Skittles the conure :)

Hello! I just got my first green cheek Conure yesterday. I've never had any pets before (except some chickens) so I'm very excited! I work at a pet store and this little guy (We think he's male) had been there for months. No one wanted to buy him because he gets scared when you open his cage. In the past couple of weeks I had been trying to socialize a little with him when I had time at work and finally decided to buy him.

It's amazing, at the store he would bite and run away and didn't want anyone to touch him. First day at home he allowed me and my sister to pet his head!! He's still nervous though, doesn't like too much touching yet. He's beautiful. I was hoping some people here would have some tips and tricks to help me with my first bird! His name is Skittles

Welcome and huge congratulations on getting Skittles!!! Sounds like he was waiting to find a home with you... Post some pics and keep us posted on how you are getting with him!!

Congrats on your new fid!

Though I don't understand why anyone would want to name a bird 'Skittles'.

Thank you!

Skittys_Daddy said:

Congrats on your new fid!

Though I don't understand why anyone would want to name a bird 'Skittles'.

Click to expand...

I knew I wasn't the only one who thought that's a good name! My sister thinks its silly but its the perfect fit!

Here he is!!
I was so happy with the size of his cage! I thought it'd be a temporary small one till I got a larger one but its the perfect size! However since it was bigger than I thought I had to order a stand online so he's on the floor till I get it.

I do have a few questions.

It's his 3rd day home, so far he lets you pet him through the bars a little bit, if you put your hand in though he gets skittish and bitey. He doesn't bite hard but still, I want to eventually train him not to. I read somewhere that blowing on your bird when he bites helps to make him stop and so far that works really well. Another thing I read said that you can firmly say "No." whenever they bite. But some people say the "No." thing doesn't work while others day it does. So far blowing seems to be best. What's your advice on that?

I noticed him sneezing a few times the past couple of days. Is that normal?

He seems to scratch himself a lot, and today when he was preening he plucked out two feathers either from his wing or tail (One was definitely a wing) and then chewed on it for a while before dropping it.

Besides those things he seems to be doing well. Drinking water, eating his food, playing with his new toys. At night we cover his cage and he goes to sleep very quietly. He only really makes noise when the TV is on or when we squeak a dog toy for him (I noticed he did this at the pet store). I'm going to make a vet appointment for him ASAP to get checked out, have his wings clipped and a DNA test to find out for sure if he's male or female.

Glad to hear your new fid is adjusting well.

What I generally do with a new bird is allow them to adjust for a few days, but leave the cage door open (when there are no 'escape' threats - ie, open window, open door etc). Eventually, they come out and will likely fly over to you. But there are so many effective ways in taming your bird in the beginning. There isn't really only one 'right way' to do it. But if you are practicing patience, then your in the right vicinity. You don't want to push them or scare them.

The fact that he is not biting very hard is a good sign. I don't think it's going to take a LOT of effort for you given how well he is already doing, IMO.

As for the biting - birds do bite. There is no 'stopping them' from biting. Certain bites are normal. It's the hard 'breaking skin, drawing blood' bites that are not normal, that should be discouraged. But the best way to discourage it is to find out why they're doing it.

I know that when I put my hand in Skittles cage, he will reach for my hand with his beak, he doesn't bite me though. He just grabs my finger with his beak until he is safely on it. That's normal. They use their beak to "test" surfaces etc for safety.

I do know that when birds do something they aren't supposed to do that 'distracting' is more effective than reprimands when it comes to doing things they do naturally that you don't want them doing (ie, chewing certain things). The 'distraction technique' also works in discouraging certain 'mating behaviors'. The distraction noise I use is I 'clap' my hands or snap my fingers. That gets his attention.

As for what works/doesn't work - this is an individual bird thing. For some, saying "no" works, others it doesn't, etc. For me, the firm "no" works great with Skittles. If he is doing something he is not supposed to do I look at him and say "Hey, NO!, then I point my finger to where I want him to go and say "over there, go". He obeys me 95% of the time. That's what works for me. It may or may not work for you.

I found the most effective methods by observing Skittles behavior and finding what he does and doesn't respond to and going with that. That, IMO, is the most effective way of doing it.

As for the sneezing - this is often an 'attention getting' behavior by a conure. Skittles will do it a LOT when he is being petted or scratched. The key to this is the sneeze. If it's just 'air' coming out then chances are that's what it is if it's often. If there is any discharge (on a regular basis), then a vet visit is warranted. They will clear their nasal passages every so often (like we do) and clear discharge 'may' come out from time to time. But it should not be a repetitive thing on a regular basis.

Birds love to preen themselves, be preened and get scratches, that's totally normal. So is the feather chewing. Skittles does that after he discards a large feather, he will chew up the tail end of it.

As for the clipping - this is your bird, so it's your decision. But I personally like to discourage wing-clipping unless there is a routine safety hazard. (Ie, greater chance of escape etc). I just thought I'd throw that in.

Hope I've been able to help!

Hello again! Sorry for not responding for so long! I've been quite busy lately. Skittles is doing very well, she likes cuddling in my hand and exploring my arms we got a sexing text done and she's a girl! I have one question. Earlier today I was giving her a bath in the bathroom sink, (just running the water and splashing her) and she sneezed but I noticed that some brown stuff came out. Not a lot, but a spray of it. Is that normal?