Sun Conure??

Hi all! I'm going to look at a Sun Conure. I currently have my "Sassy" (BFA). I am hoping that another bird in my home will help Sassy. The Sun Conure is hand tame and handled daily. So, hopefully, Sassy will see my handling it and realize that I am not a threat to her. Also, they can keep each other company when we are not home. Any suggestions??? I know Sun Conures are loud and, of course, they will each have their own cage.

Of course, I'm going to "look" at one...I don't have one yet, and I'm not sure if this will be the bird for me...but wanted advice/suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

Lee

4dugnlee said:

I am hoping that another bird in my home will help Sassy

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Hi Lee!

What kind of help are you looking for with Sassy ?

It still will be FUN to go looking at some birds Huh?

Joe

What kind of help are you looking for with Sassy ?

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Hi..I've only had Sassy for about a month now. I got her from a man who never handled her or let her out of her cage and she's 12 years old. She is sweet (sometimes) and loves attention, but she will NOT allow us to touch her! She is very moody too..lol. She loves being out of her cage but is sometimes very difficult to get her back in. We can feed her out of our hand (even my granddaughter can) but that's as close to touching as it gets. I know I've only had her a short time and we have a long way to go, but I am hoping that if she sees us with another bird, she will realize that we are not a threat to her. Also, they can keep each other company while we are not home. All in all, she is very nice considering and we love her dearly!

4dugnlee said:

Hi..I've only had Sassy for about a month now. I got her from a man who never handled her or let her out of her cage and she's 12 years old. She is sweet (sometimes) and loves attention, but she will NOT allow us to touch her! She is very moody too..lol. She loves being out of her cage but is sometimes very difficult to get her back in. We can feed her out of our hand (even my granddaughter can) but that's as close to touching as it gets. I know I've only had her a short time and we have a long way to go, but I am hoping that if she sees us with another bird, she will realize that we are not a threat to her. Also, they can keep each other company while we are not home. All in all, she is very nice considering and we love her dearly!

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I am not an expert around here, but I don't think getting a second bird will help you train the first bird, there are jealousy issues, territorial issues, and the new bird can even learn bad habits from the first bird

Some people would say that Amazons are not the most "touchy-feely" kind of birds
(I know a little something about Amazons, we had one in our family for many many years)

My Amazon loved me and my children dearly, he sat on my shoulder for countless hours
(my daughter is holding him in the icon above and you can see a couple of pictures of him below in my signature)

That being said, he could definitely be kind of grumpy, sometimes testing us to see if he could have his way
(be the dominant bird of the house)

For your bird even if she's been cage bound for years, with proper training you should be able to create a good relationship with her
(someone here with a little more experience when it comes to training can point you in the right direction)

Remember, she can live for more than 50 years and is VERY intelligent
(they're about fourth on the list right under Dolphins, chimps, and elephants)

She deserves to have the best life that she can have, and will reward you with many years of love

I can tell you this, training and having a good relationship with any bird requires a daily routine, you have to work with the bird every day, you have to be completely consistent with your techniques doing things the exact same way every time so the bird gets used to that

You have come to the right place Everyone here is very helpful

BTW, I saw the pics of Sassy in your post from 04-30-2014, She is Beautiful!!

What will you do now?

Joe

Even when Sassy has been around long enough that she trusts you, it doesn't mean that she will ever like touching. As Joe said, Amazons are not typically a species that likes petting. Some will bend their neck down for you to pet the nape area once they trust you, but not all will.

I have a Bronze Winged Pionus which is a close relative of the Amazons, and he is pretty much a hands off kind of guy. He will sit on me or likes to just be near me at times. A lot of the time he wants time to himself too.
I used to do this... my Red Bellied parrot Robin will let me cuddle him all over. Robin is about the size of a Sun Conure. I take Robin in my hand and hold him like an ice cream cone and kiss him all over and give him lots of cuddles right in front of Raven (Pionus) showing him how Robin is and how much he likes to be petted. Raven just looks on. He looks at me as if to say 'to each his own'. Though some Pionus like a little petting, it's typically not a species trait, and the same with Amazons.

If you'd like a second bird, and think you might like a Sun, go for it! But I wouldn't get it in hopes that it makes your BFA more trusting. That just takes some time. Good luck deciding.

Patience is the key. You also have to let him learn to trust you at HIS pace. Rushing will just cause problems. I've had Zack (bfa) for almost 5 months. When I got him, I couldn't get a finger anywhere NEAR his beak without getting bit! One thing I did was to talk to him and stroke his feet. He learned that I wasn't there to hurt him. I eventually was able to start petting his chest, and can now handle him however I want. (usually, he still does not like having me touch his wings but he will 'beak' hard before he bites now...as opposed to trying to take a chunk out of my hide like he used to!) Just be patient and let him learn to trust you at his own speed...it's worth it.

If you want to get second bird because want one I say go for it. Just remember that you will then have two birds that are not only different species, but also different temperaments. This also means twice the learning curve.

I'd say give him some more time, you can't reverse a lifetime of no handling in one month.

Thank you all for your responses! I appreciate them all! I have always wanted a sun conure and we have been contemplating a second bird. I was just wondering if it would possibly help Sassy. I know I may never be able to handle Sassy and that's ok. Even if she never wants to be touched/handled, I know she is in a better home and we love her. I am in no way giving up on her...lol. I did go look at the sun conure and he is beautiful...and yes, I did buy him. Sassy was VERY excited and sang her heart out and recited her entire vocabulary. She was with a cockatoo before and the sun was with 3 other birds. I know I will have to take it slow, and my husband and I are happy with both of them. We are looking into "parrot training" videos/dvds. I believe the ones we are looking at are by the Womach brothers. Any suggestions on that end??

Thank you all again! I will keep you posted!
Lee

I think the key here is YOUwant another bird. Sassy may or may not get along with a new bird or visa versa. Or they may become inseparable and Sassy becomes a snuggle bug because she observes the other bird. Which scenario would be a coin toss really. However, if you've always wanted a sun conure, and you want to make the time for 2 birds and you enter the very real possibility they will just never be 'friends' with eyes wide open, I think it would be nice to have a second bird around

I know some people on the forum don't like them, but I think the Womach brothers have some valid tips for training parrots. I also like the 'Parrot Wizard', Michael Sazhin.