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 Jessica    |
I've been looking at getting a pet for the past few months. My dog, Skittles, has been gone for a little less than a year, so it's been rather lonely without an animal companion. I tried adopting a dog back in May... But that was an utter disaster! After some research and a visit to a local bird store/breeder, I'm nearly set on a conure. Does anyone have any experience with these birds? In particular, the one I'm looking at is about a 2-3 month old green cheeked and black capped conure hybrid. Green cheeked conures are among the most common, and are known for being a little quieter than other conure species. Then again, birds are noisy by design! Ha ha! Birds require a different sort of attention, but I spoke with some knowledgeable staff members about what I wanted. I was sure to note that I wanted something smallish, somewhat quiet, and a good breed for a beginner. I had some parakeets when I was younger, yet they were never hand tamed and lived in their cage 100% of the time. There are actually three of these babies still available, so I have plenty of time to do more research! I just figured I would check to see if anyone here owns or previously owned a conure. Everything I've read seems to tell me that this would be the right kind of pet for me. I'm just being careful not to get attached before I get all my facts in order. Thanks for any help! Perhaps I'll have some pretty pictures to share eventually! |
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 toxic biohazard Freylaverse Moderator |
Don't get one before a major schedule change. If you suddenly have to go to work/school/etc, he will never forgive you. I learned that the hard way... My bird... He bites. Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; We should not distort it. |
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 Malkin Manager |
Sorry, I can't help you - some of my friends have kept 'tiels and budgies, which would be a different kettle of fish? It might be worthwhile trying to find out your nearest vet that specialises in birds, I gather they're something of a rarity - the closest one to my friend with an aging 'tiel is a 45 minute drive away. My TCR Norns |
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 Silverpelt |
if you'd like to learn about the birds why not ask the breeder if you can volunteer to work with/for them for a week or so? If they say yes it'll show you how the birds act and it'll give you some excellent hands on knowledge of how to properly care for it once you get it. |
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 Officer-1BDI |
My friend has a pair of golden conures. They're some of the most personable, adorable birds I've met, but the female can be a little snit when she wants to be. She walked over to me and bit my toe once, and she's actually sent her owner to the ER several months ago.  The male's a sweetheart, though.Anyway, I definitely second Malkin's "find a bird vet" recommendation. Most general vets have very limited experience with pet birds and may not know how to treat an injured or ill bird in an emergency situation. Also, you should research what a proper diet for the species you're adopting entails. Pellet diets are generally better than seed diets as far as nutritional value is concerned, but you should also balance out any gaps with fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, even bits of (chicken) egg. You have to be honest with yourself when you are writing. If that leads to somewhere unexpected then perhaps you really needed to go there. -- Jim Adkins |
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Jessica |
Thanks for the responses! I actually work from home, so I'll be able to have the bird about five feet away from me or less. My schedule is pretty consistent, luckily! I have a list of avian vets I'm going to be contacting tomorrow to figure out which ones are accepting new patients, and how much a typical exam would cost. There are a surprising number of avian vets in my area, which is a good thing! I'm also pretty sure that they allow potential new owners to reserve a bird and come in over the course of a week or so to bond with the bird. This makes the transition to home a little less stressful, and also gives a better idea of what to expect. I was given the option of directly interacting with one while in the store yesterday... I declined, only because I'm terrible at getting attached too quickly! I wanted to do a little more research first. This breed is known for being very sweet, but can also be nippy. I think I just need to be bitten a few times and I'll be fine! The ones in the store were quite interested in me, and they kept climbing up the cage bars to get a better look at me. The staff are very knowledgeable about diets, but I'm doing some research of my own. I figure I'll be getting lots more fresh fruit and vegetables in my diet, since I'll be sharing! Ha ha! I also should mention that the store I'm referring to is second to none around here. The owner hand raises most of the babies, and his reputation has been stellar for over 20 years. I don't recommend going to standard pet stores for birds, since they're so specialized and require lots of knowledge. This place is fantastic: Clean, professional, and stocked with everything related to birds! I'm getting excited... Just need to look up a few more things, talk to the people in the store, and interact with the bird a few times before making this decision! |
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 Prodigal Sock Ghosthande |
Yes, most pet stores--including big ones like PetSmart and Petco--tend to leave birds very little social interaction, so they lose their interest in humans. I see a lot of people online asking "why does my bird hate me??" because they don't realize a hand-fed bird won't stay friendly with humans after being left alone for months. ![:\](/images/smilies/confused.gif ":\") If the birds there are still that friendly with people then that's great. I wish we had more places like that around here--our only local store that has birds is PetFart, and I'd never buy an animal from them.Definitely find a vet that specializes in birds. If there are any hookbill clubs in your area, it could be helpful to ask them for pointers--doubtless they have favorites in the area they can recommend to you. If you have another pet in the house, don't leave opportunities where they could interact with the bird. Even if they're being gentle and don't cause any physical harm, their saliva has bacteria which is lethal to birds. Even if it just dries on their feathers and the bird preens it off afterward, it can still kill the bird in a matter of hours. Care guides and books never seem to address this and a lot of people make the mistake of thinking it would be cute to see their dog "kissing" the bird... etc. Also, if you haven't already, consider checking out BirdTalk Magazine? They have a wealth of information from veterinarians, bird psychologists, and other people. I subscribed when I got my first 'tiel, Stretch, and it was great to have a resource like that. Even if you don't use most of the information you learn, it's still fun and interesting to read.  |
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Jessica |
I made that mistake with my parakeets: I'm pretty sure two of them were hand raised, but I rarely interacted with them and wondered why they bit. I was only around 10 at the time so it was slightly excusable. This new bird is going to be getting at least an hour a day of real interactive playtime with me... If he/she can handle me! Ha ha! No worries: This will be the only pet! I knew about the danger with human saliva, but I hadn't though of it with other pets. That should definitely be something made more apparent. Cute is cute, but not when it's dangerous! I just looked up BirdTalk Magazine, and it looks like the September issue is going to be its last. How sad! I had seen it mentioned a few times, and definitely would have subscribed. |
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Prodigal Sock Ghosthande |
What? ![[ncrying]](/images/smilies/emot_crying.gif "[ncrying]") Aw man, that is really sad. I was planning on re-subscribing at some point, even though I don't have birds anymore. Guess I'll have to go hunting for back issues instead. |
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