first time conure owner!

rissa1227 · Apr 7, 2012

I was given a rescue conure. i estimate his age to be less than 5 years old. maybe as young as a year or two. Having trouble figuring that out -.-. Hes a nanday! and despite everything is very affectionate and cuddly when out of his cage. I have a few questions. He also doesnt wake me up in the mornings thank god! lol!

1. I cant get him to learn step up! he doesnt even try to lift his legs when i press my finger into his abdomen gently, he just moves over -.- i have to physically grab him from the cage, although he doesnt bite, he squawks and obviously doesnt like it.
2. How do you guys deal with the poop!! whats the best way to keep from getting it on furniture, you, etc. what tips, tricks do you guys have? Any would be appreciated! i dont know what to do!
3. Is there any way to guess an age on a Nanday?

Spiritbird · Apr 7, 2012

Age is difficult even for a vet to guess in birds. Conures are very easy to potty train. I taught the one I had what the word poop meant and I put him down on paper or held over a waste basket and said Poop and he did every time. It is just a matter of time and patience teaching them anything. Keep on trying to get him on your finger when you say step up. Some people like to do it as a ladder game - while on your finger do it over and over again saying step up as if climbing up but he does not. They are very smart birds and he just may be getting warmed up to you.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqoMHIeZ6-o"]Teach a Bird to Step Up - YouTube[/ame]

rissa1227 · Apr 7, 2012

How did you get him to realize poop meant to go over the paper or wastebin? i mean what steps did you use? I feel like im ruining our bonding alittle when i have to grab him from the cage, albeit im gentle, he hates it. once hes out hes fine. but hes being very stubborn, and the ones at work learned up fairly quickly, he wont even try!

Spiritbird · Apr 7, 2012

Every time I was with him when he pooped I said the word. He put 2 and 2 together and knew what I meant.

roxynoodle · Apr 7, 2012

I have a Nanday as well

I tried potty training her but what I ended up with instead was a bird that poops, then says, brightly, "Poop!" She also then decided I like poop and started trying to poop on purpose for me, which can be bad for them. So I stopped my potty training. Many here have been successful though.

I would try teaching step up either with target training or by using a treat that he has to step onto your hand to reach.

All I can say age wise about my bird is that her eye rings got more prominent as she aged, but I can't really tell you exactly when that happened. She will be 12 tomorrow. Also where the black meets the green on her head she got like a maroon area between them, that also seemed to become more prominent as she aged. As a baby it was just black to green without that transition line.

cdog · Apr 7, 2012

I tried potty training too but my gcc just thought I liked it so he "laughs" every time he poops now. If you cant get them to poop on command just cover your furniture with a sheet and where "birdy" clothes when handling him.

jewels04 · Apr 7, 2012

we have had our sun for a few weeks now. I have designated "potty areas" I will put her on the stands I use and say "go poop" and usually now she will than she gets told "good poop" and she is allowed to step back up to me if she wants. It has cut down on the poop a ton! We maybe have 2 accidents a day. And it's not really an accident on her part either she has sort of picked up the word poop (atleast I think she did). So sometimes she will make a noise that sounds like she is saying poop and I will move her to a designated spot and she will go poop. It's kinda like housebreaking a puppy just learn your birds signs and get them to the appropriate spot in time.

Spiritbird · Apr 7, 2012

I got phone calls from Cricket's new mom and she is amazed how he poops on command. Said now she and her friends are going to bring all their animals here for me to potty train!!

roxynoodle · Apr 7, 2012

Spiritbird said:
I got phone calls from Cricket's new mom and she is amazed how he poops on command. Said now she and her friends are going to bring all their animals here for me to potty train!!

Would you like Rowdy for a little bit? Sometimes if I just look at her she gets all excited and poops for me to try to please me with it.

I just hold a paper towel under her now once she starts getting in position.

Customcasket · Apr 7, 2012

roxynoodle said:
Spiritbird said:

I got phone calls from Cricket's new mom and she is amazed how he poops on command. Said now she and her friends are going to bring all their animals here for me to potty train!!

Click to expand...

Would you like Rowdy for a little bit? Sometimes if I just look at her she gets all excited and poops for me to try to please me with it.

I just hold a paper towel under her now once she starts getting in position.

Can you train my Master Pooper otherwise known as Kayak?

she is a terrible pooper. I've been trying to train her for almost 2 years.

KatherineI · Apr 7, 2012

Spiritbird said:
I got phone calls from Cricket's new mom and she is amazed how he poops on command. Said now she and her friends are going to bring all their animals here for me to potty train!!

Send me your address and I will arrange shipping of Loki for potty training

lene1949 · Apr 8, 2012

rissa1227 said:
I was given a rescue conure. i estimate his age to be less than 5 years old. maybe as young as a year or two. Having trouble figuring that out -.-. Hes a nanday! and despite everything is very affectionate and cuddly when out of his cage. I have a few questions. He also doesnt wake me up in the mornings thank god! lol!

Obviously your estimate is way out... lolol.. Honestly you can't really estimate the age of a bird... I love the fact that he's very affectionate and cuddle.

1. I cant get him to learn step up! he doesnt even try to lift his legs when i press my finger into his abdomen gently, he just moves over -.- i have to physically grab him from the cage, although he doesnt bite, he squawks and obviously doesnt like it.

Have you tried to ask him to 'step up' without touching him? This is normally the way you teach babies to step up...

2. How do you guys deal with the poop!! whats the best way to keep from getting it on furniture, you, etc. what tips, tricks do you guys have? Any would be appreciated! i dont know what to do!

You can't keep a flying bird off the furniture... Maybe get his wings clipped?

3. Is there any way to guess an age on a Nanday?

I doubt it...

Spiritbird · Apr 8, 2012

I guess some of our birds just do not care where they drop it. I had Cricket for about 1 year and he never once pooped on me or furniture. He just did not like to do that.
First thing every morning I put him on the stand and he let loose. I think that is how it started.

roxynoodle · Apr 8, 2012

Yes, Pete has never once pooped outside of his cage, except at the vet's. I just take him back at least every hour to let him go. Rowdy thinks I love poop though so she doesn't care where it goes. One day though I left the garbage bag next to her cage, being the forgetful me that I am. When I noticed, I realized she had been shooting poop onto it, like she was trying to help me with cleaning it up. Actually maybe if I put the garbage can next to her cage, she would try to get all her poop in it. Undoubtedly some would land on the floor and other places.

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GCC mating

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