Posts Tagged ‘bird owners’

A Sun Conure Parrot Named Sunny

A Sun Conure parrot named Sunny. Who could resist such a cute parrot? There he sits on the end of a branch; his head turned nearly 180 degrees toward his back; his dark shiny eye peering at you with a knowing look.

A bright Sun Conure parrot named Sunny. If you have ever seen a Sun Conure parrot, you know exactly what I mean. If you have not, let me describe one.

Description of a Conure parrot

Sunny, the Sun Conure parrot, is a stunning bird, dressed in a shimmering, hooded shirt of gold with a sun-kissed, orange face. His wings and tail are shades of green and blue, mixed with a hint of gold. The Sun Conure parrot is only 12″ long, including a long tail. Its beak and feet both are black. The eyes are dark brown in a white circle.

Personality of a Sun Conure Parrot

A Sun Conure parrot is a playful, inquisitive bird. Owners can’t seem to find enough words to describe these little bundles of sunshine, but they try.

A few of their favorites are:

• Active
• Comical
• Cuddly
• Curious
• Cute
• Energetic
• Entertaining
• Feisty
• Fun
• Loving
• Spunky

Playtime for a Sun Conure Parrot

A Sun Conure parrot’s playtime is comical, to say the least. It loves its owners, and it loves to entertain them. Given a multitude of toys and a swing or two, the Sun Conure parrot will swing, jump, climb, and call out to you as he shows everything he can do. Even without toys, the Sun Conure parrot will develop its own tricks, just to play. It has a very high energy level, and sometimes appears to be a bundle of golden perpetual motion.

Appropriate Toys for a Sun Conure Parrot

Sun Conure parrots enjoy chewing aggressively, and will need several wooden toys to destroy. They will destroy them, too, reducing a medium-sized wooden toy to bits and pieces in a few hours. They are not as eager to play with puzzle toys, probably because they have so much energy to harness. Provide toys that call for activity and “letting off steam” and they will be happy.

Sun Conure parrots enjoy chains, ropes, and other things from which to swing. They love loud bells, but be sure you do, since a Sun Conure parrot will ring it incessantly at times. Rotate the toys every couple of weeks so that your bird will not become bored.

Appropriate Cage for a Sun Conure Parrot

Sun Conure parrots need room to fly around and use up their surplus energy. A website that recommends bird cages according to the size of the parrot, such as Bird Cages, will help you get a large enough cage. Generally, a 20″ x 20″ cage, about 3 feet high is good for a Sun Conure parrot. The bar spacing should be between 0.75 inches and 1″ so that your parrot cannot get its head stuck between the bars. To give your bird proper exercise for its feet, install 3 different perches in the cage, each made of a different substance.

The Sun Conure Parrot’s Talking Ability

Generally speaking, most parrots can be taught to talk if the owner follows a proven, consistent course of training. The Sun Conure parrot is not the best talker, however. With patience, you will be able to teach your bird a few words. With care, you will also be able to teach it not to screech for attention. It is common for Sun Conure parrots to screech to greet the day, and to end the day. In between, your bird should learn to be less vocal. Some have found that their Sun Conure parrots like to imitate beeping tones.

Food for a Sun Conure Parrot

The Sun Conure parrot does well on a basic diet of organic pellets. Organic pellets give your Sun Conure parrot a balanced diet in every bite. Avoid seed-based foods, as the parrot will pick out the seeds and leave the rest. The result will be a malnourished parrot.

In addition to organic pellets, give your parrot the variety it craves by providing fresh fruits and vegetables. Sun Conure parrots usually enjoy apples, grapes, melons, and oranges. Among vegetables, they will eat things such as broccoli, carrots, corn, lettuce, and peas. Keep seeds and nuts as a special treat.

I bought a flight harness for Kili and started training her to use it so that by the summer I can start taking her outside again. I actually tried the harness out one time with her before the video and I was totally able to get it on and off of her without training but the problem is she developed a fear/hatred of it as I’m sure many parrots have. So I’m back to square one. I have a parrot, like any other that is deadly afraid of the harness even coming near it. So I am starting over again and making this video series about how I am training Kili to wear a flight harness using positive and negative reinforcement. The video is kind of long and boring so this is really only for parrot owners that want to learn about getting a harness onto their parrot OR parrot owners who have a parrot that is fearful of any new object and want to get the parrot used to that new object. The later videos will be more specific to putting the harness on the parrot, however, this video is about overcoming a parrot’s fear of a new object. I’m not going to write the details of what I did for the training here so instead I’m going to write an ongoing article on my parrot forum about the steps and progress of harness training: theparrotforum.com All the details you need to know about this video are on there and there is a link for a section to discuss harness training and ask any questions you might have. Thanks for watching and remember to be very careful.

