Hi, my name is Jen and I am new to living with indoor birds. I've been reading here for awhile, but thought I should introduce us Thank you for all the wonderful discussions and information on this forum - it has been a wealth of new information to digest and learn more about.
Baby and Tango recently joined our household (January). They were being rehomed together. Baby is a 6 year old sun conure and Tango is about a year and a half old GCC. They have been together since Tango was a baby, so were rehomed as a pair. I did a lot of reading before deciding what type of birds to get, and had narrowed it down to conures or cockatiels being the best fit for us. It happened that these sweeties needed a new home and that made the decision for me. I also volunteer at a local parrot sanctuary/rescue, which has been educational as well. If I can figure out how to post pictures, I'll get some posted.
It has been a learning adventure so far! No amount of reading fully prepares you for living with them - although it did help
They came to us on a seed diet, which I've been working to make more balanced. I transitioned them from seeds to tops pellets, and have been giving them fruits and veggies twice per day. So far we like apples, mango, banana, carrot (only cooked), sweet potatoes (cooked), blueberries and quinoa. We hate broccoli and leafy greens, but I keep putting it in.... just in case they change their mind. I have all the goods to try making gloop, so that will be the next thing that they get to sample. Seeds are currently a treat, but their diet has been slowly changing and we'll eventually settle into something more balanced as we figure out likes/dislikes, quantities, etc.
They've definitely been socialized in their past life, and seem to be used to people and affectionate - thankfully. Their training seems to have been pretty minimal, so we'll start working on the basics over the next while. Tango (GCC) was really bitey (although he always wanted to be on me), but that's been diminishing over the last few weeks (for which my fingers are very grateful). Baby puts her beak on me, but never bites - and she loves to give kisses. They're very lovey with us and with each other. They live together in a very large cage (they came with it), and are out most of the time when we are home. They are flighted and have free run of the house when they are out. They've not been sexed, so we really don't know for sure what gender they are. Baby is rumored to have laid an egg (2 owners ago) so we assume she's female. But I'd like to find out for sure when I take them to the vet.
Sorry for the novel... I do have a couple of questions that I'd love opinions on.
Would you take them to the vet together, or separately? They are so attached to each other, I'd hate to separate them - but they can be a handful when they are scared. We have 2 avian vets in the area so I'm fortunate to have options.
How do you tell if birds are bonded, or just good friends? Mine groom each other, sleep together in the snuggle hut, go everywhere together and occasionally feed each other. I'm very curious if this means anything, or if it is just typical flock behavior?