Bringing hand reared baby home...

Fifi28

New member
May 18, 2013
27
0
UK
Hey Guys,

I have decided to get a Green Cheek Conure (after changing my mind 100 times). I am off to see babies this weekend. They will not be ready for 4 weeks so I am going to get all the info I can before I pick it up. So, I have brought home untame cockatiels, tamed and trained them but never brought home a hand reared baby. So it's really important to let the bird settle in of course, but what is the best way to do this. Do I have it out the cage straight away in the living room and give lots of reassurance and treats or do I just leave it alone and let it come to me.

What did you guys do when you brought your babies home and what is the best training method for the "nippy" stage?

Thanks,

Fiona
 

SueIN

New member
May 26, 2013
6
0
NE Indiana
Parrots
Getting a Pineapple Green Cheek July 2013
We are brining home our new hand raised pineapple green cheek in July and would also love any advice on transition
 

patch

Member
May 14, 2012
146
4
Parrots
Nanday mutation
I've personally never had a hand-reared baby, but I've read that you shouldn't be surprised if after a few days your baby suddenly turns into a grumpy puss. It's supposedly part of transitioning, they're getting used to things still and they're frustrated and alarmed. Not all birds behave like this though, every bird is different! But it seems to be common enough.

That said, if your bird doesn't want to come out of the cage, don't force it. Letting it come out in its own time is best. Offer food and if it's scared, pull away and leave it alone. My bird was terrified of humans when I got him so I just left food on top of his cage and sat nearby doing something else. Eventually your bird will want to hang out on you or very close to you, but it takes time and no force. Patience is key
 

sodakat

New member
Jul 15, 2009
649
2
I would follow your breeder's advice. IMO this is one reason to choose a particular breeder -- so you get lots of advice and know what to expect.

Of course every bird is different so there will be variables including how long it takes the new baby to become at ease in your home.
 

crimson

New member
Oct 8, 2012
3,223
Media
5
6
Ontario,Canada
Parrots
Senegal-Martini,1 pineapple conure~ Kahlua,1 GCC~ Flare, spl/b, 4 Lovebirds Halo,Tye-Die,Luna,Violet,8 Cockatiels,Num Num&Tundra,8-Ball&Angus,Magnet&Sunkist,Pearl, Blush, 1 gouldian finch, 7 canaries
since I can offer advice from both sides, this is what I suggest to my customers since I breed.

I always encourage ever owner to visit whenever they can with the bird of their choice.
we sit on the floor, and all the babies will spoil this new visitor with attention, which I get a kick out of watching their faces :) their just blown away with that experience.
if you can go visit the bird often, so you can both get use to one another. it will help with the transition. bring a small blanket and always put the bird on it when you go for a visit, that way the bird will associate the blanket with your smell, when you bring home the bird, the bird will have his smell on it as well.

now I bring birds home, weaned or unweaned(I have helped out some breeders when they are over run with babies to handfeed, I encourage them to step up, I put them on my chest or shoulder, and give them kisses.
I don't give scritches, scratches, or pats, for the first week. I just want them to experience them being with me without touch.(even though I'm dying to,lol)
it seems to work with most birds I bring home, and by the end of the first week, they willingly step up, crawl up on me, and I give them kisses. that is the beginning.then the pats,scritches and everything else in between is a bonus :) :)

glad you chose a conure, they are awesome pets, and you will fall in love
 

MissTaz

New member
May 11, 2013
481
0
Utah
Parrots
Rory ~ A male turquoise green cheek conure ~ Hatched 02-12-2013
When we got Rory all she wanted to do was be with us. Because she was hand reared she was use to being touched so it was easy for us. But then again it depends on you energy if you have a warm and confident energy your bird will be more receptive. We didn't do any agjustment period we just started treating her like she has always been apart of our family and let me tell you this baby is fearless. I know each situation is different, but animals base there reactions on energy and instinct. Good luck my friend I'm so excited for you!
 

LoryLover

New member
Jan 1, 2013
341
1
Southern California
Parrots
Chattering Lory, 18yrs old (Sweet Pea)
I got Sweet Pea from a breeder who was handfeeding her. I brought her home at 6 weeks old and continued the handfeeding. What I learned is that little babies are very impressionable at this young age, and if frightened by something, will remain frightened of that thing forever. Sweet Pea rode in the car with me holding her and my husband driving, as we were taking her to our house. Initially I had her in my lap, cradled in a soft towel, but she eventually climbed up to my neck area and saw out the window of our moving car and got a fear of cars that way. So anytime we tried to take her somewhere in the car after that (when she was older) she would be super afraid.

We held her at home all the time, talked to her constantly, began potty training her immediately (as instructed by our breeder) --- basically, we treated her like a little child we brought home. She bonded to myself, my husband and our teenage daughter very well, because we all doted on her.

