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White Winged Parakeet

Fisheyy

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Kristen
Hi Everyone. I'm new here : ). I've been reading over the forums for a bit now and figured I might as well jump in.
I recently brought home a white winged parakeet. I have been looking for a green cheek conure for a while now and just haven't found any! I happened to come across this little guy in a pet store and he looked so scared I had to take him. ~I know, silly way to make a decision on a new family ember that will most likely be with us for years to come, but I couldn't leave him. Every time anyone got near the glass container he was in he would climb all the way up to the top corner of the cage and hide his little face. It was so sad.

So my soft heart decided I had to 'rescue' him from the petstore torture he was living in. They said he has been there for a few months now (I'm assuming I'm the only crazy person to adopt the most fearful bird in the store... shocker) He is 9 months old, and I'm saying he but obv have no idea on sex.

Shocker #2 he's pretty timid. I have a good sized cage for him in my office where I work at least 8 hours a day. It's on my home property too so I come sit with him after dinner and on the weekend too. He has only been here for about a week and I'm just trying to be calm and hope he realizes that I don't want to eat him : ) I have been bringing him different fruits and veggies every morning and am starting to see that he loves apples and blueberries, hopefully he'll start to know me as the yummy fruit lady!

Does anyone have experience with this breed? And/or Does anyone have experience with working through the baggage that is pet store trauma? I just want him to be happy and love me. lol
 

Fisheyy

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Kristen
This is a view from my desk. Try to spot the birdy! lol He will come over and sit there but try to not make eye contact with me. I oblige of course and just sneak a few peeks at him when I think he's not looking. He makes the cutest little beeps when I talk to him too. So I'm here counting to ten and singing the ABCs just to keep him chatting. haha! But as soon as I go to get up he scurries away like he thinks I'm coming to get him.
 

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Fisheyy

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Well, they have yellow and white. His wings were clipped so you can't see the white until he stretches. Here's a link to a site that shows what he will look like when it all grows back White Winged Parakeet
Oddly though, his feathers have a little dark trim on each one and I don't see that in any pictures I can find online of the same species.
There is also a Yellow-chevroned parakeet that is so similar that they were thought to be the same species for a while. They have no white. The common name for both of them is the Bee Bee Parrot
 

Dartman

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My first larger bird was a BeeBee Parrot I called Ralph. We hated each other at first and I was ready to give up but I buckled down and we became friends. I never realized how small they are as a kid till I saw one at my local bird shop recently, sure brought back memories. They can be very loud and think they are huge raptors but once they decide you are trust worthy and a friend they can be very loving.
 

mak

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Well, they have yellow and white. His wings were clipped so you can't see the white until he stretches. Here's a link to a site that shows what he will look like when it all grows back White Winged Parakeet
Oddly though, his feathers have a little dark trim on each one and I don't see that in any pictures I can find online of the same species.
There is also a Yellow-chevroned parakeet that is so similar that they were thought to be the same species for a while. They have no white. The common name for both of them is the Bee Bee Parrot
Got it. Thanks. :)
 

Chomskypom

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Archimedes!! What a cutie!
Both my little dudes (budgie and tiel) were pet store birds originally. Almost every kind of enrichment is new to them, usually, so it helps to take it slow. When I introduce new toys, I hang them up near the cage so the birds can see them. When I walk by I’ll stop and jingle the bell or rustle the toy or whatever and make a big deal about how fun it is. It doesn’t actually go in the cage for a few days so they have time to get curious instead of worried.
I love your Yummy Fruit Lady strategy! It’s awesome that he’s trying fresh foods so willingly! A lot of birds struggle with it.
 

Fisheyy

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Archimedes!! What a cutie!
Both my little dudes (budgie and tiel) were pet store birds originally. Almost every kind of enrichment is new to them, usually, so it helps to take it slow. When I introduce new toys, I hang them up near the cage so the birds can see them. When I walk by I’ll stop and jingle the bell or rustle the toy or whatever and make a big deal about how fun it is. It doesn’t actually go in the cage for a few days so they have time to get curious instead of worried.
I love your Yummy Fruit Lady strategy! It’s awesome that he’s trying fresh foods so willingly! A lot of birds struggle with it.
Good plan on the toys! I had a bright ladder in there at first but he seemed petrified of it so I took it out.
I have read that about fresh foods, so I thought I might as well start offering them asap. He has tried a bunch of them so far, so I think I got lucky there. I was actually worrying that he's not eating much seed, but I think he eats that when I'm not in the office.

I'm hoping that one day soon he doesn't freeze when I come in the room. lol I'm really just hoping for baby steps here.
 

sunnysmom

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Oh! Thanks for the pic. I know them as a canary-winged parakeet. Same thing, right? I fostered one for awhile. I love canary-wingeds! Mine would make the cutest little grumbles and mumbles and loved to snuggle in my neck. I think like with any bird you just need to take it slow. Spend time sitting with him and talking to him. Try to start hand feeding him some treats. Mine really liked fruit- apples, dried mango, etc. So I would use that to train mine.

Also, if he seems really scared, you can try covering three sides of his cage, leaving the front open, so he doesn't have to be on alert for "danger" from all 4 sides, until he settles in more.

And do you leave music or the TV on for him when you're not with him? He's probably used to lots of sounds if he was in a pet store and silence might be scary for him.
 
