Help with adopted 10 year old Sun Conure

[Tracy22]

Hi, I took in a friends 10 year old Conure 3 days ago. He is sticking his head out of the cage already and acting friendly but, when I stick my hand near him he bites - not too hard (like I know he can!) but, I get the feeling it is a warning. Am I right? Just now I was sitting in a chair next to the cage with the cage door open and he came all the way out and was coming towards me but, I am afraid to stick my hand near him! What should I be doing?? I really was not expecting him to act interested in us already. The woman who had him before was the only person he would let handle him.

Thanks for any advice!

[DarwinTheSun]

That is great that he is already interested in you! Sounds like he will be your best friend in a few weeks. I think he is probably testing you by gripping hard (doesn't sound like biting if he isn't lunging). This can happen for a few reasons. He might just want to know that the perch (your hand) is stable enough to step on. Or he could be just testing you to see what you do, ie your reaction. Either way, I suggest you leave your hand there and don't act like it hurts, because if he senses that it hurts he can learn to bite. If he is clamping you can tell him to "be gentle" or "no bite" (something short) and if he lets up be sure to tell him what a good bird he is.

At this point try to be super positive! He is just beginning to know you and the trust building right now is essential. Good luck!

[Monica]

What do you do when he bites??? Generally speaking, conures are nippy birds. Since we are so "brain dead" when it comes to taking clues, many birds often bite to tell us "No" or "Stop it!" or even "I'm mad at you!" but a bite can also be testing to see if your edible, if your a toy or even saying "I want to go somewhere." (i.e. bird bites, you put the bird in it's cage where it's got food and treats and toys, and it learns that every time it bites you, it gets to go home! *OH YAY!*) A bite could also mean "I don't trust you" so the bird needs to gain your trust. Noel, a cherry head, is an older conure who's had health problems since before I got her. She can't fly and she's going blind. Whenever she becomes unstable, she uses her beak to ensure whatever she's stepping onto is steady. If that object is steady, she'll step up and that's the end of the biting! Although she'll also bite if I personally defile her (i.e. doing an overal look-over on her body, to see how her feathers are growing, check her beak, her nares, etc), it aint right to handle an elderly so!!!!

A bite can say a lot, so yes it could be a warning. Try offering food from your hands, and when the conure bites, ignore the bite. (easier said than done, I'm aware!!! ). You can try using a dowl instead if he'd accept that more. Try attaching a perch to the outside of the cage so he can come and hang out near you without being on you. If you've got a gym, make use of it! I've had better luck getting birds used to me if they were not in a cage, even though I wasn't trying to get them used to me!

[Tracy22]

I have been putting my arm out for him and he is biting at the skin on my hand. I am leaving it there. He doesn't want to step up but, his biting is not hard. He just kind of grabs some skin and twists it. I am not flinching and it really doesn't hurt but, it is almost like he is trying to hurt me but he can't get any flesh on my hand. So, this is okay and won't lead to more biting?

[DarwinTheSun]

If you don't react to it then it will not (should not) lead to more biting. Just make sure to praise him when he is not doing it. And you can distract him with toys or treats too.

[Tracy22]

Well, now he will get on my arm and walk up to my shoulder but, he won't let me touch him! I want to stroke his feathers! He launches into attack mode when I attempt to touch him - lunging, yelling, beak open and ready to bite. Will I ever be able to touch him?

[Monica]

Most parrots do not enjoy being petted like you would a dog or cat. Besides, petting birds should be kept to the head area only as anywhere else could potentially be taken as a sexual invitation!

It's more or less a trust issue.

[Tracy22]

Thank you for the information and help. We just had some trauma - he was sitting on top of his cage and the phone rang (he has never even acted as if he notices before) and he flew and hit the window. He doesn't seem to be injured just exhausted. He sat down on the floor and let me pick him up. He is now quietly sitting on a perch in his cage. It was so scary. My friend did not have his wings clipped. Would that keep this from happening again?

[Monica]

Kept my last post short, but I'll elaborate a bit with my own experiences.

My first conure, Noel, cherry head, approx 16-18 years old (if not older) and a special needs bird. She came to me mutilating, screaming and biting. She's always been slightly blind in one eye, although now has cataracts (thus I'm thinking she's over 20 years of age), doesn't have a tight grip, and she can't fly. Over the years she has learned to trust me a great deal, however this consists of me handling her beak, maybe (but not normally) giving her scritches, and that's about it... however, I can give her kisses all over her beak (something she came to enjoy because of me), her head, maybe even her stomach and back if she doesn't freak out too much. With that said, she is for the most part a 'hands off' type of bird. She'll come to me, but she doesn't really seem to crave human interaction.

My second conure, Charlie, a mitred, going on 15 years of age this year. He's completely normal if you don't take into consideration that he tried to bully a blind ruby macaw, and lost... he's missing half of his lower beak, now has scissor beak which needs frequent trimmings, but is otherwise a perfectly healthy, happy, noisy, overbonded conure! He is overbonded to me, thus very dependent upon human interaction (doesn't care for the other birds, and likewise they don't care for him!), doesn't like being alone, screams a lot, but he is pretty much the opposite of Noel. He can fly, and he's like a boomerang... no matter how many times I "throw" him he keeps coming back! (otherwise, he wouldn't get much exercise! ). I can lay him on his back in the palm of my hand and toss him up in the air. I can even have him hanging from my fingers as I swing him around. He especially gets a great laugh out of that! I can also touch him anywhere on the body, however I only give him scritches on his head. No petting elsewhere. He'll even regurgitate for me, however this is a behavior I don't encourage.

Both conures are second hand plus birds. Noel was attacked by a ferret several years ago so I don't really blame her for not being more trusting (although I'd say she's come a long ways). Charlie on the other hand, as far as I know, has not had any traumatic experiences with humans so his viewpoint of course is different. I, however, do not know what his life was like in his first home. I do have an idea of what Noel's life was like in her previous home, but not her first.

Noel took time before I could handle her without being bitten (unless she becomes unbalanced or I violate her by trying to check her over), however Charlie still bites.... then again, I allow Charlie to get away with a lot that I know I shouldn't! Although with Charlie I could easily handle him right off the bat. Birds are individuals, so they will have different adjustment times.

As for clipping, check out this article (there are others, too)
What do we do with those Wings