintenance Natural Bird Diet for Cockatiels at PETCO
Says its good for small conures & the breeder's weaning my baby off on Zupreem. Would this be ok? If not any recommendations? (Zupreem brand only, I wanna start him/her off on something familiar & then gradually change the diet if needed from there.)

Question 4. Is PetCo even open on Labor Day??????????????? LOL!

Thanks in advance guys, I hope everyone & their fids are doing good! C:

-Mel

1. I got 3 of the small when I got Maxx my YSGCC. I used one for pellets, one for treats (birdie bread, fruits, veggies, etc..), and the other for his water bowl. Since he loved to take a bath in his water bowl the small was a bit too small. I then got the medium for his water bowl. It is up to you but those sizes work fine.

2. I use a Water bowl.

3. Maxx was on a seed diet and I quickly switched him to Roudybush Pellets in the Crumble size. Mixed them in 50/50, and increased the pellets until they were all pellets. He gets seed in his birdie bread only.

4. Not sure, but I am guessing yes they are open.

Yes PetCo is open on labor day. I worked there going through college lol!

If you want to get the bird to get used to the water bottle, I'll tell you what I did with mine.
I hung the water bottle over the water dish and let them explore. Curiosity gets them to check it out (OOOOH look, it's shiny!!!!)
When they finally start drinking from it, and you've seen them do it, remove the water bowl.
All my boys use bottles and it's so much cleaner than the puddles of water that get splashed all over, and the "soup" that they make in the bowl.
Make sure you check the bottle tip for pieces of food that get shoved up there. They can stop it up and water won't come out.

Whoo-Hoo! a new baby! Sooo if I had my choice on feeder bowl size (mine came with the cage) I would say go with med not large. Only because it seems like if I want to put fruit or seeds in the bowl just a small amount barley covers the bottom. Rio can still reach but a smaller bowl would be easier for her.
As far as a waterer goes, my lil turd has a bowl, I have thought about getting a bottle, because she loves to put bits of food in hers and also bathe in it, but that is also the reason why I havent got a bottle yet. yes its a pain to change a couple times a day but she just loves to take splashy baths in it and I would feel bad if I took that from her! LOL
If I worked and couldnt be home to change her water a couple times a day I would probably have a bottle for her so that way she could have fresh drinking water during the day.
Good luck! and be sure to post pictures of your new baby as soon as you can!!

Yes, new baby!!
I finally have enough to go buy em now, all I have to do is give the breeder a call & purchase a money order & sent it on out!! I'm so excitedd

& thanks for everyone's input. Unfortunately tho, Riio they only had large bowls & small bowls no mediums there :X so I just took a large, I does look quite big now that it's in the cage tho /: but I guess we'll live, if not I'll replace with a smaller one later on.

& I got this water fountain or whatever they call it I figured it's in between a bowl & a bottle lol
PETCO Fountain Feeders at PETCO

I hope it lasts long enough since it's plastic & all.

Tuqoisemel - I bought 2 of the water fountains and am taking the bloody things back as when I half-filled one of them, turned it upside down ready to hang, the water went everywhere - didnt realise so little water could go so far. Also, the clip doesnt fit bewtween the bar spacing either, so no way to securely hang it in cage.

Yea as soon as I bought it I was like... whhhhyy did I do that? lol it felt a little flimsy, like the bottom part was too easy to come off. I can see how you'd have that problem.
I had to bend the bars a little to fit the thing in between them and shove it thru. I have yet to try & put water in it but maybe I should to try it out & maybe I can return it before my bird gets here.

I like all your choices!!
Id suggest a water BOTTLE. They stay cleaner.
To show him how to use it just push the ball with your finger and make sure he sees. He'll probably figure it out from there

About pellets, I don't know if anyone read the article in BirdTalk Magazine about pellets sizes? They found out that most parrots prefers the oversize pellets which increases their foraging time. It proves true for all my parrots.

I breed GCC and offer the Zupreem Cockatiel size mixed with M/L size when they are just weaned. Around 8 months old I give them the M/L size. They love to hold them with their foot and dunk them in their water bowl.

No I did not know that. But my baby is about four months now, when he's a little older I'll go for the larger sizes. Thanks. C:

My guys like the Zupreem Fruitblend in the medium size with the cockatiel on the bag. I tried the next size up and they almost refused to touch it. They ate it but not with the same enthusiasm as the smaller size. They hold the little pieces in their feet the way they would larger pieces. I don't know what the difference is in their minds but they like the smaller blend better.

I do a mix of both sizes from when they are young so they are familiar with both. Then they can pick and choose. Usually mine always chose the bigger pellets. When they are used to only one size, it can take a long time for them to even try a different sized pellet .............and if the store runs out of one size, you can get the other

I tried mixing the smaller size today with some big pieces. We'll see what happens. Kayak seemed to be picking the bigger pieces out and throwing them on the bottom of her cage. Carlisle has been playing with his toys since I changed his food. I'm sure he'll eat the bigger pieces. He's easy going with food (especially if it's something he's not allowed to have lol) as long as it's not fruits and veggies.