Conures

Question
I am now the new owner/pet to a 1 to 1 1/2 year old Nanday Conure. She was a gift from a friend who could no longer care for her(?). Yes she was a welcome gift. I've never had a bird before and have a lot to learn about them. I would appreciate any information that you can share, though I do have one immediate concern. I am a cigar smoker. I know that birds are very sensitive and need to know how people have learned to cope with this. Also just how sensitive (as birds go, comparatively) are conures? i.e.- I understand parakeets and canaries are particularly sensitive birds. Anyway, any information you might pass along about conures would be helpful.
Thanks,
Ed

Answer
Hi Ed,

Congratulations on the new addition to your family. I am sure you will enjoy the experience of being owned by one of these little clowns/acrobats.

I do understand your concern about the cigar smoking. I am not a vet so can only answer based on my own experiences. I am also a smoker - i just avoid smoking when i am close to or interacting with my birds. My late husband was a heavy smoker but this does not appear to have had an adverse effect on the Blue-fronted Amazon we bought together about 20 years ago and did not appear to affect the sun conures we had either.

Basically, your new pet needs regular interaction with you (and, if possible, with other friendly humans). It needs both physical exercise and mental stimulation to prevent boredom and the associated behaviour problems. It also needs to learn to entertain itself (e.g., by playing with a variety of toys - rotate toys about once a week to keep them exciting and fun) so that it does not depend solely on you for all stimulation/entertainment. There are several excellent resources on the Web that can help you to get the most out of your new pet. Bird-Click (email list at Yahoo Groups) would be an excellent starting point. Speak to your avian vet about your bird's basic nutritional requirements, deworming and any other health aspects.

If you have any more specific questions, please feel free to ask.

Hope this helps.

Regards, tania