First Time Bird Owner Questions- Green Cheeks

[Jassa]

I'm driving 2 hours one way for my new baby. The breeder is excellent with communication and was even telling me about their personalities! I just LOVE that! I will drive twice the distance for good communication, even if it costs more You'll find the right breeder and get the baby you were meant to have. Things have a way of working out

AGREED.

I was on my way down to the bay area to attend a reptile show (to choose a reptile) when we made a 'just for fun' pit stop at Petco.
And guess what?

There was little baby ChiChi, flirting away with me through the glass and squeaking- telling me that she WOULD go home with me! An impulsive buy that worked out wonderfully. Of course, I wouldn't RECOMMEND being impulsive LOL

I never went to the show.

Take your time and don't rush through it; everything will fall into place with proper research and patience.

 

[Mizzely]

I'm driving 2 hours one way for my new baby. The breeder is excellent with communication and was even telling me about their personalities! I just LOVE that! I will drive twice the distance for good communication, even if it costs more You'll find the right breeder and get the baby you were meant to have. Things have a way of working out

Absolutely! I drove 7 hours round trip for Jingo

 

[kkuris]

[SUP][/SUP]

In her eyes your a tire kicker at the car lot with no money in your pocket. That is how people who only care about the bottom line think. It says a ton more about her character and where her priorities lie than 1000 reviews.

I told her I had done a lot of research and saved up $800... But eh I should have known. I looked at her website and she said she wouldn't sell a bird to anyone under 18 (even though I wasn't buying bird from her I was just asking her questions -_-)

 

[kkuris]

Have you seen this breeder yet? I'm not sure far away it is from you tho. They have cinnamon and reg green cheek babies for $150 and $ 125. I don't know what the going rate for Green cheeks are in Ohio but they're about 50% less than The average here in nj.

Yup that's the one I'm looking at. I emailed him yesterday. Based on his reviews it looks like he communicates well and even delivers his birds... And yeah I don't know, I'd love to go up there and see the babies but I'll never get my dads permission. I'm kind of sad I missed when he had turquoise- he only had them for like, $175 or $150

 

[kkuris]

Communication is a big thing for me.
I have someone who lives literally two minutes away from me and has pineapple babies available soon.
I have just decided a few minutes ago that I will go with the breeder who has a six month old pineapple simply because he was horrible at communicating even though he was going to have a bunch of 8 week old babies.
I can't stand when people can't talk to me about their birds and go above and beyond (by giving me caresheets, telling me their favourite toys, how they're doing with step up and taming)...

I hope your dad gets that job by the way!

Thanks,
And I actually would like if the breeder would send my constant updates. In fact one of the the things I do when I email them is ask about their personalities

 

[kkuris]

Absolutely! I drove 7 hours round trip for Jingo

Its too bad my parents won't drive anywhere farther than an hour, any longer than that will need a lot of pushing...

 

[Mizzely]

Its too bad my parents won't drive anywhere farther than an hour, any longer than that will need a lot of pushing...

Can you maybe see if they'd be interested in a weekend trip? Maybe if it's a family getaway they would be more receptive, and then you could pick a baby up on the way home. I personally would start looking at free or cheap things to do in the town you're traveling too I know that would have worked on my parents! but Im kind of a brat lol

 

[kkuris]

Can you maybe see if they'd be interested in a weekend trip? Maybe if it's a family getaway they would be more receptive, and then you could pick a baby up on the way home. I personally would start looking at free or cheap things to do in the town you're traveling too I know that would have worked on my parents! but Im kind of a brat lol

Oh not a chance. We never take road trips or drive anywhere. Cleveland is 5 hours away but we flew there... Also the last time we drove just 2 hours to Columbus it was ugly. So yeah no chance with that :/

Also guys, how is this foraging toy? I really like it but it says its for larger birds, though it seems of fair size (4x7)
Amazon.com: Creative Foraging Systems Hide & Seek Refillable Canister, 4-Inch W by 6-Inch L: Pet Supplies

EDIT: In fct I just asked her and when I told her it was 1 hour 15 minutes away she said no before I could even finish and said I'm pushing my luck...

 

[kkuris]

I just realized I've got another puzzle to solve, and I really haven't thought of anything yet so help would be appreciated-I just realized most likely if I go with the local breeder I will be getting him the day I get out of school most likely. Basically it will be in the summer. This means I'd be able to give him a ton of attention during the morning and throughout the day. After all, hes going to be in my room which is where I always am.The thing is; I don't want him to get into the routine of me being around him all the time, even in the morning, when when I go back to school the only time I'll be around him is 3:30-10:00. And of course if I'm not there that'll lead to some screaming, which is definitely something that I don't want.So what do I do to prevent him from getting used to me being around all the time? I can't really ignore him for 6 hours because he'd be in my room right next to the computer...Any suggestions? Also a completely random question- is 1/2" diameter perch too small?

 

[Cinnyluver]

Well, my birds seem to do fine when I go back to school. It just takes a couple days for them to catch on to the new routine. I give them lots of games and toys to keep them busy the first few days and they do fine.

