Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,
Me and my gf just bought a green cheek conure yesterday..He is very friendly and very active already..When he is in his cage he will move to where someone is while they walk by and if they put their finger through the bars he will move his head to your finger in a way of asking to be pet..He has done this to me,my gf,and my sister..This is our first bird but my gf said she had a bird when she was a lot younger..I am more of a reptile guy but I love all animals..He has cuddled with my gf and when he's outside his cage he will even run toward me and jump on my shoulder if I'm sitting down..He nibbles quite a bit but doesn't bite..He is 4 months old soo the nibbling kind of comes with the age I was told..We have both done quite a bit of research but there are still some questions..The questions I have is what does it mean when he puffs himself up??With reptiles it means a bad thing most the time but this guy seems to be happy when he is doing it..Also,I was wondering what it means when he flutters his feathers??What kind of supplements should we give him??What are some basics on training??We have a dog so we know to move to another room to train but I was wondering what kinda things are the most basic to start trying to get him to pick up on..This forum seems really inactive,but hopefully I will hear from someone soon..
Thanks alot

Puffing up can mean several things. One it could mean he is sleepy. Some birds will puff their feathers out when they are tired and before going to sleep. Two if he is staying puffed up it can be a sign of illness but not if he just does this off and on. Three it could be a begging behavior which can also go along with the wing fluttering. Very young birds, especially handfed ones will puff up, flap their wings and even make a squeaking or chirping noise to beg for food and attention. As far as supplements, as long as you feed him a healthy base diet and offer lots of fresh or cooked veggies, pasta, fruit etc he should not need any supplements. Depending on what type of food he was weaned to it may take him a while to try new foods, if he doesn't seem to like them at first keep trying and try offering them in new or different ways, try grated, cubed, hung on skewer, mixed in salads, hung by clips etc until he starts getting investigative and decides he likes them. As far as training the very first thing to work on would be step up. Every bird that is going to be handled should learn to step up on command. This helps during playtime, when going back to the cage, during vet visits or even in emergency situations. After step up is perfected you can try many different things. If you clip wings then try getting him to step to and off of your hand to many different places (to a perch, to his cage, to the back of a chair and back to your hand, etc) If his wings will not be clipped he MUST learn recall. Not all birds even well trained ones can be counted on to recall in extreme situations (fright, outside, etc) but if he has been taught recall then there is a much better chance of recovering him in case the unforseen happened and he ever got outside. Some fun things to try after the basics are down might be the wave, shake hands, dance, and many other games. When training be persistent and patient. Don't give up or get mad, always offer a reward whether it be praise, scritches or a treat and try to always end training on a good note. If your bird has been acting well and starts to seem bored or jumpy try to finish before he stops paying attention. Keep training short so he won't get bored, at first maybe five minutes at a time a couple times a day, extending later to maybe fifteen minutes three or more times a day. As you work with him you should probably see that he is more apt to pay attention and want to work with you at certain times of day, pay attention to these times and try to start any "new" training during those times.

Sorry it has been a little slow here. I check the boards every day and try to get back to everyone as soon as possible. Hopefully we will pick back up soon!

Hey again,
Thanks alot for the really good info..Our bird is doing real good..He has been really good at stepping up..I was wondering about bird lighting..Is this completely necessary??If so,what is the best kind of stuff to use??Also,do you have a personal favorite website to get toys and everything??We've gone to 2 so far and they've been pretty good but its always best to have a variety of places to choose from..I'm surprised at how friendly he is after hearing all these stories of birds acting aggressive..Also,I am worried he might not be sleeping enough..What would be a good thing to keep him in outside of his cage just for the night??We need to get a new cover for his cage also since this cover isn't doing much it seems..Would it be better to just get a new cover or to have another small cage or box or somethin for the night??Thanks again for the help..

Okay lighting first. I would say that yes good lighting is necessary. A good UVB/UVA flourescent type bulb is the best, much the same as what you use with reptiles. In fact we use the zoomed bulbs in our bird rooms and above our reptiles. The light helps them to see better, have healthier feathers and live a better more "natural" life.

Toy shops. Well sense I work with rescue I get most of my toys through a rescue website www.iggysbirds.com they sell toys to help support the rescue. Otherwise I like www.auniqueidea.com or www.smartbirdtoys.com There are several others I like as well but can't find their sites right off.

Nighttime. Covers work well with some birds and not so well with others. For your bird to sleep well it needs to be very quiet in the room, in other word the tv off, the radio off etc. As long as their is movement and noise around them they will want to be involved and won't sleep as well. Do not use a box for night time. Some people use night cages with good results. Personally I don't use night cages. Their cages are nice and roomy with perches in different places for sleeping and playing. I do cover my birds in my home but the birds in the rescue just have lights out. We have nightlights for them which only give off faint light and all radios etc are turned off. There are times when they awake during the night or become startled and will holler or flap around but for the most part they seem to do very well staying in the same cage/room as during the day. If your bird cage is situated in the main part of the house where there is still a lot of action or noise during the night you might consider getting a second cage that can be situated in a quiet, dark area (such as a den, spare bedroom etc) where there is not action or noise. Then you would not have to use a cage cover but could if you chose.

