My new baby :)

[Laventura]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and also a new soon-to-be conure mama!

I had a little parakeet, Chacha, who had passed away(RIP) and I was so torn up over it. My boyfriend wanted to get me a little pineapple green cheek conure for christmas, but he was calling everywhere and no one would have any until next spring. I needed a little birdie fix, so we went to the bird store a few weekends ago and the owner(one of the people Thomas talked to about a pineapple) told us she just got a baby cinnamon green cheek the previous day. It was still in the back getting acclimated and wasn't supposed to be on the sales floor until the next day. She brought it out just for me The little month old parrot was huddled against her chest and when she handed him to me, it snuggled right against me and that was it! I was smitten.

She said the baby can't go home quite yet since its not completely weaned. So I've been visiting it as much as I could over the last 2 weeks so we could get to know each other. In fact, I'm going later today to visit I even purchased its cage at the store and its sitting on the floor with a big SOLD sign on it. I've decked it out with toys and such to keep the little one occupied. I've even paid to get it DNA sexed so I'll know that hopefully this up coming Saturday! If its a girl, I was thinking of the names Prism or Tango (which do you like better?). If a boy, I like the name Maverick.

I also have a few questions.. I was kind of a novice bird owner when I had the parakeet so the little one ate mostly seeds. I've since learned this is really bad for them(oops). So, to learn from my mistakes, I want to give my new baby a diet of Harrisons pellets, fresh birdie mash(with fresh veggies, fruits, sprouts, and whole grain pasta), nuts, and dried fruit.

I came up with this schedule:
Birdie Mash for breakfast
Pellets in a food dish for snacking during the day
Dried fruits and nuts in a foraging toy to keep it occupied until I get home
Birdie Mash again for dinner
Seeds for training

What do you think of that? Advice is greatly appreciated!

Here is a picture of my new baby

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome! You're baby is darling! Congratulations and best of luck to you.

 

[CFellows]

What a cutie! Congrats on the new baby and welcome to the forum

 

[LeaKP]

Congrats! I have a cinnamon green cheek too and love him to bits! They get grumpy during moulting and puberty but we worked through it just fine. Patience and consistent training is the key. You'll have a friend for many years to come.

 

[Wvbirdlover]

Your baby is Darling! I Love the name Tango! Your feeding schedule sounds good. I give mine a similar diet with millet included for snacking, plus I make birdie muffins ( that contain pellets, veggies, fruit, and eggs, and some walnuts or pecans ). I'm not an expert on the feeding thing though. Mine gets that for a midday feeding.

Also, LeaKP, do most birds get grumpy when they moult? I figure those quills Do hurt, poking thru their skin. Maybe that's what's going on with my Quaker. [emoji53]

 

[Laventura]

Thanks everyone! When I went to the bird store yesterday, my baby was all alone (its usually perched with 1 or 2 other birds) and it was just sitting there, looking kind of sad. When I tried to interact, it just shuffled to the other side of the perch. Or tried to fly away from me and back to the perch. So I just left it alone for a bit to interact with some of the other birds.

Then, I put some seed in my hand and then it started to open up and went onto my hand to eat. Once it was done, it started to curiously chew on the zipper of my jacket and crawl up my sweater.

Once it bring it home, will it forget about its birdie friends?(it has a lorikeet who is its bestie) And learn to be my friend? I don't want to force the bird to like me because i've heard that can make the bird more frustrated and not trusting of me.

A person at the store said if you want the bird to step up, you make it step up or else it'll learn that it has a choice and won't ever do it. I don't know how i feel about that. I know birds are highly social animals and more intelligent that your average house pet. I want my bird to be with me because it WANTS to be with me, not because I trained her to love me (if that makes sense?).

I guess what I'm trying to ask is: Where is the best place to start when bonding with my bird when I bring it home? I'm going there again today to visit and see if its more willing to interact.

 

[Allee]

All birds are different and some need a longer adjustment period. You're new baby is very young, so I think he will make the transition into his new home with no problems. He may be a bit shy at first, but his curiosity will kick in and he'll want to be a part of everything.

There are lots of opinions on the subject, I like to get to know a bird on the bird's terms. I don't make my birds do anything, I encourage them to, and let them decide, positive reinforcement usually works.

Here's a link to help you get started with the bonding process.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

 

[ToriJo]

Congrats =D Very cute birdie, keep us posted!

 

[Diashi]

Your new little honey is adorable! Congratulations! Don't worry, he will completely bond to you once you get him at home. I'm not a huge fan of the effects of pet stores on conures. The less-intelligent breeds don't seem to mind, but cinnamon's are so smart. Here is what I feed my cinnamon green cheek conure, Aloha, every day. His vet says he is the healthiest little guy in the world. He's two years old now.

Breakfast:
Bits of Eggo waffle
chopped apple
chopped grape
chopped banana
chopped seasonal fruit or berry(kiwi, cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, etc...)

Lunch:
Peas
Corn
chopped peppers
more fruit

Dinner:
Chopped egg yolk (make sure it's fully cooked)
cooked potato
chopped fruit or veggies

Treats:
a tiny bit of cheese (vegetarian if you can find it)
grape juice or white grape juice (they LOVE it)

Seeds:
I know that vets all over the world have convinced people that pellets (which they also happen to retail...coincidence..I think not), is the only suitable diet for birds these days. These synthetic, processed tasteless rocks are not found in nature and I personally would never feed them to my baby. My baby eats KAYTEE® Fiesta Max™ for Conures. It's a blend of fruits, vegetables, seeds and grains. Does he pick out his favorite things, yes! As does every parrot found in the rain forest. Feed your bird seeds, just like God intended, and also supplement with three hand-made meals per day.

If you work during the day, you can just beef up his breakfast bowl with lots of fruits and veggies, and he can munch on it during the day.

Tips:

* Conures are actually afraid of many toys. Try to test toys out, one at a time, before forcing him in with a bunch of scary, frilly things that he may be fearful of. For instance, my conure doesn't like anything that has paper sticking out of it - like all the forging toys you see.
* If you can afford it, have a separate cages for day time and night time. My conure's night time cage has cuddly, warm snuggies, blankets, and places to hide. This makes him feel so safe at night, and he loves waking up and seeing his day cage. It makes him excited to go to his cage during the day, instead of feeling like he's already been in there for hours.
* For bath time, try and find a very shallow bowl. My conure is afraid of deep water (most are), and only wants the water to be up to he ankles. Once in, they will flip the water around to where they need to get it. Always help your conure get dry. My love to sit and rotisserie himself in front of a space heater (keep it about 4 feet from him) for an hour after a bath. They love bath time, but get VERY cold after. Be sure to give him baths at the warmest part of the day.
* One more important thing...try to keep his temperature between 75 - 80 degrees at all times. I know that is very warm, but those are the temperatures in their natural habitat. Colder temperatures are actually torturous for them and they struggle to get warm. My little guy sleeps in the upstairs, warmest room in the house, and also have a space heater that regulates the room temp at night. It may sound extreme, but he's NEVER gotten sick!

You and your new little love will find your stride! Best wishes!