Petey Blog

The last palm leaf toy was obviously too small, even though it lasted pretty long, but we had to step it up a notch with the Spiked Pinata by Planet Pleasures, a large one to be exact. After seeing the enjoyment that Petey got out of the little Octopus Pinata, I decided that this would please him even more. It might look big for small bird like a Conure, but he is determined to destroy this thing. Maybe he will stop chewing on my sweatshirt's zipper, oh wait, he broke that zipper already.

Comments:
blueyes : Holy crap that's big. I guess it might take him 3 weeks to destroy this one.
YummY! : Nifty. And, it appears that birds and rats go through toys equally quickly.
Beth : Awww seeing Petey makes me miss my rats even more! I think I spent more money on those two critters than I have on anyone or any animal in my life- I became resourceful, though. They loved to rip apart maxi-pads and tampons.
Albert : Write any question to my mail

At the request of certain people, here is the video of Petey.

Comments:
Colleen Feeney : Wow! Petey's cute! :-)

Over the summer Petey has been getting used to his Happy Hut Hideaway. For about a week he ignored it. After that week he started sleeping in it after dark until his cage was covered. Lately he can be found sleeping in it when he wakes up in the morning. There have been reports of birds getting snagged in the threads. Just like other objects in the bird's environment, they should be regularly checked and have loose threads removed. Many birds prefer having Happy Huts that match their predominant color.

Comments:
stewie bird : Stewie bird LOVES his Happy Hut. Our vet said that it's probably not a great idea to leave it in his cage all the time because it makes conures get nesty and territorial... but I couldn't imagine taking it away from him; it's his little happy place.

Petey likes to ruffle his feathers after he takes a shower.

Comments:
Aidana : I love the petey blog... my favorite "Petey from a different angle"I also wanted to let you know I've added your link to the two blogs below.Pop in if you get some time, ok hun?AidanaMY HORSE BLOG:http://www.blogcharm.com/ShuvaniStablesAllNaturalHorseAndLivestockRemedyAndProductBlog/MY EXOTIC ANIMALS BLOG:http://www.blogcharm.com/shuvanimals/
Tricia : Petey so cute! I love his colours and all the wonderful pics of him you put up. :)
L : SO cute! I cannot handle all this CUTENESS!!!
blueyes : Will Petey be enjoying some of the warm weather after one of his showers soon?

Petey often exercises his wings inside his cage. It is very important to have a cage large enough that allows birds to fully extend their wings for exercise. Clipped birds should flap their wings rigorously at least a few times per day in order to maintain their muscles properly. Improperly clipped or weak wings can cause the bird serious injury or death should they fall. The wings should be clipped evenly or the bird will be out of balance. Too aggressive of a clipping will cause the bird to drop like a rock. Whether or not to clip your bird's wings is highly dependent on the environment they live in.

Comments:
Gidget : I had a sun conure. They are great birds, loud, but sweet

Petey has found one more food that he will get excited for, Lafeber Tropical Fruit Nutri-Berries. The bag explains it can be used as a complete diet for your bird, but Petey has just been eating them in addition to his regular diet. He not only likes the papaya, pineapple, mango and bananas in the food, but he really seems to like the berry shape. At first all he was interested in was breaking them apart; however, he quickly he realized what he was dropping. The description says the shape minimizes wasted food, and claims that 96% of it is eaten. Maybe it just takes some practice because Petey does drop quite a bit of it as he breaks it apart. He has gotten noticeably better at eating them in the past week though.

Comments:
Jade : Petey looks like a Sun Conure...is he? I had one a long time ago. Best pet I've ever had! I'm trying to talk current hubby into getting me another one (the last one died a horrible death and it's taken me 10 years to get over it!)! First time here, I am sure you can tell! Good luck in the battle! :-) I'm off to explore more! I adore Petey!
Carina : Just wanted to say, that Petey is soooo cute!! I have a couple of red-rumped parakeets, but they are afraid of hands and rather shy at all, but also cute. :-)
stewie bird : I think the 96% eaten thing is a marketing ploy. Stewie drops at least a third of his NutriBerries (probably because he knows there's tons more where those came from. spoiled little bird)

Petey likes to both take baths in his water bowl and go in the shower. In this photo you can also see Petey's new flight feathers are growing in.

