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What kind of conure is this?

Mockinbirdiva

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You are very wise, @Mockinbirdiva.
Well, I don't know about that. But my dad always said " Patience is a virtue". My fondest memory of him saying that was when my sister was visiting and we were at his house. He was showing her his new camera photo printer. It wasn't working fast enough and she kept pushing the buttons ( mind you, we were adults and she was at least 50 years old). He came unglued. I'm sure he thought she would break it and he raised his voice, his eyes looked big as saucers behind his thick glasses and he told her in his best military voice " Don't do that! Patience is a virtue!!!!!" Don't you know... when the occasion arises.. I love saying that to her and I'll wear it out until the day I die! :D
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Wow, after reading through much of the excellent advice here, I decided to take a step back and not do anything that might damage the progress that Mango and I have made. I temporarily canceled her vet appointment until I can train her to climb into her travel cage on her own. No grabbing her. No towel. Just patience! Eventually, however, she has to go to the vet!!! It's for her own good.


How big is her travel cage? Is it big enough for a temporary home for a week or two? You would have easier access to her instead of the flight cage giving her more room to avoid you. She may feel more vulnerable but I wonder if the smaller space will encourage her to come out more. Are you timid about getting her to step up on your hand?
 

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If you haven’t tried them yet, you might want to look into getting a small bag of pellet-berries for her to try. They look very similar to nutri-berries, except they make them out of pellets instead of seed. I tried them recently with mine. My jenday didn’t like them right away, but within a couple of weeks, they both loved them almost as much as their beloved zupreem natural. You never know, they might be a way to get her to try pellets.
 

TikiMyn

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Have you tried the pellet much? I add Some water to a bowl of pellets and mix in seeds:)
Also, I suppose you already tried or are doing this but just in case, are you dropping a treat for her every time you walk by? Continuing to di that can never hurt! Also, I too think you Made great process! Lots of great advice, what is there left for me to say but keep the great worm up?:)
 

soleaux

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She always has Zupreen natural, and Harrisons High Potency Fine in her bowl. She refuses to touch either.
Have you tried soaking them in some organic unsweetened apple juice? I know you said she likes apple so maybe that would entice her! Also, when my conure was sick and wouldn’t eat her pellets, I ground them up into powder and sprinkled the dust over some finely diced apple. She might get a few mouthfuls here and there between bites :)
 

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O and have you tried sprouts? My birds have all eaten them right away, perhaps Mango Will too! I have quite forgotten all the things you may have tried already, sorry for that!
 

iamwhoiam

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Have you tried Caitec Oven Fresh Bites? The majority of my birds will eat those.
I actually thought they would never come out of the phobic thing. I don't know why some of them went through that and others didn't. Genetic predisposition?? The first time I experience the phobic stage was with Mulder and Scully. They were about 5-6 mos. old (don't remember for sure) and I was playing with them on the floor and suddenly they stared at me for a moment and then ran away screaming. It was as if they never saw me before. Mulder snapped out of it within a few weeks give or take but it took Scully several years.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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I've never tried the oven bites... I'll have to look them up and read the ingredients. How odd about Mulder and Scully. I wonder what would cause them to do that? Astro was always an outgoing girl. She hatched here in 2008. She would always fly to me while I vacuumed and give my ear a scolding. Rocket came in 2009. When they are out together Astro is extremely shy. Probably because he horns in on her space in her cage and hangs out on the door or he's on top swinging the latch around and making a loud tweeeep sound. She wants to come over to see me but will dash back into her cage to avoid him. He's not mean to her but he will come over and push his way between us and hog the attention so she just scuttles away to avoid him touching her. When he's locked up she will puff up, march over to the edge of the door with her neck extended as if a threat and I put my nose into her face and smooch her chest... she loves it even if I'm making a loud smoochie raspberry sound. She's a quirky girl, sometimes shy, loves to try to see her reflection in my glasses, play with my hair and especially likes to lick the tip of my nose.
Astro on cage.JPG
 

cab124

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Mine do eat the zupreem but will not touch the Harrisons. My green cheek "Astro" is a funny girl when it comes to her pellets. Her pellet dish is right next to her water cup. She will pick up 3-4 of those zupreem round pellets at a time ( like some dogs that can hold 3 or 4 tennis balls at a time) and she'll go over to her water and drop them all in. They float so she will pick one up at a time from the water and crunch it, dip it, crunch some more and then pick up the next one to eat. She also shakes her head to get rid of excess water .... and her cage gets coated with fine crumbles.. very messy. But, she eats her pellets. The crimson bellies are way more tidy about their nuggets!
It's great to hear that your birds are eating their pellets. Based on my experience, it definitely makes a difference.

