Bird Training Tips?

AgentSir

New member
Jan 21, 2016
1
0
Parrots
Sun Conure
I have a 5 year old Sun Conure that I got a few months ago from someone that wanted to get rid of her. The Guy that I got her from said that she's really sweet, but they were wanting to get rid of her because she started attacking his wife. They also never clipped her wings and let her fly around their house (but I was a butthole and clipped her wings the day after I got her home).

Anyways, I need help trying to train her. Because she is already 5 will she be willing to be trained?

I can be alone with her and bring something towards my face, such as when im eating or talking on the phone, while she is sitting on my shoulder and she will bite me as hard as she can.

She is very fond of my dad and anytime I take her to his house she wants to jump on him. Now, when ever i'm at my moms house my conure doesn't want anything to do with her. My mom tries being nice and holding her, but she attacks my mom. She can also be sitting on my shoulder and I walk past my mom and my conure will bite me.

I can be sweeping and she will either attack the broom or attack me.

I would also like to try and get her to start talking. She will tell you "bye bye" whenever she sees someone put on a jacket, but its not clear words. Its just different pitched little "merps"

She also is not very fond of playing with toys and I would like her to be. Is there a way that I could get her more interested in toys while I'm at the house with her? I notice that she lightly plays with them when I'm at work, but I never see her playing with them. If I am anywhere near her cage or play stand she just screams.

And I know it's not a very good idea right now with her being so aggressive, but I am really interested in getting an indian ringneck. I know with getting another bird that they should have two separate cages, but I would like for them to be able to interact with each other outside of the cage.

She also is not very fond of fresh fruits and vegetables. I've tried giving her various treats, but she would prefer the fruit mix that I buy from the pet store.

Any advice would be great!

I've been trying to work with her, but she is just so stubborn and I don't know if anyone has had success with training difficult birds.

Thanks again!:orange:
 

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Skittys_Daddy

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2014
2,172
63
Lewiston, Maine
Parrots
Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
If she is bonded to you and attacks you at certain times, chances are she is 'alerting' you to dangers. Skittles will do that to me. If he senses danger or if something gets too close to him that he doesn't like.

As for the age of your conure. It really all depends on you and your bird. How much time and effort you want to put into training. Yes, it will probably take longer and more effort, but it IS possible to re-train her, whether or not it's a success, again, depends on the two of you. It's really a crapshoot.
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Yes. I've done this once or twice...

Sounds like this bird has overbonding issues from the past, and was never properly disciplined, so there is a bit of the conure spoiled bird syndrome going on, but fortunately not so much that the bird's behavior is completely unmanageable... THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T LET THEM DO WHAT EVER THE HELL THEY PLEASE WHEN EVER THE HELL IT PLEASES THEM TO DO IT. YOU GET THE "I DON'T WANNA" BEHAVIORS...

REMEMBER, THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY SHRUNKEN MACAWS... SAME BASIC WILD BEHAVIORS, IN A SMALLER PACKAGE.

The boundaries have to be clearly defined, and have to be etched in stone. No deviating from them. This is how we behave here bird.

You're going to butt heads with this bird for the first six to eight weeks. But be consistent. Assume the bird is going to bite the people this bird bites, take steps to protect yourself, anticipate it, and prevent it from happening. CORRECT THE BAD BEHAVIORS IMMEDIATELY, THE SAME WAY, EVERY PERSON, EVERY TIME...

Consistency is the key. IF YOU DO THIS BIRD, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE TIME...

And go back to basics. Step up. No bite. Go down.

And socialize... as the bird becomes better socialized, the problem behaviors will diminish.
 
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Skittys_Daddy

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2014
2,172
63
Lewiston, Maine
Parrots
Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
Birdman is dead-on. Consistency is key. I cannot stress that enough.

If you deviate from it, or decide one day 'oh, he's been good today so I'll let it go this time', it'll backfire. You HAVE to set the limits and you HAVE to follow them every single time. That doesn't mean they won't test you, they will. That is the very reason you have to be consistent.

Sticking to basics is also a great idea, like Birdman said. Don't try to 'build Rome in a day' with your bird.

I let 'Skittles be Skittles' and use techniques like 'no bite', 'come on', and 'No!' and they work. It took time and consistency. In the beginning, I wasn't. Sometimes I would follow-through and other times not. It didn't work, not until I set firm limits and enforce them 100% of the time.

It is also 'ideal' to assign certain commands or limits with certain behaviors. That'll not only provide for a more successful training, but also avoid confusion issues with your bird.

For example, Skittles is VERY good at flock calling. I tap on my shoulder and say 'come on' and he follows through. Usually on the first time, but there are times it takes a few times. But I keep saying it until he obeys, that is key.

I can actually call him from the other end of the apartment and he will come to me.

When I give him a bath, he will often try to bite me when I try to get him to climb onto my finger when he is done. So I will say 'no bite' and he is compliant. Now, I usually say it BEFORE I try to get him to climb on and he obeys.
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
Media
2
43
Parrots
Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
They also never clipped her wings and let her fly around their house (but I was a butthole and clipped her wings the day after I got her home).
I prefer working with flighted birds. It really irked me the last three birds that came into my flock were all clipped.... including a wild caught ringneck!

