Conures

[Mojo13]

I just got a Sun Conure and he is pretty scared of me when i go near his cage.

I need help im a first time parrot owner and dont know his past.

Please if u have an helpful info on how to get him to trust me and not run from my hand please let me know.

[LovelySydney]

First of all Hi and welcome!!


You need to have two things: time & patience. Where did you get this bird from?? You have to keep in mind that he was just taken from perhaps all he's ever known and is now in a brand new place with a brand new person he has never seen before - thats quite scary!!! You need to take this process slow. Sit by his cage, talk to him, read to him, let him know you are there. Do NOT grab him or force him to do anything, this will only cause the trusting process to regress and result in your bird being afraid of you and doing whatever it can to stay away from you, including biting. Everything needs to come on the birds terms and this takes time, time and more time. I had a lovebird who it took 2 months for him to step up - 2 months!! When he did finally step up my heart jumped for joy, my little guy was beginning to trust me!!


Is his cage somewhere in the core of the home where he is able to observe you and what you are doing? It is always good to have the bird somewhere where he can see everything and be a part of the family. I also recommend placing a rope perch on the outside of the cage (put some newspaper on the floor for those bathroom breaks) so he is able to come out and sit and watch. He will feel safe near his cage but still be able to come out and interact. Its going to take him some time to get adjusted to his new home. I would give him a good week at least so he can get settled in and get used to the new routine in his new home. Don't bother him or try to get him to do anything, just let him hang out and observe.

With companion birds, getting them to trust you is the most important thing. Yes, it takes time but the rewards are very worth it. That being said, some birds never adjust to humans and are happy playing by themselves, so keep in mind he may never be a cuddle bug. Unfortunately you dont know his history so he could have come from a home with little interaction or a home where kids poked him or a home where he was neglected or abused - all these factors contribute to the rate at which he is going to trust you.


You can do this - give your little guy time, keep asking questions and above all else, BE PATIENT. Keep us posted! Congrats on your new baby

[perchingbird]

Go slow and be patient. Imagine him as a wild animal that is terrified he might be eaten at any moment.

Right now, just talk to him a lot without trying to go into his cage (apart from necessary chores).

[Greycloud]

Lovelysydney gives great advice. The bird needs to make the decisions. After allowing the bird time to settle and come in and out of his cage at will, start to approach and offer treats from your fingers. With time he will begin to trust you and your hands. That is when teaching step up starts. Until then, patience is the key.

[Chicklette]

I agree, just time, patience and working with him. He will come around. Place you hand in the cage with a treat a few times a day, this will let him get used to your hands and yourself. Talk to him softly, he will learn you are not going to harm him. Just give him some time. Boomer was petrified when I just got him. He came around after a few day of me putting my hand in his cage, in a week he was stepping up. He was not in the best conditions either. However, he did have a biting problem which we worked out.

[renaelock]

I might have done this the wrong way, but this is what I did when I first brought home my 7 year old sun. He was a biter and would always threaten or lunge at my hand. He had his new big cage but when it was night night time he would just scream in that cage. So I had to move him to his original cage so he could sleep. I had to towel him to transfer him. He did hate it and would run from me, but I figured it would help moving him from cage to cage so he knew where he would be going when I got him out. Oh yeah, I kept him in his smaller cage for 3 days and then moved him to the bigger one. during the 3 days I did not get him out at all, I just talked to him and such. Anyway, one day when I went to towel him he "said" "I'll teach you to towel me" and he stepped up on the towel. I praised and praised and then moved him to his cage. From then on he would step up on the towel. I have had him for 2 months and while we are still working on elongated touching on his back and head he meets me at the door of his cage when I enter his room to let him out. I don't even have to reach my arm inside the cage he climbs down on the nearest perch to the door. It's awesome. Like I said, I might have done this the "wrong" way, but it did work for me in the end. Good luck with your bird!!

[Jag]

I have a Sun/Jenday pair of boys that I've had since July. They were a tad more complicated, as they were a 'bonded pair'. However, same process pretty much. They would scream just at the sight of me. They couldn't be in the 'main area' right away (I had other birds in there), so I went into the room they were in several times a day. I would talk to them softly while they screamed. I put treats into their bowl (didn't even offer my hand for awhile) and then left.

After several weeks, I gave them treats through the bars of their cage, but still didn't attempt to give them access to my hand. (They were very aggressive, too!) After I did move them into the main room with the others, the Sun wanted the interaction that he saw my other Sun getting. The Jenday did not. They did finally get treats offered from my hand. I did get some mild bites during that time, which I corrected them for. (I 'corrected' them by saying "No bite" in a stern but not loud voice, withdrawing my hand with the treats, then trying again with the treats and LOTS of praise when they took them without biting.) The Sun never broke skin, though.

They were seperated shortly after, and the Sun STILL has issues with hands. He won't step up onto hands, and only my wife is allowed to give him scritches (which started out through material). She actually has to have on a certain shirt for him to step up onto her arm even!! He's the same with me.. no step up without a certain shirt on. He will make 'kissy' noises now and laugh... and he was the most aggressive one starting out!

The Jenday will step up onto fingers, and sit on the shoulder of my wife or my son. He's NOT cuddly, though. My son can lightly pet him. It can be a painstakingly slow process. I now have a CAG that we're going through a similar process with. Although she WILL step up onto hands... she'd rather not. However, she's not aggressive at all. It's tough when you don't know what they've been through (although I have more of an idea with my grey)...but even if you did, you'd still have the issues you have.

Someone told me when I first found out that my boys weren't tame "You need to ask yourself if you can deal with having a parrot that you may NEVER be able to handle". I thought about that for awhile. I decided that yes, I could deal with that... because at least they'd have a good home with toys, great food, etc. I was lucky that they DID come around...but they aren't going to be like my other Sun.... at least I don't 'think' they will be. They are who they are. Good luck.. like lovelysydney said go SLOW. You never know what you'll end up with. Could be the most loving bird you ever met!