Author Topic: Any Bird Peeps here?  (Read 16069 times)

Vet

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #25 on: March 11, 2008, 09:36:32 PM »
 

   The other one was already full yellow, she/he was about a year old.

 


This has been bugging me. 

Did she tell you that the bird you saw would become a yellow bird when it was mature? 

A golden conure is an endangered species of all yellow conure. They are also known as a "queen of barvaria conure".  Sun conures have a predominantly green plumage when immature and develop the distinctive yellow, orange and red coloration on the head, abdomen, and back as they mature.   

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #26 on: March 12, 2008, 05:37:53 AM »
This has been bugging me. 

Did she tell you that the bird you saw would become a yellow bird when it was mature? 

A golden conure is an endangered species of all yellow conure. They are also known as a "queen of barvaria conure".  Sun conures have a predominantly green plumage when immature and develop the distinctive yellow, orange and red coloration on the head, abdomen, and back as they mature.   


 when I said full yellow I knew I should of corrected that, it was the coloring of the one pic I posted, and had the red, and orange coloring also.  The younger one was mostly green but you could see his head was starting to get the other colors.  Sorry, I knew I should of changed my wording.

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #27 on: March 12, 2008, 05:59:21 AM »
Birds will definitely go through a maturation phase---the "terrible twos" which for some species lasts 4 or 5 years.  That said, remember that all birds have the basis for their personality by the time they are fledged and weaned.  Birds mature really fast relative to some other species.  The basis of their personality will be there (ie will the bird be nippy, will it be easy to train, does it value affection, etc) you will just shape it into what comes out, or ruin the bird through that maturation phase. 

  She first took out the older bird.  She (I call the yellow one she and the green one he  ;D) was more difficult to get out of the cage and kept leaving her finger for some before she decided to sit and hang out (she actually broke a blood feather).  I did not take her until she had stopped trying to fly off, and when I did she was fine. The younger one came right out and never once tried to "fly" off my finger.  He just seemed calmer, she referred to it as still being in a "baby stage" which in a way he looked more like a baby in his mannerisms, ok i know I am giving human traits to an animal, but he just seemed more baby like, like he wanted to stay where he was safe.   The girl said that he might change as he got older and be a completely different bird.   Neither bird was nippy and went from hand to hand easily.  That was my first time handling a bird which is why I thought the older one would be better for me, but I think the younger one might be.

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #28 on: March 12, 2008, 06:38:43 AM »
The girl at the petstore told me how you whisper to the bird to show it how it needs to not be so loud, and how you can give it a time out in another room (not in it's cage because a cage should not be associated with being bad) and basically dealing with it like a growing child pushing it's boundaries.
 
  She was really informative and I probably can't remember half of what she said, but it was nice to see a pet store person so knowledgeable.  This is a private owned store, not a chain.  And the birds appeared to be very healthy and happy.

I went in to get a collar for Briona and ended up talking birds for an hour!  I won't go to Petco or Petsmart for anything anymore, only well kept private stores that appear to care for the animals.

w8m8

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #29 on: March 12, 2008, 07:07:19 AM »
You're right ~flower~ going into a pet shop that is private and the people are smart about the pets is extraordinary .

You'd think it would be the norm , not the rarity  :-[

I think you're going to end up getting a bird  :D

So why not just get the cage and set it up some now and let your other housemates start getting used to it , just asking cuz I know you're gonna get one , I just can sense it  :)

Vet

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #30 on: March 12, 2008, 07:14:11 AM »
The girl at the petstore told me how you whisper to the bird to show it how it needs to not be so loud, and how you can give it a time out in another room (not in it's cage because a cage should not be associated with being bad) and basically dealing with it like a growing child pushing it's boundaries.
 
  She was really informative and I probably can't remember half of what she said, but it was nice to see a pet store person so knowledgeable.  This is a private owned store, not a chain.  And the birds appeared to be very healthy and happy.

I went in to get a collar for Briona and ended up talking birds for an hour!  I won't go to Petco or Petsmart for anything anymore, only well kept private stores that appear to care for the animals.


I wouldn't leave a psittacine in a "time out" unsupervised. Thats a recipe for a bird that is misbehaving to destroy something or worse yet get injured and bleed.  


What I've found works best is just be patient.  Birds will push their boundries, its the nature of an intelligent animal.  You cannot punish a bird in response, they will respond negatively and try to kick your ass----with many of them being successful and you bleeding as an end result.  

A couple of "older ways" of disciplining a bird that do not work in my opinion---tappin on the head if they bite you.  All that does is make most birds try to bite you harder becuase they want to grab the moving finger.  

Yelling at a bird will not work----think like a bird for a second, birds make lots of noise when they are excited and happy.  A person yelling at them is obviously happy and excited, so they should be too.  I always had to laugh at the clients who had birds who screamed who then would scream back at the bird and the bird would scream back at the owner.   There was one in particular with an Umbrella Cockatoo who was flat out hysterical.  The bird would scream, the owner would scream back and it'd go back and forth and back and forth.  The bird thought it was a great game.  I couldn't stand to be in an exam room with them without ear plugs, but it was funny.  