My Pionus, Cosmo, who passed away in November was addicted to seeds when she was young. Her diet seemed to be about 90% seeds, just like Mango. During this time, she suffered from EXTREME hormonal behavior that almost drove me insane (I even have graphs that I used to plot the severity of this behavior). She would sit in her cage and rub her vent against anything and everything and make this loud, incessant honking sound. It drove me nuts!!!! The vet tried giving her hormone shots and other treatments with no success. Cosmo eventually became egg-bound and had to have surgery (that was a tough time). After years of this, I decided to board Cosmo with her vet and allow them to wean her off of seeds and onto Zupreen pellets. Amazingly, they were able to do this over the course of about a week or two. Once Cosmo was on a pelleted diet, she was like a different bird!!! The hormonal behavior did not completely go away, but it dropped way off and became manageable. I can't think of anything else to attribute this to except the change in diet. Seeds bad. Pellets good.
 

cab124

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I was playing with them on the floor and suddenly they stared at me for a moment and then ran away screaming.
Wow, this is very, very interesting!!!! There must be something else going on here. Thank you so much for explaining this because I find it encouraging. There really is hope that Mango will eventually come out of this.

I wonder what causes what you observed?????
 

iamwhoiam

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I have no idea what causes the phobic stage but the ones who went through it the most with it lasting the longest were the youngest in each clutch although Scully hatched out a few hours after Mulder on the same day and with one clutch it only lasted about 2 days with the youngest. I do think there is a genetic predisposition for this. I've posted this before in some other thread way back when but I'll post this again because I thought it was funny and weird. Claudé, like her clutch sister Sophie, started talking at a very young age but when the phobic thing hit she stopped talking. In fact she wanted nothing to do with me and wouldn't come out of the cage on her own. About 3 years after this started I was taking care of the birds and Claudé said "Come here, give me a kiss." I was totally shocked. I opened the cage door, reached out to her and she stepped up without hesitation. Another surprise. Then she bit me quite hard and started laughing. I was in pain but very happy that she was willing to interact with me again. There was no going back from that point. She likes to come out, steps up easily, enjoys interacting with me and is chatty. However she can be nippy but I'll trade the phobic stage for some nippiness any time. Sophie never went through a phobic stage. She has always been sweet and friendly. They were curious and precocious babies who loved playing and interacting and then one of them became shy and very frightened. Both were raised exactly the same way so my only explanation for this is genetic predisposition. Maybe birth order and interaction between clutch mates also plays a role?? Raised Mulder and Scully the same but Scully was severely phobic, the 3 boys raised the same but Zack became severely phobic, etc.

I do hope that Mango comes out of it. I would remove the cover from the cage during the day if I were you and see what happens. It's just a thought. Mango does not seem to be phobic, just a bit shy and standoffish. Phobic is quite severe where a bird will generally just stay in one place and stare at you, won't take any food from you at all and won't even come out of the cage. Any new thing seems to scare him/her. It can last a long time. If I showed you videos of Scully, Claudé and Zack during that time of their lives and videos of how they are now you wouldn't even think they were the same birds.

Since most of my birds like the OFBs I use those. I keep trying with my Dusky conure and Senegal but no go. They do get other foods besides seed mix, though.
Another thing to try might be some of the Avian Organics products which you can purchase from Things for Wings or Avian Organics. My birds (except for picky Dusky) like the baked treats.





 

cab124

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If you haven’t tried them yet, you might want to look into getting a small bag of pellet-berries for her to try. They look very similar to nutri-berries, except they make them out of pellets instead of seed. I tried them recently with mine. My jenday didn’t like them right away, but within a couple of weeks, they both loved them almost as much as their beloved zupreem natural. You never know, they might be a way to get her to try pellets.
Wow....have never heard of these. So many options!!! I am going to go broke trying them.
 

cab124

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I would remove the cover from the cage during the day if I were you and see what happens.
I will give this a try. I anticipate being severely scolded and forced to return the cover.

