New to the forum, and I just brought home my new life partner today!

[HarmonyB]

Hi guys!


I have been wanting a bird for many years. I have kept ducks, chickens, and parakeets before, and I loved them. I have always wanted a parrot ever since my BFF came home with her Blue and Gold about a decade ago. I love birds.. I think that love started when my grandmother would pick me up on Wednesdays every week when I was very young to feed the ducks at our local pond.


Anyway, I was at my local fruit stand, and I noticed they had a large parrot cage for sale and I inquired on the price. For $40.00, I could not leave it behind, so I brought it home and hit it with the pressure washer, soaped it up, and hit it again. It came with jingles, bells, and a couple of stone perches. I had to block off some of the larger openings because my baby bird is a bit small for now... Although, after reading this forum, I plan on removing the reinforcement after the bird is settled in. I want to let her/him enjoy free range of the house.



So far, I have made mistakes... I wish I had never reached in and picked my bird up. I realize now it will only slow our bonding. My daughter has been much more successful by allowing the bird to come to her...and I am now following her lead. This protocol was reinforced after having read the same right here in the forums. I guess she's(my daughter) a pretty smart cookie.


My Sun Conure, Clipper, is quite lovely. I am wondering... How do I tell if the bird is a male or a female? Should I get it a bed of some sorts? Does it need a bird friend to be happy? What kinds of things do I need to worry about as far as health is concerned? What are the warning signs of sickness?


I noticed at night the bird snuggles up on the side of the cage and tucks in(goes to roost). Would a bed or house be used? The bird goes to the covered side of the cage, so I figured it is looking for darkness and privacy. I was wondering if ya'll had luck using a house type fixture.



I have kept many animals in my life, and I worked as a vet tech when I was younger... I know there are species-specific warning signs of ill or failing health, and I was hoping you guys could tell me what to watch for with my Sun Conyer. I have a great Vet... but if I can take care of him at home, I will do it. My vet would have me there once a week if I would fall for it.. they love to make money off of us animal-loving folks.


Finally, id there a way I can sex my bird? If I do get it a friend, it likely will be a less expensive Green Cheeked bird. Are there issues with them mating? Do they produce a bird that will find homes, or will I have birds everywhere? I could avoid all of that if I knew how to tell the difference. LOL...


Soo..yes, I am a newb. I am a quick learner, though, and I am committed. I wanted a life long companion when I brought home my "fine feathered friend" and I will do whatever it takes to make a good home for the little one. I intend to read a lot more on the subject, but sometimes you get the best advice straight from the beak... and asking other bird families is the next best thing.


Thanks in advance... HarmonyB

 

[IndySE]

Welcome to the forumns, I'm sure lots of people will be able to share their insights. Here's just a couple of thoughts/questions/tips I'd like to share with you <3

Do you have a picture of the cage? Not all cages are appropriate for conures, and I'm a little concerned how you mention you "blocked off some of the larger openings". Conures are very curious (as are all parrots) and always have a knack for getting into trouble.

Conures can't be sexed visually, although some parrot species can be. The only way to definitively test for gender is to find a lab that will test the DNA. There are some labs in the US that allow you to send a plucked feather. An avian vet will be able to obtain a blood sample and test as well.

Conures don't require a home or a bed. Enclosed dark areas can promote hormonal behavior when they're older. Steer clear of the "happy huts", those are death traps (birds get stuck or eat the fibers and impact their crop). They do like to snuggle against things though. My bird usually likes to snuggle against toys as she sleeps

I don't believe Green Cheek Conures and Sun Conures can interbreed, but the world is full of strange and magical creatures... I've seen images of cockatiel-cockatoo hybrids before o__o So be mindful ! But they are a part of different families, so I'll go with a soft no. You'll still want to keep a potential friend in a seperate cage anyways, though, because birds prefer to have their own space.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Agreed.

First off, welcome to the forum and congrats on your new fid!

With regard to sexing, the ONLY way to tell if a sun conure is male or female is through either DNA sexting or surgical (NOT recommended, too invasive & risky). Of course if your sunny lays an egg, odds are its a female. lol

Green cheeks and sunnies cannot be interbred.

As far as a bed goes, I would highly recommend you NOT buy one- ESPECIALLY a happy cut/cuddle hut. Yes, they are adorable and sunnies love them BUT they are an invitation to danger and often death.

I will say this, sunnies form EXTREMELY strong bonds with their chosen person. Thats not to say they can't bond with more than one person. Just make sure EVERYONE who will have regular (especially daily) contact/interaction with your sunnie spends a decent amount of time in the beginning to ensure proper bonding. Socializing your sunnie in the beginning can root out future problems.

