Hi all

Sorry for not dropping by these few weeks. Knox bird clinic is a blast. I never want to leave. I love it so much - I'm so glad that I've gotten a taste of what I said I'd always do, and ended up even more determined to do it (rather than realising it was not what I wanted).

 

I knew, I always knew that I would do work at the bird clinic and end up wanting a new bird. Well, it happened. A person that works there has a friend-of-a-friend with a young green cheeked conure, the person had bought it without prior planning and it ended up not being what he wanted. It is also starting to get nippy. So he is looking for a new home for the conure. I read up on it and am thinking... maybe I will adopt this bird.

 

I am thinking out loud here, so don't feel obliged to give me advice, but I always value your opinions. It's so sudden for me, but part of me really really wants to own a bigger parrot than a budgie and train it up and all that. But am I really ready for an intelligent animal known to be nippy, destructive and noisy? Should I start with a baby cockatiel instead and hand raise it? My mum has also said that if it's my bird I have to pay for all its bills. As it is, I don't make much money, but in a year I will be working and will be able to treat it myself. I know it shouldn't be about money but this is an adoption and I would not be expected to pay much for it. It is rare to get a chance like this I think. It would also be a good project for me to train a bird, to put everything I have learnt about it into practice. I am very interested in avian behaviour and would love to teach my future clients about it.

 

Part of me says just do it, it will be amazing and rewarding to have a new bird to teach. Another says to start slow and not to rush into things. So I am thinking about it.

It took me ages to decide to take on my King parrot however I do not regreat it. he so has a few issues and there have been times when I have gone to bed with more cuts and bandages then I ever thought I could fit on my fingers. There are days when I feel shocking that I don't have the time to get him out and then there are other days where he spends only a few hours in the cage.

 

Do think long and hard, also realize that this new bird will take time away from your current birds, and you have to also remember that is the large bird is out then the Budgies need to be in. Please don't let me put you off gettia bigger bird but do think about it. Also if you want you can always come around and say hello to Elmo and see how a bird with "issues" interacts.

Hey mate, Good to hear that the Clinic is going well ....

 

You will know when the time is right! ... and you will see him when you are both ready .....

( Yes that is my way of saying that you will get another one and it will be a male, but it won't be you going out to buy one) he will come to you in a different way .....

 

 

Enough of the Clairvoyant Neat Session ....

 

Never mind LOL I RE read ALL your post and not just just skimmed through it LOL ... But I wasn't to far off :hug: ... Oh deary Me ...

Edited December 10, 200816 yr by Neat

Knowing you whatever you do is with your full heart and soul, I though would say to start with a smaller parrot such as a cockatiel and then if you chose to work up, they give you a good idea of what needness can be :hug: and they are a fun little parrot with a big personality.

OMG Knox bird clinic is a walk from my house! Ill have to come visit next time you are working. Say hi to colin for me.

 

As you said its a wonderful opportunity and I think you should maybe take it. Just be careful cause conures are very loud ect. As you know. I have to said, from working with big birds, to down grading to budgies I don't regret it for a second. They have all the charm, smarts and character of a big bird in a tiny package.

I suppose the main thing you have to think of is what are you going to do with him if despite your best efforts he gets worse and isn't manageable? Do you have an aviary to put him in if he can't function as a house pet, etc, etc. I have a number of the medium size parrots with 'emotional issues'(which I have rescued from various situations) and they are hard work to care for. They live in aviaries as I can't have them in the house with my kids, which is fine as they are very happy out there but it is something that you need to consider. Some have got better with work and some haven't as their bad habits are so ingrained but I loves them all the same

This year I was really keen on keeping the rosella if he survived (he didn't) and breeding budgies again. But my flatmate who is also a vet student, 2 years above me in her final year talked me out of it. In final year for us we have to go work in different vet clinics around the country and are busy most of the time. Thus for a lot of the year we aren't actually at home and we have to find someone to look after our pets while we are away. She has 2 dogs that she absolutely loves, but she was upset at the fact that she didn't have time to spend with them this year. Most of the time she couldn't take her dogs with her, or if she was lucky she could take one, but she always had to find someone to look after the other.

