Hello, I'm new here. Would like a bit of help

[TheLadyV]

before anyone jumps and reprimands me, let me explain that I am an animal activist, I have gone to jail for animal rights. I worked with animals for 30 years and Vet teched for five. I usually DO NOT take any animal without through examination of needs, and so forth. This is an usual case of having to get this baby a home before being to our local "pound" as you can not call it a shelter. I live in a very tiny town along the Navajo and Hopi reservation. I have always had Parakeets. SO...now I have this darling new feather baby. I want to know everything there is to caring for her properly. They have been giving her Cockatiel food....I buy my pets food from Amazon as the only place we have here is a Walmart I hate walmart, but I'm only 50 miles from Flagstaff. So...what's the best to feed her? I know she needs an adjustment period, however..she is chirping, eating and acting as if she is happy to be here...trust me, her other home was a mess...screaming kids, alone a lot, never able to look outside. Aaaanayway. Any information is very much appreciated. I also have no clue how old she is...they had her about five years.

 

[Chelsea304]

What kind of cockatiel food? Is she on a seed diet? If so, the best thing to do is switch to a pellet diet if you can. Some birds easily switch but my girl is stubborn. I would recommend this food to start but you'll have to decide for yourself!

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Roudybush-Daily-Maintenance-Bird-44-Ounce/dp/B000O3BI90/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1451865547&sr=1-1&keywords=roudybush"]Amazon.com : Roudybush Daily Maintenance Bird Food, Mini, 44-Ounce : Pet Food : Pet Supplies[/ame]

If she doesn't switch to that try mixing her old food with the new and slowly ease up on the seed. I actually warm water up and make a sort of patty out of the pellets to transition my bird over. She loves her pellets now!

Make sure you have lots of toys for the bird! You can buy them on amazon!

Give the bird time to adjust and don't rush! Bonding will take a while!

Also try to introduce target training if you can. It was the best thing I did with my parrot! [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqtptXFyb2c"]How to Target Train Your Parrot | Parrot Training - YouTube[/ame]
Start out by teaching the parrot that click = treats! I can target my parrot wherever I want on her cage or to step up if needed, etc.

I'll let the other more experienced owners chime in as well! I'm still a newer parront! Congrats on your new addition! She's gorgeous!

Heasd over here for more information : http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

FOOD TO AVOID:
Avocado is deadly! If you feed apples, remove the seeds! No chocolate or caffeine!

 

[TheLadyV]

Thank you. They tell me she is a Connure, and just a bit ago said she was about 12. they say she won't eat fruits or vegetables and one of the first things I did was look up what is poisonous for her. SHe is coming to the side of her cage whenever none of us sits next to it to talk to her...my kids are grown and my grandchildren all live back home (Florida)...she's over there bobbing her whole body up and down...don't know yet what that means. I wonder if her my baby bird (my parakeet) will talk back and forth? They never covered her for sleep but we have always covered our birds

 

[Chelsea304]

She looks like a sun conure though I could be wrong! (I always get suns and jendays confused!)

Veggies and fruits are good, try to get her on some of them.

I don't cover my bird but a lot of people do.

I've never owned a conure but lots of people on here have them!

 

[ZephyrFly]

She's a sun, jendays green conect on their back from wing to wing.
Get her on vege then worry about fruit (high in sugar and conures are energetic without the added boost).
Get her started on some kind of pellet that you can get hold of, stay away from bright coloured pellets. As you might know (this could be on your radar already) there are alot of shortcuts made in the pet trade, even in pet food, most brightly coloured pellets are coloured using dyes that are notnsafe for human consumption, these dyes build up in an animals' system and do damage.
Most recommended diet for most birds is half fresh/cooked food, (I.e. vege, legumes, brown rice and etc) and pellets (50:50).
Introduce pellets by added a few to the seed bowl, as soon as you see that he's eating them (crumbled pellets and dust in the bowl) slowly trade seed for pellets. Seeds are treats so don't toss them completely.
Avoid seed mixes that are heavily sunflower seed.

Birds bathe, maybe a few times a week, maybe every day. If he has a water bowl and he's not got other options he may bathe in it (water needs cleaning out at least once a day). When he's handleable you can try taking him to your bathroom and turning on the tap, putting your hand/arm under it and letting him bathe like that.

