Caryl Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Meet the latest addition to our family. It is a green, maroon bellied conure. No idea of sex as, unless it lays an egg, we will have to have it DNA tested. At the moment it is being called Pepper cos it is green with a touch of red and has bite. 8) It loves baths apparently... I think the man said he was about 3 or 4 months old and hand reared. He was loose in the shop and happy to be passed from customer to customer. They had 2 and the other one was sold the day before so it is probably missing its companion It has been quiet so far and only given light nips on occasion. It rode home loose in the car moving from person to person as the fancy took it. Grant and Ryan managed to get the cage built so we had somewhere to put it! We bought a really big one on wheels so it can be moved about and maybe get outside for some direct sunlight (if I can keep the neighbour's cat away :evil: ). It came with a starter pack of food and toys so ew are all set for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Hmm... imagine how much mess of Grant's dinner plate this will make Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Congratulations, Pepper is cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heir Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 CUTE! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 they make an excellent pet caryl we have 4, 1 is free range, visits the neighbours info here http://www.avianweb.com/maroonbelliedconure.html and look up clicker training for birds, jenniferh had a link up i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Thanks for the link Mark. It sure has plenty of information! I am printing it off in booklet form so I can refer to it easily. We want to make sure we feed him the right stuff! I will have a look for Jennifer's link too as I know clicker training works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Oh cute! Was that the one that was in the Animates when we were there? That was a very friendly bird. I wasn't sure what sort of conure it was :roll: I used to have Nanday conures and they really loved their daily baths (in heavy glass pie dishes ). I used to recommend this book to buyers of my hand-reared parrot chicks: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Well-Behave ... _b_title_1 But there may be other books that are better now. Still it was very useful. Pepper is a very cute name btw, handy that it's kind of unisex too. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 conures love water. he is very beautiful clicker training is one of the ways i "fixed" rusty. only by the end of it, i found out that he was throwing the clickers out the window Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 eclectus start clicking back at you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Yes Jenniferh it was the one at Animates :roll: What was the site again that told you how to clicker train? Where do you get clickers from these days? :-? I hear you can toilet train these birds? Yes phoenix44, he sure loves water! Dived straight into a bath this morning. Water everywhere! :lol: We tried some veg today as the site Livingart recommended said fruit and veg were imprtant daily foods. I don't think Pepper has ever been offered fresh veg before as he was not too sure about it. He nibbled a bit on carrot but tended to bite a bit off then drop it. He liked the pumpkin. The peas were played with then dropped. He nibbled the potato a bit. Might try a bit of kumera tomorrow and apple. He was not interested in banana. Bud loved banana, especially the skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 The training bit was about Sophia Yin. Try Google, she is a very well respected behaviourist and her training principles work for any species. The key to toileting is to know how often they go and then being aware of the signs and then rewarding for the behaviour you want (high motivation rewards are a must). IMO just knowing they will go every 15 minutes was easier for me, I just placed them on the stand after 14 minutes, they would go and I would pick them up again. :lol: Clickers can be ordered from most pet stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 He's a beautiful colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 We think so too Sarah. Not as cute as your granddaughter though How much are they supposed to eat? (conures, not grandchildren) Pepper enjoyed some bran, Weetbix, peach and kiwifruit this morning but only nibbles on a very small amount and I am not sure how much goes in and what percentage has hit the floor! We are going to offer him bits of everything to get him used to different tastes and textures. if he ends up eating the same as us then it saves buying bird food doesn't it? We eat healthy here with low (if any) salt and no sugar and fresh fruit and veg. His wings are clipped. Should we keep them trimmed so he can't fly ever? He can go a reasonable distance in a glide as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 ours return to shoulder quire well when free flight there is always the chance they will get a fright and keep on flying though conures when pet birds consider their humans to be their family so usually don't stray too far the big problem with a clipped birds finally flying is knowing where they are when up in the sky they usually haven't seen the world from that angle before and panic can set in the other thing