Green cheeked conure dropping feathers

[Wabledoodle]

So my fiancee and I just brought home our first parrot, a green cheeked conure. Due to situations with moving we actually purchased him about 3 weeks ago and have been visiting him daily so he knew us really well when we first brought him home this past monday. Because of this he doesn't seem at all freaked out by the new home and surroundings and likes nothing more than hanging out with us.

However, we've noticed that when we clean out his cage in the morning there's between 1 and 5 (usually 2 or 3) of his small grey downy feathers at the bottom of the cage. It doesn't seem like he's nervously plucking, and we definitely haven't seen any of his larger colored feathers. Is this shedding just normal side effects of his preening and replacing old feathers, or is this likely to be a stress related issue that we should be worried about?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Sounds like molting to me. Scooter's cage often has the same "evidence" and he definitely isn't plucking. Birds exposed to artificial light and climate control often molt in a semicontinuous fashion--or so I have read.

[birdvet]

I agree, nothing to worry about, as long as he is otherwise happy and healthy. Losing feathers is normal so nothing to be concerned about. You'll notice pin feathers will start to grow to replace the lost feathers.

Enjoy your new companion, conures are wicked little pets

[bmsweb]

Enjoy your new companion, conures are wicked little pets

100% on the money there!!

Train your bird too if you like because they pick tricks up VERY quickly

[jayebird]

Thank you for the info (I'm wable's fiancee) We're trying very hard not to be "helicopter parrot parents" to our little guy, but he loves nothing more than attention and just hanging out with us and as first-time bird owners we're trying to be alert to everything.

We've had him home for less than a week and he's already got target training *down* and he also responds to "Mango: Come!" with a verbal command and hand signal. He's not flighted for now so he'll scoot across and climb whatever he's on to step up onto a hand. We're trying to figure out where to go next....maybe "wave"? Do you think that's a good next step?

He's also so tame that we can lift his wings and spread his tail and touch/pet him anywhere so we're trying to figure out how to keep developing that tameness and use it to train more tricks.

Here's another question: He's comfortable being held on his back and getting scritches, but he feels the need to hold onto a finger with his feets while on his back and doesn't like to be without that clutch even if his full weight is on his back. How do we encourage him to completely relax on his back in our hands?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

He's comfortable being held on his back and getting scritches, but he feels the need to hold onto a finger with his feets while on his back and doesn't like to be without that clutch even if his full weight is on his back. How do we encourage him to completely relax on his back in our hands?

Well, Bill did this with Scooter, by just very gently detaching his feet repeatedly. I actually don't mind his "hanging on" because my hand is so much smaller than Bill's, I am not sure I could guarantee I wouldn't drop him!

[jayebird]

Starting doing that this afternoon and he's already fine with it It's so funny to just watch him on his back....I give him a little wooden clothespin to chew on and now he has both feet free to play with it, too. Thanks for the advice!

[Giantmoa]

its funny, my gcc insists on holding onto something when she's on her back too or else she waves her little feet in the air until I relent and give her a pencil or a finger and then she's just fine... its mostly just a pain when I want to clip her nails...