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Nice OP, Sanchezz, but you forgot to add under "Conures" that they are objectively the best companion bird. 
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Oct 26, 2012 19:25
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I'm at my boyfriend's house, when I get home Monday I'll post a photo dump of Amadeus.  In the mean time I will state for the record that a green-cheek conure is the sort of bird that cuddles up against your cheek and tells you you're a pretty biiird when you're sad, that falls asleep on your pillow beside you, that helps you cook by knocking over your spice bottles (No, Ama, I told you we don't put cayenne pepper in cookies!), that chases jingly-balls across your floor, and burrows under your hair to murmur kiss kiss kiss when he's sleepy.
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Oct 26, 2012 19:42
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Zomodok posted:On the topic of poops The other day I told Amadeus to go poop and he did so, but I neglected to tell him he was a good bird, pretty bird afterwards. In a moment of either genius or complete  , he praised himself for being a pretty pooping bird by crooning at me, "pretty poop."He's a good boy, he figured out quickly that I want him crapping in the trashcan next to my computer chair, so whenever he has to relieve himself he flies over to grip the arm rest and poop into the trashcan below.
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Oct 27, 2012 18:38
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Hahaha, he is FURIOUSLY preening your dreads. That is freaking adorable. Anyway, I promised I'd photodump Amadeus now that I'm home -- not like you guys don't see him every time I post. I'm not going to write up a big ol' profile of him because, well, I utterly adore this bird and nobody wants to read seventeen paragraphs of LITERALLY A BIRD telling everybody how much better her parrot is than theirs, even if it is true. This is Amadeus. He helps me cook.  And by that I mean he assaults anything bottle-shaped, samples whatever is within 6 inches of his beak, mimics the smoke alarm randomly to send me into a panic, and is the best kitchen buddy ever. (Don't worry, all of these antics take place only when the stove or oven is not on and I am cooking with bird-safe foods!)  He likes to play floppybird, mostly because when he's being bad or it's time for bed he knows that flopping in my hand and looking as a-goddamn-dorable as possible will melt my cold, bird-caging heart. It works every time. He has me trained well.  loving JINGLY-BALLS MAN I WILL KILL THEM I WILL KILL EVERY loving JINGLY-BALL  Hair is The Best Thing. He likes to preen it, fight with it, hide in it, and bury his face in it. I've had my hair bobbed for a while, but I'm growing it out again just to make him happy. I am a Bird Crazy.  He also likes to photobomb me. LITERALLY A BIRD fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Oct 31, 2014 |
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Oct 30, 2012 00:11
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He doesn't seem to be! When I take pictures without the flash he usually ignores me and goes about his Important Conure Business. The moment a flash goes off, though, he zooms to my shoulder and starts mugging for the camera. I'm not sure if he thinks he's protecting me from an EVIL WICKED MONSTER or just aware that he'll be the center of my attention if he's clambering all over me during camera flashes, but it's adorable either way.
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Oct 30, 2012 02:47
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Oh, don't be silly, Chlorine. You've been one of us since you set foot in these threads. one of us. one of us.  
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Oct 30, 2012 03:50
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I'm Green cheeks are often described as a big parrot in a little body: they're outgoing, curious, feisty, playful, and oh so cuddly. They can be taught tricks including rolling over, playing dead, and dancing -- I've never done much trick work with Amadeus but he flops on his back in my hand when he wants to be extra cute, and has been known to scamper upside-down along the ceiling of his cage and hang from perches when he thinks he should be let out. He wants to spend the vast majority of his time on me, near me, or being scritched by me, but when I'm at work he entertains himself with jingly-balls and bells and toilet paper tubes. I live in an apartment with very thin walls -- residents of my building can hear conversations held in the halls while in their apartments and vice versa. I've asked my neighbors whenever I run into them if my birds' sounds are a problem, and I'm assured that they're not. I've always been a bird person; I grew up with my cockatiel and love her, but I wasn't what might affectionately be called a crazy bird lady until I got Amadeus. If you have the time to spend with a tiny bundle of love and mischief, I think you'll find that a GCC is the best bird for you.
