Petey Blog

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

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

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

Petey is content sitting on most people's shoulders, but for a select few he is not satisfied until he burrows down your shirt. This can be a good thing. For example, if you are on the phone, most of the time he is fairly quiet when he is inside shirts. If you have ever had a Sun Conure near you, you know how hard it can be to conduct a phone conversation when the bird wants your attention. For the people who haven't had the pleasure, between the noise he makes when he is not on your shoulder trying to get on your shoulder and attacking the phone randomly when he gets on your shoulder, it makes it virtually impossible. Getting back on topic, sometimes he even peacefully sleeps on your belly for extended periods. But there is an ugly side to bird shirt burrowing, one or two of the follow may occur if you are only wearing one layer. If you are ticklish, expect the bird to exploit that and use his beak to tickle you if he is in a calm but not sleepy mood. Or if if the bird is full of energy expect to have scratches from his claws as he explores, and gets stuck in your sleeves. One solution to the problem is to wear at least two layers and only let the bird in between the layers.

Comments:
blueyes : Never seen a bird do that but I guess he's gotta really like the person to do it.
Carwyn : Love this picture!
moirana : our sun conure girl bella does the same thing.... she spends hours sitting in the shirt enjoying the world...great pics of petey... have to say, i LOVE the flight pic...
Bruce -- Harper Blue : Actually, I can think of a third, rather alimentary problem....
sweet_wolf : I have a Fallow green conure that loves to burrow in clothing, she will fall asleep when she is that close to myself and her papa
katrina : can we please have more petey???
Christine : That is funny my sun Conure loves to climb in my sweatshirts when I am holding her. When I hold her she leans back against my chest or shoulder. she does not like to sit on my finger.

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 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?

Petey likes to protect the beer in the house, he sits, waits and watches to make sure nobody mooches off our beer. He takes his job personally, but usually he squawks before he bites. His bites are similar to an American Staffordshire terrier (pit bull) bite, he locks on with his beak and won't let go. Just kidding, Petey is a very gentle and sensitive bird, and he will share his beer with other people too. It has been almost four and half months since his wings were last clipped, but he still sinks pretty fast when he tries to fly. It doesn't even look like there are any flight feathers that are big enough to clip yet.

Comments:
kathryn : what a cool bird.
blueyes : Petey rules!! ;)

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 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