New Owner

Well, I guess this is a little awkward.

Hi, my name is Vehnn, and I'm turning 16 on the 2nd of February.
Now, I guess for a lot of parrot owners this is like, instant red flags. ('Oh god, not another little conure in the hands of a teenager..') Which is, fair enough, I suppose.
Actually, I wanted a new bird because our budgerigars are no longer people birds, and more like asshole birds who hate humans. (Since we bunched them up in the same aviary, which is, mind you, actually huge.) I wouldn't say our family is the most experienced with little birds, but we've hand raised cockatiels and finches (and budgies of course) before.

SO ANYWAY for my 16th birthday, I didn't want to ask for anything too exceptionally out of reach, so I kind of asked for a conure. Now, I was aware that these birds are quite hands on, and it's not all about taking them out for a while and changing their water/food/ect. I was (and still am) quite committed to this bird, Who is a turquoise greencheek named Whiskey. I'm a full time student/artist, so when I'm at school he stays in the lounge room where everyone sits. The house is NEVER empty. When I'm at home, he's out of the cage and on my shoulder/around my room.

He's quite darling, and fell asleep on my neck while I was on my laptop in bed yesterday night, and is still a little moody since he's only about 9 weeks old. His cage is (admittedly) a little small, but we're in the process of actually building a new one for him. I guess by now, anyone that's reading this is kind of like 'What are you getting at?'

Well. Have I got some questions for YOU.

Surprisingly, I can't actually find much about handling and caring for a new baby conure. Every article is mostly about why you should get a conure, or about changing their waters and what they can and cannot eat. Helpful, sure, but not quite enough.
I didn't actually get this bird to teach it to speak (As i'm aware their vocal abilities aren't similar to that of an african grey or cockatoo), nor did I get it to teach him (or her?) tricks. I just got him to bond with, actually.

So, I'm aware that biting is more due to what the bird is telling you what it does and doesnt want to do, or testing the waters with a new owner. That's cool- (My thumb is still a little swollen though haha) But I was wondering if they grow out of a stage of constant bites (Though whiskey doesn't really bite very often, he will nip occasionally)

Actually I'll just list some questions? Sorry if these have already been answered, my scanning abilities on this forum were depleting.

-I haven't seen him drink much, and I'm a little worried since it's VERY hot at the moment in Australia where I am, and I think I saw him panting maybe? Do they just drink behind their owners backs ooor?
-He wont touch or bathe either. I've seen him do it when I picked him up at his breeder's house, but refuses to do it here. Hmm.

-He refuses to come in and out of his cage if I attempt to get him out or in with my hands. If I open the door, he'll usually teeter on out rather quickly.

-He loves flying to the framing of my doors, but I'm worried someone's toes might get hurt if a human opens one of the doors one day. Can I possibly train him not to?

-What are some things that I can do to promote bonding?

-How do you begin to play games with them, if this is an answer to the previous question.
-Best way to start teaching them tricks? I said I wasn't getting a bird for that reason, but hey, might be interesting I suppose.
-Will a conure mimic a tune? Idk. Random question.

-I've seen many people love bathing with their conures! So cute! I dunno if mine trusts me enough to do that yet, but I want to do that one day. When and how can I start that practise? (Is there a good temp for birds?)

-The little snot likes to bite down on my nose VERY hard sometimes, even when I havent done anything to promote it. I swear, one day he's going to give me a DIY bridge or nose piercing. What's up with that noise?

-We used to clip our budgies' wings, but is it worth clipping Whiskey's?

-I really just want him to trust me. I'm not real interested in breeding him anytime soon, I just want a pet that knows I'm a human that doesn't want to hurt him/can trust. I'm sorry if anyone has read this and thought 'WOW YOU ARE ASKING TOO MUCH OF THIS BIRD, RED FLAGS ALL ROUND'

honestly, not my intention. Please help me become an owner that can be responsible for owning this little chump- I love him lots already.

(Sorry for the big read, don't feel obliged to answer all of those dumb questions!)

Welcome to the Parrot Forums!

That is a huge list of questions. And, I know that I do not have the time to take on such a list and I am retired. You may want to consider looking it over and targeting what is most important and approach it that way.

Also, across the top of the page is a banner and with in the banner is a list of buttons that you can select. Select the Search Button, place the question or search word and enjoy!

Again, welcome!

There's absolutely no reason a young person can't have a bird and be a great owner. It usually doesn't work because of a lack of commitment on their part and they often move to higher education and the bird gets left behind.

Other than that, someone your age is perfectly capable of providing a good environment for a bird. You just have to realize it's not a dog which I think you do.

