Nanday/Sun Conure?

[Machelle]

When my folks were out for Christmas they fell in love with Caesar. They dont really have any bird experience (other than my dad and keets when he was a kid) but wanted a big bird who talked. I've been trying to convince them that a big bird is not necessarily the best to start out with. Yesterday a good deal came along and they are thrilled. So am I since its a conure. This bird is a Nanday/Sun Conure mix. LOL! He's very cute...and loud....LOL! Anyway...has anyone ever heard of a conure mix like this? I'm a little miffed at the peple we purchased him from. I'm not sure how long they've had him but he's 8 months old and they admitted to my husband that they fed him pot stems. Since I'm not sure how long they had him, does anyone know if that will hurt him? Their excuse was "that's what they would eat in the wild". GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Some people. Anyway, he seems healthy, even though they smoked around him. They said they usually didn't but its been too cold to go outside. That angered me alot. Hubby brought him home and my house REAKED of cigarette smoke. My parents are coming by tonight to pick him up and to get some "lessons" on how to handle him. Anyone have any thoughts on this mixture of conure?

[AmandaB]

I think it's what they refer to as a Sunday conure. I think a Sunday is either a Nanday/Sun or a Jenday/Sun. I have a Sun, and they sure are loud. They usually don't have a high talking ability although I'm sure some of them learn some words.

As for the cigarette smoke, it would be a good idea to try and get it off of him. It's really the tar on his feathers that you are smelling. I had a cockatoo brought to my house with the same problem, it took many baths to get it off of her. I used regular blue Dawn dishsoap and rinsed well. Other wise you have to wait until the feathers are molted.

Not sure about the pot stems. I know someone who has a cockatiel who was fed pot seeds, not sure what effect is has on their health. I can't imagine it would be good.

Good luck with him! Conures can be really fun to live with!

[Tiki]

I also thought a Sunday was a Sun/Jenday mix. I didn't think Nandays could breed with other birds. Can you please post some pics? I would love to see him, I bet he is a cutie!

[Monica]

Sunday normally refers to jendays/sun hybrids. Nansun refers to nanday/sun. It's confusing when people mix them up however... Tiki, here's some pics that I've saved...

It really depends on who the father and mother is, and two birds may never look alike...

Now as far as pot stems, that would be hard to say. I once say a budgie in a home where people were smoking pot, drinking alcohol, cigarettes, cigars... the owners did move into a much cleaner home and later on I actually took Smurf in... he is one very happy little bird now! But as far as anything, it may actually be safe. Hemp seed is sometimes fed to birds, and is said to be good for beaks and feathers. Hemp is not very much different to that of pot (marijuana) seeds. So, as far as feeding the stem to the bird, it MIGHT just be fine.


As to the smell of the feathers, what you can do (which is better than dish soap), is to buy a bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby soap, put one full capfull into a 32oz spray bottle with water, and spray it onto the bird. Do this as long as it takes to remove the smell. This leaves the bird smelling great and helps clean and make the feathers shine!

[Irish]

The bird store I frequent sells hemp seeds in bulk (which are just basically the "original" pot seeds/plants before they were specifically cultivated to increase their THC and the associated "high"--hemp is for rope and fibres, "pot" is for getting high), and the staff tells me it does something to help prepare breeding birds for having babies. How, I don't have a clue. So the little conure may be eating something a bit more potent--but truly, unless it was eating the flowers (which I doubt--the pot smokers would undoubtedly save the best part of the plant for themselves), eating the leaves probably won't hurt him (much). I'd be much more worried about second-hand smoke!

My Sun Conure usually doesn't seem loud at all to me (the exception being when he sees us through the window while we're outside and he's not). Maybe he's an anomaly, or maybe it's just 'cause I'm used to cockatoos and macaws :-). He doesn't talk, but he makes squawks in cadence to something that sounds like he's trying to "step up", "Hello!" and "Hello Pete!"

[AmandaB]

The baby shampoo may be better in regards that it's tearless. Not sure how good it is in getting nicotine tar off of feathers, but just spraying it on is not really going to be effective. You need to massage the bird with the soap to loosen the tar. Believe me, I just went through this with that cockatoo. I tried plain water, adding soap to the spray bottle, sponging her with soapy water, the only thing that worked was washing her with the soap like you would wash yourself. You also need to rinse well, so if you do mix with water and spray on, you need to spray again with plain water. The soap will leave a residue and your bird will ingest it while preening, which is not good at all, baby shampoo or not.

[The Outlaw]

Amanda:

You beat me to it (LOL). I use about a capful of Johnson's Baby shampoo to a quart of lukewarm water and mist dirty birds heavily until they drip. Then, I take them into the shower and soak them to the skin to remove the stinky mess from their past homes. It sometimes takes repeated shampoos over a few weeks to get them truly clean. I wish folks could appreciate how disgusting smoke is to birds and the mess it leaves behind. How anyone can continue around children and birds is beyond me.

[AmandaB]

I agree Nancy. Ignorance is no longer an accepted excuse IMO. This poor cockatoo was almost a light tan because of the tar on her feathers. Her cage was so coated with it, it took me 2 hours and 6 brillo pads to get it semi-clean. When we brought home her new cage, the old went right in the trash.

It took me and several other family members years to get the smokers in the family to do it outside, regardless of who's home they are in. It's disgusting to come from a smoker's home reeking, I hate smelling it on myself, but to smell it on my children makes me angry.

[Tiki]

Monica.............ahhh, a Nansun? That is a new one on me! Gorgeous birds, thanks for the pics!

[Monica]

Yep, that would be it! I've got a few more hybrid pics here... http://photobucket.com/albums/0903/MonicaNFids/Hybrids/