My New Conure =D

Trina said:

I put a dowel in front and a treat on the other side of the dowel, screech would have to step on the dowel to be able to reach the treat. when he stepped on it I would say step up..I used a dowel because screech was a biter..you could prolly do this with your hand face down to give you space between the birdie and the treat

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Alicia said:

Hi everyone,

So after much consideration and a ton of searching, I ended up adopting a rescue green cheek conure. This is Petey. He is 3 years old, and was very abused and neglected. He was hit by his previous owner and has never had anyone to trust. As soon as I saw him shaking and hiding in the corner of his cage I just knew I had to give him a good home! I have had him for a week, and he already is starting to slowly trust me. He lets me scratch his head, cheek, chin and under his wings. He also takes treats from my hands now.

I do have one question though, how do I go about teaching him to step up? When I lightly press my finger on his belly, or even in front of his feet he won't step up. Any ideas? The only way he will sit on my finger is if I pick him up (which he lets me do) and put him on my finger.

Thanks guys and as always, any advice is appreciated!

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thermodynamic said:

I do not know if my story will be of assistance, but:

In March of 2010, I adopted Roseanne (Rosie) from a pet store whose staff kept chasing it with their hands. They told stories of how, why, and how often they went after the bird. They also said that, to find out what the bird liked, they put in a webcam in the display cage because it would do nothing during the day. The bird collected metal toys and did somersaults...

It was not an easy decision, effectively rewarding the store by buying the bird to get it out of the hellhole it endured.

Rosie shudders when hands get too close.

It took 18 MONTHS. But Rosie will eat millet sprig held out by the cage door. She, however, will step up, but she still flies away when the tension builds up. When she steps up on my finger, she gets a treat Despite knowing my hands will not harm her. The neurosis had set in and may be irreversible.

And Rosie knows I am an okay person. She greets me, she readily does somersaults and the moment I laugh in appreciation she does more -- she is a darling little creature. But, as with humans, a sentient creature that is abused will retain memories and be handicapped.

To summarize, with emphasis added in case the story so far bored you to sleep -- use lots of treats, go slowly (give yours a treat, then make it walk father to get the treat, and so on, until it walks to you and perches up), and the bird will have a greater chance of warming up to and bonding with you. Try many treats - millet, papaya, etc - note what the bird likes and what the bird loves. Make her associate the treats with you, as treats are good things and so are you.

My other adopted bird, Tybbi - I used a stick to do the "step up" method. After keeping the stick in an area of safety, so she would not become nervous by it. This took less than a week and now Tybbi (1 month later) allows head scratches and is learning to relax, but this bird had been abandoned by a previous owner, with the interim owner returning the bird due to not having the time to spend with it... but yet the same bird adapted to me very quickly. Since the person who abandoned the bird was a female (would a male abandon it in the women's restroom?), Tybbi may have developed an aversion to women. This is, of course, conjecture.

With time and diligence, you will make much progress. It will be slow going, you've got to know the bird's body language and respond in kind, but the bird will open up. Maybe not to the level of other, adjusted birds, but time and building of trust are what counts.

You're doing a great thing, BTW, in taking care of this bird.

One side-note: My parents adopted a cat who had been abused. He will run the moment he can smell someone outside the closed front door (superior olfactory system, of course.) The cat only tolerates me and my aunt, and even with my aunt he is more scared of - and if I get up at the wrong moment, he will consider running and hiding, despite knowing I'm okay. My parents noted those surprise behaviors, and still have friends who claim my parents have no cat...

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