Hello

[Newbie]

Hi my name is Roni and I just registered. I have a brand new green cheek conure and I also have a canary that is about 5 years old. The canary’s name is Bodals. The green cheek is approx 4 ½ months old and his name is Tuki (assuming it’s a he). I did this all backwards and probably all wrong and I am trying to make sure I made the right decision. I saw him at a large chain pet store, and we stared each other down and he seemed to try to get on my finger through the glass when I put it up to him so I fell in love with him instantly and had to buy him impulsively without any parrot experience or knowledge. He was expensive and adding all of his required food and toys, etc., was (looking back) way over-priced and had I known I would have preferred to rescue one -which is how I acquire all of my pets. I got him home and set him up and THEN started researching how to take care of him and wow have I learned a lot! I hope I haven’t made a bad decision for him tho. I had planned to take him back to the store so that he has a chance at a better life than what I can provide for him considering I am single and work so much but I am so torn up about it! I was watching a lot of YouTube videos and they all say that they need you home nearly all day to be properly trained and happy but I just cannot. I came on here this morning looking for a minimum amount of time that can be spent with a conure and it still be trained and happy and I found this forum. Can anyone please give me some advice because I am in near tears at the thought of returning him but I really want what’s best for him even if that means a chance at a better life in a different home. I’m also in school online full time but that will be over in four months. He was interacting with me a little more but then I leave him all day when I’m at work. He comes to me when I go to the cage and he will take food from my hand but is starting to shy away more. He wants to come out but I have a cat and dog and need to be a little better prepared for that (like how will I catch him to put him back?). He needs to step up on command first I would think… Thank you! UPDATE*** soon after I posted this I went over and took him a piece of grape and after about 10 minutes of him taking, chewing, and then dropping it (and he let me pet his back) and then I’d get another, and at some point I put my hand up higher to coax him onto it (like I saw in a video) and after a couple of times he climbed onto my hand and then after eating his grape he stayed on there and “nibbled” all over my open hand and fingers. I think he’s going to be just fine. I just cannot take him back. I don’t want to. I’ll worry about him. My goal is to eventually work from home but who knows how long that’ll take. Anyway I’d still like any advice anyone has. I plan to let his wings grow out and by then he’ll be trained and I’ll be prepared. Thank you:)!!

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum. You did do everything backward but I assume that you thought that parrot care is, more or less, quite similar to a canary's... I mean, they are both birds, right? But I am afraid that you cannot be more wrong about this. Canaries are super duper easy to care for because they are natural seed eaters and do not need or even want too much human attention - while parrots require a complicated diet and require hours and hours of one-on-one attention as well as hours of out-of-cage. To make things worse, you pretty much chose one of the most 'needy' species there is. All parrots are needy but GCCs are much more so.

I don't know what to tell you because regardless of how much you like him, how hard you try and all your future plans of working at home, I am afraid that there is no way you can keep that little bird happy if you are not home during the day. You cannot interact with him at night because, if you do, you will mess up his endocrine system (research avian photoperiodism, avian endocrine system and avian reproductive system) and, even if that was not a problem, I do not know how you will squeeze 5 hours of one-on-one and 4 of flight in the evenings... GCCs are either the easiest, sweetest little birds or biting, screaming little rascals. You get the first if you feed it right (low protein, low fat, high fiber, high moisture), keep it at a strict solar schedule and practically spend your entire day with him either following you around the house or perched on your shoulder. And you get the screams and bites (and even plucking) if you don't. Things will go OK now because you are dealing with a baby (by the way, you need to feed it soft food, you can't feed it adult food yet) but, as soon as the bird becomes sexually mature, everything will change.

The ONLY thing I can think of is for you to have the bird DNAd and get another one of the opposite gender so t hey grow up together and bond to each other - that way, they will make each other company when you are not there. I wish I could help you more but nothing else will work in the long term.

[Newbie]

Thank you so much for that information! You’ve given me more to think about and research:) I definitely will not get a second conure unless and until I can adequately take care of one… otherwise I will look into all of that.

[Pajarita]

Think about this VERY carefully because, if you get a second bird now, they will bond for sure BUT, if you wait and keep the little baby alone all day long for months, it will be VERY difficult as you will end up, most likely, with a disaffected bird which will be no good for people.

Please do not think of yourself on this, think of the baby's wellbeing and happiness.

[Beerry2]

Thank you very much for this information. Very accessible and understandable written, you need to think about it
time tracking software