Welcome to the Family Blu (Sept 12, 2012)

Well, we have a new pet, one that I never thought I would ever have. Will got onto some kick about wanting a pet bird. But not just any bird, he wanted one that you can hold and will talk to you. I completely dismissed it the first 10 times he told me he wanted a bird. After all, how many times have they asked for ridiculous pets like hamsters or chinchillas. When Will asked why not, I gave him the usually answers, like for example "we have no idea how to take care of a bird." Will took the challenge of my answers and started doing research into what kind of bird would make a good pet and how to take care of them. I must admit, I was a little impressed with how my homework he did on the subject.

One afternoon on our way home from Walmart, Will asked if we could just go inside and look to see what kind of birds they sell there. For who knows what reason, I actually agreed and we went inside to see what they had.

This is what we found. . .

He was a 3 month old Green Cheek Conure. The worker at the store let us get him out of the cage and hold him. He was very loving and responded well to us. When she put him back in the cage, he started bobbing his head up and down at us and was following us around his cage. It was then that this little tiny bird started to work his way into our hearts. The store clerk said they wont put a hold on living pets, so we needed to decide rather fast if we wanted him or not, because they sell pretty fast.

I had a talk with Dave that night that I never thought I would have. We talked about whether we should buy this bird or not.We knew we couldn't wait for Christmas to get this bird for Will, it would be gone and they could not guarantee if they would have another green cheek conure. Plus, we wanted this bird, not just any bird. This one had a good personality and loved people. Apparently, he wasn't always that way. The store owner said that at first Blu did not like people, so they gave him extra attention and hand fed and cared for him He turned out to be one of their friendliest Conures. I believe it, because Blu loves to be with us!

Much to our surprise, we were agreeing to let Will get his bird. We went back the next day and bought him. He was a little over $300 and with the cage, food and toys, we were closer to $600. But, I like to look at it like this, he is still cheaper than my $4000 cat (with her surgery).

They recommend you give Conures  at least an hour of attention a day. These birds are not like the little (much, much cheaper) birds that you probably wouldn't want to take out of their cage, because you would never be able to catch them to put them back in. Conures love human interaction and thrive off of it. I can honestly say our bird spends much more time outside of his cage than he ever does inside his cage. Sunday is the day he spends in the longest, and that is only because we are at church. When we get up in the morning we get him out and he stays up until bedtime with us.

Blu tends to have an affection towards tall males. He LOVES Dave. No matter who has him when Dave comes home, he will leave us for him. He snuggles up to Dave's neck. He also will rub his head on Dave's hands to get his head rubbed. He has fallen in love with Mountain Dew. I would say that is his favorite food item. If Dave holds up a can, Blu will go nuts bobbing his head up and down, until he gets a drink.

I am writing this in January, and since the time we got him in Sept, we have let his wings grow back. His flying wings are a gorgeous blue color (hence Will's name for him). The flying wings haven't all grown back yet and it's kinda funny to see him fly because he is a little nervous. He needs to think about it and get his courage up. We can take him outside, to Petsmart and he does not leave us. He also loves car rides and to eat whatever we are eating.

He has found his way into our hearts. We love him, we would like it better if he didn't poo, but then he wouldn't be known as the poop mister. Here are some pictures of our newest family member.

 No matter what you are doing, he wants to be there with you while you do it. Like playing the piano (above), or trying to steal your paint brush (below).

 

He will literally eat out of your mouth if you let him (Will does this all the time, I call him the Mommy bird) or nibble on your lips and/or tongue (above), he also like to chew on things like ears or earrings (below).

With the greens, yellows, reds and blues, he sure is a beautiful bird.

Mariana used to love to hold Blu. It was very cute, until one day, when he got his flying wings back and he flew for her shoulder, which made her nervous. She turned her head, which caused him to land on her nose instead. Since then, she still loves him, but doesn't want to hold him.