First time conure owner

[Mikethebird]

Hello! I was curious if anyone here could answer a few of my questions. My girlfriend and I have decided we would like to adopt a green cheek into our lives at some point in the near future. My main concern is that I work very long hours. I can be gone for twelve hours or more each day. Usually 5 A.M. to 5 P.M. or so. If I had a later sleeping schedule would the bird adjust to my schedule or would that be unhealthy? I am concerned about adopting an animal that I couldn't dedicate myself to within its natural sleep cycle.

 

[JBassset]

My little conure has adopted pretty well to a working human's schedule. I leave the house by 7 and often don't get home till 6:30 or 7 at night.

He's grumpy in the mornings, plays in his day cage while I'm gone and super cuddly at night till bed time.

His previous owner was absolutely a night owl so he kind of is too.

But I'm also assuming your girlfriend doesn't have the same hours and might be there to help with the conure while you're off... at least some of the time?

 

[Mikethebird]

That is correct. She works seperate hours from me. I am just being extra cautious as I don't take this sort of thing lightly!

 

[GaleriaGila]

I am something of an example of what NOT to do, but I'll share my odyssey...


I got the Rickeybird in 1984. I was in college and then grad school, so I spent LOTS of time with him. Then it was time to go to work!
There were were years (about 25 of them) when 5-6 days a week, I was gone at 7:30-ish and back at 6-ish.
Some did and will consider me wrong and think I should have re-homed him. My husband at that time detested the bird. My current ol' man tolerates him with good humor. No, the bird was not the reason for the divorce. Well, partly!
Anyway, here is what I think made it work.
I moved and got new jobs maybe 5 times or so. BUT...
Every morning, he had at least ten minutes, and every evening, he had 20 or so. I have always kept him on a natural light schedule, in a separate room, so sometimes those times together were in the dark. During the day, he had a big window looking out on something interesting, a television on one of his favorite channels (Music channels, CNN - he loves talking heads), a biggg cage, lots of fun foods, and a few toys that I changed out regularly).
He KNEW he could count on those two crummy sessions a day. Somehow we both made it.
I'm now retired and times are good again. Side-note... when I first started being able to spend much more time, he was strangely aggressive and jumpy. Eventually we settled down.
I don't know if I am doing a service or a dis-service in even suggesting you keep your bird. I do know I can't imagine life without mine at this point.
Good luck to you in making a decision. And welcome to the Forum... you'll get lots of empathy and advice here.

 

[JBassset]

Along the lines of what Galeria said:

My birds get time with me morning and night. EVERY DAY. Stephen likes to sit on the bathroom counter while I shower.

Romeo likes to... mostly throw his food at me I think. He may not be a morning bird.

When I get off work I usually go to the gym or bagpipe practice or beers with friends etc... I get home, both birds come out. We eat together (kinda... they get their snacks I get my dinner)

We watch TV together, play, do training... whatever it is we're doing.

Bed time comes and they go night night, I get some time to read by myself and then we do it again.

Point: Morning AND Night every day. (And I'm pretty new to this!)

 

[ParrotProdigy]

I am a night owl and my 6 month old baby Jenday still goes on his daytime schedule - up at 6:30am bedtime at 7:30pm(5:30PM right now cause of wintertime sunlight loss, sun goes down = he wants to sleep). I'm wondering if he'll be awake more often when he's no longer a baby. It's something to consider if you're thinking of a baby or rescuing an adult. I'm usually awake between 2pm-5am, so we almost have separate schedules kinda like you would if you get a bird. My boy will play quietly in his cage when I'm asleep during the day, not sure if I've got the world's quietest Jenday or not lol. Sometimes I have more time to spend with him before he gets grumpy and wants to go to bed but he is perfectly happy going on the few hours we interact per day. I do not think a bird will really adjust to being "nocturnal" so to speak, they are too hard wired to be diurnal. I've never owned a parrot whose sleep wasn't dictated by the sun. You might be able to put him in a room that's blacked out, get a sun lamp and create your own parrot "time zone", but that would be convoluted in my opinion. Getting off work at 5pm still gives you plenty of time to interact with your birdie before they are ready for bed! Give him some love in the morning while you're filling food and water, fun toys to get him through the day, then some out of cage fun time after work I think he will be perfectly happy! If you think you can't spend more than a few hours with him per day try to invest in a bigger cage and a HUGE variety of toys....or possibly adopt two so they aren't as lonely. Two birds will be much happier than a lonely single if they will be having limited human interaction.