Help is my conure sick

So, my sun Conure (io) had been doing really really well today. For some background info, he is on a Harrison's Fine High Potency Pellet Diet, Broccoli, and Nutriberry + Millet diet. I've had him for about 2 weeks, and he is just finishing molting. (He is 6 months old) so he has this wood toy in his large cage. And he has been shredding it a lot. And I'm worried he is eating it. I don't think so, but... after what happened recently I'm worried. So... io had been fine all day. Talking, playing etc. and I moved things around in his cage, and when I put him back In he was fine blah blah blah.. chewing on his wood toy. And I take him out to hold him to watch YouTube like usual. And everything seems okay. He bobbed his head. I laughed, thinking it was funny. And he continued to do this randomly (and harmlessly) over the next 20 minutes while I was holding him. He wasn't capuchins, sneezing, shaking his head, or making weird noises. Just bobbing mouth closed. I noticed just before I put him back in his cage, these faint hard to hear sound coming while he was breathing. I didn't think much of it. When I put him back in his cage. He headbobbed and the shook his head, and did this alarming neck movement almost as if something was stuck in his neck. From there on out I watched him closely... he began to become super quiet, he fluffed randomly and stood on one foot for almost a full hour. I'm worried now, but he seems to be fine. He is in the perch on top of his cage eating a nutriberry. Should I take him in? Opinions? Am I just not used to him being calms since he finished his molt? Help!!! I need advice I've never owned birds until this sun Conure.

Welllllllllllll, you're talking to a complete paranoic here, but... I take my bird in for any or no reason. Do you have an avian vet?
Could we see some video of the behaviors in question?
I'm glad you're here; I'm glad you're reaching out; stick with us; we'll help all we can!

GaleriaGila said:

Welllllllllllll, you're talking to a complete paranoic here, but... I take my bird in for any or no reason. Do you have an avian vet?
Could we see some video of the behaviors in question?
I'm glad you're here; I'm glad you're reaching out; stick with us; we'll help all we can!

Click to expand...

I do have a vet near me that does regular check ups for birds, and then if it's a large issue that needs a specialist they refer out. My bird isn't doing it at the moment... so I wish I could explain. But, it was like a flailing motion after he bobbed and then he was just sluggish and sliding in one foot stretching it awkwardly for a long time.


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A video would be helpful. If you think your bird is sick DO NOT wait to go see a avain vet. Birds hide illnesses well by the time you see them acting really sick it can be too late. Go to the vet.

Yes, as others have stated it is hard to say what's going on for sure without a video of him. Can you take a picture of the wood toy he has, and maybe we could go from there? Many birds, including conures LOVE shredding wood and having something to chew. It could be nothing (as lots of birds also fluff up randomly after playing and will sit on one foot for a nap) but if you are concerned his behavior is abnormal, take him to your vet better safe than sorry!

I would discontinue the nutriberries. One of my vets was actually telling me that they had seen a sun conure who was having reactions to that. Harrisons is organic and when you mix organic with processed (nutriberries) it can lead to trouble.

I feed Skittles the same kind of pellet as you, I supplement his diet with fresh fruits and vegetables. My advice is, if it were me- to discontinue any processed foods, human or bird. Millet is okay as a treat because its not processed.

Skittys_Daddy said:

I would discontinue the nutriberries. One of my vets was actually telling me that they had seen a sun conure who was having reactions to that. Harrisons is organic and when you mix organic with processed (nutriberries) it can lead to trouble.

I feed Skittles the same kind of pellet as you, I supplement his diet with fresh fruits and vegetables. My advice is, if it were me- to discontinue any processed foods, human or bird. Millet is okay as a treat because its not processed.

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I'm not totally sure if I want to discontinue nutriberries because at this point he is soooo picky about fruits at all. So, when I give him those he atleast gets some. I feed millet and unsalted in buttered popcorn.


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IoTheSunConure said:

Skittys_Daddy said:

I would discontinue the nutriberries. One of my vets was actually telling me that they had seen a sun conure who was having reactions to that. Harrisons is organic and when you mix organic with processed (nutriberries) it can lead to trouble.

I feed Skittles the same kind of pellet as you, I supplement his diet with fresh fruits and vegetables. My advice is, if it were me- to discontinue any processed foods, human or bird. Millet is okay as a treat because its not processed.

Click to expand...

