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Hello from Boston

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Hello from Boston

Postby Navre » Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:43 am

I currently have one bird, a turquoise green cheek conure named Ocean.

I have had other birds in the past, including an African grey who I hand fed in 1990. Unfortunately, after my children were born, she was very aggressive toward them. Rather than keep her confined all the time, we gave her to a family member who had other birds. She seemed to do well there.

I had always said that I would never choose another bird, I would wait for one to choose me. I was a little worried when I saw a hyacinth at a local store. If that bird chose me I'd be out about $12,000! It wasn't the hyacinth, but a little, 6 month old green cheek conure that chose me. Even though the people at the pet store said that he was not too fond of being handled, he came right to me and let me hold him, scratch his head, even play with his feet. I went back to the store several times and finally took him home about 2 weeks ago. He has a cage that's about 30"x 30"x 60". It seems so big for such a tiny bird, but it allows me to put a bunch of toys and various perches in there.

Ocean's wings are clipped, but he can fly inside his cage, from perch to perch, etc.

Ocean does seem to chew on my hands a lot. This does not seem to be out of fear or aggression. He has never drawn blood. He also tends to chew on my shirt a lot, but again, never does any damage.

I'm dealing with some screaming issues, mostly resulting from Ocean calling back to the scolding of Blue Jays outside, of trying to get the attention of the flock of sparrows that seems to feed on my lawn often.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Lady » Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:14 pm

Hello Navre,
Welcome to the forum. This is a wonderful place full of information and folks who care about our feathered friends.
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Lady
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 75
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Illiger's Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Wolf » Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:46 pm

Welcome to the forum, I hope that you and Ocean will like it here. How old is Ocean? If he is young enough you may want to consider giving him some soft food a couple of times a day. He is probably not actually biting but doing a thing that is called beaking, It looks like biting but really it is just him exploring and checking things out. Parrots use their beak like it was a third hand. They taste things to see if they may be good to eat, they grab things to figure out if they will hold their weight and be good for climbing on. they bite things to see if they shred just right to be fun and a host of other things and sometimes they actually bite down harder than they should, not because they have any desire to cause pain but they just don't know how hard is too hard until you very gently teach them how hard is too hard.

While it is possible that he screams in response to the other birds outside, it is more likely that he screams due to wanting something soft to eat and/ or because he is being left alone and wants you to come back so that he doesn't have to be alone. In their natural environment no parrot is ever alone from the time it hatches to the day that it dies, it is always surrounded by its parents, siblings or other members of its flock. They don't do well when left alone, it stresses them out and causes them to be afraid.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Navre » Sun Aug 10, 2014 5:52 pm

Ocean was hatched on January 26, 2014.

I'll try the soft food. He does like melon and blueberries.

I'm pretty sure the screaming is in response to the birds outside. He'll do it when he hears a blue jay, even if he's on my shoulder.

Thanks for the greetings!
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Navre » Sun Aug 10, 2014 6:13 pm

Image
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Wolf » Mon Aug 11, 2014 3:32 am

Great picture, thanks for sharing it with us. My parrots mostly ignore the calls of the birds outside, they do answer them once in a while, but not often. they do watch them a lot and seem to enjoy that. He may indeed be answering them, each bird is different.
May I suggest that you change the perch that he is on in the picture as dowel rods are not good for their feet?
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Pajarita » Mon Aug 11, 2014 9:26 am

Welcome to the forum. Beautiful little bird you have there, but Wolf is right, that perch has got to go. For one thing, it's a dowel (even circumference and too rigid) but, for another, it's too big for him (the ideal size is when the bird can wrap its toes around it but the nails from the front toes don't quite touch the ones from the back toes). Best thing for them are natural tree branches (I don't like Java or manzanita, too hard and too smooth) because they are not straight (good exercise for toes, feet and leg muscles), they have different circumferences all around (so the bird doesn't always put pressure on the same spots on their soles), nthey have bark (good for their claws as well as entertainment) and they have bounce (dowels are rigid and the bird gets too hard an impact on their joints when they land on them).

I also doubt he is answering the birds outside. Most likely, he thinks of them as competition for his human's affection. My GCCs never made a peep if they were on me, only when they were in their cage or separated from each other (they are extremely needy little birds which require hours and hours and hours of shoulder time or they get bitey).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Navre » Mon Aug 11, 2014 2:11 pm

Thanks.

That perch is up on top of the cage. I don't know if i can change it. It's attached to a metal rod.

Inside the cage he has many different perches, including a couple of natural branches, a rope perch, and a sand perch. They are all oddly shaped, but they are all fairly big. I'll try to get some smaller stuff for him.

In getting the biggest cage I could, I think I ended up with a cage intended for a larger bird.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Harpmaker » Mon Aug 11, 2014 2:16 pm

Welcome to the forum, Navre!

If you have a cage intended for a larger bird, check the bar spacing to be sure a GCC can't wiggle out-or worse, get stuck half-way.

My bird got in a sing-off with the mockingbirds outside once, but we were outside at the time. Maybe Ocean will find that the wild birds ignore him and quit. Or are your windows open so they can interact?
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Harpmaker
Amazon
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Hello from Boston

Postby Wolf » Mon Aug 11, 2014 2:32 pm

At the worst the dowel on top is held on by two screws they are meant to be changed because parrots chew on wood.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

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