New to Conures, New to Board...Need help (very long)

[klriano]

Hi Everyone,
I just bought a 5mo old Green Cheek Conure 3 days ago. This is my first parrot and I've been reading everything I can while getting more and more confused. I've had smaller birds and boarded an African Grey for a year many years ago but this is my first parrot that I'm raising.

A brief history of my conure as I know it.....
Jacobi was a previously owned bird, the person who had him for 2mos reportedly returned him because of impending surgeries. While he was back with the breeder (bird seller?) She put him in a cage with another GCC he had roomed with before. Only this time the cage-buddy plucked all his tail feathers out. So he's totally tail-less at the moment. (he was still in the cage with the same bird when we got him)

She also fed the birds what appears to be standard millet and mixed seeds. She sent a bag of each home with us for him with some millet sprays. She did tell us that her personal birds (and conures in general) do eat some "human food" like pizza, gatorade and "anything thats ok for humans to eat, they can eat". ( I have done extensive research on diet, I know what he SHOULD eat now)

Ok, now here's the part thats giving me fits. He is nothing at all like what conure personalities are described as in everything I've researched.
Jacobi is stated to be HF/HT, but he is *extremely* skittish of hands. He runs away if you come to his cage. He will not eat anything other than his seed. I spend alot of time just sitting next to his cage and talking to him on occasion...mostly just near him. I have tried to coax him out and he'll sit on the top of his cage if you leave the door open, but runs away if you put your hand toward him.
If I cup my other hand over him, not touching, but shadowing him, he'll step onto my finger when I bump his chest.
I have tried having him sit with me quietly for a little bit at a time...he'll nibble on my ears and neck and has "muttered" a couple of times. He will let me stroke his head, cheeks and neck...he even put his head down for it this morning, but always with tightly closed feathers and displaying what is stated to be "fear" posture.
He doesn't ever scream...although if I leave the room he squawks until I come back. I don't leave without saying "I'll be right back".
He does play with his toys in his cage, but won't play outside of it.
I finally got him to accept a raisin from my hand this morning and a dried cherry this evening, although he just tasted both and ate neither.
Tomorrow begins the conversion process to pellet food and I mixed up a very healthy batch of birdy bread for him to meet his nutritional needs. Now I just have to see if I can get him to eat it.
I have had sucess at mimicry with him. I was eating a cracker and making all kinds of "oogly" noises about it, he watched me...then when I held out a piece, he came and got it.
I had the same success with a toy...He wouldn't touch the ball with the bell in it until I started playing with it...then as soon as I turned away, he ran over and snatched it up.
Conures love water?? Not this one I thought...no baths at all. Each morning I have set a pan of water in his cage for him to use but he ignores it. This morning, after all the cage cleaning and bath attempts, etc were done, I brought him into the bathroom while I showered. As soon as I went in, he ran to his water dish and bathed *thoroughly*. (glad it was in the bathroom, water EVERYWHERE)

I need help understanding this little guy...I don't know how to begin here because all the info I've found begins with a bird that is already, curious, cuddly and good eater.
That isn't my Jacobi.

Kerra

[klriano]

Whooo hoooo!!!
Jacobi is actually eating some of the pellets!! I did get zupreems garden goodness. He seems to like it :eusa_clap

The birdy bread he poked at...no luck on the eating yet. A broccoli head poked in his cage is being totally ignored. ah well....patience...patience :icon_smil

Kerra

[peeker]

Hi Kerra, conrats on Jacobi! He sounds normal to me. :) He may be a little stubborn about trying new foods since they may be real new to him! It doesn't sound like he got off to the best start. I believe that whoever got him first and returned him after only a couple months was unimformed and short sighted. His breeder was not the tops IMO when he got feathers pulled by another bird, yet they kept him in the same cage with his abuser. :( Since it has only been a couple days he is probably just holding back while he gets used to you. With birds you need to have a lot of patience. He will watch you carefully and thoughtfully before opening up completely to you. It will usually take some time to earn his trust, sometimes days....sometimes months, after all, his last owner dumped him just when he was settling in. It sounds like you are doing fine, you are researching a good healthy diet and exposing him to new foods, you have joined a group to gather more info on him. Has he had a vet check yet? With the showers, you can always try diferent things too. My conure like to be sprayed with a squirt bottle on "mist". I'm sure as your relationship develops he will wants to out of the cage and with you more and more. Any pictures to share?????? :icon_mrgr

[danforth3]

Congrats on your new companion.