My Skittles is not socialized. Not for lack of wanting too, but for lack of opportunity. As a result, I can't have him out when someone else is here or he'll attack them. He's free flighted so he sees the apartment as his cage. I may have someone stop by once a month, if that.

 

[wrench13]

You are getting such good advice ! THere is tons to learn on this set of forums.
Your Sunnie does not need a birdy companion - You get a second ( or 3rd) parrot because YOU want one and a ready for 2-3X the work mess and splitting your time between the birds. It can back fire, with the 2 birds deciding that they are each others best friends and cuttin you out ; they could HATe each other, squabbling and even biting each other, or they could ignore each other, in which case what was the point? OR, rarely they get along, and still include you in the mix. ANd you can never tell which way it will go.

Pay attention to the socializing with every one in the family ( a good way is to spend some time EVERY nite playin warm potato where everyone holds the parrot for a few minutes and gently passes him around). If he bonds to your daughter, you will need to inveigle your way in, by being the one to offer his favorite treat to him ( not your daughter), this way even though you are not the "person" he still looks forward to interactin with you.

Sound - sunnies are LOUD, and piercing sometimes. Acceptable at sunrise or sunset ( its natural), but screamin for attention is not. Establish a contact call with your sunnie, which you give once when he calls for you from another room, It lets him know you are near by. He'll learn that callin repeatedly is to no avail.

Keep readin there is so so much to learn from the good folks here

 

[Flboy]

Hi and happy adventures!

 

[Scott]

Welcome HarmonyB and thanks for a spectacular introduction! You'll be a great parront to Clipper!

Wonderful advice above, I'll add a bit to the conversation. Bonding and establishing trust is a slow process best done at Clipper's rate of progress. This thread offers many proven tips: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Health care is a joint venture between you and the vet. While there are many "exotic" practices the best is with a certified avian vet or equivalent. Certified implies specific education and specialized equipment rather than generalized training and a haltingly slow approach to diagnosis.

As creatures of prey, parrot survival depends on masking illness. They are masters of deception and a good many folks are surprised to learn of advanced or chronic disease once symptomatic. One of the best tools is a tabletop gram scale as early detector of weight loss. Proper diet is critical! A keen eye viewing food/water consumption and droppings is helpful.

 

[HarmonyB]

Hi everyone!


You guys are great! I really appreciate the feedback and especially the reading material that was forwarded to my inbox. I almost messed up really bad, and you saved Clipper from my ignorance!!! I went out and brought home various fruits to try out. I wanted to see what he enjoyed eating, and I thought "South American bird = Avocados." WOW!!! I am so grateful he just gave me the stink eye and turned his back!


On the up side, The rest of the fruit I brought home is on the safe list, and even though he has disliked most of it, we have had fun sharing and tasting together. I like it when he gets a taste of something tangy, like pineapple, and it gives him the shivers. It's pretty cute. He's pretty cute.


I did make a note of all of the safe plants' list. I am an avid gardener, and at least 2/3 of that list is in my yard. I am going to have a blast collecting plants for him to try. The only clash I see with my habits, so far, is that I make my own essential oils and medicines from my garden. I will have to move my lab to the outside building. That's no big deal, but I was looking forward to hanging out with him while I worked. I can still make tinctures in the house or steep teas. I can share some of the herbs with him. Like passion flower! Its natures Xanex.. steep a few flowers and anxiety is gone. I laughed when I saw that parrots like them too. They are such smart birds.




He decided he was OK with riding on my shoulder today. He spent about 3 hours up there all together, and when he got tired, he curled up under my chin and went to sleep. I kept him there for a little while, all snuggly and warm, and then I put him to bed, and I pulled the sheet down over his cage. He is still sleeping, and I expect him to wake me bright and early. I am looking forward to it... I wonder... Is there a way I can survive on him alone??? lol.


I dread going back to work and leaving him during the day! What should I do when the time comes? Should I keep him covered all day? Or should I give him his own room? I have a big 4 bedroom place, and I could designate a bird room so he wasn't cage confined during the day. I guess I would baby/parrot proof it for him?


I'll get some more pics tomorrow. For now, you can see Clipper on my profile picture. Thank you, everyone. I appreciate you so much!!


~HarmonyB

 

[MonicaMc]

I realize the OP may not be around any more, but so there's no false information spread around.....


Suns and green cheeks can indeed hybridize. They often (but not always) are born with foot deformities and not all chicks make it to 1+ years old.


