Skittles Update: Nose Obsession and Orange Juice

[Kirsten]

Ok, yeah, I wanted to fit both of these concerns into one post. First off, the nose thing. I know birds naturally like to nibble and get into things. However, often, when she's cuddling and just playing with me, Skittles will NOT leave my nose alone. I don't mean the bridge, I mean I'll wake up in the morning with her entire beak inside my nostril. I don't know what it is she wants in there but shes seems to want the goods inside. Now where I'm concerned is that if mammal saliva is toxic to birds, I'd imagine mucus in my nose isn't much better. No matter what I do, I can't keep her away. So while it's occasionally funny, it's also annoying and I don't even want to think of what it could do to her health. Does anyone have any suggestions for training her to keep her gold digging?

Now on to the lesser subject. In the morning, I tend to mix up some apple juice and orange juice. Well one morning Skittles hopped off my shoulder and starting drinking it out of my cup! Now I didn't stop her because I figured that hey, it's just fruit juice. Birds like fruit...so it should be okay right? I only let her have a little and she went back to water. I just wanted to make sure there isn't something I should know that might be harmful to her. Or, if it might actually be a good thing.

Other updates: Skittles got a wonderful tree perch for Christmas that has wheels so she can play while I'm downstairs. I started giving her nutriberries since I can usually pick up the pieces she bit off so she can better eat them. Her tummy is a bit concerning. She has some tiny patches of missing feathers, but the white fluff underneath is still there so I don't think she's picking. I could be wrong, but she actually only spends 6-8 hours a day in her cage. The rest of the time she is playing on her tree, snuggling underneath my snuggie with me or yes, I admit, and I'm aware of how dangerous it is, sleeping with me in my bed. I have never rolled on top of her since she either gets comfy on my pillow or on my stuffed bear. She doesn't like to sleep in her cage from what I can tell. Ever since she's been sleeping with me though, she's waaay more affectionate and much more receptive to training.

She's completely desensitized to loud noises like vacuums and yes, hair dryers, which she likes to be blown with on low after a shower. After the patches on her tummy showed up though, I've tried to limit doing that for fear that I could be drying out her skin. Her colors are coming in very slowly. I'm beginning to wonder if she's a sunday instead of a sun conure. I'm not going to say for sure until she's a year old though. Last but not least, I'm also considering that her cage could be too dirty and could be making her feathers fall out. The reason I worry is my dad told me a story about his amazon when he was younger that got sick from the fumes in his cage after not being cleaned out for days. He also had a sheet over the cage the whole time. I know, horrible, but my dad didn't know any better at the time. She doesn't act sick, but I'm going to start a routine and dump the stuff at the bottom at least once a week. The corn stuff is kinda costly though, there's bars in between so it would be fine just to use newspaper since she can't get to it right?

All in all, Skittles is the best pet I've ever had so far. She's smart, adorable and has a personality that can be almost human at times. Even though she doesn't have the speaking capability, I wouldn't trade her for any other bird. I considered getting her a buddy in the future since I'll have a hectic schedule a couple years from now, but decided I don't think it would be necessary. I think I would have difficulty trying to divide my attention between the two and give them both the love they deserve. Plus, I have an awesome family that would be willing to baby sit her if it came down to it. For now, I'm about to start a new job that will actually let me take her to work possibly once a week. I just can't express through text how much I love her.

Ok, got a little carried away with this post...sorry!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

As long as she gets her own modest portion of juice, I think it is probably fine for her. Snot, however, is definitely not. And you can probably only manage that by keeping her away from your nose. After a while she may lose interest. SCooter went through a period of making a beeline for earrings any time I was wearing them and now it is a very occasional behavior. I am hoping Scotty will likewise lose his current obsession with ears, which seem to appear to him to be extra-fun leather chew toys, but I digress.

