Sun Conure Questions... Poop, nares, etc.

Hey guys,

New bird (still no name) is settling in well. Appointment with vet is Friday and I will update after that.

I just have a few questions of some stuff you might be able to help me with in the mean time.

First is... poop! Tiki, while a much smaller Green Cheek, has one big morning poop every day, and then poops about every 15 minutes much smaller amounts. The Sun Conure seems to poop about 6-7 times per day, and each one is roughly the size of Tiki's morning poop. I know he's a much bigger conure so maybe this is normal for them, but I just want to make sure he's not holding it or something.

Here is a picture (eewwwwwwwwwww ) They are all roughly this size, and a bit goopy.



Second concern is his nares. He has very different shaped nares/cere than Tiki the GCC. While hers are open and I can see inside, it appears new bird has some brownish junk (?) around the rims. I can still see an opening... but its rather small. I'm wondering if maybe this is why his mouth is always hanging open? Maybe he can't breathe very well. The following is a photo of his nare, the brownish part is on the outer rim. Sorry it's a bit blurry.



In other news, I'm begining to adjust his food to a bit healthier. Instead of sunflower seeds and nuts, I've taken nuts away except as a treat for step-ups. He's now eating Nutriberries, Pelletberries, and zupreem fruit pellets mixed with just a little of his old junk food. Going to eventually phase it out completely. Here's a picture of him enjoying a nutriberry!




Tiki has moved from a junk food diet, to nutriberries and zupreem fruit, and today she had Roudybush pellets for the first time! I was so proud...

Eating a roudybush pellet...


Helping herself...


Bonus pic of me & new bird being friends!



Bonus pic of my snuggle buns Tiki:


Thanks in advance for any guidance!!

Being from a home that was full of smoke the nares are more than likely coated with nicotine.. poor baby. I would be giving warm baths daily, since it is in his nares I would use a big bowl that he can play and romp around in, dunking his head will allow him to clean that junk out.

The larger poops don't concern me as much as the gooey look they have again I would attribute this to his past environment and diet. Hopefully you are practicing quarantine from your other bird until this beautiful fid gets cleared by an avian vet.

I agree with Iabell, but the junk in the nares could also be due to some sort of respiratory illness. A vet check is definitely a good idea, just in case. The poops all sound healthy. Some birds poop at different rates than others, and, like Iabell said, the larger poops might be because of an earlier diet. The big poop in the morning is normal. Some people call it the "morning dump."

Iabell - I tried taking him into the bathroom so he could bathe in the sink like Tiki does, but it freaked him out and he took off. He's not a very skilled flyer like Tiki and he smacked into the mirror and fell. Maybe I should bring the bath to him... in a large bowl like you suggested.

Nictoine build up sounds very frightening! And yes, they are quarantined. I am a FREAK about it, too. They are in separate bedrooms, down the hall from each other, with both doors closed. I always wash my hands and arms after handling new bird and change my clothes. I actually have an oversize T-shirt and pants in new bird's room that I wear over my regular clothes. Making sure no germies make it down the hall!

Julianna - Respiratory illness is what I was worried about. His previous home gave me a cough and migraine just from the 20 minutes I spent in there!

Thanks for the responses!