My conure Baxter

[julienzac]

Baxter has recently begun hiding under everything. he is a very affectionate 2 year old male conure. He is rarely in his cage and is very involved in my household. But lately he is hiding under everything. I came home yesterday to find him not on his cage but hiding under the pillows on my bed and today he has been hiding under my clothes all morning. not usual for him. he just had a vet visit and is in perfect health. Is there something I am missing? Any adivce would be great
Julie

[Rahni]

Would he perhaps be feeling the hormones from his first 'breeding season'? He may be looking for 'nest sites' under pillows etc. Parrots that are hormonal will usually show greater interest in cubbies and boxes etc, to the point where all such objects in their cage (happy huts etc) have to be removed because the parrot will guard these fiercely.
If this is the case with Baxter, I wouldn't be concerned unless he starts getting agressive around his little hidey holes.

[julienzac]

Ahhh that is interesting. he absolutely adores his happy hut but is never aggressive. I guess I never looked to much into the "breeding season". Where would I go to get more information on this? I assumed that he was a male and that because he was not a female would not be doing the typical "dances" and such. he has never ever displayed any aggressive behavior. is this something i should watch for and how is that handled?

[julienzac]

i turned my back for 5 minutes and he was right back under the pillows. this is certainly not his norm.

[jdlilfan]

Conures in the wild tend to be burrowers by nature. My 2 really like their hidey holes. They especially love trying to burrow in the bed behind pillows and underneath the covers. I recently got a Snuggie and Cheeko will try and burrow in the sleeves. Haha.

http://www.mewondersofnature.com/files/Nanday.jpg

When he's hiding is he playful and does he seem to be burrowing or rooting around? Or does he seem to be hiding because he is afraid of something?

[julienzac]

Hmm, that is interesting. It does seem like he may be afraid but I have no clue what he could possibly be afraid of. He keeps returning to the pillows and this morning he kept burrowing under my robe and was very content to just stay there. I am sure a snuggie would make his day. But he is his normal self in all other ways, playing and chewing. Perhaps just a phase??

[kali]

Conure's love to hide. I had my GCC at work and he flew off the playstand when no one was looking and HID! I totally thought someone had stolen him. When we reviewed the security camera facing in his direction you could clearly see him take off. He was hidden underneath a pile of vests.

Both the GC and the Nanday hide under their pillowcases at night. They have their sleeping place, whereas my Ekkie will sleep anywhere!

[Beardiedawg]

Just make sure to know where he is at all times so you don't sit or lay on him!

[kellywess]

What kind of conure is he? I need it for my mental picture. He sounds really cute.

[julienzac]

Baxter is a black capped conure,green with black head and bright red feathers, the most social and loving bird i have ever had. He just loves to burrow and hide lately. I am guessing this is simply his new thing! I panicked when i couldnt find him after work, i cried and thought he was stolen. An hour later I found him burrowed under all the pillows. I will have to keep a sharp eye out from now on. Just came from the bird store, checking out a new Nanday, I am thinking of adding to our family, but this bird will need a lot of socialization.