I guess I would encourage you to think carefully about the sleeping with her thing. I know you say you know it is dangerous, but it is VERY dangerous indeed and we've had one of the forum members recently lose a bird this way. Do the benefits really outweigh the risks? It only has to go wrong once, and I'm guessing over 20 years times 365 days a year times 8 hours a night the probability of something going wrong on just one of those occasions has got to very high, maybe nearly guaranteed. I think you need to be sure you'd be able to handle that and feel that it really had been worth it. I don't think there is any way to make sharing a bed with a parrot safe.

Why not give her a bedside sleep cage on your nightstand?

[zazanomore]

What kind of orange juice? Store bought juices are filled with added sugars, and are hardly good for us. If you can, give her juices without added aspartame or sugars.

As for him going for your nose, your just going to have to be persistent with getting him away from it. When he starts attacking your nose, just give him something better to do. I think he'll lose interest.

And I have to agree with sleeping with your fid. I remember the person on this forum who had fallen asleep with their green cheek conure, and the conure ended up over heating. My baby Einstein has his cage right next to my bed. He's the first thing I see in the morning, and the last thing I see at night. And I know he's safe.

I'm waiting for spring, but my family is opening up a chip truck. I don't think that would be a proper place to bring Einstein. Your lucky to be able to bring in your sun conure to work.

We all get a little carried away about our fids, so don't sweat it

[Kirsten]

Hmm...a bedside cage...I didn't think about that! As far as the orange juice it's pulp-free Tropicana. It's low acid due to my horrible stomach problems. I never thought about the overheating issue as well for the bird. It's winter now, so it's not an issue yet, but my room is in the finished attic of my house...summer will not be a good time for being under the covers. What would be cool is if I could get like a mini cage for her that might be wall mounted or hooked on the bars on my headboard. Give her a nice cozy hut...speaking of which, she finally chewed through the band that holds up her cozy hut. I've been using a safety pin to keep it up but I really don't feel comfortable using that. The only solutions I can come up with all involve using metal though! >.<

So I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow to get her nails clipped. They're starting to get painful. I'm curious to see how the vet will handle her though...she's not exactly a ragdoll when it comes to handling her. Heck, I've been trying to train her on a harness for months and yesterday I guess I was a little too rough and she bit the heck out of me! I was going to do it at first but I felt I should see someone else do it first so I don't hurt her. Oh, and I finally cleaned out the bottom of her cage today. All clean and ready for the inevitable storm of poop and seeds! Hopefully that will keep her nice and healthy.

Anywho, do you guys have any suggestions for bedside cages? I'd prefer it to be smaller so it isn't her permanent one. I actually keep a space heater next to hers right now so it can't be too far from the plug in the wall.

[zazanomore]

For just a sleeping cage, why not just get one of those cockatiel cages?
http://elite-pets.com/830.asp
Something like that. It's not too small, and it's not super big. Perfect size for just sleeping (plus there's room for a few toys).

My cockatiel is in a cage almost exactly like the one I posted. He spends most of the day, about 3/4 of his time outside of it. It works well for him, and I'm sure it would be good for your sun conure.

However, I am upgrading my cages, as I'm going to start working and then I'm going to school, so in the next few weeks he should be in his new flight cage.

Good luck!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

For a sleep cage, you might even be able to fit up her carrier that you use for vet visits with a few "home comforts".

If you have a sleep hut that is getting worn, replacing it is probably safest. Frayed threads from anything, if they are long enough, can pose a hazard.

[Kirsten]

I'll be honest, I use a cat carrier right now. It hasn't really been modified yet...

I'm working on getting something better though. In other news, SKITTLES HAD HER FIRST VET VISIT TODAY!

She was an angel. Of course, she struggled a little when she got her nails clipped but even right after that she was crawling all over the vet and her assistant and letting them pet her. Even they were surprised. The vet thinks the bits of feathers being lost on her tummy are just winter dryness and recommended a spray that will keep her moist and comfy. Trust me, Skittles got quite a peanut buttery reward afterwards! Right now I can tell she's wiped out since she's fighting closing her eyes on her perch right now.

I was very lucky to come across this vet. I love her! She's also very close to home. Overall, very good day for Skittles.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Yay Skittles!

I think people fairly often use cat carriers for sleep cages, FWIW. Put a perch in and a water dish...