What have I done?

Hello everyone my name is baron1282 and I did a big impulse Christmas Gift buy.

I bought a Pineapple Green Cheeks Conure for my wife. My only issue is that I don't have a cage and toys and anything else for it. Now let me explain.

I am building a fish tank and every time I went to Jacks to pick up something for my Saltwater tank my wife would go over and play with this little bird. Every time for the past two and half months. So with Christmas coming up and I know it's going to be a really rough time for her (Here father died last Christmas) I went ahead and bought the bird now (So I wouldn't risk that bird being sold before Christmas). She really like that bird, and it likes her being it bites everyone else, but her. I don't know if it remembers her or if it's just a weird little guy. It does not bite me, it nips a little at me but with my wife it does not bite or nip at all! Everyone else even the pet store staff gets bit.

So I bought the bird as so no one else will buy it, and the pet store is holding the bird for me for a few weeks so I can buy a cage and some toys. I am going to keep the bird at a friends house until Christmas time. I really want to play it up with my wife, and get her sad that the bird was sold and blah, blah. But what I don't want is for the guy to feel negligent at my friends house and it bounding to me as its favorite human (if it does) while it's at my friends house. I will be going almost every day to make sure the guy is taking care of and socialized until Christmas.

I am not really big on birds, but it's not about me. It's about my wife and I always take care of the animals I buy with the best possible care I can give. It does not matter if I am not a big bird person, the fact is I bought an animal that will now depend on me and my wife for it's care and I will give it the care and love it needs. I am sure the guy will grow on me, being that he is a very beautiful looking bird and he seems really friendly even though he bites a little.

My fear is keeping the bird at my friends house as he will be dependent on my friend for a week or so while I am on vacation during thanksgiving. Also my friend is doing be a big solid on this because I know birds can be annoying in the morning. I also know he won't be out of the cage unless I am there as he will feed and water it and make sure the cage is clean, I don't think he will be playing with it. It will basically be pet store level of care.

I know I should not buy an animal unless I am willing to care for it at the time I bought it! I am willing, but this bird is the one my wife attached too and I didn't want to risk not buying it now and the guy being sold before Christmas. If it was not this bird, I would not buy a bird at all.

So my question is, what can I do to keep my guy socialized in the month and half it will be at my friends house. I am going to be there every other day and play with the bird for a good hour or so. Making sure its cage is cleaned and it has good food.

What do I need to buy cage wise. I was thinking of this

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Products-Wrought-Hammertone-3151BLK/dp/B000FRV3M2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1350738318&sr=8-3&keywords=parrot+cage"]Amazon.com: Prevue Pet Products Wrought Iron Select Bird Cage Black Hammertone 3151BLK: Pet Supplies[/ame]

What is best to feed my bird and what are some good toys for it? Also have I made a good choice? Like I said, it does not really matter if I made the good choice, my wife is the one that will be it's main care giver. We do have cats, but I think we will be OK with it. The bird will be housed in our main living room.

That cage seems acceptable. The 3/4 spacing seems like it might be big for a GCC but I'll let someone who owns one weigh in on that. I would say that bigger is always better for a conure. They love to move around and play and need lots of space to do so.

My main concern for the bird is the stress of being re-homed to your friends house and then re-homed again to your house. That's very stressful for a bird as they are highly intelligent and highly social. You may want to consider giving the baby to your wife as an early gift.

Also, is your friend ready to bird proof his home for the month and a half? Thanksgiving is coming up: does he understand that non-stick cookware fumes are fatal to birds? Does he burn scented candles or have air fresheners? Does he have a fire place? All of these things release fumes that can be fatal.

As for diet, I would choose whatever the shop was feeding him while you transition him onto a pellet diet. He should also get fresh veggies every day. I keep mllet sprays in my Sun's cage at all times as a treat but she never goes near it because I give her 4 different pellet choices daily as well as some "special items". (she loves star anise and cinnamon sticks). On her playgym she gets more pellets and veggies. I would also suggest having a cuttle bone and mineral block available.

Make sure your bird has lots of different perches available both in size and texture. Plain dowels are fine but natural perches are great since their size is variable and helps exercise their feet. There are sand perches that help to keep their nails in good condition, too. I like providing rope perches to give them somewhere soft to rest their feet, too.

