Newbie question!

Hello! I’m quite new here, I’ve been lurking a bit here and there. I have a really dumbass question, and for that I do apologise, and it is basically what is involved with looking after a bird? Specifically a conure. From cleaning out the cage and feeding, to training and daily interaction. And what size cage, how many cages, what sort of toys? I’m sorry for being totally clueless but I do want to learn! And I apologise if this has already been asked. Thanks

Hi there. Honestly, if you go to the Amazon sub forum and read ALL of the I love Amazons stickie there, you will have a good start and more on those questions you were asking. Much of the info in that post applies to any parrot regardless of species.

Hi, and welcome. Do you already have a conure to care for, or is one on the way, or are you contemplating becoming a parront? There are many kinds of conures and knowing what kind you have could make a difference. Wrench13’s advice about the Amazon stickies is good. Parrots are different, but they all need the right kind of food for their species, fresh water and food, cage paper changed daily as a rule. Water bowls in particular need washing and regular sanitizing because water is the germ homeland, pellets/foods should be dumped each morning and not topped off, because old food can get germy too. All parrots need bigger cages than we can afford, more time than there is in the day, better food than we fix for ourselves, more toys than a whole kindergarten class, and regular vet care.

Nico's daily schedule consists of:

7:30 am - Morning poop and 10-15 minutes of out-of-cage time as I eat breakfast and he eats treats (sunflower seeds)

8am - 2pm (approximate, depends on the day) I go to college classes, I leave my computer on with a "public spaces white noise" playlist playing and his MimicMe on

2pm - I come home, he gets another 10-30 minutes of out-of-cage time in my room, I usually change his water and food during this time, and his cage liner every few days.
(I usually take a nap after this, and he does too)

4-5:30 pm - When the weather is nice I take him out for walks with his flightsuit and harness 2-3 times a week. I usually go to my campus or other open public spaces where he can get lots of attention from people passing by

8-11 pm - I usually put the flightsuit on Nico and take him to a friend's apartment nearby where he is showered with attention and physical affection and can also try new foods like fruits and vegetables

11:30pm - I know it's pretty late but this is our usual bedtime, we sleep in the same room and he screams his head off if I don't go to bed at the same time he does. I'm pretty sure he gets plenty of nap time during the day and he's always full of energy so I'm not too worried

I buy 2-3 new toys every month and switch them out in his cage. His cage was around 90 dollars from Amazon and I spent around $200 on initial stuff like food, a variety of toys, perches, food bowls, cage cover, travel cage, flightsuit, etc.
Hope that helps a little, it's not the best and most exciting life he could have but I'm in college so I do my best.

Thank you. I don’t have one yet, but will be bringing a cinnamon conure home in a few weeks. I am well aware they are noisy, messy and very time consuming, but I still clearly have a lot of research to do. I will give the Amazon thread a read, thanks. And someone suggested Parrots for Dummies, which I have ordered. I hope I won’t be a dummy for too long! Lol!

Glad you are reaching out to get info before your birdie comes home. I have 3 conures (a green cheek and 2 suns). Do you have a cage yet? If not, keep your eye on bar spacing - conures need a bar spacing of 1/2 - 5/8 inch (so they can’t get their head stuck between the bars). I would recommend the largest cage that you can afford or is practical for your space. Conures are generally playful (most...not all). Mine prefer toys that they can chew and I usually stick to “smaller bird” toys. Mine love shredable toys, wood, cardboard, etc. I would make sure that you have a few on hand, and then build up a bigger selection once you know what your bird prefers. Get a variety of perches - different sizes and textures (not just the ones that come with the cage) it’s better for their feet to have variety. Do some reading on diet - there’s some great threads on here about that. Ideally, a good quality pellet, fresh foods, and a small amount of seed (many ways of going about this). Lots of fun shopping to do for birds . Ask lots of questions...there’s no such thing as dumb questions - you don’t know if you don’t ask!

It's great that you're reaching out! What I can tell you about parrot ownership...

1. Get the biggest cage you can afford. For a conure shoot for a cage with either 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch bar spacing. This one on Amazon is very popular for conures. I have this one for my cockatiel (who is getting 2 new friends soon so lots of room!). Also try birdcages4less website.

2. Get a variety of perches and toys to fill the cage. I just ordered my last batch on Bonka bird toys, they have a great selection and good prices. Be sure to get an array of foraging, shredding and chewing toys as well as different size perches -- the rope perches, java wood branch perches, and soft grip perches are excellent.

3. Be sure to research a good diet for your future conure. Parrots thrive on a diet including lots of veggies and fruit! This will be an ongoing expense that you should change up every month to give your conure variety. Uou can also feed a high quality pellet (Roudybush, Harrisons) a quality seed mix (Volkmanns), you can even bake birdie bread for your conure (basically corn bread muffin mix with tasty veggies and fruit and birdie stuff thrown in).

4. Be sure to set a routine -- birds are happier when they know what to expect. Develop a routine early and stick to it -- see the example above. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. They do need 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep a day.

5. At the beginning, you should be working on building trust by using positive reinforcement with every single interaction with your new bird. It may take them time to settle in. Over time, you should be opening the cage and getting him used to you. Treats help greatly in this process. From then on one you establish trust, you then move on to other training, like bite-pressure training, flight recall and step up.


Some tips on picking a bird....

- If you want a well socialized, friendly baby that will be quite tame, go with purchasing a weaned baby from a reputable breeder.

- If you want to help a bird in need of a great home, rescue!

Welcome to the forum and come on in!

I think this should be required reading.

http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/65119-i-love-amazons-going-journey.html

This is the I Love Amazon thread that has been mentioned before.

All the advice earlier is excellent!

I would also recommend this book:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1895270251/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1