Petey Blog

I have a small confession to make: I am not who the blog says I am. I created this blog just for fun a little after my roommate got Petey. I write and take the photos and post them under his name. In December he moved across the country for training, and he couldn't bring Petey along with him. The options were for Petey to stay with me or find him a new home. No wanting Petey to end up with strangers, he stayed with me. But in May I was about to start a lot of moving around myself, so I couldn't take care of him properly for a few months. My roommate had gotten a house where he was, and I was going to be on that side of the country for my first trip. It was a punishing 1am flight across the country. I was so filled with anxiety that he was going to scream that I nearly got an ulcer, but he never made a single squawk except when the TSA guy took him. All of the security people were giving him so much attention, commenting on his unusual colors, nobody seemed to care if he had a certificate of health or anything. Anyways, this photo of him was taken the morning I left. It won't be the last post as I plan on visiting, but hopefully this will explain the delays.

Comments:
Ann-Marie : Hi there, I love your bird! I had a couple questions if you don't mind. Do you occasionally go out of town on weekends and is he ok on his own with enough food/water for the two days? Also, how much time a day are you able to spend with him? I work during the day and might have other activities after, but would be able to devote a couple hours at least on weekdays to a conure (thinking about getting green-cheek). Just wanted your thoughts, thanks so much!
A-M : Hi, I love your bird! I had a couple questions if you don't mind. Do you occasionally go away for the weekend and is he ok with enough food/water? And how much time are you able to spend with him during the day? I am thinking about getting a green-cheek and work full time and have some after work activities, but would be able to devote a couple of hours a weekday at least...Thanks so much!
A-M : sorry- thought the first didn't go through :)
Stewie the Sun Conure : When are we going to get more updates on Petey??
Amy : Hi Petey, I love your blog! I run a bird related blog too, about caique parrots. I was wondering if you would be interested in trading links? Drop me a line if you are!
Fabe : We have a Sun Conure named Sunny, not sure if it's a male or female, but for argument's sake we'll say female...because she keeps trying to feed me! She loves her baths, and tends to get right cranky if she doesn't get one EACH day! There was a time where we went for 2 days without giving her one, and you guessed it...she used her water bowl. We came home to water all over our new leather couch. The cage has sinced been moved, just in case! haha
Meg : hey, ur blog is pretty cool, u hav some awsome pix of ur roommates conure. in response to the person who is thinking about getting a green-cheek, i think it is probably not a good idea if the only time you will have for it is on the weekend. all conures are very social and my green-cheek screams if i dont get him out at least twice a day. on top of this you need to think about the time you need to clean the cage as they need quite a large cage for all their toys. maybe you should look into something that needs a bit less attention like a cockatiel.

Disclaimer: He doesn't have to go in the water, he does it by choice. And if you had to put up with the noise he makes when he hears a shower running that he is not in, then you would do the same.

Comments:
Southern Gal : How adorable! He looks like he is really enjoying himself.
blueyes : well at least you have a perch for him :)
Bala : Hi, Petey looks awesome and its so nice that he enjoys the shower. Wish my birdies would do that! Nice picture too! Cheers.
Cass : Please may we have some more Petey?
stewie : This is a fantastic action shot! =)

Here is the damage after about a month. We will subtract off the time Petey was away from it and at a friend's house. You can see that he is cheating now, trying to kill the toy by going for its head.

Comments:
Paul : Neato!
otilius : wow, Petey! you really tear **** up!
Sue : Gorgeous bird! We have two budgies at home, and despite their size they can get into a lot of mischief!
Jacinta : Your bird is identical to mine! I've seen heaps of sun conures but usually there is a difference somewhere. His feathers and colours are exactly the same as mine. His name is Caesar. You've got some fantastic pictures here, sun conures are so photogenic.

Even though Petey's wings are clipped, he loves juice so much that he made a huge leap, without a single flap from his wings, from my shoulder to the glass of orange juice that I had just taken a sip from.

Comments:
otilius : Petey!!! you gotta love him....
Cynthia Blue : Very cute picture!

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

As you can see to the right of Petey, there is virtually nothing left of the Octopus. At first it seemed like it would be destroyed in minutes. But after Petey made it through the initial out layer, it was discovered that it was solid, tightly wrapped palm leafs. After much work he had shredded the upper segment completely and his attention turned to the tentacles, which kept him busy even longer. Overall it has entertained him for about two weeks.