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Nov 1, 2012 00:38
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DarkHorse posted:In addition, if they do bite, it's important that you do not react (if you can help it) and to not pull away from the bird. Depending on it's mentality, it might have learned that biting people makes them make funny noises (and making loud noises is FUN! This is absolutely true when your bird is a new member of your home or is being an rear end in a top hat for the sake of being an rear end in a top hat: you don't want him to think he has the upper hand in your relationship. However (and if I'm completely wrong, please correct me) I think reacting with a show of pain is all right once the bird is bonded with you and you trust one another. Amadeus knows how hard he can bite if he's trying to warn me of "danger" or telling me to leave him alone, and if I yelp or pull away he immediately stops and is apologetic. It's rare a parrot intends to hurt his human companion, but their beaks are their most effective way to communicate fear or displeasure.
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Nov 1, 2012 01:25
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LET'S SHOUT SOME MORE!). Alternatively, if it's just an innocent mistake, yelling can startle the bird and get it to clamp harder.
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You know, with all the conures popping up in this thread, I'm beginning to think they're trying to beat the cockatiels at their own game.  Nymphicus vs Pyrrhura. Whomever wins, we'll
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Nov 1, 2012 20:38
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^^^ Edit: Given how you just admitted to sampling a ZuPreem, I can guess how...  ^^^I feed my conure and my cockatiel the ZuPreem Garden Goodness blend. I've heard Kaytee is actually a pretty awful brand of pellet, so your instincts were probably good.  The diet transition was handled by mixing the pellets in with their regular seeds; eventually I transitioned to not adding any seeds at all, and while they were very pouty about it, they were aware that the Boring Beige Stuff in their bowls was, in fact, food.Don't bother softening it yourself: they'll make soup until it reaches a consistency they like. Of course, this means you need to change water multiple times a day, because not only is it all around-gross, but it tends to smell. Nutriberries are the Best loving Thing, I use them to reward good behavior, apologize for them being shut in travel cages, and occasionally just add them to their food dishes just because. And, lastly, if you're looking to find samples, try your local avian vet. Bear in mind, though, that if your bird is on a seed diet he's probably going to turn his beak up at any pellet you offer him while that delicious sunflowery junk food is in his cage.
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Nov 2, 2012 05:31
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Welcome home, Zippy! Echoing that the corner is fantastic, I wish I could do something like that for my birds.
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Nov 3, 2012 23:57
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Last night I passed out in bed before I secured a certain conure in his cage, it seems. As a result I woke up to something small and fluffy nestled against my bare calf, which was awfully startling, and so to apologize to Amadeus for yelping and shooting up from the bed I returned to him his bathing bowl. That got taken away a few days ago because somebody hurls his favorite jingly-balls into it whenever he's upset at being caged, and I was beginning to be worried about rust in the water while I was at work. He was so excited to have it back that he bathed while Rosy drank from it next to him and didn't growl or lunge at her once.
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Nov 6, 2012 19:35
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Amadeus just ignored the bread, cheese, and vegetables in my sandwich to greedily devour bites of ham, making rapturous little sounds all the while. Ohtori's no longer the only pork-loving conure. Birds are weird.
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Nov 13, 2012 20:41
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Oh no, Kittens.  My thoughts are with you and Novolo, stay strong.
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Nov 15, 2012 04:22
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Captain Log posted:Son.of a bitch. Two possible months of having to let my potato out of the cage to use the bathroom. This post made me laugh out loud, poor Wandy!
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Nov 21, 2012 23:39
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That's fantastic! Now I want to commission you for a painting of Amadeus and Rosy.
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Nov 22, 2012 19:44
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I guess I just got lucky with Amadeus. I've never caught him masturbating and he only regurgitated for me once, a couple years ago. Maybe all the attention and cuddling I give him cuts down on hormonal impulses? I've had him since he was a juvenile, going on three years now.