Yahoo Answers:

Question by madmad: parrot harness?
they sell parrot harness but are they really safe
i have a alexandrine parakeet who is a powerful chewer and would chew through it

Best answer:

Answer by mockingbird
i have a free-flying cockatiel and got one of those poop flight suits thinking i can put her in it and take her places. but it uses *velcro* on the back to hold the leash! so i can’t use it. she is a good flier, being un-clipped and a cockatiel, and i’m scared if i took her outside the velcro would come un-done and she would fly away!!!
it would work with a clipped cockatiel.

i don’t know about the leash that uses rings and does NOT collect poop. that one appears to have rings of steel on it. im only talking about the one that’s supposed to collect poop AND have a leash. that one is velcro to attach the leash to the suit and i don’t trust my bird’s life to the velcro.

waste of money. i only wanted to take my bird outside in it because you can’t really walk around outside with a pooping bird on you. i’d never put it on her in my own place, where she flies free and i clean up afterward.

so don’t get the velcro-using poop-collecting flight suit.

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Pair of Ring Necks

Image by jamescastle
A pair of Ring-necks perch in a tree at the Agra Fort near a Black Kite. While Kites feed mostly on carrion, I find it odd that parrots would share a tree with this bird of prey.

Get A Parrot Perch

Parrots are known for their powerful beaks and their love of chewing on things. Chewing is important for the birds both for their physical and mental health. The problem for bird owners can be finding materials for their bird perches and other accessories that will resist their chewing while still being functional and non toxic.

Parrots can be very sensitive to chemicals that are in many of the products we use in our lives. Many materials can be toxic to them if they chew on them and some materials can give off toxic fumes that can harm the birds. This limits the types of materials that are available for making bird accessories.

For bird perches, metal will hold up to a parrot’s chewing but many metals are toxic to them and slick cold metal is a poor perching surface. Wood is an ideal surface for perching, but most wood is no match for a parrots beak. Porous wood is also more difficult to clean and can be a breading ground for bacteria and parasites.

The exception to this is manzanita wood. Manzanita is a small slow growing tree that grows branches that make excellent bird perches. This wood is claimed by some to be the world’s 8th hardest wood and some claim it’s the 6th hardest wood. Either way the point is the same, it is hard enough to resist a bird’s chewing and is also non toxic.

Manzanita trees grow into heavily branched shapes that resemble shrubs more than trees. The branches grow into twisted irregular shapes that are ideal for bird perches. Unlike a straight wooden dowel, a manzanita branch has varied shapes and diameters that are better for the birds feet and legs. This provides them with better exercise than a uniform diameter perch.

Not only is manzanita an ideal material for birds, it’s also an attractive wood. It is used both with it’s smooth reddish bark attached, and with the bark removed, exposing a whitish wood. Both surfaces are good for the birds to grip and are easy to clean.

Learn more about manzanita bird perches.

Basically we will be teaching our birds to target to a specific perch/area/spot on cue and wait there till we release them. This is extremely useful for all kinds of problems from climbing down from the cage/gym to staying in a specific spot in the cage so your bird sitter can change out the food bowls, to encouraging interaction with a new toy. Bird touches target with beak when offered in front of it Bird moves 1 step to touch target Bird moves 3 steps to touch target Bird moves 1 ft to touch target Bird moves 2 ft to touch target Bird moves 3 ft to touch target Bird moves to “station” (perch or spot) to touch target Here insert the verbal cue “station” and any hand cue you want to use. Repeat the last approximation (bird moves to “station”) with the cue until the bird responds to the verbal or hand cue Bird goes to “station” on cue for reinforcement Bird goes to “station” on cue and waits 10 seconds for reinforcement Bird goes to “station” on cue and waits 30 seconds for reinforcement and so on till the bird waits as long as you feel is necessary Notes Your event marker or bridge should be given the second the bird does the desired behavior. For example, as soon as his beak touches the target, or as soon as both feet are on the station perch. After the marker is given the treat reinforcement should follow soon after to the bird associates the marker with the promise of reinforcement to come.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Yahoo Answers:

Question by Beth C: How do I stop my parrot from eating his perches?