Comments:
blueyes : At least Petey WANTS to take a bath, I had to fight tooth and nails to get my dogs a bath this weekend
otilius : nice abstract shot. go, Petey!
Beth : After Petey is finished with his bathing, does he put on boxers, or, briefs?
Johnnylou : We just brought hom a Green Cheek Conure! Absonlutely love him!!! What a smart little guy. How long have you had you beauiful bird. How do you dry your bird after he takes a bath.
rickeybird : Great blog. Parrot blogs are the thing of the future, don't ya think? :) Best wishes!
rickeybird : Great site. Parrot blogs are the thing of the future, don't ya think?

People have asked if Petey will let people pick him up. Petey is a very social bird, and is in fact spoiled with attention. He uses his beak only as a tool to help him climb up you or keep from falling off you. The only time he will not step up on your finger from inside his cage is when he is tired or you are new to him, but even then he most likely will step up on your finger. If he is with someone he knows, he will gladly be passed around the room to new people. Right now he is tickling the back of my neck and ears. He is also randomly pulling out small hair he finds that are out of place.

We are making some progress training Petey to do an interesting trick, expect a video of it soon.

Nothing new to say about Petey, here is a photo I just took of him. I like it because it isn't from any of the previous angles I've taken.

Comments:
Mike : That is a great shot of a gorgeous bird :)

Previously we had no means to quickly give Petey positive reinforcement. He already is a pretty well trained bird; he steps up on anyone's finger just about every time except in the evenings. But we would like to see if he can do more advanced activities. He loves banana chips, but he takes quite some time to finish them. To help with his training, we needed something that he would work to get, and could also finish eating it quickly. We found out that he goes crazy for dried papaya bits. At first he did not have much interest in them, but soon we found him climbing out of his open cage to get the bits left on top of his cage. The brand we used was made by Kaytee and named Healthy Toppings. We had experimented with another Kaytee treat, Yogurt Tropical Mix, but Petey has no interest in those yet. I would recommend that you don't give up too quickly when testing a treat with your bird. I have read that Conures and other parrots may benefit from seeing other birds or even humans eat a food before they have much interest in it.

Comments:
Charlotte : I love your parrot Petey! Is it a sun conure? I have a Meyer's Parrot who is ugly. xD

Visitors have noted in comments that it is important to have hardwood perches available for your birds. Petey does have natural hardwood perches in his cage. In the background you can see a manzanita branch. Manzanita is one of the hardest woods you can get for parrot perches. Make sure the perch you get has variation in its thickness. Although you can probably find some online, it is best to pick an individual branch out at your local pet store. Each branch is fairly unique and picking your bird's perch out will ensure the best fit possible.

Comments:
howlinmadmurdoc : Petey is a lovely bird.
Antonette : That is a beautiful bird!

Petey has a pretty large cage for a bird his size. The interior of the cage is about 22" wide, 22" deep and about 30" tall. Inside the cage, Petey has a few toys that are permanent fixtures for the most part, and then he has the toys that he destroys within days. Anything he can grind up with his beak he does. Progress getting Petey comfortable enough to wear the harness has been slow, very slow. I have been following this guide for the most part, but just like the instructions on the package, it is a lot harder than they make it out to be.

Comments:
Tickles_Tapeworm : Make sure you get him some natural hardwood perches. It's better for their feet than flat, round perches.
otilius : Petey!!!!