 

[TheLadyV]

Thank you, yes I am very aware of pet foods..horrible....none of babies, I can tell you that. I have two dogs three cats a tortoise and a parakeet besides Ezmeralda now...I have already ordered some Pellet from amazon (harrisons) and I'm worried as to weather her cage is large enough, though she will be out some every day as soon as the adjustment period is over. All other furbabies go out side other than my kitties, which go in the bedroom during briei play time.....this is routine for my parakeet already. I will do my utmost to get her on veggies. I'm a vegetarian myself

 

[TheLadyV]

Is this cage big enough? Do I need to order her a larger one?

 

[Kiwibird]

Thank you for taking this beautiful baby in! She looks to be in relatively good health. Lucky for you as long as you have a decent grocery store nearby with a good produce section, parrots are healthiest eating a range of fruit and veggies with some grains, beans and nuts. Organic is preferable but if all you can get/afford is conventional, that's fine too so long as you wash it well. Be aware parrots cannot eat avocado, onion, apple seeds or the pits of stone fruits. If you wish to get her food on amazon, pellets could be supplemented into her diet. Seed is also fine as a small portion of her diet too.

I'd also suggest at some point getting her a bigger cage. Doesn't look to be urgent (she sounds like the small cage isn't distressing her, causing plucking ext...), but as she settles in and starts coming out of her shell she will likely become more active/play with toys and would appreciate a bigger home

 

[SilverSage]

Imagine you are a five year old child (parrot), and you eat nothing but junk food (seeds) and someone tried to get you to eat veggies. Of course you don't eat it. But you COULD if your mommy took away your junk food and provided a healthy variety of fresh, live, and cooked food, with some pellets as well if she wanted, and some of that old junk food as treats now and then. And you would be a lot happier, too, and healthier, and smarter, and friendlier, and live longer

 

[Bandespresso]

Hello fellow Arizonan! Winslow is absolutely a small town...I stayed there a while ago. It would definitely be great to try to get her eating fruits and veggies like everyone has been saying. Harrison's is great too hopefully she takes to it well! I would suggest ordering her some toys as sun conures are very playful and inquisitive. The Internet is so great isn't it? Her cage isn't big enough but she seems just fine and, with enough out of the cage time, it won't be a problem at all.

A huge concern I have for you is that the nearest avian vet (to my knowledge at least) is in Phoenix. There might be someone in Flagstaff who can help in an emergency situation and it would definitely be in your best interest to research and call around before you have an emergency on your hands.

The bobbing is probably her trying to get your attention. try talking to her and feeding her treats through the bars. If she seems comfortable, I say you can let her out now! An adjustment period is great for birds who are nervous but not all birds need one. How much do you know about her past home?

 

[TheLadyV]

Thank you all....Yes, I have already started looking for a vet in case of an issue and i though I would open her door later and let her be....so she can come out for a while if she wants to...Our Walmart is a super one...supposedly LOL. They do have small selection of organics. She will now also be on Filtered water as most people here do not drink the water and people have been know to get sick from it.....it was the first questions asked my my local Vet, that I like a lot, when one of my babies didn't feel weel when we first moved here...we installed a revers osmosis filter under our sink...I know the people that had her was giving her this awful water...and cockatiel seed...wow...crazy..none of my babies get this water

 

[Scott]

Looks as if you have a beautiful Sun Conure! The cage is adequate, but you may want to consider something larger in time.

As a vegetarian, you'll have fun introducing your Conure to all sorts of great foods. One way to introduce new items and stimulate interest is to eat some of what you offer; typical flock behavior.

 

[Taw5106]

Welcome and congratulations on your new friend! About two years ago I went to the police station to pick up my Green Cheek Amazon. His owners (cousins of mine) had passed away and their son called me because I love animals. I had been shopping for a cockatoo but took Buddy in and focused on him. He was 24 yo, now 26 yo and he's on a all fruit and veg diet now. I also have an eclectus and she was harder to convert to fruit and veg from seed so I use my cup trick with them both. I put their food in a cup and have them sit with me. Whatever is in the cup must be yummy so they dive in and eat regardless of how it tastes.

Buddy loves to "share" my food. He has snuck and stollen food off my plate, even run down off my shoulder and helped me eat my breakfast taco. Eat with your bird, it's a great way to convert them and they love to share!