Time outs are one of the better methods of managing behavior problems, but even that may backfire becuase some birds simply don't want to be handled, so they learn to bite the crap out of you or yell or whatever so you put them in a time out and they get some peace and quiet away from humans.  

The bottom line is be patient.  If you can unlock the secrets for postitive reinforcement of behaviors with your bird, the sky is pretty much the limit for what you will be capable of teaching the bird to do.  

Vet

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #31 on: March 12, 2008, 07:17:23 AM »
Flower, also because this bird is from a petstore, I'd make damned sure to get a 2-4 week health guarantee and take the bird to a qualified avian veterinarian ASAP after purchasing it (if you do buy it).  Make sure the bird gets a fecal gram stain and physical exam (blood work is recommended, but in reality is probably optional) and consider chlamydia testing.   

Its not that I think the petstore is "bad" but remember birds are very capable of hiding severe disease until they are knocking on deaths door.  Petstores are stressful environments, so they will hide how sick they may be if they are sick. 

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #32 on: March 12, 2008, 07:53:20 AM »
I wouldn't leave a psittacine in a "time out" unsupervised. Thats a recipe for a bird that is misbehaving to destroy something or worse yet get injured and bleed. 

 I believe, and again it was a lot of info I was trying to digest, the TO would be in another room in a different cage with dimmed lighting and mainly used for when it was being an overly squawking teenager.  When it was quiet and behaved he could join the family again.  Time outs were not to be used for everything, like you said working with the bird not just punishing it would be a better approach, but if it decided it just wanted to scream for hours just for the heck of it that would not be good.

 On the biting she mentioned that birds use their beaks a lot as a foot, so learning how your bird does that will help prevent mistaken bites, and the bird instinctively bites harder if the object moves away, so when it is climbing on your finger using it's beak you get to know that.  Both of the birds used their beaks and I could hardly feel it.

 I was going to look around and see what avian vets are around here also, and had planned on a visit shortly after if I got the bird, but thanks for the reminder. That is a specialized field? I believe you said you were working on getting that? So most dog and cat vets would not be where you would want to take a bird?

 So, what about vaccines?   ::)    I don't know if they are supposed to get any, but I do know that birds are more susceptible to some diseases so if there are bird vacs you might just convince me to consider some or all.
  8)

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #33 on: March 12, 2008, 08:08:14 AM »
You're right ~flower~ going into a pet shop that is private and the people are smart about the pets is extraordinary .

You'd think it would be the norm , not the rarity  :-[

I think you're going to end up getting a bird  :D

So why not just get the cage and set it up some now and let your other housemates start getting used to it , just asking cuz I know you're gonna get one , I just can sense it  :)


  It was nice w8m8, I think she could of gone on for hours and hours and she really touched on a lot of stuff and wasn't just like only concerned to sell me a bird. I think a bird is a big commitment and decision so I was glad for her expertise.

 I have found on previous visits to this store that the employees all seem to be like that so even though they may be a bit more expensive (not by much) I would rather spend my money there than in the big chains.   Granted I don't go to petstores that much since I feed raw, but I still do need other items occasionally.

knny187

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #34 on: March 12, 2008, 08:12:05 AM »
What about Love birds?

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #35 on: March 12, 2008, 09:47:57 AM »
What about Love birds?

I think they would be too boring for me.  And I don't think they like to be handled?



 Hey Vet- I was re-reading your bird stories - they are pretty funny!!


  I mentioned an African Grey at the store (the conures were the only bigger birds there) and she said she wouldn't recommend it as a first bird.  I had considered one years ago.

Vet

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #36 on: March 12, 2008, 10:58:09 AM »
I believe, and again it was a lot of info I was trying to digest, the TO would be in another room in a different cage with dimmed lighting and mainly used for when it was being an overly squawking teenager.  When it was quiet and behaved he could join the family again.  Time outs were not to be used for everything, like you said working with the bird not just punishing it would be a better approach, but if it decided it just wanted to scream for hours just for the heck of it that would not be good.

Yeah, that would work fine. 

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On the biting she mentioned that birds use their beaks a lot as a foot, so learning how your bird does that will help prevent mistaken bites, and the bird instinctively bites harder if the object moves away, so when it is climbing on your finger using it's beak you get to know that.  Both of the birds used their beaks and I could hardly feel it.

The using the beak as a hand analogy is a really good one.  Thats actually by and large the "biting" I was talking about.  It happens all too common that a bird will reach out with its beak to touch an owner, the owner will freak because they are "getting bitten" and try to pull away, the bird bites down harder becuase it doesn't want to not touch the owner or worse yet, the owners movements cause it to loose its balance and it feels as if its falling, the owner bleeds. 