Mango does not seem to be phobic, just a bit shy and standoffish.
Hard to say. Mango will take food from my hands, but, other than that just wants me to go away. The rest of the time she looks very sad and depressed, just sitting around with her head hanging. There are times when I can get her to cheer up a little bit and interact, but they are not as often as I would like.
 

cab124

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In fact she wanted nothing to do with me and wouldn't come out of the cage on her own.
Amazing that this went on for 3 years. So good that you hung in there for such a long time. I hope that Mango comes out of it as well because I have a feeling that there is a very sweet soul in there.
 

iamwhoiam

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Amazing that this went on for 3 years. So good that you hung in there for such a long time. I hope that Mango comes out of it as well because I have a feeling that there is a very sweet soul in there.
It took Zack even longer to come out of it and I don't remember how long it took Scully but I think it was more than 3 years. Zack is still a bit shy and skittish but not phobic about things. Loves new toys, comes over to me, takes food from me. Not always interested in stepping up and he will sometimes bite but we are working on that.
I will give this a try. I anticipate being severely scolded and forced to return the cover.
Hard to say. Mango will take food from my hands, but, other than that just wants me to go away. The rest of the time she looks very sad and depressed, just sitting around with her head hanging. There are times when I can get her to cheer up a little bit and interact, but they are not as often as I would like.

If she scolds you, tell her, "Too bad." :)

 
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cab124

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It seems like every time that I receive a lot of encouragement from everyone, Mango somehow hears you and responds. We had a great night tonight!!! I got home from work tonight and opened the door of her cage, then went into my bedroom to change clothes. When I came out, for the first time ever, Mango was sitting on the top of her cage nice and relaxed! I walked around and talked to her, but she stayed put! She didn't run back into the cage. She hung out there while I watched a little TV and checked email. I gave her some food which she went into the cage to eat, then she came out again. I tried not to make a big deal about it but instead went about my business normally. At one point she was up on one foot, beak grinding and it was awesome!!!!!! I loved having her company!!!!!!!!! I am excited. It actually felt like we were enjoying each other's company. There was no "go-away" dancing tonight.

I have her travel cage set up on the island where she can walk over to it. She is checking it out but hasn't gone in yet. I am SOOOOOOOOO glad you guys talked me out of doing to vet thing forcefully. Soon, I don't think that I will have to once I teach her to enjoy her travel cage.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT!!!
 
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iamwhoiam

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Thanks for the excellent update. Great to read that you are having a wonderful evening with her (or him).
Good to get her used to the travel cage. Put some treats that she likes inside of it if you haven't done that yet.
 

soleaux

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My heart sings every time you guys have a positive update!!! :heart: Happy for you both!!!
 

Mockinbirdiva

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It seems like every time that I receive a lot of encouragement from everyone, Mango somehow hears you and responds. We had a great night tonight!!! I got home from work tonight and opened the door of her cage, then went into my bedroom to change clothes. When I came out, for the first time ever, Mango was sitting on the top of her cage nice and relaxed! I walked around and talked to her, but she stayed put! She didn't run back into the cage. She hung out there while I watched a little TV and checked email. I gave her some food which she went into the cage to eat, then she came out again. I tried not to make a big deal about it but instead went about my business normally. At one point she was up on one foot, beak grinding and it was awesome!!!!!! I loved having her company!!!!!!!!! I am excited. It actually felt like we were enjoying each other's company. There was no "go-away" dancing tonight.

I have her travel cage set up on the island where she can walk over to it. She is checking it out but hasn't gone in yet. I am SOOOOOOOOO glad you guys talked me out of doing to vet thing forcefully. Soon, I don't think that I will have to once I teach her to enjoy her travel cage.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT!!!

I'm delighted for you Craig! Like iamwhoiam mentioned... put a dish of her food inside the travel cage to encourage her to go in it on her own. Make that necklace I mentioned and wear it when you sit next to her and if she is close enough to get on you she may very well climb on your shoulder to investigate the beads. One little step at a time... :)
 

TikiMyn

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That is awesome! They do feel our energies..:) Perhaps that has something to do with it? My birds don’t scream normally, but if I am really stressed, they do. So do my ducks, they keep quacking and tending to their needs doesn’t help, they want me to leave lol:lol:
 
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