She is now 16 years old and an absolute joy.

I have had a couple of baby lovebirds that I tamed and they don't get tame if you just wait for a signal from them that they want to be with you. You have to approach them with love and kindess and hold them, talk to them, play with them... all of this creates a very quick and lasting bonding between you and your precious little baby.
 

SueIN

New member
May 26, 2013
6
0
NE Indiana
Parrots
Getting a Pineapple Green Cheek July 2013
I got Sweet Pea from a breeder who was handfeeding her. I brought her home at 6 weeks old and continued the handfeeding. What I learned is that little babies are very impressionable at this young age, and if frightened by something, will remain frightened of that thing forever. Sweet Pea rode in the car with me holding her and my husband driving, as we were taking her to our house. Initially I had her in my lap, cradled in a soft towel, but she eventually climbed up to my neck area and saw out the window of our moving car and got a fear of cars that way. So anytime we tried to take her somewhere in the car after that (when she was older) she would be super afraid.

We held her at home all the time, talked to her constantly, began potty training her immediately (as instructed by our breeder) --- basically, we treated her like a little child we brought home. She bonded to myself, my husband and our teenage daughter very well, because we all doted on her.

She is now 16 years old and an absolute joy.

I have had a couple of baby lovebirds that I tamed and they don't get tame if you just wait for a signal from them that they want to be with you. You have to approach them with love and kindess and hold them, talk to them, play with them... all of this creates a very quick and lasting bonding between you and your precious little baby.


Our bird is in another state about 3.5 hours from our home. How would you recommend transporting the bird given your experience. We have a small dog carrier we are going to use as a travel cage but I want her first experience with us to be as positive as possible.
 

LoryLover

New member
Jan 1, 2013
341
1
Southern California
Parrots
Chattering Lory, 18yrs old (Sweet Pea)
Our bird is in another state about 3.5 hours from our home. How would you recommend transporting the bird given your experience. We have a small dog carrier we are going to use as a travel cage but I want her first experience with us to be as positive as possible.
Of course, not all babies would become afraid of cars like ours did, but if you don't want to take the chance, then position the carrier where the birdie cannot see out the car windows. Personally I don't like subjecting a bird of any age to sliding around the bottom of a box or carrier while riding in the car, so a towel or perch would be ideal. If your bird is old enough to perch, and you can obtain a bird carrier, I would highly advise that. And preferably one person driving and the other person holding the carrier on their lap, would provide the most comfort to the baby bird. You can drape a towel on top of the bird carrier if needed, but peek under it and talk to the baby during the trip.

Congrats on your new addition! :D
 

LoryLover

New member
Jan 1, 2013
341
1
Southern California
Parrots
Chattering Lory, 18yrs old (Sweet Pea)
Hey Guys,

I have decided to get a Green Cheek Conure (after changing my mind 100 times). I am off to see babies this weekend. They will not be ready for 4 weeks so I am going to get all the info I can before I pick it up. So, I have brought home untame cockatiels, tamed and trained them but never brought home a hand reared baby. So it's really important to let the bird settle in of course, but what is the best way to do this. Do I have it out the cage straight away in the living room and give lots of reassurance and treats or do I just leave it alone and let it come to me.

What did you guys do when you brought your babies home and what is the best training method for the "nippy" stage?

Thanks,

Fiona
About the "nippy" stage... we brought our Sweet Pea home when she was just 6 weeks old and by about 10 weeks old, she realized she could bite. It took us about two months to train her not to bite hard. All we did was look her in the eyes and tell her in a stern voice "no biting" while holding her beak with our finger. We went right back to loving and playing with her. We didn't put her in her cage for a timeout for biting, as we didn't want her to associate her cage with something bad.

During the two months of this training, she got better each week, biting less and less and by the end of the two months she no longer bit hard. Lories tend to be nippy, but after being trained not to bite (and I'm talking about the type of random biting that draws blood), she was and always has been very gentle with her beak.
 

MikeyTN

New member
Feb 1, 2011
13,296
17
Antioch, TN
Parrots
"Willie"&"Lola"B&G Macaw,
"Dixie"LSC2, and "Nico" Scarlet Macaw.
Here's what I always do to transport birds. I use a carrier and place a towel inside the carrier. IF someone is doing the driving, face the front of the carrier towards you and talk to him constantly. If your driving, place the carrier in the passenger seat with the front facing you and use a seatbelt to secure the carrier. Talk to him on the way home to keep him calm. If your not able to do either then place the carrier in the back seat and secure it with seat belt and cover the carrier with a towel. I did a 14 hr trip with one of my birds and 3hr trip with two others. Rest have been an hour and a half or less.
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top