is knowing how to brake and land when moving at speed teaching your bird to come when called is one way of minimising any risks involved, this can be achieved by using a special treat and rewarding each time it does it all our maroon bellies like to be on you just my experiences with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Pepper wants to be on us too, not just near us. Near is not good enough :lol: He seems to be happy to just sit on my shoulder all day and preen himself. He sometimes grinds his beak, which is a sign of contentment according to the website. Sometimes he chatters a little and this morning when I came home from town and let him out he muttered for a while so I like to think he was complaining about being shut in :lol: . He can't have been too upset or he would have screeched. He has done that 3 or 4 times so we know what it sounds like. At least it isn't as ear piercing as some of them can be!! :bounce: If we decide to keep his wings clipped we will have to find out how :roll: Can someone tell us a bit more about feeding please? How much should it eat at a time? It seems to be eating very little. Also, does it matter if the veg is cooked or raw and is one better than the other? I am going to do as jenniferh suggested and just feed him what we eat so he is getting spag bol for tea. I assume he can eat the meat too? :lol: Not sure whether to give him broccoli before it gets cooked for tea or just give him cooked bits. Went into the local garden centre this morning and they don't actually have any seed for it. They have budgie, canary and dove seed plus a whole lot of separate seeds like wheat, rape, etc so feeding him our food will be easier and we won't run out 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 budgie and sunflower is a good mix to use, millet sprays don't worry about over feeding he will sort it out eats like a bird is a true saying too much sunflower can be fattening i don't feed any cooked food except porridge, other do so that is up to you i don't feed meat but do feed dog biscuits variety is the spice of life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 I thought I read somewhere they shouldn't have sunflower seeds :-? I am not worried about over-eating, I am worried about Pepper not eating enough. Unless Pepper starts to play games, it is not getting much exercise so far as doesn't seem interested. Happy to just perch on a shoulder all day long :roll: (must be male :lol: ) We are doing our best to offer variety and have tried, so far, pumpkin (loves that), kiwifruit, Weetbix, peaches (loved them too), sultanas, bran (liked that but careful in case too much will give the runs), peas (played with but didn't actually eat), potato (liked that too). Bought some broccoli today so he will get some greens. I see they like dandelions too so will go and pick some. I think for lunch he will be offered a little porridge and some apple. In between times he has the seed mix the shop gave us in a seed dish in his cage but he is so rarely in there he does not have ready access. He can't get into it unless we put him in there anyway. He can fly down but not up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 all our parrots get sunflower and safflower but in moderation you will find as many feeding regimes as you find bird keepers fruit and veges are all good, except those avocados sweet corn is loved and they will destroy an apple to get the pips his breast should be like a moderate tegel chicken that will give you an indication of meat on it young birds don't have as much muscle there until they start using their wings the breast bone should not feel like a yatch keel it may seem like he is just dropping things on the ground but he will be ingesting little bits where the neck meets the chest, wisbone area is the crop and you will be able to feel if it has something in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 we have one of these as well... (ok its my daughters) Called it little Ritchie after Richie Blackmore the NZ league player from a few years ago. Got its name by flying out the window at Coromandel and dissaparing into the trees. 2 days later it flew down onto Ritchies shoulder. He let out a scream that alerted all of us so hence the name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Was this a scream like a girl? :lol: Thanks Mark. I can tell you now he LOVES apple! He got a bit tetchy when I wouldn't give him some more. :lol: So he can eat apple pips? I cut them out as I know they can have fruit stones. I wil have to start feeling up its chest :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 this is a family forum 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 It will be a family friendly feeling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 there is a word for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Pepper wants to be on us too, not just near us. Near is not good enough :lol: He seems to be happy to just sit on my shoulder all day and preen himself. He sometimes grinds his beak, which is a sign of contentment according to the website. Sometimes he chatters a little and this morning when I came home from town and let him out he muttered for a while so I like to think he was complaining about being shut in :lol: . welcome to my world ha ha. at least your bird does not hump your head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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