Hi guys!

Welcome back to Animal Wonders. I love animals.

And I love that I get to learn new things about them all the time. I really enjoy sharing what I know and what I've learned over the years with you in my videos. But I also like to zoom in and focus on just one animal, as opposed to the entire species.

I call these episodes my meet and greet series, and it's all about the individual. Each species is unique and amazing. But each individual, every single one of them, is different and special in their own way.

Like our featured animal today, Ecuador, the Jenday Conure. [INTRO]. Equador is a-- [SCREACHING] a handsome bird. No wonder that Jenday Conures and Sunday Conyers are so popular as pets.

They're stunning. We know a lot about Ecuador's past history because his previous owners were very thorough when they relinquished him to us. He originally purchased from Petsmart when he was about a year old.

His previous owners really enjoyed having him in their house, and they kept him for a bit over a year until they just couldn't keep him anymore. So they called us and asked if Ecuador could come live at Animal Wonders. Apparently their little dog had become terribly allergic to Ecuador's feather dander and was having a really tough time.

Also--[SCREACHING}--Equador is really loud. And they felt bad that they didn't have any other bird friends for him. In March 2014, Ecuador came to live at Animal Wonders.

After his quarantine period, Ecuador moved into the bird room. It took him a few days to get comfortable around all the other birds, but after a couple weeks, he was active and vocalizing with the rest. Our goal for Ecuador was to introduce him to a bird companion.

Since parrot type birds are naturally social and normally bond to their chosen mate we like to try and provide this kind of socialization for them. It can sometimes be challenging to find a good match since, we have such a variety of species and many of them are socially awkward because they've been hand raised by humans, and have never had a bird companion before. The first bird we introduced Ecuador to was Boxer the Lovebird.

He was such a mild-mannered little guy that we hoped Ecuador would feel comfortable around him. The pair didn't fight but they also didn't bond with each other. They basically just kept to themselves.

We wanted Ecuador to have a companion he could bond with. [SCREACHING}. We tried another option:. Lulu the Halfmoon Conure.

Lulu and Boxer had never gotten along so, we moved Boxer out and in neutral territory we introduced Ecuador to Lulu. Lulu was immediately attracted to Ecuador. Maybe they were meant to be or maybe it was because Lulu had recently lost his best friend, Oliver the Sun Conure and.

Ecuador being Jenday Conure closely resembled him. Ecuador seemed completely content with Lulu in his space. After several play sessions, they officially moved in together.

They will sometimes bicker over a certain piece of food, but it's over in just a few seconds and they go back to eating what's ever next. You might have noticed Ecuador--[SCREACHING} doing some loud screeching calls. And that's because he's doing contact calls to Lulu.

A contact call is a loud piercing screech meant to carry a distance. So bonded mates and flocks can keep track of each other's movements and stay in contact in the thick foliage of the jungle. Ecuador and Lulu have a really strong bond.

And they don't like to be separated so, we usually bring them to public presentations together. They travel in the same crate and they're happiest when they see each other at all times. These two goofballs are so fun to be around but it can be a challenge to handle them both at the same time if treats are involved.

They are quite smart and really pay attention to who is getting what treats and how many. Lulu is quick to point out if he thinks Ecuador is getting more than him. When I want to train Ecuador he won't pay attention if he's separated from Lulu.

So, I had to figure out a way to work with him, while also having Lulu in the room. Now, I don't recommend putting parrots or conures on your shoulder because it can lead to complications in communication and possible injury. In this case, I do put Lulu on my shoulder for brief periods of time to avoid these two from bickering over treats on my hand.

Up you go. Good job, buddy. but I do have to be careful because Lulu will bite at my cheek if I don't make sure to give him a treat every time I give Ecuador one. Gotta make sure it's fair.

The first thing I wanted to teach Ecuador to do was show off his amazing feet. Conures, like all parrot type birds, have feet with two toes in the front and two toes in the back. This arrangement is called zygodactylous.

And one of the best ways to show off these awesome feet is to get him to hang upside down. So, I started by putting a treat in front of him and getting him to tip just a little bit down, and then I get him a little bit further. Get him comfortable upside down taking the treat.

Good job. So once he was comfortable tipping upside down. I wanted him to go backwards.

So comfortable upside down good job. And I quickly tipped him backwards got him upside down and then gave him another treat. Good job, buddy.

Next, I wanted to add a little fun to it for the audience. I want them to we be wowed by his ability to hang upside down and. Introduce zygodactyl feet and have them remember it.

So I added the flair of pretending to shoot him with my fingers and having him fall backwards. Let's try it. Ready?

Bang. We're still perfecting it but we're getting pretty close and everyone enjoys it. Especially Ecuador.

Ecuador loves to play with toys that he can pick apart and shred like this one and this one. He takes baths on his own in his water dish, but he also tolerates having his back feathers misted too. He loves all kinds of fruit except, strawberries and pomegranates, which is unique.

And that's what it's all about. Learning about what makes each individual unique and celebrating them for who they are. Thanks for watching.

If you'd like to send some love to Ecuador and Lulu you can get them their favorite toy. Or a new perch, by going to our Amazon wish list. Link is in the description.

And if you'd like to meet some more of our animals and learn new animal things subscribe to our YouTube channel Animal Wonders Montana. And I'll see you next week. Thanks guys.