Hi! From Sasha and JamRock

Hi,

My name is Sasha and I am so in love with my Pineapple Conure, JamRock! Nowl I know nothing about birds whatsoever, but I fell in love with JamRock and had to take her home. I bought her a week ago from a breeder, she is 2months old and very energetic. She sleeps a lot during the day, but I'm guessing since she is a baby thats what she's going to do. I thought it would take her a week to at least warm up to me, since when we first got her she wasn't too found of us, but within the next two days she was taking numerous naps in my lap, of course I fell in love with her more and more! I am very interested and ready to learn all about her and how I can give her the best care. Though, I hope I'm not spoiling her by having her out of the cage for majority of the day, since I'm on vacation, once off my schedule will be a lot different.

Nice to meet you all!

Welcome! I have no advice to give because I am new to this myself but I just wanted to welcome you to the board

Welcome! It's important to have your baby out of the cage..mine is only in the cage when I leave the house and at night. I haven't owned a conure in a very long time but there's a big group of conure people here that I'm sure will help you give the best care.. Any pictures you can provide? I think pineapple conures are so darn cute!!

Welcome to the forums.

Hi Sasha and welcome! I would also love to see pictures of your new baby JamRock is an awesome name
How long has she been weaned? She is eating and drinking okay? I'm only asking because she is still so young.
How long are you on vacation for? You may want to go ahead and get her used to how much time she will be spending in her cage, and what will be her usual time out...it seems when they get used to a certain amount of time out then lose it, it can be frustrating for them in the beginning.
I'm so glad you joined us!

Hi Terry 57!

I am not sure how long it has been since she has been weaned. When I got her the breeder gave me a bag of food, basically mixed nuts. I gave her the mix for the past week and she has been eating it and drinking very well, but I've been reading a lot about what to feed her and majority of the information I have read states that she should not have a diet purely composed of seeds, in her case the sunflower seeds tends to be her favorite. Yesterday I gave her some veggies to mix it up during the day and today I gave her some brown rice and beans with lettuce. I read that it was ok to introduce different kinds of food to her at a young age, but I'm still worried about her diet since she is still so young. I want to introduce a mix of nuts and pellets, but once again her age worries me.

Welcome! Congrats on your first fid!

Welcome to the forum!

My best advice as a conure mom is to get your baby into a routine. Up at the same time, fed, watered, etc. That way she will know what to expect.

I recomend trying golden feast pellets as well as fresh veggies and fruits daily. Give her asuch time out of her cage as you can. The more the better. I give my girl an hour out before I got to work and then 2 to 3 hours out before bed time in the evening. She likes to get a good 12 hours of sleep or else she is cranky. 7pm to 7am is her sleeping time.

Hopefully others can chime in too. You've come to a great place.

Welcome to the forum! You could not have found a better place to learn as a brand new bird owner. Lots of VERY experienced owners on here. Don't worry, we will get you on the *right* track with your new baby and answer any questions you have (and don't be afraid to ask or use the "search" feature) so she can have a long and happy life with you

JamRock15 said:

Yesterday I gave her some veggies to mix it up during the day and today I gave her some brown rice and beans with lettuce. I read that it was ok to introduce different kinds of food to her at a young age, but I'm still worried about her diet since she is still so young. I want to introduce a mix of nuts and pellets, but once again her age worries me.

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The sooner you get her eating fresh produce, the better! If she is eating well on her own and maintaining weight, don't wait to get her trying fresh foods. The older they get, the more stubborn they become diet-wise. Best to get her used to a wide variety of nutritious foods while she is still learning what to eat. Parrots are opportunistic omnivores by nature, and while seeds and nuts are PART of their diet, they should NOT be the bulk of it. They actually eat a huge variety of foods in nature and thrive on variety as companion animals too. Fresh fruit and veg should be the bulk, with some seed/nuts and (ideally sprouted, if not then cooked) organic grains if you want her on a fresh foods diet.Some people opt to feed pellets, but please don't make them the dietary staple, more a dietary supplement to lots of fresh, living foods. Please familiarize yourself with toxic foods (such as avocado, onion/garlic, alcohol, chocolate ext...) so you don't unintentionally give her something harmful.

Thanks for the advice Kyoto, she takes a lot of naps during the day and also sleeps throughout the night (i think). Is it normal that she takes a nap about every 2 hours? I'm also extremely happy right now, she finally played with her toys in her cage and has been silently playing for the past couple of hours =)

She sleeps a lot during the day, but I'm guessing since she is a baby thats what she's going to do.

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Parrots do nap during the day (I find mine likes to nap in the early afternoon, a little siesta), but they should also be active during the day too. Very easy for them to become "perch potatoes". What kind of toys does she have? Is her cage large enough to be active in? Does she have a play stand?

I'd also recommend you read up on foraging. It is a VERY important thing to encourage your bird to do, and you can make or buy foraging toys. Basically, it's making your bird "work" for hidden treats by ripping up toys or solving puzzles. It keeps them mentally stimulated and simulates natural behavior (in nature parrots spend most of their days searching for food, in captivity it is consistently provided in a dish). Foraging activities tap into that natural instinct, and you'd be surprised how smart birds are when it comes to solving puzzles for rewards (self rewarding play).

Though, I hope I'm not spoiling her by having her out of the cage for majority of the day, since I'm on vacation, once off my schedule will be a lot different.

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She is new, she is a baby, so no lasting behavioral impact giving her some extra attention right now, but I think it would be best to ease her into her normal schedule soon. She needs to learn to self-enetertain during the day while your at work (toys and foraging). She also needs to learn when you are home, what her routine will be (especially what time she can expect to come out each morning/night). Parrots thrive on routine. Of course, over time those routines can change, but they need to know they will be interacted with daily, that they will spend the day self-entertaining, when meals are, when bedtime is, when wake-up time is ext... Parrots are very much like toddlers with wings and it is of the upmost importance to get them used to being on a routine from a young age. It helps to prevent behavioral problems later in life.

I am full time stay at home now, but I *still* deliberately ignore my bird several hours a day so he never looses his ability to entertain himself. Sounds mean, but life changes and if I ever do return to work, I don't want him to have grown accustomed to being attached to me 24/7 (as much as he may like that). He still gets PLENTY of love and interaction daily though