It is going to take him time to learn about you and trust you. You are making a good start. You need to start handling him and teaching him some of the basics (step up). That will help with the bonding process between you and he because you will have one-on-one time with him. If you need some step by step directions for step up training, let me know and I can email or post them for you.

As for the diet, keep offering fresh foods. My birds love Beak Appetite Cream of Tweet. It is easy to cook and has brown rice, raisins and some other good stuff for them. It is going to take him time to accept fresh foods. Another suggestion on that is warm them up. Mine do not like them crisp and crunchy.

Make sure to continue to offer him seeds. Seeds, in addition to pellets, are necessary for conure good health and well-being. An all pellet diet is not good for small birds and research is showing that it can lead to renal failure and/or disease.

Again congrats!

[klriano]

Thanks so much for the encouraging words! They mean alot right now.

Christy, I agree with you when you say he didn't have a very good start, but I recognized that when I saw him and am prepared for the challenges. It may have not been the best way, but I actually bought him at a local flea market. The woman has had a bird stall there for years and sells primarily parakeets, finches, cockatiels and always has two or three conures. I purposely got Jacobi instead of his aesthetically perfect cage-mate because I felt he needed a loving home and in a way...needed to be rescued. The people that buy from there don't like the "deformed" ones. She's not a very discriminating seller either...hand her the cash and she hands you the bird. Period.

Jacobi is settling in bit by bit I think...today he had a slugfest with his bell, squawking and actually screamed at it. He does have the oddest habit of what we call the "crucifiction" pose. He starts with clinging to the side of his cage, then ducks his head under one wing and grabs the bars. He's spread-eagle backwards, breast front and turns his head completely around to see if your watching. This one sends me into proxies of giggles and I let him know what a silly bird he is. I'm determined to keep the camera close and get a picture of that one....I'll post pictures as soon as I can convince my husbutch to let me actually use the camera to upload.

Cathy, please, please please may I have the step by step directions?? I am searching for positive reinforcement and confidence training for us to begin our life together and that sounds like it's a great beginning.

Just as an FYI, patience is the *one* thing I have in abundance...I'm the Mom of four children, three have survived to adulthood (One of those being an EBD child) and the fourth is just about to hit the challenge years of teens. Sooooo....stubborn? :eusa_naug BAH...I've had kids, they're worse.

you can email me at klriano@aol.com or post here either way with any help, I'll check back frequently!!

Thanks again,
Kerra

[birdfreak2]

Hi Kerra, Welcome to the group, your going to love it here(it's addictive). Congrats on your new bird, I bet you got a sweet little bird. I have a sun conure, he was given to me cause his last owner was afraid of him. I have had him 9 mths. now, I believe he's about 2 yrs old. I did not no anything about conures when I got him, I just thought he was a beautiful bird and I would learn how to take care of him along the way. He was a biter when he came to me, I could not touch him at all. I did what the owner said by taking a towel to reach in and pick him up, yhea right that was a laugh :eusa_wall .,.!!!!!!!! Well anyway I bought some books and started reading, and I found out alot about what I did not know about him. They love water, I had to see that to believe it but it's true. He finally lets me put him in the sink with a little warm water added and he does the rest. That took time, but I got him use to it. He will wash in his water bowl if he does not get his bath every other day, and boy he will sling water every where. :eusa_naug . The owner who bought him only feed him seeds, so it's been a challenge trying to get him to eat our food but I working with him. He comes out of his cage and walks around when he feels like it, I don't lock him done when I'm home. This took a while as well, he wasn't always this friendly. Sometimes he'll jump if I bring my hand towards him, but he does not bite me. When I come home he will scream for me to let him out, and if I don't he is known for throwing food out of his dish. He has turned out to be a wonderful bird, he loves me equal as much as I love him. He loves to kiss, you got to make him stop sometimes because he just wants to get right in my mouth and that's not good. I had to really work with him when I got him, it takes alot of time and patience on your part. Yours will come around, I'm almost sure of it. Talk to it everyday, as well as try to hold it each day, several times a day if you can. This worked for me, hopefully it'll help you to.I hear your type is not as loud as the type I own, mine screams when he wants attention and he can be loud.They say your type bird makes engaging, bold and inquisitive pets. Good luck with your new bird, I hope yours brings you joy as mine has done for me.

