HELP!! Conure Screaming & Aggressive

Hi folks, This is my first post.

Long story short, I discovered a jenday conure in my complex; after no success trying to find its owner, I decided to keep him/her, because he/she was very sweet (in the beginning).

His name is Sammy Davis Jr, because he bobs his head up and down. Here's whats going on:

1) He NEVER leaves my shoulder; hates to be picked up.
2) Hates his cage & screams whenever I leave the room.
3) His screaming has gotten worse now. When he's on my shoulder and I'm taking care of my sick dog, he screaches (jealousy I'm assuming).

Its only been a month now and I don't know what to do.

Have tried training him to step up to no avail. Got him a nice cage with lots of perches and toys. He doesn't play with any of his toys and only goes inside his cage (reluctantly) when its time to go to bed.

I've read all sorts of forums and got many books, but haven't been able to figure out how to "tame" him.

He's quiet and sweet most of the day, but again NEVER wants to leave my shoulders. When he gets down to eat, if he doesn't see me for a minute, he screams and yells. I've tried ignoring him and treating him when he's quiet.

He does this funny dance with his neck up when he's quiet and I come to get him. He doesn't like my fingers, so I have to bend over and he comes onto my shoulder.

I'm home most of the day and I think he's gotten so used to being with me and my shoulder that he's "training me" now.

Its only been a month, but he's absolutely driving me crazy now, and is getting more aggressive also.

HELP!! Any suggestions? Light therapy? Bird trainer? He also HATES vegetables, although will eat grapes and apples.

He started on Zupreme Colored Pellets, and I'm trying to switch him to Harrisons.

The vet checked him out and he's fine. No idea how old he is or his gender.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

-Faisal

K well first you need to show him that YOU are the boss. When he screams, try putting him in a cage, with only water, and placing him in a room all by himself. Leave him there for 5 minutes, or as long as it takes for him to quiet down.
Use this method ONLY for obnoxious screaming or aggressive or "bossy" behavior.
Have you established a treat for the conure? Out all of his food, he will have an obvious favorite. You can tell by watching him eat and what he picks out to eat before everything else. Remove that food from his regular diet, and give it to him when you are training him.
Using these methods, Sammy Davis Jr will eventually realize that;
-You have control over when he comes out and when he goes in. Period.
-You also have control over his favorite food, and when he gets to have it.

Hope this bit helps

ok, for now, do not let him on your shoulder, at all. he has to get used to stepping up on your hand, before he can go on your shoulder. Feed him treats through your hands to get him used to you hands, and gradually move up to put one hand in front of him so he has to step up to get the treat. you can also have him step up onto a perch. to stop him from going to your shoulder (this is once he has learned to step up) feed him treats on your hand so he stays, and if he starts climbing up, tilt your arm down to make it harder to climb up. If this still doesn't work, take a perch or your hand and put it in front of him so he has to step up again.
You can clicker train him, heres a link how
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...hKT-Ag&usg=AFQjCNHmcKBfcKf4Ev1BEXQSScJbrx1_aw

i also used a clicker to train my parrot to stop screaming or "use his inside voice" lol. every time he screams i turn away from him, and ignore him untill he makes a little "churup" sorta noise, or any sort of quiet noise. when he makes the desired sound, i turn around and give him a treat or talk to him. as we make more and more progress, every time he makes a good noise, i click the clicker to let him know he did a good thing. start training him like this while sitting in the room with him. then leave the room and don't come back until he makes the desired sound. over time he will learn not to scream when you leave the room. you can buy clicker at petco for about 2 dollars. it would also help if you clipped his wings, it will make him depend on you more during the taming process. once you have made some considerable progress you can set him on the floor in a dimly lit room with some treats in your hand and sit on the floor with her. he will feel insecure and will come close to you, at this time begin to feed him treats, you should do this after you train him to consistently step up. keep your training sessions short, around ten minutes, every few hours, and train him while he perches on a T-stand, in quiet neutral territory away from his cage. good luck, and thank you for taking him in and NEVER give up!

OK little I can add to the great advice you've been given good solid advice. But here is what you've got a very spoiled bird used to his/her own way, and she is trying to train you. Hehe looking forward to see who wins.

I have to say, kudos to you for taking in this bird! He/she might just be afraid that letting you out of sight might mean another abandonment. It's sad that this bird had to suffer that, but sounds like he/she found a good/loving home. I agree, the advice you have been given is great! I just thought you should know that what you have probably given that little innocent bird is amazing. Good luck getting your bird a little more tame. I am sure that with some time and patience you will achieve the outcome that you hope for.

I could very much bet that the bird is scared that if you put it in its cage, you will leave for good like its previous owner did.
Think about it. How many days or hours did it scream for its owner, with no answer? That's just pure torture and the worst nightmare for a bird.


It's just gonna take time. Poor little thing. He needs time to mentally heal, and trust that you won't leave him alone forever. They are like 3 year old children in intelligence. Imagine how a 3 year old child would behave if they were put in the same situation. How long would it take for them to feel OK? Now put with it the fact that birds just aren't left alone in the wild EVER. People like alone time, in birds, it's just doesn't happen. They naturally call out to each other constantly if they are not in view. He's scared! I honestly think that in this situation training him by isolation wouldn't work so well. I am glad you are taking care of the birdie.

Don't let him have apple seeds, they have arsenic in them.