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Nov 23, 2012 17:07
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That sounds like the exact situation I found Amadeus in -- only he didn't even have toys in his cage.  Single perch, some millet lying on the tank floor (it wasn't even a cage, it was a plastic tank), a cup of seeds. Against my better instincts I made a 400 dollar pet store impulse buy and, well, now I have a conure who greets me every time I walk in the door with dozens of kisses and happy murmurs of "pretty bird, good boy."
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Nov 26, 2012 04:55
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I want to just THROW money at you for that one of the grooming green cheek. oommmggggg Speaking of grooming, Rosy had stuck her fat derpatiel self under my hand, while Amadeus was sitting on top of it. He looked at her, slooowly reached down, and slooowly and gently began preening her back feathers. She was too dumb to realize it wasn't me for a good ten seconds and then she yelled and ran away, outraged. bird he was just trying to be friends
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Nov 29, 2012 17:32
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Battle Pigeon posted:Would it be jumping on the bandwagon/rude/whatever if I posted my own bird art in here now/at some point? Not in my opinion, more bird art the better.
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Nov 30, 2012 16:34
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Yay baby birds!  uglynoodles posted:He's making a little piggy grunting noise and clambering about. Pyrrhura vocalizations are the cutest, little grunts and quacks and growls.
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Dec 1, 2012 18:59
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Those are fantastic pictures and I loved all the commentary! The fact that he was willing to come out and explore on his first day home is a great sign, and good lord he's such a little beauty! Keep us updated~ (edit: decided to break it into two posts) LITERALLY A BIRD fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Dec 2, 2012 |
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Dec 2, 2012 01:17
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Yeah, conures are beaky little creatures, but they do learn quickly what's appropriate and what isn't. Amadeus never breaks my skin, but if he's feeling particularly neglected or churlish he'll tweak me hard enough for a reaction. Remember that their beak is their most succinct way of saying 'hello, I miss you' or 'hey! stop that!' Once the bird bonds with you it's all right to let him know when he's hurting you. At the moment, though, your little guy is frightened and missing his brother, so it's an adjustment period for you both. 
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Dec 2, 2012 02:13
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Oh, god, uglynoodles, I'm sorry.
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Dec 3, 2012 16:34
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While I am normally on board with where you're coming from Kittens, I'm going to affectionately disagree with you in this situation. I've been in contact with uglynoodles for a few months and I wholly believe she's put her research into bird care and adoption - unfortunately, the breeder she selected was a complete rear end in a top hat. Given his behavior, I frankly don't think he's reputable enough to be concerned about an upset client. And, while I am one of the first people to bristle and snarl when pet stores are mentioned for bird adoption, uglynoodles has been researching her companion for a long time. I don't think it's fair to lump her in with minimum wage, impulse pet store buys. And on that note, I'm probably the person in this thread furthest beneath the poverty line, but nobody in this thread could realistically accuse me of being a bad bird owner. When you need to care for your companion, you'll move heaven and earth to do so. In short, whatever my opinion might meant to you and other bird crazies, I think uglynoodles knows what she is doing.
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Dec 5, 2012 05:16
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Battle Pigeon posted:I don't think Kittens was doing that, but rather saying it's better where possible not to support pet stores by getting a bird from one, due to the whole creating-a-demand thing and encouraging them to get and keep more birds in less than ideal conditions. Even if the bird that you get is healthy, friendly, and so on. They're also often cheaper from a breeder, at least in my experience (both UK and here). Fair enough! Sorry, Kittens. I was feeling awfully indignant at the time of posting.
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Dec 5, 2012 16:32
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Scary Ned posted:Got offered a greencheek conure this morning and had to turn it down because my husband wouldn't be able to tolerate the noise. Poor girl will probably end up with the Lily Sanctuary in Los Angeles, her current people have crazy commutes and are routinely gone for 11 hours a day. We're going to take their parrotlet though, for double the furious peeping. (Anyone in CA/AZ need a conure?) Pffft! My conure is far quieter than my cockatiel, tell your husband to get a cage ready.
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Dec 6, 2012 04:29
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Awww. Green cheeks are the best nap buddies. Is that Zeke or Zoe?
