Hatch Date : 2012

 

Rio is an 11-year-old, Sun Conure, presumed male.  

He is stunning and a good boy all around.  

He doesn't seem to like men, and we believe he was abused/severely neglected by one.  

He was found in a state of neglect at the 2nd of the three homes we know of.  

His first two owners passed, and the people who took him in reached out to us for help.  

Rio speaks, but we can only make out one command clearly, which is "Walk away" when 

someone gets too near his cage.   This breaks our hearts, but his speech is pretty clear, so we're hopeful he can pick up some more positive words/phrases, given the proper time and training.

Rio is new to his foster family but doesn't seem to be an aggressive bird.  

He is, however, a scared bird, and will only come out of his cage for short periods, before he gets  nervous and puts himself back in. He has a healthy pelleted diet and will take sunflower seeds gently from your hand. His foster family will be using them strictly for treats and incentives for positive behaviors.  He loves his baths in his cage and being sprayed misted with a bottle. 

We moved him into a large flight cage, which is great for him and it's filled with toys, which he loves!  He seems to call back and forth with other birds in his foster home but doesn't have a super-strong interest in physically getting closer to them.  His foster family will continue to work with him, and post updates as they learn more about Rio.  

 

Rio is being fostered in Howell, NJ

 

Educating potential adopters and the public is essential to reducing the problem of unwanted birds being kept in captivity and providing those birds living in homes with the best lives possible.