How old was your conure when it began to prefer one person over another?

For those that have had their conures since they were babies, I'm curious about when they seemed to develop those preferences.

My partner bought a baby pineapple GCC last year, and lately she seems to have started preferring me, and even my son, over him. It may actually be an aversion to his way of handling her, and less so about bonding with a particular person, or preferring a gender, for example. I tend to me much more zen with her and give her more space, let her come to me-- he's a little grabby. He's working on it.

Be that as it may, I'm still curious about the bonding process and if there's an age it tends to start happening. I've adopted all of my birds as adults, so the process is pretty different.

Cookie (GCC) started liking me more than anyone else at about one or two years old (can't remember which).

Mildred (BCC) started liking my Mother more at about seven or eight months and now at a year old she is scared of everyone but my Mother (she was force weaned though).

And Trevor, even though he isn't a Conure, is about five months old and he seems to already prefer me somewhat.

I'd say a year old is when they start to mature and develop independence more so that seems to be when they usually start to choose who their favourite people/person are/is.

I'm not sure if there's an age for it, as both of my birds took immediately to me. My ringneck took "longer" because he came to us bluffing but he's very bonded to me. As soon as I come home, both my birds want to be with me. Avery is a 2 year old GCC, Shiko is a 1 year old IRN.

I really do think it's a handling thing and also just a bird thing. People don't just magically get along, they build a relationship or just click with someone. Birds are basically the same, though you can build tolerance and acceptance. If your partner is always forcing love on his conure, then it wouldn't surprise me that she would reject it because he isn't "respecting" her signals.

As for Avery specifically... honestly, the day she came home she preferred me over everyone. She'll go to anyone and be with anyone as long as she's away from her cage, and I know she likes some people more and also recognizes who she can bully (my boyfriend's younger sister and him on occasion). We didn't really "click" when I got her at the pet store, but when we got home we did. It's very obvious I'm her favourite person, and was from the beginning. But I also spent the most time with her, training her, preening her, cuddling her, and talking to her while also learning her. I know what makes her tick, what her body behaviour means (90% of the time), and that lets me handle her in ways other people can't.

Some birds do change with age. And hormones can alter the way a bird acts, as well as who they like and tolerate. I think that's pretty normal with any social animal, though. And considering that conures are social but strong pair bond birds plays a big part in that. If anything it sounds like the conure views your partner as a member of the flock, but has chosen you and your son as the best friend.

I got my Blue Crown when he was a baby and he immediately took to me. He is definitely my bird, but he also likes everyone in the family. Actually, he isn't keen on my husband and will resist going to him, but will step-up if I tell him it is ok. He has always been this way and no amount of persuasion is going to change his mind!

With Py, the only non-rescue conure I ever had, I'd say within a matter of days to a week or so of coming home.

He'd still go to anyone. But he was ALWAYS MY bird...

My GCC kyoto has just started coming around and welcoming my husband's company. It has taken weeks of working with her one on one for him to get to that point. She liked me from the start and will let me hold her, lay on her back around me, cuddle me. She is about 5 months old now.