First time parrot owner - Conure

Hi all,

In the weekend (so 4 days ago) my partner and I brought a Green Cheek Conure, she is 3 months old and has been DNA sexed so know for sure that she is a girl.

She has been hand raised since a few days old so is extremely tame.
She has been great, adjusted well in her new home, she has a sweet nature and loves cuddles and is smart and picked up on how to get a treat already.

Currently trying her with different fruits and veges, so far she loves apples, will do anything for apple, and loves sunflower seeds as they do, likes corn and nectarine. She had a taste of raw brocolli and red capsicum but hasn't really taken to them, will try them cooked when I can.

She got a tad confused with putting our finger up for her to step up, as she thought she was going to get a treat, so would try to get the treat (that wasnt there) out of our hands, so I have brought a little red measuring spoon that is her "treat" spoon so there will be no confusion.

She has plenty of toys to play with, plenty of perches (but not too many) and have been putting a few branches with leaves for her to chew/play with which she has been.

She has met the dog (small/mid sized) and he tried to get her tail the first time out of excitement, another couple of times she flew (well attempted)off her cage and landed (skidded) on the tiles, I told the dog to leave her, which she did, and the second time she flew off the same thing.

She is quite happy sitting on her cage, so******ing (not sure why thats blanking out - s o c i a l i s i n g) with us, training, and just cuddling. She needs to be down the other end of the lounge as too close to us she has figured out that if she jumps far enough with the air conditioner on it gives her enough lift to get onto the couch, which isn't going to work when we have dinner as I can just see her landing in the plate lol

I have a few questions, sorry this is getting rather long. I think we are on the right path with her though.

We want to let her wing grow out so that she can fly, but don't want her trying to fly over to us all the time, do you think this could work? I want to get her a harness so we can try and have it that flying is for outside only if flying inside might become a problem. We also dont want her to end up on the floor if the dog is inside just in case he decides to play, im sure she will teach him a quick lesson but until we know for sure.

Over time, do you let your bird fly outside without a harness? We would want to make sure that she doesn't fly out the door if we open it (not leave it open, just going in and out) as the last thing I would want is to lose her.

I have a whole heap of seed, and have just ordered some pellets which will get here tomorrow so will feed her more pellets and less seed, how much fruit and veges should she have each day? Im sure she can eat as much veges as she likes, but is too much fruit bad for her because of the sugar in say apples etc?

How often should she go to the vet for a check up? What sort of worming etc do I need to do? I have no idea on that side of things.

Any other tips and advice? I have been reading up on parrots for the last few weeks, and especially since last week when we decided to start looking for a young conure. And also through the forum today so have learnt a lot already and taking in and making notes of as much as I can as I want to get this right the first time.

Thanks so much for tips/advice that anyone can offer

You definitely want to get her on pellets, and if you give seeds at all, just as treats IMO. Some birds get seed addicted and then don't want anything else. And usually it's sunflower and safflower seeds, which are fattening and have little nutrition. I give just a bit of fruit at lunch time and more veggies at dinner. My conure likes veggies that are lightly cooked more than raw.

As for free flight flying outside, I'd be too afraid to try it. We do have a member here though that does it with her cockatoo. I'd be afraid of losing the bird, having it attacked by a hawk or bitten by a mosquito with West Nile virus.

I do let my birds fly in the house. And yes, she may decide to fly over to you often. But, they want to be with their owners. To teach her to stay on a play gym, you just have to keep putting them back and tell them, "Stay". They are smart and will get it if you do it consistently.

Enjoy your new baby! You will have many happy years together.

First off, we demand pictures. Secondly, congratulations on your new baby!

Like Roxy said I would be against the free-flight outside, even flying on a harness if you were to tether her to a stand I would be afraid a hawk would swoop down for an easy dinner.

As far as the vet goes, I'd do a visit yearly unless otherwise needed. I don't believe they worm birds, so I wouldn't worry about that. But you can get her nails done at the vet and he'll check for overall health and give you suggestions on a proper diet.

I like the idea of a red spoon for a treat. You could also clicker train her that way as well.

Congrats! Conures are a delight. A little too ear piercing for my tastes, but hilarious and sweet birds nonetheless.

Sounds like you're on the right track. You might want to check out companionparrotonline.com if you haven't already. SB's books and pdfs are worth every cent she charges. But there are plenty of free articles and info on the site as well.

As to the vet, once a year is usually good. I know one parrot owner who's taken her bird to the vet exactly once in its 20+ year lifetime and that was for its first well bird check. My vet actually recommends twice a year, but he's pretty far away so I think we'll be sticking with once a year.

Take your new buddy to an avian vet pretty soon. You want to find out a few things - one, that the bird is healthy, two, what a healthy weight/blood panel looks like for the bird and third, you want to establish a relationship with an avian vet before you need him/her. They don't need to be wormed or vaccinated or anything, but you should have a full blood panel done and they'll probably check liver/kidney function too. I will warn you, avian vets are not cheap, but it's invaluable having an expert on your side. I did a ton of research before I started volunteering and more before adopting, but my vet still had a few things he told me that I hadn't considered. The visit was expensive, but I know Kazi is healthy and should I ever need it, I'll be able to call the vet and ask questions or get in during an emergency.

Congrats again! I hope you post some pics of your new baby soon

Sorry, I forgot to answer the vet questions. I also take mine in once a year for a check up, and if needed.

Your bird should not ever need worming unless it's been exposed to parasites somehow. And that would show up on the feces exam I would think.

My vet does once a year also for blood and every one to two years to maintain vaccines.

usamimi said:

My vet does once a year also for blood and every one to two years to maintain vaccines.

Click to expand...

What vaccines do you get? My vet told me there was only one disease they could vaccinate against and he didn't recommend it because it was only a real concern for breeding operations.

Thanks for the replies My camera isn't very good so I haven't really got any photos, but will put one up when I can.
I think we will let her fly inside and try and teach her to stay put when we ask, hope it works
Thanks for info on vets, I will take her in for a check up soon, good to know they dont need worming etc, I wasn't sure but thougth I would ask.
Rick my partner taught her last night to not climb up on his shoulder as the first thing she was doing was trying to go up there for a cuddle, so she now stays on his hand/arm most of the time rather than trying as hard as possible to get on the shoulder, and shes doing the same for me, we want her to learn that its ok to sit on the hand as well He just put up his hand to block her and told her no, she got it in about 5 minutes, defnitely a fast learner!

Hi Ashleigh

Welcome to the forums... Sorry to be so late in replying...

I also wouldn't fly my birds outside, but Max, my Alexandrine, is fully flighted... He likes to follow me around, but I normally (many times) send him off to his perch (Go to perch).. He IS getting it, but quite stubborn....lolol

lizardsmells said:

usamimi said:

My vet does once a year also for blood and every one to two years to maintain vaccines.

Click to expand...

What vaccines do you get? My vet told me there was only one disease they could vaccinate against and he didn't recommend it because it was only a real concern for breeding operations.

Click to expand...

Polyoma. He said he does it two years if the birds aren't around people much or every year if they are.