Tips for new Blue Crown?

I recently purchased a 2 yr old Blue Crown from a woman who said she had been the sole owner and had purchased him from a caring home breeder. She said she was told it was a male, but that someone else told her it was a female because of the size of its body. Anyway, just wondering if I'm doing the right things to try to tame him(?) and acclimate him to his new home. Since bringing him home about 5 days ago, he has been very noisy, nippy, and avoidant of us. I know this is not unusual for bringing a bird into a new home. He will take food from my fingers but will no even consider stepping up and will bit my fingers repeatedly when I put my hand near. I have been able to pet his beak gently for a few seconds at times without being bitten and have also been able to pet around his eye/top of head for a second or two without a bite. He gets extremely loud during certain times of the day and I have been covering his cage with a sheet when this happens and then uncovering a couple minutes later. I am able to lure him out of his cage to perch atop it for food, but he doesn't stay out long. We have a lot of his old toys in the cage and it is the same cage she raised him in. The screaming is driving my dog insane. Am I doing the right things? Should the screaming diminish at some point? She said he was a pretty quiet bird and she seemed sincere and caring. Is there anything else I could/should be doing? Any thoughts on when I might see some improvement in behavior? I know it is still VERY early. He acts the same way to my wife and children, so don't think it is a male/female thing, although at times he almost talks to her. He knows several phrases but does not say them here. Any thoughts/tips appreciated!

I don't think that there is any real way to tell male from female in blue crowns except by genetic testing. My pair are confirmed male and female and there is no visual difference except the female having a few age related issues that make her stand out. She is slightly smaller but I think a lot the difference is that my male is just a big boy. He always averages above what is considered "normal" weight for a blue crown.

For taming your bird, give him his space for the time being. His life just got upended big time and he is having to adjust to a stranger poke fingers at him and other things going on that he just does not understand. Nippy and avoidance is to be expected in this situation. Basically, he does not know you so he does not trust you. It takes time. Months or even years. Just be patient. Leave the door open for him and let him come out of the cage when he is ready. Treats through the bars are good. In time he will start to build a bond with you. Make sure that everyone in the family interact with him and build a relationship. You don't want him to form an attachment with one person and consider all others a threat to that relationship and bite them. It can happen.

My male blue crown is a rescue. I have had him for a little over 3 years now and it really wasn't until this past year that we started to build a bond. He is still hand shy to some extent but I can get him to step up and can pet and manipulate him including turning him over onto his back so that I can examine him. The only time he nips at me is if I'm petting the female and he goes into a protective mode. Jealously defending his place with his girl.

As for the noise, that is a part of owning a bird. Conures can be especially vocal. Morning and nighttime are some of the most common times for him to call out. Sometimes he may start screaming if you walk out of his sight and he is alone in the room. That is called 'contact calling'. Telling you "I'm here! Come back!" If you have a noisy house, expect to have a noisy bird too cause he will join in. Expect meal time to get noisy sometimes cause once he learns that food comes from the kitchen and you are eating good things he is going to want his share. It is best to be prepared and make him some of what you are fixing for dinner. But be careful, though. Not all foods we enjoy are good for birds. Some can be dangerous. Avocado, for one. There are some good lists of healthy foods on these forums. Do a bit of searching and your bird could have a long and healthy life.

Please be careful with the dog. If your dog is getting excited because of the bird he could end up being a chew toy.

Keep us posted and ask questions. There are no stupid questions when learning how to care for a bird except the ones you realize you should have asked when it is too late.

Thanks so much for the reply! I really am feeling good about Louie and feel like we are making progress already. Today turned out to be a pretty good day! I got to do some good head petting today and Louie was not as noisy as other days. He really loves scrambled eggs- which freaks my kids out a little - but that has helped getting him to come out of the cage and be happy. We are getting to know him and hopefully he is getting to know that we are ready to love him. Should we come to him when he screams when we leave the room? O r should we try to ignore this or cover him up when he screams. We want to reassure him, but don't wan to reward unnecessary/annoying behavior. We can handle a little screaming in the morning and night, but dont want to encourage it going on all day. Again, thanks for your reponse! I will keep you posted and will let you know of the progress and send pics/video as we bond!!

Eggs are a good thing for him to eat. Everything to make a bird in one bite. Though if you really wanted to make it even healthier, crush the shells into fine pieces and scramble them in with the egg for the calcium. A better way to do it would be to make some "birdie bread". There are some good recipes here or you could get mixes specially for it. That reminds me, I haven't made a batch for a while. Need to get the ingredients when I go to the store tomorrow.

I would not go to him when he screams. That just reinforces the behavior. He gets the reward of you coming and giving him attention so he may do it more. Just try to ignore it as best as possible even though it can try your patience at times. Don't give him any attention at all when you come back until he stops. I'm not a big fan of covering a bird when it screams. It feels a little too much like a punishment to me. It may work for a while but eventually he might get frustrated with it. If he throws a fuss, completely remove yourself from him and totally ignore. It is kind of like teaching him that if he screams he loses your attention. They are very smart and should figure it out. It may take a while and needs for you and family to stay consistent for it to work. Some people have really good suggestions on here for screaming and there are some books like "Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot" that are really worth a read. You would be surprised at some of the things that you think you are doing right are actually the wrong things to do.

By the way, you will be under constant observation from him if you haven't noticed already. He will watch and learn about you as you are learning about him. Don't be surprised if he starts anticipating events based upon your patterns. My birds know when I'm on the couch and have my laptop open that they are free to continue their evening activities. But as soon as I close the laptop lid and set it aside, it is bedtime and they all act accordingly. Sidney (Senegal) goes to the top corner of his cage and waits for me to pick him up, get a snuggle then go inside his cage. Tootsie and Rosco (blue crowns) stand on the front edge of Tootsie's cage and wait for me to pick them up. Tootsie first for her snuggle then inside. Rosco usually flies over to the playpen in "protest" at going to bed, I wait for a second and tell him to come, he flies to his cage and steps up for his goodnights and goes inside. Same routine each night.

Even when I had budgies, they all knew my patterns. Except they would all quickly go inside their cages and wait for me to close the door and they were happy. I try not to underestimate birds. I'd be living in a constant state of surprise if I did.

And I like Louie for a name. It really seems to fit a blue crown.