Trust building exercises

fizzyisboss

New member
Mar 18, 2015
4
0
I just got an absolutely gorgeous green cheeked yellow-sided conure. He is beautiful and so loving. His name is eli. Eli is about 4 months old and the reason why im here is because, while ive only had him for about 4 days and he is very nice and very happy to spend time together on my finger/shoulder/shirt, i need ways to occupy him and ways to gain his trust.

My requests, if youd be so gracious :)

1. Eli doesnt seem to enjoy any of the toys i have for him, and in-fact, kind of fears the majority of them. So what should i get him? i want him to not be so bored when im not home, i feel bad even though i spend like 3-5 hours with him outside the cage daily.

2. I just wants some exercises i can do to make him love/trust me a bit more

3. He's very bitey, luckily ive kinda transfered him to biting my watch instead of me, but still, its kind of annoying at times and it can hurt pretty bad.

4. why does he chirp when i leave my room? like kind of screech-like, he stops when i come in, i just assume he wants more attention.

5. How should i present him water for a bath? or should i even attempt that?

Thanks so much guys, any answers or help is greatly appreciated! :)
 

HadrianDC

New member
Mar 13, 2015
5
0
Morgantown, Pa
Parrots
Cinnamon Green Cheek Conure
So, I have a Green Cheek Conure and faced similar difficulties. For exercises you can try to pet his stomach and under his wings. Your probably going to get nipped a bit until you gain his trust, and when you do you can pick him up upside down. When they allow you to do this, its the ultimate sign of trust. Some birds are also ticklish so try tickling him. But until then you can talk to him and try to teach him to talk. I'll put music on and sing to him and he'll curl up on my shoulder and sometimes fall asleep.

If your watch is shiny then you might want to get a different one. Birds really like shiny stuff so i wouldn't recommend any jewelry like that.

If he screeches, he probably just wondering where you are because he's worried. That's his way of making sure your there and not in danger. If you talk to him when your not in the room while he screeches, it may help calm him down.

With the bath, it depends on him. If he gets really excited around water or when your refilling his water bowl, he is probably going to take care of it himself (ps. funny to watch). If not, just kinda spritz him with water using his fingers. Don't let him get too soaked otherwise he might get pneumonia.

For the toys, I'm still figuring that out.

Ps. another activity is to let him on top of your head and preen your hair.
 

Puck

New member
Mar 8, 2015
802
4
1. Take your watch which he sees as a toy and intertwine it with his actual toy. Let him explore and realize its safe and a toy then remove your watch. Then use THAT toy to help him adjust to new toys.

2. Sit with him and just talk to him. Put your hand as close to his back (or wherever you are trying to touch) as you can until he tenses then STOP. Offer him a treat. Do this over and over again and he will begin to associate you and your hand with good things. Don't try and touch him if his body language says no. Biting is a clear sign that you have crossed "the line". You Should stop long before he goes to bite.

3. Bitey probably means he doesn't actually want to be sitting on you but doesn't know he has a choice (unless it is gentle nibbles--these can be asking for attention). Try setting him on a perch and doing the whole getting closer then feeding a reward thing. If it's playful biting, redirect it to a toy or a tissue he can rip up. Just be aware that birds usually bite when they don't want to do something and even if he seems willing to sit on you, he may be unhappy with the situation and need more time.

4. It's called flock calling. He is calling out to you, the member of his flock, to make sure you are okay. You can come up with a special signal to tell him it's all good. I call out "Sammy Sammy Samsung!".

5. I would get a spray bottle and spray him with lukewarm water. Surprisingly, most birds like baths. Nature made them to expect rain, so spraying water doesn't bother them.

Hope this helps!
 
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fizzyisboss

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Mar 18, 2015
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Thanks so much guys! this pretty much answered all of the questions i needed answered. As for the hanging upside down thing, he already does that on my fingers, like i can flip him upside down and he will be pretty comfortable with me, like he trusts me not to let him fall and stuff. As for the biting, yea im pretty sure its just because he wants more attention or something, or wants something that i cant understand yet, sometimes its because he wants to go get a quick drink and sometimes its attention or food or whatever, that makes sense. The flock calll makes sense too, he does it whenever hes alone in the room, i guesss he just wants to make sure his flock is safe :) such a sweety haha! and for the bath, i think ill just try giving him a bowl, and then the spray, and then maybe allow him to approach the shower if those other things dont wokr, idk, i guess we will find out. Thanks so much guys, this has helped a lot, ill have to experiment with toys some more though! :)

thanks again!
 

Chunky

New member
Feb 25, 2015
121
0
Parrots
Chunky the pineapple GCC
Frankie CAG
Thanks so much guys! this pretty much answered all of the questions i needed answered. As for the hanging upside down thing, he already does that on my fingers, like i can flip him upside down and he will be pretty comfortable with me, like he trusts me not to let him fall and stuff. As for the biting, yea im pretty sure its just because he wants more attention or something, or wants something that i cant understand yet, sometimes its because he wants to go get a quick drink and sometimes its attention or food or whatever, that makes sense. The flock calll makes sense too, he does it whenever hes alone in the room, i guesss he just wants to make sure his flock is safe :) such a sweety haha! and for the bath, i think ill just try giving him a bowl, and then the spray, and then maybe allow him to approach the shower if those other things dont wokr, idk, i guess we will find out. Thanks so much guys, this has helped a lot, ill have to experiment with toys some more though! :)

thanks again!

If he is already hanging upside down maybe you could try something we have done with Chunky. He lies down flat in the palm of our hand and goes to sleep. Incredibly cute. When my grand daughter comes to visit i tell her to go get a sheet of kitchen paper towel and i ask her to use it as a blanket and sing him to sleep. Very, very funny to watch as he shuts his eyes. I half expect him to start snoring! :D
 

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