Because she is already 5 will she be willing to be trained?
Any bird at any age can be trained! Although younger birds may be easier to work with than older birds, older birds can indeed still learn!

In 2008, I started working with my mismatched rehomed cockatiels. Except for Casey, all of my tiels have been rehomes from various places. In 2008, this included Pistachio, a male cockatiel that was over 9 years old and was used as a breeder bird. He came to me as a very skittish bird and would avoid human contact at any given chance. Now? If I feed the tiels by hand, he is one of the first tiels to fly on over and eat! Although he's not tame and friendly (that wasn't my goal), his confidence and trust has grown a lot! And he's 18+ years old now!


I can be alone with her and bring something towards my face, such as when im eating or talking on the phone, while she is sitting on my shoulder and she will bite me as hard as she can.
Seems to be pretty typical behavior for many birds... she could be afraid of your hand, or whatever it is you are holding. Maybe it's jealousy?

Here, read this article.
Addressing Aggressive Behavior - IAATE

She is very fond of my dad and anytime I take her to his house she wants to jump on him. Now, when ever i'm at my moms house my conure doesn't want anything to do with her. My mom tries being nice and holding her, but she attacks my mom. She can also be sitting on my shoulder and I walk past my mom and my conure will bite me.
Sounds like a bird who prefers men, particularly older men. I have one of those, too! Except, it's women she loves!

It would really help to teach some target training, to socialize him with strangers, and avoid anything sexual related!

http://www.ballancebehavior.com/Por...ng the Pet Parrot updated version 10.3.13.pdf
Companion Parrots | Natural Encounters, Inc.

I can be sweeping and she will either attack the broom or attack me.
Station training and desensitizing her to object would greatly help here!

Barbara's Force Free Animal Training Talk: How to Address Fear in Parrots
https://larajoseph.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/training-a-bird-to-station-its-importance/

I would also like to try and get her to start talking. She will tell you "bye bye" whenever she sees someone put on a jacket, but its not clear words. Its just different pitched little "merps"
She may never learn any new words... or she might. It's entirely up to her! Generally speaking, the earlier they start talking and learning a variety of words, the higher chance of them continuing to learn new words as they grow older. If they only learn a few words at a young age, they may be less inclined to learn more words at a later date.

Any time you hear a word, reward her with a treat! If you can get her to say the word in cue, then try to get her to make the word sound clearer and reward only the best sounding words! Try teaching her like an infant and show her items, telling her what the item is. That may help, too.

She also is not very fond of playing with toys and I would like her to be. Is there a way that I could get her more interested in toys while I'm at the house with her? I notice that she lightly plays with them when I'm at work, but I never see her playing with them. If I am anywhere near her cage or play stand she just screams.
Any time you notice her messing with a toy, even if she accidentally touched it while moving by it, reward her with a treat!

Hide foods in her toys and reward her for playing with those!

And I know it's not a very good idea right now with her being so aggressive, but I am really interested in getting an indian ringneck. I know with getting another bird that they should have two separate cages, but I would like for them to be able to interact with each other outside of the cage.
Being that these two species are from different continents, and have very different personalities, don't ever plan on the two getting along! Sure, they might! But if your intentions are for them to be buddies, you might be solely disappointed.

That's not to say that the birds can't be trained to get along, but it's better to expect the worst and hope for the best, rather than expecting the best outcome alone!

She also is not very fond of fresh fruits and vegetables. I've tried giving her various treats, but she would prefer the fruit mix that I buy from the pet store.
Have you tried feeding her fresh foods first thing in the morning before she has access to seeds and/or pellets?

Have you tried mixing fruits and veggies together? Maybe mixing these in with healthy grains and legumes? To give you an idea.... look at how appealing these chop/mashes are to the eye?

Bob?s Chop: The Latest ?Chop Revolutionary? | Parrot Nation
https://thehappycockatoo.wordpress.com/soaks-and-sprouts-a-nutritional-powerhouse-for-parrots/
https://ifeathers.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/my-first-attempt-at-chop/


A single food may not be that appealing, but if you can mix a few things together, it might be a little more interesting. Maybe feeding it first thing in the morning with a *little* of what she is used to sprinkled on top? Maybe if she watches you eating it and you share a little you haven't eaten from? Or maybe sticking some fruits and veggies onto a skewer for her to eat off of?

Fruity Fun | The Parakeet Perch
https://jamiesparrothelp.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/parrot-skewer/
Creating Foraging Opportunities ? Part I ? Getting Started | Parrot Enrichment Blog
Creating Foraging Opportunities ? Part II ? The Next Level | Parrot Enrichment Blog
Kabob Parrot Treat - petdiys.com

I've been trying to work with her, but she is just so stubborn and I don't know if anyone has had success with training difficult birds.
Is she stubborn or have you just not figured out how to work with her yet? It may help to take a step back and rethink things. :)

Instead of being frustrated, try to figure out a new approach that may work out, and try to keep things positive for her. The less negative experiences she has with you, the better chance she will have of bonding with you! And training exercises (i.e. clicker training) can be a great way to earn her trust and learn to communicate with her in a way that you both can enjoy!
 

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