Now I was really wanting to get more budgies that year, but she said that once I reach 5th year I probably won't have enough time to play with them and then I would have to find someone to look after them while I'm away, which will be often. So I decided not to get any in the end and for me I think that is the best decision.

I don't know what your uni is like for the last year. But I thought that that would be something worth thinking about.

I would do it if it were me. I have a Sun Conure and he has had some training issues and trust issues as he wasnt totally hand reared when I bought him. I admit he is aggressive with others, but with me he is totally loveable and suns are the loudest of all conures. Green cheeks arent so noisey and they are such SMART little parrots! I also have a quaker and she has gotten a little "nippy" but I know exactly what she doesnt like, when she is territorial and I can work around her nippiness. EG she doesnt like my hands in their cage for changing water and food etc and I battled with nasty nips for ages until I realised, if I just let her come out of the cage for 5 mins while I do the necessities, I avoid the nips and everyone is happy. Its a matter of getting to know your bird I believe Some days my conure will be totally cuddly, right up under my chin and loving me stroking down his back, other days, he feels less trusting and he lets me know with a protest squawk thats not what he's in the mood for. His protests are vocal, not physical and I heed them so they dont get physical. I am a conure fan, I think they are a great, quirky, hardy little parrot, with the Green Cheeks being one of the quieter breeds

wow. That must be a hard situation. I don't really have any advise for you cos I have no idea what I would do in that situation let alone what someone else should do. Good luck which ever way you decide and I hope that you keep enjoying your studies. Good luck with everything.

If it helps at all, if you decide to give it a go and then realise it was a bad decision I generally have aviary space available for almost any species either in a currently inhabited aviary (if species are compatible) or in an empty aviary so i don't mind being your back up plan Most of my medium-Large aviary birds (except for one galah and the IRNs) are tame so I spend alot of time with them even though they are in the aviaries, sometimes I just sit in there while they snuggle up

 

I do a lot of wildlife rescue and bird rescue work for almost any species so if you decide not to take the bird I'd be happy for the lady to contact me

hmm it sounds like a big decision. i hope you make the right one

Everyone brings up excellent points.

 

Sunnie - I read up on conures all week and watched videos of them and I am in love. I never really had much to do with them before but after seeing a few they have really grown on me.

 

Sailorwolf that is the one that worries me the most, the fact that I will not be able to spend much time with them while I'm away. I have to put another needy bird on top of the time I need to spend with budgies too. I worry a lot when I go away as it is. In the last semester of final year (three months) is when we do that thing where we go our separate ways, anywhere around the world. I probably won't go overseas but I might go interstate.

 

MB you asked and answered an excellent question. It would be a great relief knowing that there is backup if it doesn't go to plan. Thank you so much!! (I also wonder if you could be my birdsitter if I go away? I already worry so much leaving my budgies with a non-bird person). If you think you have the space and time for another bird, I would greatly appreciate you being a backup plan/birdsitter. I will let you know first if I decide not to take the conure, as I am sure he will be happy with you.

 

I'm going to go meet the conure (his name is Ozzie) and his owner tomorrow, and go from there.

 

Thanks everyone for your opinions, they have really helped me. I love this forum so much.

Not a problem at all I have an empty patio aviary at the moment so there is space if you do need the back up I don't have any inside birds unless I have an ill one or bubs that have to be handraised so babysitting is an easy ask too as there are no quarantine issues

 

I honestly can't pay much if anything for him if you decide not to take him and the lady still wants to rehome him but I can offer him an exclellent home :ohmygod:

If MB is happy to look after him and your other birds while you are away, then that problem is lessened. There is still the issue that you are not seeing it so much, but to be honest I think that having MB (bless her) as a back up birdie sitter lessens that strain, that I talked about in my former post, a fair degree and makes it much easier on you. There is still that degree of uncertainty, but however not so bad now. (I'm trying hard not to taint your decision)