Home » Bird Forums » Birds Of A Feather » Conures » New Sun Conure Owner
Posted by larryf on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 16:13 :: Conures
Hi guys, I'm a new Sun Conure owner, and I have some questions about my bird that I'm concerned about. First off, s/he was hatched on 6.3.07, I got her around the first of Aug, last week of July. (I'll have to check exactly, as there are some questions about his age). Anyways, he's just a baby, and when I got him, he was SO tame, he would just let me lay him on his back, and pet him, etc. Now, he won't do that. If I grab him and turn him over, he bites, and once over, he'll flip himself back over.

His wings are clipped.
He's been hand-fed
I've handled him every day since I took ownership of him, for at least a couple hours a day.
I've never hit him, or yelled at him, or abused him, or even scared him.

Often this bird follows what I read about Conures, like a stereo-type. But a few things he doesen't are:
He does not sleep on one leg.
He's not very active, he loves to climb all over his cage, but that's about it. He's not swinging from the rafters like a monkey or anything.
He does not seem to like to take baths.

He IS very attached to me. He screams when I come home, when I wake up, when I leave the room, (and don't take him with me), and if given the chance, he'd always prefer to come with me then to stay in or on his cage.

Since he's just a baby, his feathers seem thin. He's not very thick. So, I wondered if he was molting. But, in the last couple weeks, I've noticed him getting his yellow feathers on his back and head. I do notice he has a lot of the prickly feathers that seem to be growing out on him. Could this be related to why he does not seem to want to be handled? I mean, he wants to be with me, but he does not want me to touch him.

A few weeks ago, my 2 year old got a hold of the bird, and just grabbed him to pick him up, I figured that might be part of it. She also pushed the bird away from her while the bird was on my shirt, and the 2yr old wanted to sit with me, she just shoved the bird away.

Is there any way to fix this kind of damage to the bird, and make him super friendly again?

He also seems like he wants to talk, he's trying to make more sounds now, so I think he's happy, I just can't tell.

Put it this way, he will NOT let me take his wing and extend it. He freaks out, so I don't know how I'm ever supposed to learn how to clip him. If I rub under his wings, he will open them up for me, but never let me just grab them and hold them.

He's also VERY afraid of towels. Freaks out when I put him in a towel to dry him off a bit after a shower with me. (I give him one every couple days, because he doesen't bathe himself).

Can someone tell me about how birds use/lose feathers? How often will he have lots a new feathers growing, how often do they molt (Is it by season, or by age)?

The bird will attack me to get a sip of my Dr. Pepper too. I have to be careful because he wants it so bad, so I usually let him have a sip and that's it. I know it's not good for him, that's why I limit him so much on it.

This bird does not like to eat fruits of vegitables. He'll eat apples, and raisins, but that's about it, besides his seed.

He's afraid of any new toys, and will not go on his play gym I got him. But, after the toys are in his cage for a week or so, he'll play with them.

So many unanswered question, I feel lost. I have a book on Conures, but I feel like I need someone with a lot of bird expierence.

Larry
login or register to post comments | previous forum topic | next forum topic
Posted by karen on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 20:43.
First off, I think you mean well but you are expecting a little too much. Even though he's handfed. that doesn't change the fact that he's a prey animal and also still essentially a wild, nondomesticated animal. With parrots, you have to earn their trust.
Lying on their backs is something most baby conures enjoy doing. They often outgrow this. There are plenty of adult conures who like to lie on their backs still, but it takes a lot of trust. Try not forcing him to lie on his back in your hand, but give him extra attention or a treat if he does on his own. The new, growing pinfeathers are sensitive and many birds get a little crabby when they are molting, too.
Don't towel him off after a bath. Birds can dry off fine on their own. If you are actually rubbing him dry or anything like that, you are probably hurting him by pulling feathers against the direction of growth. He might be reluctant to bathe because he associates the 'scary towel' with a bath. Try letting him bathe on his own. Offer a shallow pan of water, splash your hand in it. Offer a bath on a rainy day or try running the vaccuum cleaner (lots of birds will bathe when they hear the vacuum - one idea is that it sounds like thunder). If he doesn't on his own you can try gentle misting or showering if he is not frightened of that.
Most birds will not allow wing handling too willingly. It is better not to clip wings without the bird restrained anyway, otherwise he could unexpectedly startle, flap his wing and impale it on the scissors. They usually must be toweled to have wings clipped. IF you decide to get him clipped again, try taking him to a vet or good bird store, have them clip and show you what to do the first time.

As for molting, there's no real set schedule. They typically replace all feathers once a year, but some birds seem to molt on and off throughout the year and others only at certain times. The flight feathers and tail feathers are critical for flight, so birds typically will molt one or two matching pairs of flight or tail feathers at a time, so they can still fly well when molting. You will see him molt out the cut flight feathers.

Seeds are not the best diet, especially if he's getting sunflower or safflower seeds - they are very fatty. Try taking away his seeds and offering just fruits and vegetables and pellets for part of the day. Mix a few seeds into the fruits and vegetables or pellets the first time or two so he gets the idea that they're food. Seeds really shouldn't be more than 20 or 30% of the diet. But, birds can be hard to convert to healthier diets sometimes. Let him have all the seed he wants at least twice a day until you are absolutely sure he's eating the other foods and not just playing with them, and then you can cut back on seed a little.


Karen
Chico (conure) and Pippin (budgie)
WI
login or register to post comments
Posted by Loyalty on Sun, 10/07/2007 - 04:42.
Yep, as usual Karen and I are thinking alike :).

I also think you're expecting a ton from the bird in the short time you've had him. Remember that you've had the bird for less then 2 months. He's still young and very impressionable though!

Hand feeding isn't always a guarantee that you're getting the world's tamest bird. Some places literally "hand feed" their birds. When I say that I mean they pick up the bird, shove a syringe or feeding tube in them, shoot the formula, wipe the bird off and put back in the cage. Hand feeding is supposed to be a bonding process. It's a time to handle the bird, talk to him and in general just spend time with the bird while feeding.

I would agree with introducing new things (veggies, bathing, etc) to him now. I've got 4 parrots and adopted 3 out of the 4 when they were at least a year and a half or older. Every one of them was on a seed diet and had never seen a vegetable in their life. I started by eating carrot in front of them to "show" them what to do. Then I started to hand it to them. They would hold it and maybe take a nibble, then that lead to eating it and now we are able to put veggies in all 4 parrots bowls. They eat them before they eat anything else in the bowl!

Regardless of if your bird likes it or not I would stay away from the Dr Pepper.

As far as the wings......start by petting under the wing (on the body and the under side of the wing itself). Give the bird praise while doing it. I'm a firm believer it TELLING the bird when it is doing good or bad (ie using the word 'NO' or 'good boy/girl'). Then progress that into eventually (take your time in doing this) just holding the wing, not extended, in your index finger and thumb. After a while of doing this then try to slowly extend the wing. That's what we've done with our birds and it's worked very well.

There are some birds that will be afraid of new toys. Hell my CAG has "new toys" for about 6 weeks in some cases before they even go into his cage because he gets so scared.

All in all it seems like your bird is behaving how he should. Remember given the proper care you have a long time for this relationship to form so take your time and don't rush things. Sometimes, as in human relationships, moving too quickly can result in actually hurting that relationship.

Sorry for the blog like post but hopefully it helps!
login or register to post comments