Macawnutz
Seriously Nutz!
Super Administrator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
It is with great pleasure that I announce the
Celebirdy for the month of February 2019,
@cab124
Mango
This is wonderful!!! Mango says that she is humbled and honored!!! THANK YOU!
1. How did you acquire your bird?
After losing my white-capped pionus of 21+ years suddenly in Movenber of 2017, I began visiting a pet store near work the following March just to see the birds that they had. At the time, they had some budgies and a very timid green check conure. I would stop in to visit the conure on my lunch hour over a period of several months, though I did not intend to adopt her. After a while, I began to feel very sorry for the conure because she was being housed in a very small, dark, isolated encousure. I waited, hoping someone would adopt her, but because she was so timid and afraid, no one seemed to be interested. I eventually could not stand to see her living such a lonely life anymore and reluctantly adopted her myself on May 1, 2018. She is the only other bird I have ever lived with other than my pionus.
2. What is your bird's name, species, age and sex?
I tried to get this information from the pet store, but all they could tell me was that she was a very young green cheek conure. I think that she is a Pineapple GCC, but I am not certain about that!!! I don't know her breeder, hatch date, exact age or sex. I am still not able to handle her, so she has not yet been to a vet. When I eventually take her to a vet, I intend to get her sexed. She has two bands, one on each leg, which band manufacturers have told me may indicate that she was intended to be a breeder bird who was not hand-fed, explaining her fear of people. They told me that it would be extremely challenging to tame her, but I have been trying very hard!!!
3. Does your bird do any special tricks?
When I first brought her home, she was petrified with fear and would not interact with me. But, with the help, ecouragement and wisdom of the wonderful people in this forum (which I am EXTREMELY grateful for), she has made a ton a progress and now takes seeds from my hands and allows me to approach her very closely. I would have to say that her best "trick" so far is that she will now step onto my hand for a short period of time in order to take a seed. That may not be much for a hand-raised bird, but for a timid, untame bird like Mango, it is a HUGE step of trust.
4. What are some of your bird's favorite foods?
Unfortunately, she is completely addicted to sunflower seeds. She LOVES them. At this point, however, I only use them as treats. Her primary food is Avi-Cakes, Nutri-Berries, and pieces of fresh-cut apple.
5. What is the funniest thing your bird has done?
Each evening, after dinner, Mango likes to climb up on top of her cage and run her beak across the bars so that it makes a fast clank, clank, clank, clank sound. The first time that she did this, it made me laugh. When she saw me laughing, she started doing it all the more. Now, she expects me to laugh when she does this and really likes the attention she gets when she does it.
6. How has your bird enriched your life?
I must admit that I really miss having a bird that will sit on my shoulder, accept scritches, and greet me when I get home from work. But having Mango around has been a great experience. Watching her slowly learn to trust me, and knowing that she has a friend now instead of living as a frightened, lonely pet store bird makes me very happy. And, who knows, maybe someday Mango will open up and allow some scritches!!
7. What would you tell people who are considering this species?
My experience is probably not the norm because Mango is most likely not a hand-raised bird. But after spending 9 months with her, I can see that she is a smart, emotional, inquisitive little bird who is learning to trust me. If that is any indication, then green cheek conures seem like great little birds. Because I have not yet been able to handle Mango, I can't speak to the nippiness that green cheeks are notorious for.
8. What is the activity and noise level of your bird?
Mango is active during much of the day, and also sleeps quite a bit during the day. She is mostly pretty quiet, but has episodes, especially early in the day, where she can make lots of noise. She has a very loud voice when she is fired up! She also makes some very beautiful calls and vocalizations that I really enjoy hearing, especially after the lights go out at the end of the day. She has a call that she uses to scold me when I do something that she does not like. She also has a very funny mumble that she uses when she is getting into mischief or preparing to take a bath.
9. What are some of your bird's quirks?
Mango does a very funny dance that I have always referred to as her "go-away" dance. She does this when she wants me to leave her alone. It is very funny to watch. I also think that it is funny that she almost always takes a bath in her water dish when she hears the shower in the bathroom running.
10. If your bird talks, what is the most surprising word or sentence it has said?
Mango has not yet uttered a single word that I have heard.
11. What is your bird’s favorite treat?
Without a doubt, sunflower seeds. She is completely addicted.
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