[danforth3]

Here are some steps to follow, which may help you train and bond with your bird. Working with the bird helps with the bonding.

My suggestions are as follows:

1. Make sure her wings are clipped.

2. Open the cage door so that she can get used to it.

3. Let her step out of the cage on her own.

4. Approach the cage slowly with one finger extended. Place your finger underneath her belly and gently push against her belly saying "step up." This may take several attempts and several days of trying to get her on your finger.

5. Once she is on your finger, slowly take your other finger (on the other hand) and place it underneath her belly and gently push saying "step up." Repeat this step several times.

6. After about 5 minutes of doing that, place her back in the cage.

7. Perform steps 1 thru 5 for several days.

Once she is able to do steps 1 thru 5 automatically and without any chasing, fear, etc., do the following:

8. Place your hand in the cage saying step up. Hopefully, your bird will stay on her perch, but will probably run around the cage. Follow slowly with your finger repeating the phrase "step up." She will get on your finger. When she does, you take her out of the cage. At first she will try to go the top of the cage, let her. As soon as she lights on the cage, say "step up" so that she can get on your finger. Turn your body to block the view of the cage and slowly leave the room, with your bird on your finger talking quietly to her as you leave.

9. Take the bird to another room for a few mintues and perform the step up (also known as laddering) in this room.

10. While in the other room, talk quietly about the room, telling her that she is being a good bird.

After your bird learns step up and is automatic about it, you can start to pet, place her on your shoulder, etc.

It is a long process. Take as long as the bird needs.

The bird will learn--birds are very smart.

It is important to clip the wings and keep this clipped. This helps tame the bird and takes away any feeling of superiority as the bird cannot get over your head.

Your ultimate goal is that the bird comes to you on your invitation, not at will.

[klriano]

Oh Cathy this is wonderful! Thank you!!

Just need minor clarification so I understand completely please....

1. Make sure her wings are clipped.
Yep, they are.

2. Open the cage door so that she can get used to it.
I do this...and he comes out and goes to the top of his cage.

3. Let her step out of the cage on her own.
He immediately goes to the top of his cage

4. Approach the cage slowly with one finger extended. Place your finger underneath her belly and gently push against her belly saying "step up." This may take several attempts and several days of trying to get her on your finger.
Now at this point, I'm basically following him around the top of his cage. When I stretch my hand towards him he runs. If I hold my other hand over him (not touching, just shadowing him), he will stay put and I can push against his chest and get him to "step up". Is this ok? or do I need to wait for him to not run from my hand?

5. Once she is on your finger, slowly take your other finger (on the other hand) and place it underneath her belly and gently push saying "step up." Repeat this step several times.
When he doesnt want to be on my hand, he jumps off to the floor..where he immediately steps up onto my hand when I put it down for him. Should I continue at that point?

[danforth3]

Initially they run around the top of the cage. So long as you can reach, let him do that. I usually try to catch the bird at the opening of the cage. It only takes a couple of days of doing this for this to stop and him to respond to the phrase "step up." Make sure to say it each time you want to do it.

Make the sessions short and several times a day, instead of one long training period.

I sometimes use both hands (one hand I place behind the bird--not on top or in a treatening way), but positioned so he cannot go anyway--basically to stop his retreat around the top of the cage.

If he jumps off your finger, that is okay, just get him and tell him to step up from where he is at.

Finally follow your instincts. You have the guidelines, which is what those are, but listen to your instincts and your birds body language. You and he will achieve success in a short time. He already sounding like he is starting to respond. Keep up the good work.

[nelly&jake]

Good for you! Adopting a bird like him that needs a good home is wonderful and it seems like soon you will find it rewarding, too. It seems to me that your conure is learning some things by watching you, mimicking you (like the shower). Maybe you can use that to help him know what to eat. My blue crowned conure will only eat something that he thinks I am eating and that I like. He also likes the foods par-cooked rather than fresh. I also cut them up into foot-sized peices so he can hold it easily. It is a good sign that he calls for you when you leave the room, it means that even though he is shy, he prefers your company to being alone. Someday, we will be listening to you tell us how he wont let you alone and begs for all of your attention! Good luck and it sounds like you and he are off to a great start!