Marlene
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Hi Rodies!
It is with great pleasure that I announce the Celebirdy for the month of April 2016, Rio!!!!!!
This is what Christine had to say about her gorgeous baby!
Thank You for the honor of naming Rio Celebirdy for the month of April 2016! I really look forward to coming to this caring forum & sharing with its amazing members!
1. How did you acquire your bird?
I found out about Crimson Bellied Conures while researching/looking for a GCC on Craigslist.
Its a long heartbreaking story that luckily had a happy ending:
There was a man selling a young GCC because he had just bought his dream bird a young CBC.I was interested in his GCC as he was a friendly bird on a good diet of Harrison's & the owner was offering to bring him to me as I had no car to pick him up. We talked a few days & he got his CBC & the two of them got along with his 2 adult GCC so he decided to keep him. I was heartbroken but decided to look for a CBC as I was so enamored by their beauty.
Strangely enough a short while later I find a CBC on craigslist which turned out to be that same guy selling his baby as it seemed to be bullying his birds. I was elated as I thought I had found my bird. Then just like he did the first time he decided to keep the CBC as it was getting along with his birds & he had grown attached to it. So heartbreak #2. I looked on bird breeder & found the woman who sold the CBC to this man & she had the last sibling for sale. I talked with her about purchasing the bird & she said she only accepted money orders. As I was getting funds for the money order she sold the bird by paypal to someone in Fresno. I would have preferred to pay by paypal but she did not give me the option. So heartbreak #3 as this seller was selling the CBC for $275 & that was a very good price! Anyway I kept in contact with this man only to sadly learn later that his young CBC had suddenly died. Heartbreaking as it was not to have gotten this bird or its sibling I was relieved that I had not gotten them as it's possible they could have had some illness & died on me.
Mean while I was searching constantly on craigslist but it became apparent that CBC are pretty rare so I became determined to look for qualified breeders online. I was very concerned about shipping a bird but it seemed like my only option if I wanted a CBC. I interviewed quite a few breeders for babies but nothing really worked out. It was already September 2014 & it seemed most of the babies were spoken for & it looked like I might need to go on a waiting list & wait many months til next spring.
Then I found a listing for a adult CBC in TX. I had wanted a baby but since I was having trouble finding one I considered the adult. Deborah The Bird Lady was selling a few birds for the owner who could not care for them. They were in her care & she was giving a 72 HR health guarantee. I researched her reviews on bird breeders.com & she was well reviewed. I was concerned as she really knew nothing about his habits (except he was free flighted in a bird room & that was far from what I could offer), exact age (approx. 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 yo) or history except that the bird was bred from a breeder whom she had sold his parents too. So the bird was hatched from birds she once owned.
My wants were a quiet bird that did not bite. She said he was very quiet but she had just acquired the bird & surely it didn't know her enough to want to call to her & was in the honeymoon stage. She said the bird did not bite but also did not step up. She would grab the bird out of the cage to take videos & photograph him. He seemed like a very docile bird. She spent some time with him & it seemed he might with time learn to step up. My dilemma was how to really know what this bird was like. It took over a month of emails, video's & phone calls to make up my mind but I decided to give him a home as he seemed like a sweet bird.
I was so anxious about his long plane trip from TX & plane changes in freezing Denver but he finally made it to Burbank airport where I took 2 buses to get him & we took a shuttle home one late chilly night right before Thanksgiving 2014 my "Precious" (that was his name then) was home. I now call him Rio.
Rio has been the one good thing to happen to me in the past few years.
I'm sorry but most of my photo's are Deborah's as my main computer broke & with it a way to deal with photo's that I used to love taking. I have spent the last few years often in chaos & depression but Rio has always been a source of shining light!
Past I reserved my 1st conure a Crimson Bellied | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
Precious My Crimson Bellied Conure Finally Coming Home! | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
Precious Video Toy Squeak Sounds | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
2. What is your bird's name, age and sex?
His name was Precious but I didn't really like it. He's been through a few names: Picasso, Phoenix etc but I call him Rio which seems to fit him. It's simple & easy to use. I was told he was a DNA'd male but I have no documentation. His age is estimated to be about 3 years old.
3. Does your bird do any special tricks?
He hangs from the top of the cage by one foot when he wants attention!
4. What are some of your bird's favorite foods?
He gets Higgins Sunburst or Safflower Gold seed mix & Higgins Intune Pellets. He likes fruits such as apple slices, grapes, berries, orange/tangerine slice. He's not much for veggies but does like to chew carrot pieces. I'd say his favorite is safflower seeds & apple. He gets them daily.
5. What is the funniest thing your bird has done?
I love when he hangs from the top of the cage by one foot.
Rio took his first bath about a year ago. He now enjoys bathing himself in his water bowl which is a pleasure to watch.
6. How has your bird enriched your life?
I live alone & its very comforting to have his sweet presence.
7. What would you tell people who are considering this species?
They are very beautiful & mine is very quiet but I have heard that varies with the bird.
8. What is the activity and noise level of your bird?
Rio's a very calm quiet bird. He makes cute sounds when he eats. He does have a few vocal abilities but he seldom uses them & I find them pleasant. He let's me sleep as late as I want & I can even take a nap if I want.
9. What are some of your bird's quirks?
Rio's only quirk is he likes to sleep on the side of the cage hanging onto the bars. I just don't think it must be too comfortable but it is his preference. I really was concerned about it as I thought he would be pooping all over the cage bars but luckily he waits til he is on a perch to poop. The few times he's pooped while on the side of the cage he's lifted his darling butt & directed it on the cage bottom. Got to love a tidy bird!
10. If your bird talks, what is the most surprising word or sentence it has said?
Rio doesn't talk but he has his own sweet ways of communicating & when you pass his cage late at night he'll give you a cute lil purr.
11. What is your bird’s favorite treat?
I would say its a toss up between safflower seeds or apple slice. Rio is really a safflower seed junkie.
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Thanks everyone. Rio is a joy. 
Rio sure is pretty
