I have 7 parrots and i am a triner/groomer/behaviorist....
DONT GET A CONURE!!! especially a sun..
if you engoy quiet at all..
they can also stress out buns not used to alot of noise.
they are very cute and quiet when they are babies then they hit sexual maturity around 1-3 years, and it is all down hill after that..
if like most peopel you go against warnings and get one any way cause "this one is different" or "oh they cant be that noisy"
get a BIG cage Fill it with toys, wood leather and bells....
and feed zupreem natural pellets, and lots of fresh fruits and vegies...
avoid sunflower seeds and peanuts like the plague, they love them but are high in fat so they tend to have health problems later on in life. ie .fatty liver
and make sure you have a seperate room that the bird can be in at night while the family is still up, or you will have a grumpy bird if he doesnt get enough sleep 10-12 hours per night!
let see....
no fruit seeds (they contain arsnic)
no avocado
no caffeen ( not even a little) !!!!
no carbonted beverages (they cant burp)
no pits (onion, peach etc..)
no alcohol (duh!)
frequent bathing, get a mister bottle, and fill it with HOT water, i do as hot as the tap will go, then sprey over the bird and lit it fall down like a nice warm rain)
and remember when ever they do something, even if it seems cute or innocent, think oubout why they would do this int he wild.. could be indications of something serious..
also watch the poo.. like bunnies it is very intuitive to the animals health..
AND NO MATTER what some dumb kid at petco says DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT feed your parrot GRIT or gravle or sand or anythign of the like it is unneicary for hookbills and can cause fatal crop stones! so it is good to avoid sand paper pearch covers as well.. the cement (safety) perches are the best, as are the booda rope perces..
hmmmmmm...
oh and a femal can lay eggs with out a male.. they are infertal obviously, and should be discarded, if she "replaces them" you replace them with fake "craft" eggs to avoid rotting and bacterial infections..
oh and NEVER let your bird eat out of your mouth! ARG>> we have bacteriea that is very dangerous to them, we have very different digestive ssytems!
sorry if this seems harsh, but it is all the improtant stuff.. ya know!
also i know it is cute to see a bird fly... But it is not safe in our homes they can go fast enought to break there neck! windos doors and merrors and awalls are primary culprits..
also cliped or not, NEVER bring your bird outside unles it is ina carrier or cage.
it may "love you" and "never want to leave you" but if it gets spooked it will fly away!
ask anyone on 911parrot alert.com
the propper clip is, the outer 5-7 flight feather cut flat at the covert feathers...
never cut the coverts or the inner feathers, as this is pointless and distroys part of there insulation. also be carful of blood feathers, (new growth) nails just need to be tiped, and DONT USE QUICKSTOP it can cause a chamical burn on the skin. use regular all purpose FLOUR!
if the nail should bleed jsut use flour, or a mix 25% stiptic and 75% flour.
if ya have any other questions let me know..
oh and the sex!
NO they are not sexually demorfic few parrots are, especially as babies.
you can get a DNA sexing don it should be between 19.50$ what the lab charges direct, and 35 $ i small amout of blood is put on a card from a bleeding tonail, and sent to the lab they then send you the cert takes about a week.
oh and the reason i say dont geta sun... there loud, and most of the ones youll find, like from petco, are from birdy mills, and are not bread for health, personality or longevity... many will die before 6 years of age insted of 25-35 and most will get egg bound or hormonally enraged and pluck there feathers out, or attack humans, in there frutrated state.... this goes for most birds...
go to a reputible breader.. ask a lot of questions, and be around mature birds...
also take your age into concideration...
if you are young. teen.. are you going to college " can polly come " probably not!
20-30, do you wanna have kids,, polly might not appreciate these little envaders.
have kids 30 plus who is gonna take care of polly when you die...
i know a morbid thought but many birds out live there owners and are tossed in rescues couse the kids dont want them.
look into adoption, usually thay have been worked on with behavior modification tecniques,a nd are good mature birds...
and there are a lot of different specias out there...
dont reach for the first bird you see... let the bird choose you!
good luck!
natalie
oh i almost for got.. DONT GET 2
they will bond with each other and never want you, once they are mature..
you can keep them seperate, in different cages but dont put them togeatehr, it is a common misconception especially with love birds, that they need to be ina pair or they will die.. BALONY!!!! you are the birds flock,a nd mate.. then you will have the best relationship!
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