Thanks alot for the reply again and it makes alot of sense that he would rather chill than sleep..hahaha..He always wants to be out..Today it was really funny,my lil sister walked by and went into the kitchen since she stayed at my place and our bird jumped to the ground off my gf's lap and ran after her into the kitchen just cause he wanted her to hold him..I'm really suprised at how social he is..As for the lighting,what repti-sun light should I get for him,5.0 or 10.0??What about length??Still change it up every 6-12 months??My vet told me they lose alittle bit of effectiveness after 6 months but are still good for reptiles up to a year..Also when I said box,I didn't mean it literally..hahaha..That'd be cruel to put such a sweet lil guy in a box..Thanks again and I'll let ya know if I have any other questions..

I think the lesser 5.0 should be fine on birds. I would imagine as well that it would be safe for up to a year since it is not as vital in calcium absorption in birds. As far as length it would just depend on your setup. Where we have cages more separate we use the 12" bulbs and fixtures, where we have rows of cages we use the 4' bulbs and fixtures so it will just depend on your cage and where you have it situated.

I'm never sure on when people say box if they actually mean it or not, we have had some that will come on here and say how they put their bird in a shoebox (doesn't it chew out) or a plastic tote for night time so I have to make sure LOL!!

Hey again,
Things have been going really good with our green cheek..He loves everyone he has come in contact with..I do have some questions though..I was wondering,what he is trying to say when he head bobs??He seems crazy excited when he does it..
Also,I was told by someone at the pet store that it is bad to pet birds wings because it would be like seducing them sexually..Is that true??What are some good things to start doing to get him to bond more with me and my gf??He loved both of us from the first day we met,soo we already have a good start..It's been like 2 weeks since we got him..
He has been good about going to sleep in his cage at night these days,I think he didn't sleep too good at first because he just moved in..He asks for a lot of attention and we give him a lot but sometimes we don't answer his screams so he learns that screaming won't get us to come to him..
He is biting some but not hard at all(I figure it's cause he's only 4 months old and is growing up)..We have been working on getting him to stop biting by holding his bottem part of his beak and saying no bite..What are good ways to teach him to talk??Thanks a lot for the help..

Head bobbing in birds can mean many things. Some young birds will do this as a way of begging, usually in that instance it is also accompanied by low slightly spead wings. Begging can be for attention, food etc. They can use it as a form of excited dancing. Much like a small child who can't sit still and will bob around and shift from foot to foot, birds will instead move around and head bob. Sometimes they can learn to do this to the beat of music and learn other moves such as turning around or swaying to "dance."

We haven't had a real problem with petting wings. On most birds a "sexual" petting is more petting of the lower back, the tail area etc, in some birds wing petting will bring on sexual actions but not until a bird has reached maturity. To be completely safe the head area is the safest to rub and pet but I would say if you stay away from lower back, lower sides and tail you are just fine.

For bonding just keep spending time with him. Keep working on small amounts of training but also spend some time just sitting with him, possibly giving him treats, talking to him, playing with small toys or foot toys with him while holding him. As long as you provide interaction besides fulfilling his needs he should come to enjoy time spent with you and look forward to it, it sounds like you are already doing this so just keep up the good work.

He will test with biting just to check and see what his limits are. When possible try to distract him from biting either with a toy a shift in position etc, if you place too much emphasis on the biting whether in a good or bad way he may learn that a bite is a way to distract you or get your attention.

The best way to get a bird to talk is through repetition. Again not all birds will learn to talk or may not be as understandable as you would like but repetition will give them a good start. Try to keep using the same word or phrase for each item or action. Try to put emphasis on words you would like him to learn, use an excited voice when trying a new word. But above all repetition. If you want him to learn to say Hello, then each time you come near his cage say Hello, you can add other words before and after but keep the Hello in each statement, such as Hello, pretty bird, Hello how's my buddy, Hello baby, Hello, time to play etc. Talk to him/her constantly. Not just one word you want him to repeat but about everything. Such as, It's time to eat, I will get you some food now, see I am going in the kitchen to fix dinner, How's my pretty bird, Would you like some more food, is that good food etc.... Just keep talking no matter how much nonsense or repetition or how silly you feel LOL! They can surprise you too on what they might pick up. If there is one word you don't want them to say but you "accidentally" say it and in an excited or surprised voice you can count on it being the one thing they will say

Hey,
I know having a lot of good stuff for them to chew on in their cage is really important for their beaks..I was wondering why mine has been getting these creases on his beak??Is it just peeling??We also have one of those cuddle bones(not sure if thats the way to spell it) in his cage but he doesn't pay attention to it much..I think it might be because it is orange..I have found out his favorite colors are green and yellow..Could this be why his beak is getting these creases??He chews on A LOT of stuff in his cage..Is this normal or not??He is only 5 months old now..

Besides that,he has been awesome..He has been learning lots of new things..I've potty trained him really good(he still has some accidents though)..He poops on command for me..He also has been making noises that sound like he is trying to talk..He is obsessed with getting pet and has actually let me pet his chest sometimes now soo I know our bond is growing..He also will lay upside down in my hand but he still needs his feet on my finger just incase..He actually has laid like that for 5 minutes for me before..He still bites though sometimes,but no one has bled from it yet..I think he does it cause he wants attention cause he is actually really accepting of new people..He first bites the new people,then he is cool with them..hahaha..Of course though,me and my gf are his favorites..Let me know of any other good things to try to teach him or any other good training exercises...I'd really appreciate it..Thanks a lot..