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Dec 6, 2012 22:57
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Ahhh lookit that little face. Congratulations!
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Dec 9, 2012 23:00
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Amadeus and I have a little routine, whenever I go out of town for a weekend. For the first couple hours after I return he hunches happily on my shoulder, mumbling "pretty bird!" and "cutie" and giving me kisses. If I don't give him enough kisses he says "hey, baaaby!" until I remember I'm supposed to be begging forgiveness and go back to lavishing attention. After he's content that I'm truly repentant he crawls into my hand where he gets lots of head scritches and gentle squeezes. Then, once he's feeling pampered and beloved and ready to go to sleep, he lifts a foot so that I can give him a tiny little birdie foot massage. Like this. 
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Dec 10, 2012 07:08
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Conures are just the loving cutest when they're getting scritches. Opera Bitch, Amadeus loooves being petted and handled and adored. I can kiss underneath his wings, pet them when he's stretching, bury my face in his back, flip him upside down and pet his belly, massage his little feet and he is delighted by all of it. I think it's a GCC/BCC thing, every bird site talks about how cuddly they are.
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Dec 12, 2012 23:03
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It's probably not useful this early in your relationship with Iroh, but in the future she might enjoy having a little wooden playgym that you can set on or near your desk. That way she can perch near you and keep an eye on you (and have tasty wooden perches to shred!), but you don't have a tiny demon clambering all over while you try to work.
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Dec 13, 2012 17:57
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Awww, poor old 'tiel. Rosy occasionally manages to get poop in her buttfeathers, too. Maybe it's a secret method of communication.  Lola is beautiful! Is she a mutation?
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Dec 17, 2012 17:54
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How long has it been since you returned? Is it possible he's punishing you for leaving him? Amadeus used to be quite skittish and moody for a couple days after I came back from a trip.
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Dec 20, 2012 22:22
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DarkHorse posted:You might have to agree to send Christmas cards of the bird every year This is actually the most adorable requirement
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Dec 27, 2012 01:09
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Aww, I'm so glad that you've made progress with Panzer. It must have been heartbreaking when he didn't want you to touch him. I taught Amadeus, my GCC, to fly to me fairly easily by displaying that I had a tasty sunflower seed in my fingers, and then snapping them and telling him to "c'mere!" He caught on very quickly and would fly to me reliably whenever I snapped and called, even after I didn't display a seed, because he rapidly realized there was still a 50% chance he'd get a treat. I kind of hosed it up by running out of seeds. Since Ama cottoned on to the total absence of goodies, he now only flies to me on command if he was missing me anyway.  Deadly Chlorine might have some better tips, she's a member of a couple bird groups.
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Dec 27, 2012 22:16
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If you don't have a clicker, a discarded Snapple cap or something of the like works just as well. Just something that makes a distinct sound that they'll never hear out of context and therefore be confused by. Unrelatedly, on New Years Day I'll have had Amadeus for three years! I plan to bake him a small millet-studded cake (and Rosy can have some too, of course ). I had to go out and buy baking powder today for that express purpose, and then to feel like less of a bird crazy I used some of it to bake a pound cake for me and my boyfriend.
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Dec 27, 2012 23:20
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Jesus, that's horror movie caliber 
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Dec 29, 2012 03:48
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Why on earth not?
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Dec 30, 2012 23:10
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 15:07 |
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Bear in mind that after living off a seed diet (basically McDonald's for birds) your 'tiel will be turning her beak up at pellets. Just put them in her usual food dish and when she is hungry she'll eat them. Horn of Arby's, I'm really sorry to hear that. What an adorable girl she is! Do you have a friend or family member that can board her for you until you can pay for her journey, perhaps? (edit) Where are you staying once you get there? It sounds as though a lot of that cost can be eliminated if you take her with you now, and many hotels are okay with a small animal for an extra fee. I spent a couple weeks in a hotel in Manhattan with Amadeus, my GCC, last year. The guys at reception loved him.
LITERALLY A BIRD fucked around with this message at 00:23 on Dec 31, 2012 |
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Dec 31, 2012 00:20
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