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Hello! New Member!

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Hello! New Member!

Postby Heather0044 » Sun Jan 29, 2017 11:00 pm

Hello! My name is Heather and I am owned by two conures. I used to have cockatiels, finches, green cheeks, African gray, eclectus and a Quaker parrot, but sadly had to rehome them all because I lost my home and my future was uncertain - it was the hardest thing I've had to do, and I've missed them all since. I had been living in a townhome for 10 years and decided it was time to adopt. I found Georgie the Nanday on Craigslist. The lady told me he was a green cheek and sent me a picture of a green cheek (not him). I brought him home (he was in a box so I couldn't see him) and when I opened the box and put him in the cage, I knew immediately he was a Nanday. I had no experience with Nandays other than I knew they were loud and living in a townhome I didn't think I should have him here.

Well, in one week I fell in love with him and he stayed. He's about 3 years old from what they told me, although I don't know what to believe from them. The cage they gave me for him was filthy, barren and wreaked of smoke. I don't think they knew how to care for him, and were inexperienced. They said they fed him pizza, French fries, mac n cheese and gave me a sack of seeds. I've had him only for two weeks and he's already flying to us and letting us pet him. He seems very interested in me and sits with me on the chair or my leg for hours. However, he has been flying at my 9 year old son's head every time he walks by, and I'm not so sure it's a friendly thing. Do you have any recommendations on curbing that behavior? I clipped all of my bird's wings before, so this flying thing is new to me. I wanted him to keep his flight feathers. Do you keep wings clipped or let your birds fly around?

I adopted BettyLou this weekend - a green cheek Conure. She's very sweet and they had clipped her wings. She's 5 months old.

Thank you for any advice, and I look forward to getting to know everyone!
Heather0044
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Nanday Conure, Green Cheek Conure
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello! New Member!

Postby liz » Mon Jan 30, 2017 7:25 am

Myrtle uses a fly by as a greeting. She has also learned she can make noise with it by grabbing my aunt's hair on the way by. I had a Veteran friend who would have to grab his hat when he came to visit. She would take it.

Whatever you bird means by flying at you son can be changed to something good. Have him try putting his hands up and saying hello when she does this. She should start going to his hands instead.

Of course I could be wrong. Each bird has it's own personality. I have tried things that don't make sense to others. Others will come on with more ideas.
User avatar
liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Hello! New Member!

Postby Wolf » Mon Jan 30, 2017 7:30 am

I do not clip any of my birds wings, although it makes it more difficult to keep them from places that I do not want them to go. Still flying is such an integral part of being a bird that it is tied into nearly all of a birds systems and as such it affects them not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I believe that because of this that not clipping a birds wings makes it a healthier and happier bird.

As for the bird flying at your son's head it is most likely that the bird is just trying to land on the highest spot on your son. Since this type of bird lives in the canopy of the forest it naturally equates being higher with being safer. I would wait and see if the bird just lands there or if it tries to bite after it lands, However if the bird seems to bite your son in any other circumstance such as just being perched on his hand then I would assume that the bird may be trying to chase your son away from you. This would be a sexual or hormonal response as these birds usually only choose one person as their special human and will try to defend their rights to that human by chasing any rival away.

If this last is the case then you will need to limit your physical contact with your son in the presence of this bird while trying to get the bird to accept your son as a part of its flock.
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! New Member!

Postby Pajarita » Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:41 am

Welcome to the forum! You don't say how long you've had the nanday and that makes a difference in the behavior... The 'fly by the head' can be one of two things, he is either, as Wolf suggested, flying by to see if he can perch on his head or he is warning your son to stay away from you. The flight pattern is different so I will describe both and you tell us which one it is but, personally, I think he is doing the latter. When they fly over the head looking for a place to perch, they kind of hover above it or they fly in a round pattern maintaining the flight, more or less, parallel to the floor. But, when they fly to warn people off, they kind of swoop down right above the head, going down first and then up, and, usually, turning around and doing the same thing again.

Now, clarify something for me. You actually adopted a 5 month old GCC from somebody else who had bought it but no longer wanted it or did you buy it from a store or a breeder? Because I would be very worried if a 5 month old bird was been rehomed... Also, you are quarantining it (them?), right? And feeding soft food twice a day?
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
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


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