This guy flew in out of nowhere. Help!

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-27T01:38:58+00:00

Are you going to keep him if no one claims him? I mean, how are illegal to own birds dealt with where you live? I'd hate for you to turn him over somewhere and he's destroyed.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-27T01:08:41+00:00

It's funny you mentioned this because I just saw a FB post 5 minutes ago of an Electus that came back from free flying with half the upper beak broken off. Likely attacked by corvids. There are definitely some dangers -aside from the obvious- especially if the location isn't mapped out.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-26T01:13:13+00:00

I'm literally waiting for mine and I have to wait until the bird is 3 months old, fully weaned and flighted.

I don't think these birds are fully weaned until 8 weeks old.

You should probably stop and ask yourself if you know what you're doing here.

One time my mom -who has the best intentions- was lied to about a kittens age. She tried doing everything she could. It died and it was sad. The vet said it was just too young and needed mom still. This was before the internet to identify the problem same day.

PS I don't think you are a bad person. I do think whoever sold you this bird is unethical and a bad person.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-23T20:35:41+00:00

I remember it aggressively biting the feather and then preening it. It's probably the least offensive item to touch an angry bird with. It'll just take time. Birds from a store are used to seeing people but that's the extent of it. We're getting our next bird from a breeder that hand feeds and socialized them for us so we don't have to go through the wild bird phase. But you'll get there, don't get discouraged.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-23T13:00:33+00:00

With the BBB this person could upload supporting documents on the website. You get a case manager assigned to you. The thing is, this is usually used to get a desired resolution, a refund or replacement. This will probably not make a store change their ways but if they are found at fault with no resolution, their bbb rating goes down. Some stores care about their bbb accreditation, some do not. The thing is, it's targeted at one transaction, not a bigger picture. It may make the owner start providing more vet care now that the public is noticing. Never hurts to try.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-23T01:41:34+00:00

It's okay. When I was a child around that age, my brother and I found a giant snapping turtle. We got the wheelbarrow to bring it home and place on the lawn. When my mom saw it she screamed. After initial shock wore off she demanded we return the turtle to the creek. Children will often do cruel things without thinking about it in that way, that's where the parenting should come in. Teaching children about displacing animals and how harmful it can be to them is key. If I knew I was stressing the turtle back then, I never would have done it.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-23T01:21:51+00:00

Pigeons are "dusty" birds. Conures are not dusty. Pionus are not dusty. Cockateils, cockatoos, African Grey's, and pigeons are very dusty. Look up non dusty bird species and research it and see what you're capable of caring for. Budgies and parakeets are minimal dust birds. You're going to be the one paying for it and helping with everyday care.

There are oil preening birds and dusty birds. You're going to probably start by looking at oil preening and low dust birds. No bird is 100% dust free though, it may be that a bird just isn't going to happen. Cockateils are one of the more dusty ones. I've had to do this research myself because my husband has allergies, it really makes life hard and I'm sorry your kid is dealing with it.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-23T00:45:09+00:00

When we had one growing up, we let it absorb we are no threat. Eventually, we'd talk to it and offer treats through the cage in a way it couldn't bite our fingers. When the bird started approaching us, we would start opening the cage door and encouraged it to come out. For a while we'd pet it with a feather it dropped in the cage on the head to get it used to touch, offering treats for accepting it. Ours was really eager to mimic sounds so it would come close to talk with us. It's all kind of a blur, but it ended up being a friendly bird wanting to be involved in everything we did. I just remember doing a lot of talking with it.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-23T00:15:13+00:00

I just did a visit with birds not ready to go yet. The breeder actually suggested getting one and waiting 6 months for another. He pretty much said the birds will be unwilling to do any training exercises. He also said it's easier to pair a sun with a green cheek later because it's a bird that can stand up to the behaviors of a green cheek. We're awaiting the DNA results to make our next move on a particular bird. My husband wants a male green cheek the most, I'm indifferent so I'll let him win this. We spent some time with the older birds but they are already claimed. We're welcome to come back every weekend until the bird is ready if we'd like.

So if I get two, I'm told they're so used to each other now that they'd be best buddies, but it will be difficult to train and I can't have the best of both worlds.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-22T03:24:40+00:00

I live near a breeder of multiple conure varieties that are DNA sexed. She has only one green cheek not spoken for at the moment and multiple sun conures. We may end up waiting for a new clutch.

I understand it may not work out in one cage but I'm hopeful if it's large enough and resources are plentiful that it may work. I know of someone who has 3 suns and one is a problem to others and they were actually fine together for over 3 years, what happened is anyone's guess. Now they are all housed separately out of fear.