That said, there is a very distinct difference between a bird "tasting" and "touching" and a bird biting the crap out of you.   ;)

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I was going to look around and see what avian vets are around here also, and had planned on a visit shortly after if I got the bird, but thanks for the reminder. That is a specialized field? I believe you said you were working on getting that? So most dog and cat vets would not be where you would want to take a bird?

Where are you living at again?  I may be able to give you a recommendation on where to go.  Yes, avian medicine is a disstinct veterinary speciality (different from poultry medicine) recognized by the AVMA.  The specialists are American Board of Veterinary Practitioners: Avian.   A good avian veterinarian does not have to be a board certified specialist, they just need to be up to date on information about birds.  As a minimum I'd check to see that the are a member of the American Association of Avian Veterinarians---this is the association that publishs the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery and gives the annual conference (which is a week of continuing education on up to date avian medicine and surgery topics).   

I know several "dog and cat" vets who are good avian veterinarians becuase they take the time to learn about the uniqueness of the avian species.  I also know a few who claim to be "avian" veterinarians who are first class fuck ups when it comes to how they deal with avian patients. 

Check your PM's too, I sent you some information.

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 So, what about vaccines?   ::)    I don't know if they are supposed to get any, but I do know that birds are more susceptible to some diseases so if there are bird vacs you might just convince me to consider some or all.[/color]  8)

I dont' see a reason to vaccinate a pet bird in a situation like this. A vet who tries to tell you otherwise is trying to make a buck or they are thinking of something I'm sure not thinking of. 

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #37 on: March 12, 2008, 11:10:48 AM »
I don't have any pm's from you?   ???


 I'm in Rochester, NY and there is a guy listed on the aav.org site and in the yellow pages I found a few with DABVP after their names (the guy from the aav site does not have that).  So it would appear that there may be a few to choose from.


The big beak bites is why I think the bigger birds would not be for me, at least not as a novice.   When she told me about using there beaks, which I was aware of, but not the part about they will bite harder if you jerk your finger away, I made sure to let the bird let go and get situated and wasn't concerned about it.   :)

 I'm glad to hear that birds don't get vaccinated.
  ;D


  I might have to go visit him again.  I could end up looking like a weirdo but I would rather have someone being serious in a decision like that then going "wrap him up!"

~flower~

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #38 on: March 12, 2008, 11:50:14 AM »

~flower~

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #39 on: March 13, 2008, 08:19:36 AM »
saw the birdies yesterday  :D

w8m8

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #40 on: March 13, 2008, 08:25:34 AM »
Are they close by to you can you go a few times ? , they ( the salespeople) should really appreiciate you going at this the right way.

I think a few visits will be great and also help you feel more at ease handling them , I'm impressed by you ~flower~ in many ways.This is just one. :D

~flower~

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #41 on: March 13, 2008, 09:55:38 AM »
This has been bugging me. 

Did she tell you that the bird you saw would become a yellow bird when it was mature? 

A golden conure is an endangered species of all yellow conure. They are also known as a "queen of barvaria conure".  Sun conures have a predominantly green plumage when immature and develop the distinctive yellow, orange and red coloration on the head, abdomen, and back as they mature.   


I found an ad for one, beautiful bird:


http://www.birdbreeders.com/birds-Conures-Golden_Conure-FL-9590.aspx

~flower~

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #42 on: March 13, 2008, 10:14:27 AM »
Are they close by to you can you go a few times ? , they ( the salespeople) should really appreiciate you going at this the right way.

I think a few visits will be great and also help you feel more at ease handling them , I'm impressed by you ~flower~ in many ways.This is just one. :D


Yes, they are close.  I am going again after work and might not be empty handed when I leave.    8)

Butterbean

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #43 on: March 13, 2008, 11:43:50 AM »

Yes, they are close.  I am going again after work and might not be empty handed when I leave.    8)
It is beautiful....and $2000!
R

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #44 on: March 13, 2008, 11:48:23 AM »
It is beautiful....and $2000!

 STella that's not the bird I am looking at lololz!!  When I said the older one was yellow Vet wanted to make sure I wasn't being told it was a Golden Conure.

  But the Golden Conure is a gorgeous bird, but I think the Sun's are too!
  :)


   

Butterbean

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #45 on: March 13, 2008, 12:00:39 PM »
beautiful!
R

knny187

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #46 on: March 13, 2008, 12:25:34 PM »
You should get a red headed wood pecker

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #47 on: March 13, 2008, 12:31:31 PM »
You should get a red headed wood pecker

 They do have Cherry-headed conures. 


   

Geo

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #48 on: March 13, 2008, 12:41:32 PM »
whatever bird you buy is gonna have panic attacks and be mean as a snake with all those dogs you have running around its cage everyday

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Re: Any Bird Peeps here?
« Reply #49 on: March 13, 2008, 12:49:34 PM »
whatever bird you buy is gonna have panic attacks and be mean as a snake with all those dogs you have running around its cage everyday

   I bet it would mess with them actually.    Plus one good snip on the nose would teach em!