Comments:
Tracey : I only just discovered the world of Petey...so cute. I have an Alexandrine Parrot who seems to be a lot crankier than Petey...
Planet Pleasures : I recently discovered your blog on a search of our company name, and I must say how thrilled we are to see your bird enjoying our toys! They are designed for birds, not for their owners, and are made from resources from their natural jungle habitat (and some safe dyes of course), with no plastic, paper, metal or glue. Birds love to pick and destroy, and our toys are constructed with that challenge in mind. They will eventually defeat the toy, but it will take a while, and it will be the most fun and greatest achievement for their self esteem. And to answer your question about who gets paid ,we are a Fair Trade Cooperative and we provide a village in the Philippines with a steady income and a very comfortable lifestyle. Our owner travels to the village two or three times a year to reward their work and explore new concepts and opportunities. They love him and he respects them all. Planet Pleasures is a win/win company. The villagers are compensated directly with no middle men, so they are taken care of and work hard to show their appreciation. And the birds get the end result; solid toys that are designed to be destroyed! Thanks for sharing these photos! Any chance we could borrow them for our own purposes?

It was overpriced, especially for something that a bird will shred up in a single fit of rage, but I read (sounds a bit sketchy though without any details, I want numbers, how much do they villagers get of my money?) the back of the tag: "Planet Pleasures takes pride in offering you a unique line of products that are all natural and earth friendly, utilizing only renewable and recycled materials. Handmade by villagers who rely on their handicraft skills to survive. Be good to the environment & your bird, choose Planet Pleasure toys!!"

Comments:
Keri : Cool bird! I'd love to get me one!
lostcheerio : Gosh, with a name like "Planet Pleasure" it's got to be good. Right? Hehehe. ;D
carrie : cool picture
Sandy : This photo is great--all that color is terrific! Fun bird.

Petey is back, sorry for not keeping this up to date.

Comments:
eat me : Get peety the hell out of here.
Cass : Hooray for Petey!

Petey is a helpful bird, he likes to do his part around the house.

Comments:
otilius : My seeing eye dog doesn't wanna do that... ;)
jan : Funny. Almost wants me to trade my dogs for a bird.
rickyvaldez : petey sucks....
blueyes : Always the helpful one :)
Tweety : Hi, this is my first time to your site. I would love to be in contact with you. As I posted in another photo I have a sun conure and she is a blessing. LOUD but I'v really enjoyed having her, just need some help. If you could I would really appreciate it. Petey is a BEAUTIFUL conure.
Cass : Where's Petey gone? There hasn't been an update in a while...I hope he's OK.
moirana : I found your blog when I was checking on conures and their motivation to bathe (seems like Petey does not show any hesitation at all). Valo is a baby green cheek conure and the cutest little feathery guy I ever came across (of course, petey is very very close). But he's not too thrilled about water... I was wondering if you moviatee Petey to bathe?! moirana@gmx.net
pete : What equipment are you using for your shots? They are awesome. Quetzal, my gold cap conure, says,"woot quack" to Petey. Pjejtjejr.gjrjajbjkjo (at gmail.com) remove the letter j's. Anti-spyder.
robby101 : Hey, petey looks like a really cool bird, i have a few cockatiels and was thinking about getting a sun conure. If you have any helpful hints please e-mail me.

Sometimes it seems like Petey does stuff like this just to get attention.

Comments:
ANO : Rock it!
otilius : Yay! Go, Petey! Missed ya...
renatte68 : Petey is sooooo cute. Keep the photos coming I can't get enough of him!
blueyes : Aww, its okay Petey, not everyday is a bad hair day :)
L : what a cute little mini-mohawk :)

Petey spends a large amount of his time sleeping. He not only goes to sleep early and rises early, but also likes to take midday naps when there is nothing exciting going on. Many sources say that Conures in general need at least 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.

Comments:
danusia : awwww! so cute! ^^
blueyes : Aww so cute :)
otilius : Wake up, Petey! I miss you and want another post...
Tweety : Aww he so pretty. I have reciently aquired an sun conure. A Mothers Day Gift from my son. Could anyone help me? lol

Here is a overview photo of Petey's cage. He used to like being on top of it quite a bit, but now he likes to be on people more. His cage is quite large for a parrot of his size. Petey likes to pose for the camera, he is trying to be funny for April Fool's Day.

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 wasn't outside for very long, there wasn't any wind, but it was very cold. Petey is almost like a guard dog, he alerts everyone when he sees people come to the front door. He saw everyone outside building a snowman and did not want to be left out.

Comments:
L : adorable bird! love the photos :)
Ikatron : That is a great page. Thank you for sharing
Erin S. : That's the cutest picture EVER!

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. :)