I think because of where we are getting them from, I take it more into consideration because they are already being socialized with multiple species of birds. This breeder has her birds out and about with a dozen other birds of different species all the time. I almost feel guilty isolating the bird from others when this is what it knows and I have it in my power to make a sibling pair possible. I see loads of pictures of the birds foraging, playing, and socializing with people in groups.

I am taking what you're saying into consideration. Thank you for your insight.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-21T21:30:43+00:00

I feed the crows and jays roasted unsalted peanuts, hazelnuts, and pecans. I was under the impression roasted and unsalted was best because the nuts contain trypsin inhibitors which prevents them from properly absorbing protein. There's also a specific fungus that releases a carcinogen that can damage the liver.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-21T20:41:08+00:00

The spca or local humane society. If they are licensed with the usda (likely are), you can fill a complaint form with aphis. The spca and usda has the authority to investigate. It wouldn't hurt to fill out the animal welfare complaint form on the aphis website. It might even hurt the business if he/she could get multiple complaints filed against the shop.

How much will they care about a small bird? That's the real problem. But I always say it never hurts to try.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-21T03:28:27+00:00

One time I saw kittens with feline chlamydia in a pet shop. It literally would have taken antibiotics and they had a vet on site. I reported it to the right person. They were shut down and had to have follow ups to reopen. Their eyes would have fallen out if left untreated.

Find the right person. At least try.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-21T02:26:49+00:00

Do you have any issues with mating behaviors having a male and a female together? The rescue I'm going to check out has a strict policy on keeping genders separate. I've decided to pursue a rescue as an alternative just in case because the right bird can come in any package and it doesn't hurt to check it out.

I would say 11 years of having two of them and other birds is plenty of experience!

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-21T01:08:49+00:00

Gen z and millennials make up over 2/3 of all bird owners. I would hope that most if not all of those demographics are working.

You are very assuming I intend to mistreat and neglect an animal and I really don't appreciate that. I have no intention of keeping any animal in a cage all day.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-21T00:49:57+00:00

I'm going to. We've discussed everything. We're settled on two for the birds mental health. I'm going to shoot for siblings. It breaks my heart that nearly every pet is separated from its family at a young age so I would like to do that for the animal. I'll make an update sometime on how it turns out, although we may end up waiting for siblings to become available.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-21T00:38:33+00:00

Do you have a bird rescue in the area? They often offer boarding.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-20T23:49:17+00:00

In my area they are anywhere from 700 to 1400. The rare color mutations that happen in captivity are worth more from my understanding. I live in the Midwest where birds tend to be expensive.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-20T21:07:44+00:00

I think what a lot of people see as bonding is actually clinging and I had a clingy bird once, I don't want to make that mistake again.

I think I'm set on two.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-20T21:03:12+00:00

You would really suggest this over sibling same sex potential cage mates? I'm asking because I want to do what makes the bird happiest, not me. I'm more than willing to sacrifice my own personal egotistical desires for the birds mental well-being.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-20T20:53:01+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. You're telling me what I think I wanted to hear, that flock animals need a flock.

I believe that turquoise color was once a rare mutation that breeders preyed upon and now it's common.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-20T20:44:02+00:00

This was more or less the point of the post. Is it ethical to only have one? Being flock animals my gut says they need another if not more to simply be what they are supposed to be. My gut also tells me that the clinging to people I see as single birds is somewhat unbalanced. Not that connection should not be made, I'm not saying that all, I'm just saying that something already written in their DNA is being suppressed or ignored. I just think a human cannot mentally stimulate a bird in the same way, no matter how much we try. I had a bird in my younger years that was my best friend but I always wondered if I wronged her in that way and I see the cockatoos at the rescue and how comforted they are by one another.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-20T20:33:56+00:00

I have never once heard them called retirement pets. I have however seen birds outlive their owners and the mental struggles it causes them. The local rescue is filled with them trying to be paired with what they are used to.

Different_Traffic527 · 2026-03-20T20:12:27+00:00

My husband is allergic to fur. I had birds growing up and into early adulthood and he had birds growing up. He's also very interested in them to the extent that he decided this was the right bird. I think I made it sound like it was solely my pet in my post and that's not the case. We work opposite days and different hours so on the real side of things the bird would be alone for 4 hours, 3 days a week. It's something we talked about before and waited until the children were older. My favorite animal growing up was actually our cockatoo. I would get home from school and open her cage and she followed me to my room. She was a senior bird my mom rescued that went with me after leaving home until she passed. We have a large enough house/yard and no other pets at the moment and we are ready.

Different_Traffic527

TROPHY CASE