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budgieluv3

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:budgie2: more natural perches pls! Is he in a flight cage? I would try pellets, chop, and fresh fruit and veggies. If he's/she's having trouble with converting to pellets, try sprouted seeds as a treat. If teres a mirror in there pls pls take it out! How long is he let out each day? If he is timid, I always suggest the bird kabob for an introductory to shredding. Try milled as a treat to tame. Only use it for outside the cage time or training though. If you ain't have it already, I would suggest SS food bowls. Try elleandthebirds, on youtube.
 
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Fisheyy

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Oh! Thanks for the pic. I know them as a canary-winged parakeet. Same thing, right? I fostered one for awhile. I love canary-wingeds! Mine would make the cutest little grumbles and mumbles and loved to snuggle in my neck. I think like with any bird you just need to take it slow. Spend time sitting with him and talking to him. Try to start hand feeding him some treats. Mine really liked fruit- apples, dried mango, etc. So I would use that to train mine.

Also, if he seems really scared, you can try covering three sides of his cage, leaving the front open, so he doesn't have to be on alert for "danger" from all 4 sides, until he settles in more.

And do you leave music or the TV on for him when you're not with him? He's probably used to lots of sounds if he was in a pet store and silence might be scary for him.
Yes also known as canary winged parakeet! I have been putting the blueberries in between the bars super slowly so he can see my hand. He will come take it after I move my hand away, so I'm hoping he will get to the point where he is comfortable enough to take it from my hand.

Great idea on the music, I do put some on for a few hours while I'm working. I can't tell if he likes it or not. I'll definitely leave something low on for him when I'm not here. Good point on covering the cage too. Should I be worried that he will pull the sheet or blanket in between the bars and eat it?


:budgie2: more natural perches pls! Is he in a flight cage? I would try pellets, chop, and fresh fruit and veggies. If he's/she's having trouble with converting to pellets, try sprouted seeds as a treat. If teres a mirror in there pls pls take it out! How long is he let out each day? If he is timid, I always suggest the bird kabob for an introductory to shredding. Try milled as a treat to tame. Only use it for outside the cage time or training though. If you ain't have it already, I would suggest SS food bowls. Try elleandthebirds, on youtube.
I can look into more natural perches. I don't have him out of the cage at all yet. If I open the door and leave it open he climbs up the back wall and stays there to be as far from the door as possible. It seems to scare him when it's open. Also if I let him out then I'm going to have to catch him to get him back in there right? He has only been here for about a week and I really don't want to handle him for any reason unless its on his terms. I'll google the bird kabob and ss food bowls too. The cage is pretty big but I don't know if it's a flight cage.
 

sunnysmom

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Yes also known as canary winged parakeet! I have been putting the blueberries in between the bars super slowly so he can see my hand. He will come take it after I move my hand away, so I'm hoping he will get to the point where he is comfortable enough to take it from my hand.

Great idea on the music, I do put some on for a few hours while I'm working. I can't tell if he likes it or not. I'll definitely leave something low on for him when I'm not here. Good point on covering the cage too. Should I be worried that he will pull the sheet or blanket in between the bars and eat it?




I can look into more natural perches. I don't have him out of the cage at all yet. If I open the door and leave it open he climbs up the back wall and stays there to be as far from the door as possible. It seems to scare him when it's open. Also if I let him out then I'm going to have to catch him to get him back in there right? He has only been here for about a week and I really don't want to handle him for any reason unless its on his terms. I'll google the bird kabob and ss food bowls too. The cage is pretty big but I don't know if it's a flight cage.

You can watch and see. Usually they leave covers alone but each bird is different. I cover my birds at night and they always leave the covers alone, but it's something to be careful of. Is he flighted? (I know often pet stores sadly clip.) You can try leaving the door open and putting a perch just outside and hang a treat near it to see if he'll come out on his own.
 

budgieluv3

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What are the cage dimensions? For a bird his size I think a flight cage would be good, Heres some links!

If you had an American or English budgie, and let them outside a lot, That cage would be great. We keep my budgie in this cage, but she has the option to go out 6-8 hours a day. All Living Things® Victorian Bird Cage | bird Cages | PetSmart when I go back to work (working from home because of COVID), we'll get her a flight cage and a friend. :budgie2:
 

Fisheyy

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Kristen
What are the cage dimensions? For a bird his size I think a flight cage would be good, Heres some links!

If you had an American or English budgie, and let them outside a lot, That cage would be great. We keep my budgie in this cage, but she has the option to go out 6-8 hours a day. All Living Things® Victorian Bird Cage | bird Cages | PetSmart when I go back to work (working from home because of COVID), we'll get her a flight cage and a friend. :budgie2:
My cage is much larger than that one, its 24x24x32.
 

Fisheyy

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Kristen
You can watch and see. Usually they leave covers alone but each bird is different. I cover my birds at night and they always leave the covers alone, but it's something to be careful of. Is he flighted? (I know often pet stores sadly clip.) You can try leaving the door open and putting a perch just outside and hang a treat near it to see if he'll come out on his own.
His wings are clipped. It seems like they're clipped super short too, but maybe that's just how I'm seeing it. He can flap flap flap and almost get from one perch to another (when he thinks i'm trying to eat him for lunch generally ;)) I'm very interested to see how he looks with all his feathers at the appropriate lengths. lol His poor tail feathers are all beat up too. He's not bothering them or anything, I'm guessing it's from not being able to really fly and bumping them into things.

I'll try the cage door open with a treat this weekend. Am I over thinking having to put him back in the cage? I really don't want to grab him for any reason and play into the fear he already has of me.
 
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