I'm not totally sure if I want to discontinue nutriberries because at this point he is soooo picky about fruits at all. So, when I give him those he atleast gets some. I feed millet and unsalted in buttered popcorn.


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Click to expand...

Un buttered*


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itzjbean said:

Yes, as others have stated it is hard to say what's going on for sure without a video of him. Can you take a picture of the wood toy he has, and maybe we could go from there? Many birds, including conures LOVE shredding wood and having something to chew. It could be nothing (as lots of birds also fluff up randomly after playing and will sit on one foot for a nap) but if you are concerned his behavior is abnormal, take him to your vet better safe than sorry!

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He has been better today since I took the toy out, I might add it back in and see what happens. I'm thinking I was just paranoid.....


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Well, as for the paranoia, welcome to the club! lol. Its just a sign of good parronting.

As for the food, ultimately the choice is yours of course. You have to do what you think is best.

What sorts of fruits have you tried? My vet wanted me to give Skittles mango, papaya and star fruit- none of which he will eat. The only fruits he will eat are apples, grapes, strawberries and cantaloupe.

He's just as fussy when it comes to veggies, but at least he'll eat healthy ones. He likes broccoli and sweet potatoes but he won't touch carrots. I haven't tried spinach yet as I have just recently started eating that myself.

As for the toy, that toy looks just like ones I give Skittles. Suns LOVE to chew and providing them with toys to chew on is very important for their mental and physical well being. I would just try to buy all natural wood toys. The colored toys I get for Skittles are colored with vegetable dye so they are not toxic. Because of how they are exposed to these chew toys, its important to avoid chemicals in toys.

I don't see anything on that toy that would cause me concern. Generally, if a bird is sick it will appear puffed up for a prolonged period of time, appear weak and lethargic, the eyes will seem squinty and the bird may have trouble perching.

If your bird is getting puffed up every so often but otherwise acting totally normal, I wouldn't worry about it. He may be hot and trying to cool off, or vice versa.

I should note that suns LOVE to bathe! They are water babies. So don't be surprised if your sun decides to try bathing!

PS,

Have you tried the Harrisons "power treats"? They are awesome. Skittles just loves them. They contain many of the same healthy ingredients as the pellets, but these treats are a bit bigger so it allows them to interact with the treat and it has peanuts in it and sunnies love peanuts! (just not in shells!) Just a suggestion, but you may want to try substituting the power treats for the nutriberries and see how he responds. The power treats would certainly be a better option, health wise. If you order from Harrisons directly, they should be able to send you a small free sample of the power treats (at least they have for me before) so you can see if he likes them.

Anyways, keep us posted!

Skittys_Daddy said:

Well, as for the paranoia, welcome to the club! lol. Its just a sign of good parronting.

As for the food, ultimately the choice is yours of course. You have to do what you think is best.

What sorts of fruits have you tried? My vet wanted me to give Skittles mango, papaya and star fruit- none of which he will eat. The only fruits he will eat are apples, grapes, strawberries and cantaloupe.

He's just as fussy when it comes to veggies, but at least he'll eat healthy ones. He likes broccoli and sweet potatoes but he won't touch carrots. I haven't tried spinach yet as I have just recently started eating that myself.

As for the toy, that toy looks just like ones I give Skittles. Suns LOVE to chew and providing them with toys to chew on is very important for their mental and physical well being. I would just try to buy all natural wood toys. The colored toys I get for Skittles are colored with vegetable dye so they are not toxic. Because of how they are exposed to these chew toys, its important to avoid chemicals in toys.

I don't see anything on that toy that would cause me concern. Generally, if a bird is sick it will appear puffed up for a prolonged period of time, appear weak and lethargic, the eyes will seem squinty and the bird may have trouble perching.

If your bird is getting puffed up every so often but otherwise acting totally normal, I wouldn't worry about it. He may be hot and trying to cool off, or vice versa.

I should note that suns LOVE to bathe! They are water babies. So don't be surprised if your sun decides to try bathing!

Click to expand...

These past two days since this post have been great for Io, so I put the toy back in yesterday. He has been playin nonstop. I'm thinking he was just tired or something. Like napping. Idk he was being weird. He hasn't done any unusual headbobs lately so I'm thinking I'm paranoid about that.

As for the fruits and veg. I've tried carrots broccoli grapes blueberries pineapple basil. The only one he would eat was a little bit of grape not really though (I cut all of the fruit and veg into small pieces) he tried pineapple and I think if I gave it to him again he would eat it more. But, his favorite BY FAR, is the broccoli. Particularly the stem.