 

[kkuris]

Okay its been decided I will not be getting a bird which makes sense...
Thanks for all the help though.

 

[Mizzely]

Okay its been decided I will not be getting a bird which makes sense...
Thanks for all the help though.

I'm sorry to hear that But, I would keep saving your money for a time when you CAN get one. Just because now is not a good time does not mean you can't ever have one

 

[kkuris]

I'm sorry to hear that But, I would keep saving your money for a time when you CAN get one. Just because now is not a good time does not mean you can't ever have one

I'll probably have to wait until I'm done with collge since I don't think my parents are going to let me get one while I'm still living with them. And with college I'd probably be too busy to get started with a bird and spend a lot of time with it in it's early years

 

[kkuris]

Hate to jump back in forth- but it's not over yet. I just on that day happened to have a bad argument with my parents. I still have to wait until my dad acquires a job though.

I may go to a Petsmart today to see their green-cheeks. I was in there for about five minutes last weekend and they had two, (that actually had full tails this time!) and seemed very lively. One acknowledged me for about a second, fluffed up his feathers and then continued to play with his toy. They seemed very playful.

However I'm still nervous something like the "Ralphie Incident" will occur, and my mom will be completely turned off by them then. I still think I want to take a chance though, because I don't want my very first interaction with a bird to be with my actual new one.

In other good news, assuming my dad gets this job, the fairly local breeder has his turquoise pair on eggs! And for $330. Sounds nice to me...

 

[kkuris]

Got to go to Petsmart with my mom. They only had one this time, and I had a good time just staring at him for a while He was really playful and was hanging upside down and everything.
We asked one of the Petsmart employees (who actually didn't seem clueless) to get him out, which is where the chaos kind of started.

He started screaming a bit and flying all over the cage (which attracted a crowd) which made me a bit nervous since I didn't want my mom to judge green cheeks just based on the two pet-shop visits. However he settled down and then allowed the lady to hold him in her hands, and I got to pet him for about a minute which he seemed to enjoy, he started to settle down and close his eyes. He was a real cutie pie.

 

[Cinnyluver]

I think you are over thinking this. You do not have to be the perfect bird owner! You sound very well prepared, way more dedicated than most people, and I know you will love a bird and take amazing care of it. In my opinion, I think you are very ready for a bird and have been for a while. I'm glad you had fun with the birds at the pet store. I always love playing with the babies at mine.

 

[unicornlady7]

I wish you guys could meet my boys! Especially Merlin! Everyone falls for him immediately He is SO cuddly! He's quite a trusting little guy. I was fortunate with the 2 breeders that I went with for mine. It's evident that a lot of time was spent with them. When the time is right, it will seem like destiny. It always seems to just fall right into place At first, Merlin didn't want anything to do with visiters...Then he wanted nothing but me Your special little birdy is out there waiting for you - whether he/she is hatched or not even laid yet.

 

[kkuris]

I think you are over thinking this. You do not have to be the perfect bird owner! You sound very well prepared, way more dedicated than most people, and I know you will love a bird and take amazing care of it. In my opinion, I think you are very ready for a bird and have been for a while. I'm glad you had fun with the birds at the pet store. I always love playing with the babies at mine.

Oh gosh, I didn't even know how much of an idiot I look like asking as many questions as I am, ugh.
It's just like a pet peeve of mine to not know certain things, if I have a question and it's not answered it needs to get answered... And a lot of questions have popped into my head since I have so much time on my hands, and I like getting things prepared in advance, so sorry if it comes across that I'm completely crazy, I continue to embarrass myself to on the internet and beyond.

 

[Cinnyluver]

Oh gosh, I didn't even know how much of an idiot I look like asking as many questions as I am, ugh.
It's just like a pet peeve of mine to not know certain things, if I have a question and it's not answered it needs to get answered... And a lot of questions have popped into my head since I have so much time on my hands, and I like getting things prepared in advance, so sorry if it comes across that I'm completely crazy, I continue to embarrass myself to on the internet and beyond.

No, I'm not saying you're an idiot! I'm saying that it is okay to not have everything perfect. You are doing so well and it is awesome that you ask questions and prepare yourself. I just don't want you to think that if there is going to be anything missing or you can't provide everything for your bird, it means that you are not eligible to get one. You are so much more ready that most of us were when we got our first birds. Keep asking questions, just don't give up on yourself so easy.

 

[kkuris]

No, I'm not saying you're an idiot! I'm saying that it is okay to not have everything perfect. You are doing so well and it is awesome that you ask questions and prepare yourself. I just don't want you to think that if there is going to be anything missing or you can't provide everything for your bird, it means that you are not eligible to get one. You are so much more ready that most of us were when we got our first birds. Keep asking questions, just don't give up on yourself so easy.

And I wasn't saying you said I was an idiot, I'm just kind of felt like it after I realized how many specific questions I had.
And I'm back for more...

How big should the food bowls be? Should I have 2 10oz bowls or 2 20oz bowls? Oh, I'm also planning on training him to drink out of a water bottle. Is that easy?