Best answer:

Answer by muddpuppie
get him cuttlebones. they are made for grinding and sharpening the beaks and they have the calcium birds need.

Give us the benefit of your knowledge and add your own answer in the comments!
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Alvaro and a rescued parrot
Image by Sam Beebe / Ecotrust

Parrot Rescue Tips

All pet birds deserve quality care, love, and respect. They also believe there should be a place where bird owners can find the most current bird care information possible.

The pet parrot rescue in Michigan puts its mission statement to work in many ways. Usually this means parrot rescue on a small scale. Perhaps the biggest parrot rescue project in recent years was the one that followed Hurricane Katrina. KARE deployed rescuers to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in support of Hurricane Katrina’s bird victims, parrots or not. The parrot rescuers joined the huge animal rescue effort that was just getting underway. Pet parrot rescue in Michigan became pet parrot rescue in Louisiana.

How It Works

Pet parrot rescue in Michigan, KARE takes its name from the words Knapptime, Adoption, Rescue, and Education. Those three branches form the basis for any successful parrot rescue program.

1. Rescue: Parrot rescue always begins with rescuing pet parrots. This does not always mean rescue such as was needed after Hurricane Katrina. It may be as simple as accepting, from owners, pet parrots that are no longer wanted. Parrots can live for 50 years or more. Many owners do not think about that when purchasing a parrot. Some time later, as the owner’s life changes, he or she can no longer care for the parrot. In some cases, the owner dies, and the parrot is left behind. In other cases, the parrot becomes aggressive, and the owner no longer wants the pet. Parrot rescue accepts these parrots and cares for them.

2. Adoption: Parrot rescue involves finding new homes for parrots that have been rescued. This is easy with some parrots. They are well behaved, beautiful, and talkative. The adopting family can get a good pet for less than they would pay elsewhere. Finding homes for some rescued parrots is more difficult. The bird may need training to correct behavioral problems. It may have been neglected or abused. The parrot rescue group must evaluate the rescued parrots, and find appropriate homes. In some case, the best home must be a shelter or sanctuary, since it will never again do well in a pet situation.

3. Education: The third prong involved in parrot rescue is education. The pet parrot rescue in Michigan works to educate people who are interested in bird ownership. They want to help them learn the proper care of pet birds. This includes instruction before purchase about the bird’s expected life span. It includes information about proper feeding of parrots and how large a cage a parrot needs. Parrot rescue also should educate people about the options they have if they find they cannot keep a parrot.

If You Need Parrot Rescue

People who reach a point where they cannot keep a pet parrot should contact a place such as this pet parrot rescue in Michigan. Similar parrot rescue groups exist in a number of states.

The reasons for being unable to keep your parrot may be as simple as being unable to afford proper care for the bird. You may have insufficient finances to take the parrot to a veterinarian.

Some people cannot keep a parrot when they relocate overseas. Even relocation that involves a smaller home, or an apartment, may make it logistically impossible to keep the bird.

You could try to sell your parrot, and some people do. Prospective owners may be leery, though, of buying a parrot from a newspaper classified as. They may have heard of parrots that are sold because of aggression. Donating your pet parrot to a parrot rescue group will not give you money in return, but you will know that the parrot will be placed in the right permanent home.

Parrot rescue groups often have waiting lists of adoptive homes. They do everything they can to be sure the bird gets the best possible home.

Kudos for You

Parrot rescue groups often operate in the red. It is costly to care for a number of parrots and other birds. They require numerous cages, hundreds of pounds of food on a regular basis, and modest salaries for their workers.

You will be greatly appreciated when you donate, with your parrot, its cage, perches, playground, toys, and food.

By: Anna Hart

Part 1 of a video depicting the Quaker Parrot nest teardowns and rescue of some 50 baby parrots at the Throggs Neck Little League, June 7, 2007
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Yahoo Answers:

Question by chocoboryo: Which US Parrot Rescue Should I Donate To?
I am looking for a parrot rescue in the US that I can regularly donate to (I’m not from the US so…). It will need to have a website where I can send donations online (PayPal or Credit Card).

Can anyone reccomend a good parrot rescue in the US that will benefit from my help? Thanks.

Best answer:

Answer by Dead Parrot Society
Phoenix Landing

http://www.phoenixlanding.org/

Parrot Education & Adoption Center (PEAC)

http://www.peac.org/

The Gabriel Foundation

http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/

Thanks for caring.

You Have Another Answer? Leave your own answer in the comments!
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