Toys wise I would recommend some toys that they can destroy such as wood toys. Some toys they can preen such as rope. And some foraging toys that will allow them to work for food. Give a variety of toys and switch them up occasionally to keep your bird from being bored. A bored bird can develop all sorts of behavioral issues. Toys have been th biggest surprise for me as the toys my girl can't destroy aren't fun for her. I end up having to buy something I know she will destroy to know she will like it. Toys can be quite the expense.

I'm sure people will give some advice that is more specific to GCCs.

Good luck!

Ok heres what I would do. Give the bird to your wife NOW. Set the cage up etc and put a huge bow on it etc. Explain to her why now. Then for christmas give her some new bird toys and stuff that she can open (plus it will remind her on that day that you gave her the greatest present already)
I think it will be alot less stressful for the lil guy to just have to adjust to one new home instead of two. Plus if he really likes your wife her being there for the transition it will make it so much easier on him.

I would so much rather get my present early rather than a more stressed out present later, it will be even more of a suprise for christmas if it happens a month early.
Best of luck with whatever you choose to do and congratulations on the new lil addition!

I would definitely go with at least a 24/ 24" cage or even a flight cage.
I started with that size cage (the 18") and I sold it because I wanted more room for my conure. He ended up with a 24 x 32" cage which in his case is overkill because he never stays in it. He is most always out unless I leave the house.
As far as Christmas. I would definitely give it to her now. Have it all set up when she comes home. It could be very stressful for the bird moving twice. These little guys want to love you all the time and are so interactive. I personally would want the gift now as stated above. I would be upset that he had to be moved twice just to surprise me. Good luck with your decision.

I agree with Riio, give it to her now as a Halloween present or just give it to her to show how much you love her. It will be very stressful for a bird to bond to a family for 2 months then switch again , he might not even remember her. While the bird is at thepetstore buy the cage,toys,food and all the small birdie accessories . Order everything online as its cheaper and theyres a wider range of products.While it getting shipped you could stock up on info. Also know all the things that are fatal. I'll give you some websites for bird info and some good accessories since your cage is good.

Parrot information

loveyourparrot.com/conures

gcch.tripod.com

Premiumparrots.com then click on hazards

Premium parrots.com

Bird supplies

Petco.com

Birdcagesforless.com ( the cheapest place for bird supplies )

Avianfashions.com ( if you want a flight suit for little addition ! )

thatpetplace.com

Know these are a lot of websites but they have the golden information on conures and the cheapest supplies except maybe petco. Keep us updated and nobody blames you for buying a bird on impulse, birds are really cute ! Birds are the best pets you can have they live long , give you affection like a dog and snuggle with you like a cat . Don't be surprised if you get one for yourself!

First off, you are an awesome husband! Also, this doesnt sound like an impulse buy, it sounds like you noticed that your wife fell in love with the little guy over time. I know its bad timing (I had the same problem with my Mango) but I think everyone here is right in suggesting you put the bird first and give him/her as an early gift. We were still considering a parrot and in the "meet some birds" stage when Mango came along. It was almost love at first sight and I bought him with money I didnt have months before I planned to do so. I assure you though, its like having a child, no matter where you are in life of what you are doing it just works itself out.
You could still play it up and give her a wonderful surprise! It sounds like you have some friends willing to work with you, you could take your wife to the pet store while someone sets up the cage with your new guy at home. Your wife could see that the bird is sold, but you save her from being sad for weeks, and she gets to come home to him/her right away. If you work it out carefully the bird will have one quick transition and get to adjust to a nice quiet house before meeting up with his favorite person (your wife).

yeah, I might ask the pet store to keep it for me until after the thanksgiving vacation. I will give it to her early. I was thinking about that and I am really scared of having someone care for an animal of mine. I am just scared of a week long vacation after I get the bird. So I hope the pet store will allow me that!!

I am going to get a cage next week for the guy, and some toys. I bought the bird now because some other people were thinking about purchasing the bird, and I didn't want the bird gone before Christmas. I am already learning A lot about this kind of bird and I am looking forward to keeping this bird as a beloved pet. I think the research is making me grow into a bird person, especially this bird.

If I can't get them to keep it for me past thanksgiving what can I do? I do have a neighbor that takes care of our pets as we leave. Do you think he will be ok in a cage for a week while we are gone?

