Wow Noisy

[jessdecutie18]

So last night my husband and I returned from our weekend vacation, and a friend who deployed today dropped off his two birds for me to take care of for the next 6 months. I really hope this isn't going to be too much for us!

 

Cosmo is a sun conure, rehomed, will step up just fine, pretty friendly little dude. Pretty feathers but obviously not touched much, as he is scared of being touched besides simply stepping up and is full of prickly pin feathers. But WOW is he LOUD! I haven't had a sun conure before, but I've known they are loud, and have heard them in stores. I don't know what I can do with that noise!

 

Bongo is the peach-faced lovebird. Cute as can be Also a rehome, and never really held. He doesn't step up or anything. Also, NO TOYS in his cage. Apparently he just destroys his toys, so he doesn't have any. Please don't get rude about this, as I don't want to hurt any feelings. Obviously he needs some new toys, so what do lovebirds enjoy? I've put a small assortment of Yoshi's old pieces in there, a chewing wheel and some beads and some leather on a little chain. Don't want to overwhelm him.

 

Bongo is fully flighted. Cosmo is getting his flights in and does alright with flying. Cosmo eats roudybush and that's it, except for eating dried druit as treats. Apparently his favorite is mango. Bongo eats all little seeds and apparently is very picky. Won't eat anything else. Both have decent sized cages.

 

Now, Cosmo and Bongo aren't used to being together. They have been kept separate in an attempt to get them to only bond with the owner. When they were first brought to our house last night they were in the same room, and they set each other off. The lovebird makes a noise and the conure yells, and over and over and over. Wow that conure is loud. The owner says to separate them, so I tried that, but they still yell back and forth. Luckily last night when they came over it was late anyway, and as soon as the lovebird is covered the conure stops calling to it. Both birds are covered at night and when I covered Cosmo later he too fell silent. This morning I uncovered the lovebird and soon as he made a noise Cosmo started up. I decided to put them both out on the porch for now so I can figure out what to do, but they are very loud out there. I'm worried our neighbor (connecting house) is going to be upset. Apparently they both enjoy being outside and Bongo goes outside every day. It's hard to know what to do...

 

Is it too hot for them to be outside all day? It's a screened in porch. But this is Florida, and it gets pretty hot during the day.

 

All this going on and I haven't even gotten Yoshi back yet! I pick her up today. No idea what she is going to think or do. Her cage is separate from theirs upstairs and I'll probably keep it that way. Also, I can't really contact the birds' owner well with questions, I just have an email address I can write and he should get back to me within a couple days.

 

So... any advice would be great. Especially on cage placement and if they should be kept in separate rooms or not. Our house is small, so no matter where they are they are going to hear each other.

[Birdnut]

Wow! You have taken on a handful.

 

On the lovebird toys: A lot of toys are meant to be destroyed. We have a lovebird, and she likes swings, boings (aka bungees), ladders, and that sort of thing. She also likes toys with little bells. A favorite configuration is a boing with a bell toy hanging into the middle of it. Lovebirds love things they can chew up and shred up, like shredders, toys with soft wood pieces, and paper. Izze likes to have a little tent in her cage where she rests and sleeps. I don't know if you know the sex of the lovebird, but if you do put some shredders or paper in the cage to play with, watch out for nest building activity. If the lovebird starts to gather up shreds in one corner of the cage or some other location, back off the shredding toys, as this could stimulate a female to lay eggs. Lovebirds do tend to be rather picky eaters. Ours will occasionally nibble on some broccoli, if you put a whole stalk in her cage. She will eat some cooked grain and will nibble at birdy bread. Favorite "treat" foods are millet spray or Nutri Berries.

 

Yes, a sun conure can be loud. We have a sun conure, and she has a shrill voice, but doesn't use it often. She does call out when she wants out of her cage and wants attention. Sun conures are sociable little birds and seem to crave interaction. Is Cosmo used to being outside the cage for part of the day? Birds will tend to call out to each other, especially if they can't see each other. Don't know what to tell you there. Perhaps part of the noise and calling was related to finding themselves in a strange location. Maybe it will help when they have a little time to settle down. Please don't succumb to the temptation to cover them just to keep them quiet.

 

Do quarantine them from Yoshi for at least a month or so, as Jayd suggested.