Some visitors have asked if Petey's wings are clipped. Yes his wings were clipped before he came home. Most people agree that clipping a bird's wings is necessary. It is noninvasive. When done right the bird should not be able to gain altitude, but also should not sink like a rock. If the wings are clipped incorrectly, the bird can injure itself if it falls from a height. Even birds with clipped wings can gain altitude if the winds are sufficient, therefore just because a bird's wings are clipped doesn't make it safe to take your bird outside. A leash or Feather Tether Bird Harness is highly recommended if you take your bird outside. If Petey will not use the Feather Tether, then clipping his wings will be mandatory. So far progressing with the harness has been slow. In the photo, Petey is playing chewing on the Cal Sea Yum Bird Toys I mentioned before. Lately he has begun to chew on the rubber, before he would just crunch up the calcium wafers.

Comments:
YummY! : Do you clip his wings yourself, or do you get a vet to do it?
The Creep : You blog about a stupid bird, how fucking pathetic.
Anji : What lovely photos. The information is interesting too.
jill : i don't think blogging about a bird is pathetic, especially if you've ever owned a parrot you would know how much they mean to their owners and how most of them have way more personality than some humans I know. Documenting parrot antics is quite funny. anyways it's better than your lame site. BTW petey is adorable. I have a 2 yr old girl named sunny, she is a crackup. I just love them.

Petey is now a year old, but he is still a baby. In the photo, Petey is working his beak on an 8 in 1 UltraCare(TM) Mineral Treat, hopefully it will help trim his beak. So far the calcium wafer toys seem to work best on his beak though. Also while at the store picked up a feather tether, or basically a leash, expect to see progress (or lack of) in the next couple posts.

Comments:
Mike : I hate peety.

Whenever Petey sees his mirror image, he barely takes notice of it and loses interest quickly. I've read that birds can become obsessive of their own mirror images if given a mirror toy in their cage. Some cases say that the birds will start to feed their mirror image, even groom it. Mirrors used to be a popular toy for birds, but new opinions are beginning to question its effect of the bird's social behavior. Either way, Petey seems quite content without a mirror and I would suggest avoiding mirrors if your bird is already social with you and other people. The photo with this post is of Petey perched on a food bowl above his cage, it was taken a while ago. He seems to prefer being up there less now, he likes being in his cage to eat or sleep, on his perch in the living room when people are in there, or being on people when he's awake.

Petey enjoys water quite a bit, if he isn't given an opportunity to take a formal bath, he just hops in one of his water bowls. More water ends up outside his cage than on him though. Currently, I use Ultra Care Bird Bath Spray from Eight in One on him and it seems to work pretty well, definitely better than water alone.

Comments:
Alejandro : Did you cut his wings? :?
mike : petey is probably the coolest bird ever, if they dont like it talk to chas he will want to box them
anlempert : awww such a cutie pie

Petey has been quite active lately, if people are in the house, he likes to be out with them. He becomes quite irritated if they leave the room. People say Sun Conures need their alone time, even if they are affectionate, but Petey doesn't seem to like being out of the social circle unless it is past his bedtime. He doesn't mind being alone though, as long as he is not aware that anyone is home.

Petey's favorite treat is definitely banana chips. Most people are surprised when they see Petey using his feet to hold his food. As you can see in the video he also tries to dip the chip in one of his water bowls, but it is empty. Usually he does not dip the banana chips, but he likes to dip certain colors of Zupreem Fruit Blend for Parrots and Conures in his water before eating them. I've noticed he dips the yellow and green ones the most. Sometimes I wonder how he came up with the idea to dip the pellets in his water bowl on the other side of the cage.

Comments:
Aden : Petey is so very cute, I really love birds. I have had quite a few in my life.
Tickles_Tapeworm : Juella likes to dip her pellets in the water too. I just don't understand why she doesn't dunk them longer. :)

You can see Petey's maxillary beak tip has an issue. Overall playing with toys seems to have improved the condition of his beak without any other action being required yet. Petey crunches up a lot of Cal Sea Yum Bird Toys, and loves to demolish Cuttlebones.

This is Petey, he is a Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis). He was hatched on March 2, 2005. I got him in December after doing extensive research. It was between Petey and an African Grey, but the African Grey was sold at the time. Petey is a quite active and social bird. Overall besides waking up early, most of the house gets along with him very well.