Baby red belly

[amy burke]

Today I went to Avalon Aviary. Spent a good couple hours there. Susanne and I caught up quite a bit. She remembered the freak cage accident that killed my Amazon. She's never heard of any other bird having that happen to. Anyways I broke down in tears again talking about it. I visited with her red bellies, met her Capes, and her personal brown headed poi. It was a really fun afternoon. The red bellies look to be 2 girls and a boy. One girl is sold so I have second pick. I'm unsure about male vs female. They were flying around a lot so I didn't have an a ha moment with one bird like I did when my Amazon picked me. She had a red belly with the same parents who is older there. I would've taken her home but she had a deposit on her. I am checking with her regarding her rescues... I think she has a Meyers and a Senegal. I am just torn....

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I don't have any advice but wanted to say I'm sorry about the loss of your Amazon.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Cute baby. I am a big fan of Pois and have a Senegal and several red-bellies. As for male vs female: my females tend to be sweeter and gentler than the males. My males will let me hold them and pet them but they are definitely nippier and I have bled a few times from their bites. I still love them but I am much more careful with them than I am with the girls. However, every bird is an individual so really can't predict how friendly they might be. Just letting you know my experiences.

 

[Aubrey]

Ohhh! That pic is so cute with it's fluffy babiness

I have no advice but

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My cock Red Bellied Parrot is much, much more aggressive than my Senegal hen. He has been getting very aggressive toward the cockatiel cocks and actually killed a cock canary. I have had to cage him when he cannot be supervised in the free flight room.

 

[fidsmom]

I have a Senegal, She used to be fine with my other birds out at the same time. I no longer, can have her out at same time, with the others, as she attacked my Quakers, 2 times. My Quakers are terrified of her, & I no longer trust her, out with the rest of them, So My Quakers come out first for their playtimes, Then when they are back in their cages, My Senegal comes out for playtimes.

 

[iamwhoiam]

My Senegal, btw, is a very sweet guy. He doesn't bother with the other birds. He lets me pet him on his head, under his wings, his abdomen, etc.

 

[amy burke]

Thanks everyone! Having never experienced red bellied until I saw the older sister to these babies, I think I will take your advice as well as the aviary owner and get one of the females. I appreciate your help on this, and love this forum!!!

 

[iamwhoiam]

I think you will really enjoy your red-belly. Be aware that they sometimes go through a phobic stage. It generally occurs between 3-6 mos of age and can last a few hrs, days, weeks or even years. I used to breed and raise r-bs and had this happen with both males and females. They become fearful, act as if they don't recognize you, run/back away, and they may or may not come out of the cage. It's disheartening when it occurs but with patience they come out of it. No way to predict which red-belly may go through this.

 

[amy burke]

so I guess that's where my question comes in. I have heard to socialize the RB to different situations, the car, the stores etc etc, lots of people \. But do you not do that for fear of a phobic episode? Help! I want to do everything right for this bird and I don't want to screw it up!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Want to clarify and separate phobic fears from rational fears. Many birds are cautious and fearful of new sounds, objects and people and this is normal. That would be what I consider a rational fear but phobia is when the fear is over the top and excessive. I traveled with many of my babies because they were being handfed and I had to go to work or be with family so they were socialized but it didn't necessarily make a difference with some of them. I think it's not just nurture/environment but also nature/genetics. Thinking back it seems that it was the youngest of each clutch who usually had the most fears/phobias but really don't think hatch order had anything to do with it. As I wrote previously, I don't think it is predictable and they do get over it.

BTW, the majority of my r-bs did not go through a phobic phase.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Here's a somewhat funny example for you:
Sophie and Claudé hatched 3 days apart with Sophie hatching first. Both of them were very friendly and outgoing babies and then one day "C" became fearful of me. She wouldn't come out of her cage, would back away when I was near and she also stopped talking. I didn't force her to be my friend again but was just very calm and patient with her. Sometimes she would follow her sister out of the cage and would then run back in again. One day she suddenly started talking again, "Come here, give me a kiss". I was very surprised. I put my hand out towards her and she immediately stepped up. Unfortunately this was followed by a very hard bite and what I would describe as an evil laugh (seriously) but after that day she was personable and outgoing again and had no problems coming out of the cage or being with me. It was almost as if a lightbulb in her brain turned on letting her know that everything was OK.

 

[amy burke]

That is funny for sure. Hard to figure what makes a bird tick sometimes.

ok, so since you raised RB, what is your advice on taking them out and to stores and to different places when they are young? I am a vet and I breed bulldogs, I've hand raised cats etc. I know what a difference it makes in those species...and I am trusting my instinct that it will be good for a rb, but I am no expert in parrots lol. I didn't take the bird courses in vet school..which now I regret ugh

 

[iamwhoiam]

Now it's hard to get Claudé off of me once she steps up.

I was never comfortable taking them into stores. They visited with family and friends and went to the vet. Don't remember how old they were when I took them for their first visit. My last clutch hatched out in 2001. I would also take them to work sometimes.
So do you just work with dogs and cats? Assume you can always go back to school and take avian courses.

Is the baby you are considering getting the one in the photo?

 

[amy burke]

I am on a break from vetting for a bit. 8 years of owning my own practice, then closed it and did in home euthanasias. UGH. Got married and combining kids. My husband works so much that I am home for the kids, and the plethora of after school activities. Vet jobs are harder to get in Colorado as every year they grad 130 new docs from CSU, and honestly after 15 years I am pretty brnt out. Training to do med transcription from the house...which is why I decided to get a bird since I am home all the time now

 

[iamwhoiam]

Sounds like you have been very busy. Wish you the best with the medical transcribing. Sometimes it's good to take a break from one's career and then go back to it if and when it feels right. I had plans to go to vet school at one time but decided to take another direction which turned out to be a mistake. Oh well. Didn't realize that CSU had that many vet grads. There are a lot of vets but definitely a shortage of avian and exotic vets. It's especially difficult finding a vet knowledgeable about avians when it is after hours, a weekend or a holiday.

 

[amy burke]

yes that is the truth. Dr Labonde is close by, and I use him for my sulcata tortoise and will take the new bird to him. I may possibly consider going back for avian courses at some point. That would be something different. 15 years of shots, ear infections, diarrheas, sprays and neuters gets old.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Great that you already have vet that you can go to. It's always good, too, to find an emergency facility or back up vet who treats birds. If I had gone to vet school I would have become an avian specialist.

 

[amy burke]

as for the baby in the photo, that is the one I picked out from watching their behaviors. There are 3, one that has vibrant orange which we are pretty sure is male, and 2 with muted. This is one of those two. All 3 had discovered flying so they were flying everywhere in the visiting room. She was trying to gather them up to feed them and it was like na na na, you can't catch me. This one may have been the youngest one of the clutch, I am not sure. She seemed a little more at ease.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thought the rb might be a female based on the head shape and the coloring. I started being able to sex the babies based on head shape and amount of orange. The males generally had brighter orange and flatter squarer heads. How old are they?