We have the following hybrids already produced

Sun x green cheek
Sun x black capped (I hear they look same as sun x green cheek)
Nanday x green cheek
Dusky x green cheek
Dusky x maroon bellied



Coda - Sun x Green Cheek - the first of his kind that I was aware of (not necessarily first hybrid of his type)

https://flickr.com/photos/mfids/2989546903/in/pool-hybrid_parrots/


Miracle - Nanday x Green Cheek - she's still around!

https://flickr.com/photos/mfids/3003575302/in/photolist-5zkQb4-5zkQoK-5zq7b9-5zq7i5



Two separate sun x green cheek hybrid families

https://flickr.com/photos/mrtorben/4612602264/in/album-72157623503386166/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kim0024/3851317424/in/dateposted/

 

[Rozalka]

Instead of photo of Miracle you gave a link to Coda
Lol! I was using your album on Flickr and didn't know you it was your So I checked if Patagonian conure B&G macaw was also your and it is. I was talkng with a person who is passioned in macaw hybrids and said it is a photoshop because it is impossible to cross them. He was talking about macaw hybrids with Tony Silva before - then he mentioned possible mini-macaws hybrids with conures but not other macaws Sorry for offtopic but it suprised me...

 

[MonicaMc]

Instead of photo of Miracle you gave a link to Coda
Lol! I was using your album on Flickr and didn't know you it was your So I checked if Patagonian conure B&G macaw was also your and it is. I was talkng with a person who is passioned in macaw hybrids and said it is a photoshop because it is impossible to cross them. He was talking about macaw hybrids with Tony Silva before - then he mentioned possible mini-macaws hybrids with conures but not other macaws Sorry for offtopic but it suprised me...

Fixed the link!

I do not own any hybrids myself.... the *POSSIBLE* B&G x Patagonian could also be Blue Throated x Patagonian or???? The bird was adopted with no known background, so who knows!

There are other photos of him out there... so he's not photoshopped! lol


The album does contain illigers (blue winged) and nanday hybrid....

I also have pictures of multi-gen hahns x sun (x jenday???). They freely bred in an aviary... multitude of health issues.

Nanday x hahns are apparently similar to the green cheek x sun hybrids.... foot/ill health issues... but I have heard that blue crown x hahns are healthy individuals.




Many hybrids that have occurred people do not believe it is possible....

Jardines x Timneh (this bird is in album)
Large conure x Amazon (album had link to bird - image gone now)
Caique x Mini Macaw (I have not seen images, but have heard they exist)
Caique x "Large" conure (two separate hybrids actually - seen pictures of one)
Rosella x Kakariki (old pictures floating around on the internet)
Rainbow lorikeet x King parrot (seen on FB)
Blue naped parrot x Indian ringneck (also on FB)
Rosella x Mallee ringneck (In album - from FB - 3 way hybrid!)

etc

 

[Rozalka]

Thanks!
I was watching a lot of "your" hybrid photos and also used some of them - also here on PF (somewhere I used Coda photo). The mentioned man said it is impossible to crossbreed conure with amazons like cockatoos with macaws... I agree it is impossible to crossbreed macaws with 'toos because they are in two different famillies but amazon and conure are in one subfamilly. I also was watching Tony Silva's gallery on FB where were not exactly amazon x conure hybrids but other which seemed to be also impossible...
During our conversation (with this man) I showed there are few photos of thie macaw Patagonian conure hybrid. The last thing which he wrote was that he would talk to Tony Silva again. I don't know what was the answer, I personally never will write to him
So, if non photos are your - how did you get them? And do how you may be sure the aren't photoshops? Some hybrids I've seen in other places but others only there

 

[MonicaMc]

I wish the link for the amazon x conure still worked...

Mitred x blue front - lived/s here
Olmense Zoo - Home


On second thought... I found the hybrid!!!!!!! Yahoo!!!!!!!

Page 4!

https://issuu.com/wimverheyen/docs/zoomag2012-04



I honestly expected pionus x amazon before ever seeing conure x amaon! And there may be nanday x tucuman out there somewhere... possibly some other hybrid mixtures. The mitred x blue front is the only one I've seen proof of.


I've seen photoshopped birds before. The pictures I've shared, they came from reputable people, they came from owners who probably do not know how to photoshop, some old from before photoshopping was a common occurrence... just many reasons I do not believe the images are false.

 

[MonicaMc]

To recap on Chaz (if he's still around...)

Chaz the macaw hybrid weighs in at about 450 grams

Using the information from Scott McDonald on parrot weights...

Blue and Gold ~1000 grams
Red Fronted ~489 grams
Blue Throated ??? (Beauty of Birds 750 grams)

Patagonian ~232 grams


So he could easily be RF x BTM, although I would expect him to be larger than 500 grams...

Or *possibly* BTM x Patty



The late Howard Voren said he was Military x B&G hybrid... but I have yet to come across a hybrid that looks like Chaz... and that weight? Doesn't make any sense... He doesn't even look like Military x BTM hybrids.

There are more photos of him on the FB page of the person who owned him when she was alive. Pictures posted through the years. I unfortunately do not know if he is still around, or who he may be with now.