Yeah, I am going to have the pet store put a sold sign on his cage, and than take her to the pet store on a fish tank run. Let her see that and a few days later get the cage and go to the pet store to pick up our new pet.

Yeaaaa! Im so excited for you and her! Please dont forget about us, meaning keep us updated! As for thanksgiving, see if the store will hold him, if not check to see if they do parrot boarding. Its usually fairly inexpesive to board a bird. Maybe the friend that was going to keep the bird for you till christmas could bird sit for you. Lots of options
we (ok most of us) are such nerds on this site, we get so excited for new babies even if they are not for us! :22

I will keep you all up to date, thanks for the help.

baron1282 said:

If I can't get them to keep it for me past thanksgiving what can I do? I do have a neighbor that takes care of our pets as we leave. Do you think he will be ok in a cage for a week while we are gone?

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I recently went on a cruise & had to have a non-bird neighbor come over 2 x day to feed/water/clean. My Amazon was perfectly fine & excited as heck to have me home & be out flying around the house upon my return.

I think your new addition would do fine in his/her cage for a week while you're away. Hope you post pics when you're all settled in.

I agree with Riio, just bring the bird home and buy the bird toys later. This is a good distraction for your wife but remember that next December she will go through this moment of sadness nevertheless. I say only because my wife lost both of her parents and every year she gets sad during those two particular months. But you doing a excellent job of being a thoughtful and caring husband, kudos to you! Death is just part of life and it really is the biggest reality. All the best to you and your wife, Peace.

thanks for all the feedback. I can't wait to get this guy home.

Im so excited for you, please post pictures! Maybe you can video your wife's reaction? Im sure everyone here would love to see it. Im new here, but I love be connected with all the parrot lovers! Your new bird will change your life in all the good ways! Ive been mourning the loss of my dog for a couple of months, and although I miss her terribly my Mango has definitely brightened up my days.

Hey I have been looking at all the cages, and I can get them fairly cheaply for a parrot cage. But the flying cages is my question. I can build one easily and cheaply can't I? One thousand dollars for a cage? I can pay 100 dollars and build a bigger cage for the bird to fly in.

Has anyone else done t his for their bird? I have made many chicken pins.

We were going to do this, but when I started looking into metal toxicity it got really complicated rather quickly. My uncle and my fiance can weld, but that that lead in it which is extremely dangerous. We are building some play gyms, but after some serious consultation we have decided to go for the plastic piping and untreated wooden perches. Chicken wire is NOT safe. Do some serious research and double check what can hurt your bird. Some of it is rather surprising. Keep in mind your bird will almost certainly put anything he can into his mouth, so he cant be exposed to any lead, copper or zinc to start with. They are very sensitive to pesticides and cleaners too. Its certainly possible to do it yourself, but when we looked into it we came to the conclusion that its worth the extra money just to have the peace of mind and avoid the hassle of such specific demands.

Do you mean flight cages?I agree with Megan, it would be a lot of work. First you would have to study all kinds of metals that are poisonous and they're a lot. Then you would have to make sure theyre predator proof. People only usually make them for macaws or cockatoos . Usually a good fly around a room is enough. If you want to bring your bird outside you could just buy a flight suit from avianfashions.com

Here are a couple of links for cages
I have this one the Conure Castle
Conure Castle Dometop / Fan Top Bird Cage by A&E Cage Co. Everything for Birds

I also have the flight cage to use when I take him outside

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UTZ040/ref=s9_simh_gw_p199_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=15C0CVAFV4PTCRK9QVJE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846"]Amazon.com: HQ Flight Cage, Multi Purpose Aviary with Cart Stand, Black, 1 Per Box: Pet Supplies[/ame]

Either of these would be great

I guess I was just meaning to build a cage that we would supervise when he is in it. Like some wood and mesh screen. Nothing fancy but something that he can fly in for a few hours with us watching to make sure he does not eat his way out.

This is the bird!! I forgot I took a picture of it with my wife holding it a month back.

Also good news! Jacks is going to board the bird for me until the day after Christmas!
All I got to do is buy food and check up on him from time to time. They are going to put it in the back room for me so no customers will mess with it anymore! Also they will play with him still so he won't be cooped up in a cage without some social interaction. So I am very happy with Jacks right now. I don't know where anyone lives but Jacks in Harrison Ohio has been really good to me. A little over priced but they have really helped me out with this one!!