How much is it to by supplies for a bird?

Question

I am finally getting a bird at the shelter, how much is it to buy everything I need for a Conure?

Thank you so much everyone.

Answer 1

Congrats on your upcoming Conure adoption! I've got 2 Nandays, and they're REALLY noisy, but I love them to death! (If I lived in an apartment, I'm sure the neighbors would hate me. I own my house, though, so they're just mildly disqusted at the noise level...heh-heh-heh....) I'm only going to give you the costs for BIRD items, and not earplugs, band-aids, bacitracin, etc., for you, OK? (Just joking.)

On to expenses. Often, if you adopt a bird from a shelter, they offer to sell you a cage, (or the birds existing cage) as part of the adoption fee. I don't know if this is the case for your bird. Bar spacing should be 3/4" to 1", and bars should be of a heavy gauge - like the wire on your computer mouse, or just a tiny bit smaller. They've got powerful beaks and jaws, and can bend/break smaller cage bars. (If it's a smaller conure, like a Green Cheek, spacing should be much smaller.) Your cage is big enough if your bird won't touch the bars on any side when his wings are fully expanded, and your bird should have room to hop freely between perches and swings. .A brand new cage won't be cheap - probably $150 at the low end, on up, depending on if you have a playtop, several doors and feeding stations, etc. From experience, I recommend that you get a cage that allows you to change the feed/H20 cups from the outside, and that has a LARGE main door. Ebay is a good source for bargain-priced cages, even considering the shipping costs. Classifieds and Craigslist will give you lots of used cages to choose from, if you need to save $$. (Just be sure that the finish on the wires is intact, and that you thoroughly disinfect the entire cage!)

I make all of my extra perches, rather than buying them. Luckily, I have lots of 'safe' trees that drop branches of all sizes. Here's a link about safe wood for perches, and other birdie info: http://www.exoticbird.com/gillian/ If you want to buy them, the manzanita wood ones are quite expensive, but will last the longest. There are several 'concrete/grit' type perches on the market at around $15 each for your sized bird. They are good because they keep claws trimmed, and excercise the bird's feet, too. Oh, and if you don't want to fork out more money for a playstand, you can easily build one from PVC pipe and fittings for around $10 or less.

Toys can be insanely expensive, and since we all spoil our pets, we splurge like crazy! You could easily spend another $40 - $50 on toys and accessories.Toys are easy to make, and birds don't mind homemade toys at all. Here's a great link that will save you money: http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/ideas.htm As far as feeding bowl, I'd recommend either stainless, or heavy crockery. A couple of good bowls will run around $15 or so.

Food is the most expensive part. A seed diet isn't suitable for conures, although it's ok for treats. A good, balanced pellet diet, supplemented with fresh fruits/veggies, is best, and their feathers/attitudes shows it. Plus, pellets don't have hulls or shells that are thrown away, but that you have to pay for if you feed a seed diet. I use Pretty Bird Premium Pellets for all my featherheads. A 20 lb. bag runs between $31 - $35 in pet stores here, near Chicago. That would last a very long time if you're just feeding one bird. (They do make smaller bags, but the price/lb goes up.) I've also used Zupreme, and they liked it, but it costed more, at $10-$12 for a 3.5 lb bag.

Your first checkup/tests at the avian vet will run you around $135, probably. It's a good idea, though, even if the shelter does an initial exam for you.

You'll need claw clippers, around $7. Styptic powder, another $7 or so. (Yes, we all cause a boo-boo when doing nails the first time or two!) a large mineral block (not a cuttlebone - it'll be toast in a second) to keep the beak trim, around $6.

The cost of having your will made out, so that your bird is taken care of after you 'cross the bridge' will vary. I've heard that the website legalzoom.com is reasonable, but haven't used them. There are lots of software programs out there for wills and trusts, at around $29 - $49 or so. And the cost of using a real, live lawyer? Yikes! But parrots live a long time, and depending on your age, could outlive you, so...

...by now you're filling out an application for a second mortgage, aren't you?! Don't worry, they're worth it, and will reward you for years with their antics.

Good luck!

Answer 2

First thing, request the toys that she's already got so that you can put something familiar in her new cage so it's not so scary for her.

Then, if you go to a good pet store they'll usually have a large selection of toys. I've found that petsmart and those places don't have NEARLY the selection as the private pet stores do. My petstore where we go has a "bargain bin" that you can get most toys there for under 10 bucks a piece.

For your cage, I'd go with something a little sturdier than the cockatiel sized cage. You might find one big enough, but I don't think they're strong enough for a conure. You'll probably spend about 100-200 bucks on a good cage. You may as well make the purchase now, instead of buying a cheap cage and spending 75 bucks on it, then having to upgrade it in a couple of months. Just get her forever cage now if you can afford it. Get the biggest one that you can possibly afford, but make sure that the spacing of the bars is close enough that she can't get her head in there and get stuck. We were just looking at cages tonight for my son's bird and we found a pretty decent one for 175 bucks. Avian Adventures is who makes it, and they have a website if you choose to look it up. Actually, Avian Adventures is who I've gotten my last 2 cages from. My greenwing macaw needed a good large cage, and we got hers at a 20% discount. 898.00 later, she's got an awesome cage.

Food...my guys prefer Zupreem. They make different mixes for each size category. For the medium sized bag of macaw fruit mix, I pay 10 bucks for it and it lasts me for 2 weeks for 2 birds.

You can probably hold off on playstands and a t-stand until you can afford it. Just use the back of a kitchen chair for training for now if you're trying to conserve money.

All in all, if you put 250 bucks aside you should have a pretty good start at getting what you need for you new baby. Congratulations!

***Don't forget what I said about requesting her toys. It truly makes a difference in her not being so freaked out by her new cage...

Answer 3

You'll need a cage big enough to be comfortable, but at first you can start out with only one or two perches and/or toys. You'll need ample seed, and as a side note, be sure to refresh the seed cup every day. Birds don't pick through the hulls for the intact seed underneath, and they may think there is nothing to eat when in fact there is plenty of seed right there in front of them. I used to blow on the seed cup periodically to clear away the hulls.

Petco and Feeder's Supply aren't real expensive. My initial outlay was around $75 to $100, but that was with two parakeets, and the cost includes what I paid for them.

Answer 4

I have no idea I just wanted to tell you to make sure you buy a good bird food. Seeds are very fatty and unhealthy for birds. The best food for them is called Harrisons Bird Food. It comes in a variety of sizes and even a pepper flavor. Lol Im sure I sound silly going on about food but I have a degree in zology and I care ;) Good luck!

Answer 5

I pick up my bird supplies at a little local pet store. I can pick up bird seed for my little yellow guy, seed for the doves, wild bird seed, treats for my dog, and play with the puppies all in the same visit. I've been going there for close to 15 years now and they know me well.

Answer 6

Conures - You Just Gotta Luv 'EmInformation about care, diet, behavior, training and the different species.
http://www.concentric.net/~conure/conures.shtml -

Answer 7

i dont know exactly but try going to google and type in what product you want...