The main reason I feel nutriberries which if they are unhealthy I'll stop after this bag.. is because when I got him he was a seed addict... so When I give a nutriberry he goes insane. It's like having your childhood cereal. But... anyhow.

I do mist Io when it's over 60 degrees F outside (I live in PA). He hates water water like I can't put him under a faucet he jumps away and bites my hands. But, he adores misting due to his molting.

Overall, I think it was paranoia. Good paranoia but... this time I think he is okay. Anyhow. He is screaming for me to wake up so I'd better get to doing that. [emoji23]

(The perks of Parronting)

Skittys_Daddy said:

PS,

Have you tried the Harrisons "power treats"? They are awesome. Skittles just loves them. They contain many of the same healthy ingredients as the pellets, but these treats are a bit bigger so it allows them to interact with the treat and it has peanuts in it and sunnies love peanuts! (just not in shells!) Just a suggestion, but you may want to try substituting the power treats for the nutriberries and see how he responds. The power treats would certainly be a better option, health wise. If you order from Harrisons directly, they should be able to send you a small free sample of the power treats (at least they have for me before) so you can see if he likes them.

Anyways, keep us posted!

Click to expand...

I'll try these for sure


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probably good to note that head bobbing is completely normal for conures!! as long as it's not accomponied with any kind of other weird behavior. Pico bobs his head all the time

kimbell said:

probably good to note that head bobbing is completely normal for conures!! as long as it's not accomponied with any kind of other weird behavior. Pico bobs his head all the time

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Yeah I knew it's fine, but the headbobs he did were with shaking and weird movements... I will keep this note tho thanks.


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Broccoli is actually one of the best veggies for birds. Its VERY rich in vitamin A. So feeding him that is a great choice.

The only 'naughty' treat I give Skittles is pasta, but I do it in moderation. Occasionally, I let him have pizza crust. But I have had to cut back on both of those cause he had gained weight.

Skittys_Daddy said:

Broccoli is actually one of the best veggies for birds. Its VERY rich in vitamin A. So feeding him that is a great choice.

The only 'naughty' treat I give Skittles is pasta, but I do it in moderation. Occasionally, I let him have pizza crust. But I have had to cut back on both of those cause he had gained weight.

Click to expand...

Haha my bird I think is a good healthy weight


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Skittles is at a healthy weight now. I had been spoiling him by giving him too much pasta and pizza crust. I told the vet its near impossible to say 'no' to him when he does his little "hopping, head bobbing and kissy noise" routine which is what he does when he REALLY wants something, the manipulative little booger!

I told her I was afraid that if I didn't share my food with him that he wouldn't love me anymore. (I know, I'm pathetic lol). The vet told me something that really opened my eyes. She told me that I don't want to "love him into an early grave" and I made some alterations. He mostly gets his pellets and power treats daily, and I also give him fresh fruit and veggies as treats.

When I am eating something that I know he can't have or something that I eat regularly that I'd rather he didn't get regularly (bread/pasta etc). I either eat it after he's gone to bed or I put him back in his cage and then I eat. I thought by doing that it would make him mad at me and he'd hold a grudge, but he never did. He just goes about eating his own food and when I am done I let him back out and all is good.

Skittys_Daddy said:

Skittles is at a healthy weight now. I had been spoiling him by giving him too much pasta and pizza crust. I told the vet its near impossible to say 'no' to him when he does his little "hopping, head bobbing and kissy noise" routine which is what he does when he REALLY wants something, the manipulative little booger!

I told her I was afraid that if I didn't share my food with him that he wouldn't love me anymore. (I know, I'm pathetic lol). The vet told me something that really opened my eyes. She told me that I don't want to "love him into an early grave" and I made some alterations. He mostly gets his pellets and power treats daily, and I also give him fresh fruit and veggies as treats.

When I am eating something that I know he can't have or something that I eat regularly that I'd rather he didn't get regularly (bread/pasta etc). I either eat it after he's gone to bed or I put him back in his cage and then I eat. I thought by doing that it would make him mad at me and he'd hold a grudge, but he never did. He just goes about eating his own food and when I am done I let him back out and all is good.

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Yeah I understand that, I don't feed Io any human food like that and he doesn't know it's food anyhow so.


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I gotta ask, where did you come up with the name "Io"? Does it have any particular meaning?