Hello! I'm new, thinking of a Conure :)

[kim921]

Originally Posted by Eliza

Can you indeed have parrots at your campus? Colleges that allow pets in on-campus housing are few and far between now. Those that do allow pets often impose restrictions. Suns can be TREMENDOUSLY noisy and in a dorm, there are lots of noises at all hours that may set a sun off at inappropriate times.

As far as traveling abroad with a parrot? I'm not saying that it cannot be done but it is a time consuming process and will most likely require quarantine at a government facility at one or both ends of the journey. I can't imagine that any semester abroad programs allow the students to have pets on campus.

Honestly? I'd wait until you are either out of college or at the very, least until AFTER your semester in Spain. That way you'll have time to get used to the college lifestyle and figure out if you have time for a parrot, too.

Best wishes,

-e-

Thank you so much! I totally agree...I would not want to deal with taking a bird abroad and it's more trouble than it's worth really. And since suns can be so loud, I don't want to get one until I know where I am living. Some campus housing is off campus a bit in actual houses so it would be a lot different than apartment or dorm setting. Technically, NO pets of any kind(the residence life director says, "if I can drown it, it's not allowed") ...so, to fufill any bit of a pet yearning I have, I bought two goldfish. Haha. But I know people who have budgies or hampsters, etc. that sneak them into their rooms. There are rarely inspections and they are never surprise so they get away with it. Living in a house would give me a bit of opportunity, but I will probably wait at least another year after my study abroad. Patience is a virtue.

[kim921]

Originally Posted by Monica

I would suggest reading this thread....
Bird Safe Fresh Foods & Toxic Food Lists + Sprouts

I would not recommend feeding peanuts at all, but do feed a variety of foods... instead of feeding dry seeds, try feeding sprouted seeds! Keep the protein low in the diet, but be sure to feed foods high in vitamin A!!! You could supplement the diet with red palm oil. You may also want to add Essential Fatty Acids to the diet in small portions.

Some good foods in particular to feed include the following...
Cherries or Black Cherry Juice
Milk Thistle (extract or?)
Flax (freshly ground or oil)
Dandelion Roots/Leaves (fresh, no pesticides/chemical fertilizers)
Aloe (juice or fresh from the plant)

Might want to look into probiotics, full spectrum lighting, and possibly a vitamin supplement.

What tests did the vet do? Did they recommend any particular diet? Can you find out what the 'parrot blend' you are now feeding?


Ideally, you want to be feeding a variety of fresh foods daily... such as mixing cooked grains, cooked legumes, fresh/frozen veggies, and some fresh/frozen fruits together.

Thank you for the response! That is alot of great info. I will pass that along to my mom since Albert is at home and she takes care of him. I just cannot remember the brand. It is food in pellet form in different colors and shapes. Some are shaped like bananas, others are round like oranges, but they're small. He only likes certain colors and throws the rest out or leaves them in the bowl I do not know what tests were taken either because I wasn't there and was a bit younger so I don't remember...I do think he needs a wider variety of food but he is always getting things from our table that don't have butter or alot of sugar. I did tell my mom to feed him more grains though. He gets oatmeal from time to time.

I have heard that peanuts are bad, the shell anyways, but that a few peanuts a day or so will not hurt. He really loves them so I don't think we can take those away from him, he specifically forages for that in the seed mix! We don't feed him peanuts that we would eat though, with salt or anything else on them.

Thanks again I really appreciate it!

[NaniOokami]

I have heard that peanuts are bad, the shell anyways, but that a few peanuts a day or so will not hurt. He really loves them so I don't think we can take those away from him, he specifically forages for that in the seed mix! We don't feed him peanuts that we would eat though, with salt or anything else on them.

Peanuts aren't particularly wonderful for them in the shell or out of it, because they're very fatty. I would say that a few peanuts a week might be okay, but not a few on a daily basis. Try substituting with healthier nuts, like almonds or pecans. Shelled peanuts in seed mixes are also really bad. These peanuts are typically not human-grade, so the content of mold and fungus possibly growing in the shells is much higher than anything for people. I'd say if you have to give peanuts as a treat, buy unsalted human-grade peanuts. I always remove them from my Conure's seed mix.
Peanuts are a great source of some nutrients, but nothing that can't be replaced with other much healthier and less fatty nuts.

[Monica]

Sounds like Zupreem Fruitblend... If possible, I'd recommend TOP's, Foundation Formula, Roudybush, or Harrison's. None of these are colored but may be a healthier alternative than the Zupreem (although I do feed Zupreem Natural, I also feed quite a bit of fresh foods, too - and someday I'd like to switch to somethin else! that is, if I can get the birds to eat it.... >.< )

Best of luck with helping out your mom and her zon! And hey, time flies! You've got a lot of time that you can be researching on getting the bird of your choice! Heck, you may decide you'd like something else, or some other bird picks you!

[kim921]

Thanks to both of you! :)

About the nuts, why would they put them in bird food if it is not good for them? I know there are low-quality bird food out there, but my mom buys him very good food! We have tried other brands of food but he is so insanely picky! I just don't get it. Haha.

Thanks for the advice though, He only gets the peanuts that are in the food, so it really isn't that many. But since they are fatty he probably shouldn't be eating too many! He was overweight when he went to the vet but that was a couple years ago and he has slimmed down just a little :P

We buy our bird food at PetSmart or Bowmans, a local place. So which of those brands is sold in stores?

[Monica]

Just because they sell it doesn't make it healthy. Prime Example - Cigarettes. Need I say more?


Perhaps he needs to be re-examined by an avian vet, with a full blood panel?

[NaniOokami]

Not to Hijack the thread, but I was really surprised when my Petsmart started carrying Roudybush - so I bought some for Trinkets. It was actually quite reasonably priced, too. I didn't think he'd take to it, since there weren't any colors. (He was eating Fruitblend, because that's all I could get him to eat at first) Strangely enough, he did! He gets a little bit of both, for now. The dyes in the Fruitblend aren't wonderful, but he was still doing so much better on it than the diet they had him on in the shop. Ouch. Took him a good long while to convert, too.

Back on topic, though: Another thing with most seed mixes, is that most of them use the majority sunflower seeds. There was only one bag at the Petsmart that wasn't majority sunflower. Sunflower is another one of those that's okay for a treat now and again, but on a daily basis should really be avoided. It's very fatty, very oily. The reason they put so many peanuts and sunflower seeds in parrot seed mixes is that they're cheap filler. Even some of the "better brands" at the pet stores are usually majority filler. Your best bet for seed mixes is a bird specialty store, or online. They actually have a really nice mix down at the pet store downtown where I live, but I refuse to give them business because they take such poor care of all their animals.

In reality, though, your 'Zon probably doesn't need too much in the run of seeds right now, the Pelleted diet with some fresh fruits and veggies should do pretty good. Conures should have a small amount of seed in their diet because of their activity levels, same with budgies and parrotlets. I've heard that 'Tiels should have some as well, but I know the one I grew up with usually sat like a bump on a log.

Does he like to try new foods from you? He might really enjoy other types of nuts, if he does! Good luck with him, he's a pretty boy. :)