Hello

Hi, I am new to the group and the new mom to a baby Conure. She is 11 weeks old and will be coming home to me soon. Since this will be my very first Conure I am hoping the members here can be of much needed help. I am sure you all have a wealth of knowledge and I have so much to learn.

I need advice on the size cage that Conures need, the best diet (which brands and kinds of foods to buy), toys and feeding dishes, along with any other comforts I can provide for my little one. She will be arriving soon and I need to get these supplies ordered.

I will try to find the correct place here to post my questions and if you all can point me the right direction it will be much appreciated.

Welcome to you! Find out what your baby is eating now and work from there! Number one pellet? TOPS!

TY, I did find that out but the owner. I was wondering though, as she grows, what do you all feed your conures? What is the bestto purchase in your opinion.

Welcome! Tons of great info here on all the fun bits of being owned by a conure

Cage size is highly subjective and depends on a few factors. Some will say bigger is better - I am in this camp if your bird is going to spend time in the cage (for example if you are gone to work all day). I am a fan of stainless steel dishes - easier to sanitize than plastic. Toys will be kind of dependent on your baby’s preferences. I encourage caution with bells, make sure there’s no little pieces that your baby can take apart and ingest and that the metals are bird safe (again, stainless steel is best). Food - TOPs are great pellets, and there are several other good brands....it will depend what your little one will eat . Getting your new addition started on veggies and fresh foods early will lead to good eating habits for the long term. I would discourage “happy huts”, there are too many dangers associated with them (google it, lots of horror stories....best to just pass on these). Not sure if you’ve done some research - but please make sure you’re familiar with the dangers of teflon, candles, scented cleaners, etc. Enjoy your new baby...and ask lots of questions

Feels like

Hi hi, nice to have another baby in this flock!
(Hello expecting mum/dad aka parront)


Tons of reading to do here, I hope you will love it!

Since you're new, I'll offer the usual basics.



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

I'm glad you're here. Lots to learn and share and enjoy!
I'm so glad you're reaching out!


WELLLLCOME!

Jen5200 said:

Welcome! Tons of great info here on all the fun bits of being owned by a conure

age “happy huts”, there are too many dangers associated with them (google it, lots of horror stories....best to just pass on these). Not sure if you’ve done some research - but please make sure you’re familiar with the dangers of teflon, candles, scented cleaners, etc. Enjoy your new baby...and ask lots of questions

Click to expand...

you mentions TOPS food for birds
I'm also new to conure companions.

is that stuff sold by the pound in Pet supplies plus any good?

tytbody said:

Jen5200 said:

Welcome! Tons of great info here on all the fun bits of being owned by a conure

age “happy huts”, there are too many dangers associated with them (google it, lots of horror stories....best to just pass on these). Not sure if you’ve done some research - but please make sure you’re familiar with the dangers of teflon, candles, scented cleaners, etc. Enjoy your new baby...and ask lots of questions

Click to expand...

you mentions TOPS food for birds
I'm also new to conure companions.

is that stuff sold by the pound in Pet supplies plus any good?

Click to expand...

Personally I would check the ingredients of the food before deciding if I wanted to feed it. I tend to watch for fillers and artificial colours, etc. I feed TOPs, Zupreem, and Lefaber pellets - my birds don’t all like the same pellets unfortunately.

Have you had birds?
Teflon/PTFE/PFOA/Fluoroplastics are deadly when heated and they are found in MANY common household items that heat up...Air circulation or closed doors will not protect your bird from these. They are EXTREMELY dangerous and there is no cure after exposure. Just recently, a member's husband cooked an egg in a pan that contained Teflon (he forgot). She lost approx 6 birds, and they were in separate rooms! He didn't burn the egg either...it is just that deadly.

The most obvious source=non-stick cookware, but the coatings can be really deceptive (mixed into metal, various colors, cloth fibers, clear-coat--often on microwavable paper or heating coils or internal).

Some common places where these hide: MICROWAVE POPCORN BAGS, bake-in-bag meals, self-cleaning ovens, toasters, toaster-ovens, hair straighteners, blow-dryers, space-heaters, irons, ironing board covers (yes, the cloth in many contain Teflon), rice-cookers, steamers, curling irons, hot-rollers, drip trays (under range), turkey roasting pans, slow cookers, humidifiers, cake pans, muffin pans, cookie sheets, air-poppers, air fryers, egg poachers, bread makers, and even WATERPROOF MASCARA LOL...that doesn't heat, so it is safer, but if your bird is an eye-preener then beware.



Also, do not use anything with a scent around your bird. NOOOOO candles (scented or non), air freshener, carpet cleaner, perfume, hairspray, nail polish, nail polish remover, shoe polish, paints, hot glue guns, cigarettes, burned food, cleaning products---Windex, Bleach, Scrubbing Bubbles, Lysol, Pinesol, Kaboom, Fabreeze, 409...the list goes on....ALL ARE UNSAFE.


Bird's respiratory systems are EXTREMELY sensitive and things that are fine for mammals can kill them.


Only use avian safe cleaners!!! F10 SC (yellow type) is an excellent cleaner and it is the closest thing to Bleach that is avian safe (kills all sorts of bacteria and viruses and is bird-safe when properly diluted). You don't even have to rinse it once dry.

Another safe option is vinegar +water (not as good at killing germs) but safe as long as you do not boil it in a coffee pot or dishwasher. Grapefruit seed extract (GSE)+ water is another bird safe alternative...Again, f10 is going to be the most powerful and it is very safe.

having a bird sounds like trying to get to heaven.

all the toxic stuff is terrible.

i use bleach in my bathroom.

no wonder so many do not live to their life span

Dixie4Sure said:

TY, I did find that out but the owner. I was wondering though, as she grows, what do you all feed your conures? What is the bestto purchase in your opinion.

Click to expand...

I feed Harrison's, but I had to use Zupreem as a "bridge" pellet to get them there. My birds still get Zupreem sometimes to keep things interesting. One prefers Harrison's over Zupreem, the other 2 don't seem to care. They eat everything.

I like TOPs, I use most all available types of pellets, I like them to not be picky, to have novelty.