Angela Johnson of Seeley Lake holds one of her baby yellow-sided green-cheeked conures. Her husband Clayton Grube affectionately calls her "the bird whisperer" because of her innate ability to relate to birds. While raising conures is Johnson's passion, the whole family helps socialize the young birds and care for them when necessary.
Angela Johnson holding her Macaw parrot Max. While he is usually content on top of his cage, he loves attention. Johnson thinks he could probably fly if he got outside.
Johnson holds two of the chicks from her last clutch, a yellow-sided and a pineapple conure. There are seven known mutations for green-cheeked conures in captivity. The pineapple mutation (right) is a recessive gene so the coloration only appears every two or three clutches.
Johnson's pineapple conure snuggles with her and looks for a place to take a nap.
Johnson's breeding pair of yellow-sided green-cheeked conures Zuzu, 3, and Nala or 'Mama Bird,' 2. Their nest box is an addition to their main cage on the outside. Johnson added an extra food dish for them because she said if they don't think they have enough food, they won't breed. Their last clutch of five started to hatch Nov. 30, 2019. "They are a delight. Even though I can't really hold them [because they are so protective], I still talk to them and they love their oranges, apples, bananas and pasta and all their stuff too."
The chicks playing after having a snack of oranges and being held by Johnson. Johnson said they will often sleep together in a huddle. When they were first born, she had to hand-feed them every two hours.
SEELEY LAKE –Angela Johnson reaches in her cage and gently pulls out one of her baby green-cheeked conures. It sits in her hand while she pets its head and then it climbs up her shirt and snuggles into her neck, hoping to take a nap after snacking on oranges.
"They just want attention and to love," said Johnson. "You can't find a really good friendly bird at a pet store. I knew I could provide that."
Johnson has had her breeding pair of conures for a year. Within a month and a half they had their first clutch of five chicks. They have had two more clutches of three and five chicks with the longest time between clutches being four months.
"All they've wanted to do is have babies since they have gotten here," said Johnson. "I let them and make sure they keep their weight up."
While Johnson said people find raising birds as unusual since many have never thought of having a bird as a pet, she said they are so intelligent and make great companions. Her goal is to provide sweet loving birds to anyone who wants a bird as a pet.
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Johnson took an interest in birds when she worked with her first rescue bird in 2002, a Citron Cockatoo named Mariah. Mariah was too loud for her owners, so they put her in a dark closet and fed her only sunflower seeds. It took Johnson eight months to tame her and get her to the point where she could be rehomed.
Ever since Mariah, Johnson has successfully fostered many birds, taming and creating a human bond with them before finding them a permanent home. She also attended school to become a veterinarian tech but left the program just short of her degree to welcome her daughter Bethany. As a new mom, she worked for Gaiser Pets in Yuba City, Calif. for five years.
"It was one of the best jobs I've ever had," said Johnson.
At the pet store, Johnson helped raise baby birds. There was also a Macaw parrot that she would volunteer to take home over long weekends so he wasn't alone.
Johnson now has her own Macaw parrot named Max. He was given to her five years ago from a woman from Missoula.
Max, 35, hangs out on the top of his cage and keeps track of everything happening in the house.
Max says a few words including "brat," "hi baby," "what?" "woof" and "rock-n-roll." If the dogs are barking he will say, "hey, shut up." With the proper care he can live until he is 100 years old.
"He is quite the character," said Johnson smiling as she held him. "He likes to show off."
Max eats what they eat for dinner and gets his own plate. Johnson was quick to say he wasn't welcome at the table.
"I draw the line there," said Johnson laughing. "He would just eat my whole plate. He gets his plate at the top of his cage."
A year ago, Johnson got a breeding pair of yellow-sided green-cheeked conures. The green-cheeked conure is native to South America but are also popular pets. They are affectionate and playful and thrive on time spent socializing with their owners. Although most never talk, green-cheeked conures do well with training and are known to be fast learners and can learn simple tricks.
Within a month and half, Johnson had her first clutch from the breeding pair. The first few weeks, she left the chicks with their parents so they pass along the natural bacteria. However, before the chicks open their eyes, she separated them from their parents so when they open their eyes, they saw a human.
"They don't really know they're a bird and that we're bigger than them or we are a threat," said Johnson. "They become very sweet and loving."
This last clutch the parents decided not to feed the chicks enough. Johnson hand fed them "birdie mush" through a syringe every two hours.
"There was no sleep," said Johnson remembering the exhaustion.
Soon the sleep returned as the chicks only needed two feedings a day of the mush. Johnson supplements with seeds, millet, fresh fruit and veggies to wean them off the mush. She also handles them during and between feedings to create the bond to humans.
Johnson said conures are very intelligent, holding the intelligence of a two-year-old. When they are separated from their parents before they open their eyes, they bond well with humans.
"There is a learning curve of being able to know what they can and cannot do just like a child," said Johnson.
Before the little birds are rehomed around eight weeks, Johnson tries to teach them to "step up" by gently pushing back on their lower breast. This sets them off balance and they will step up to a finger or a hand. Her last clutch she was also working with them to fly to her hand using their feeding syringe as the reward.
"I really enjoy it. They learn so much," said Johnson. "The people that do get them are so thankful for how sweet they are and the bond they create with them. It's just something that warms my heart."
Johnson charges $300 per yellow-sided conure, compared to pet stores that charge $350 for an untamed bird. She currently has a waiting list. Johnson will continue to breed her pair as long as they are willing and looks forward to someday having her own sweet baby. While she feels there is enough demand to get another breeding pair, "that's a lot of work," she said and laughed. "I want to be able to give each baby the time that it requires to make them friendly and sweet."
For more information about the birds or to get on the waiting list call Johnson at 406-493-8334, find Angela Johnson on Facebook or search for Seeley Lake on birdsnow.com
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