So to questions:

-I haven't seen him drink much, and I'm a little worried since it's VERY hot at the moment in Australia where I am, and I think I saw him panting maybe? Do they just drink behind their owners backs ooor?

Make sure he has access to LOTS of clean water. Room temperature or a little chilled is fine. You may need to change his bowl note I said BOWL, not a bottle, a few times a day. I don't see Stephen drink very much... but I assume he does. He also dips his food in the water so he gets at least some that way.

-He wont touch or bathe either. I've seen him do it when I picked him up at his breeder's house, but refuses to do it here. Hmm.


I find a large shallow dish works. You may need to coax him. Some use a spray bottle and mist their bird. Others take them into the shower. Temperature: probably just a tad on the cool side for you if you were bathing in it. More than luke warm but much less than hot.

-He refuses to come in and out of his cage if I attempt to get him out or in with my hands. If I open the door, he'll usually teeter on out rather quickly.

Common question. He's in a new environment and scared. His cage is his only safe space. Give him some time. Don't force the issue. You may find that using a stick instead of your hand when you try to get him out has better results. But don't chase him with it. Just offer the stick and if he says "NO" then leave him be. He'll come out when he's ready.

-He loves flying to the framing of my doors, but I'm worried someone's toes might get hurt if a human opens one of the doors one day. Can I possibly train him not to?

You don't want him doing that. Doors are dangerous and could hurt him badly. Can you train him not to... with time yes. You may need to use a deterrent for the time being which is likely a whole thread in and of itself. Something like double sided tape comes to mind.

-What are some things that I can do to promote bonding?

Play with him. Teach him step up and the like.

-How do you begin to play games with them, if this is an answer to the previous question.
-Best way to start teaching them tricks? I said I wasn't getting a bird for that reason, but hey, might be interesting I suppose.

Look into target training. Lots of threads on that, and some very good videos on the YouTube. This is a good starter video: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqtptXFyb2c"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqtptXFyb2c[/ame]

-Will a conure mimic a tune? Idk. Random question.

Probably not but some may.

-I've seen many people love bathing with their conures! So cute! I dunno if mine trusts me enough to do that yet, but I want to do that one day. When and how can I start that practise? (Is there a good temp for birds?)


I kind of answered this above. You will need to see what works. Showering with him, using a spray bottle and misting him, using a dish with water in it etc... Again, not hot, just barely warm is a good temperature.

-The little snot likes to bite down on my nose VERY hard sometimes, even when I havent done anything to promote it. I swear, one day he's going to give me a DIY bridge or nose piercing. What's up with that noise?

He's telling you something. What happened just before and just after the bite? In my case the bite always resulted in a "time out" in which Stephen would poop. Figured out I wasn't paying attention to his more subtle messages so he'd CHOMP to get put down so he didn't poop on me.

Look into bite pressure training.

-We used to clip our budgies' wings, but is it worth clipping Whiskey's?

Might be, might not be. This is a loaded question and a dangerous topic.

-I really just want him to trust me. I'm not real interested in breeding him anytime soon, I just want a pet that knows I'm a human that doesn't want to hurt him/can trust. I'm sorry if anyone has read this and thought 'WOW YOU ARE ASKING TOO MUCH OF THIS BIRD, RED FLAGS ALL ROUND'

You're asking LOTS of questions and that's a good thing. Keep that level of enthusiasm and you and Wiskey will get along just fine. Seems to me that all owners have their own relationship with their bird. Some people get away with things others would NEVER do. So you will need to find out what Whiskey will do and what you want him to do.

For now, just be PATIENT. A new bird has a lot to take in, a lot to adjust to and needs to move at HIS pace, not yours. That's part of the hardest part for anyone. And honestly it's probably the biggest reason most people shy away from teens or kids having birds. Your brains aren't done baking yet and patience is, simply put, not your strong suit. It's gonna be harder for you than say... me.

It's not that I have more experience or age makes me smarter. It is literally that your brain is still developing! Mine is done with that and is working on the decay cycle so... I'd rather be in your shoes!

Hi, welcome! I think JBassset did a great job at answering your questions. The big thing is the patience. You want your big to love and trust you. If you let the bird alone, keep talking to him just not trying to get him out of the cage, he'll learn to trust you, want to come out, & it'll be worth it in the end. Keep posting your progress on here. Conures are known for biting. I didn't know that before I got mine. They go in streaks, they're like anything, if something bothers them, they're going to let you know it. Watch his body. You'll learn when he's not happy & is warning you that if you don't stop, he'll bite. You'll also learn what his happy body language is & what makes him happy.
Conures are little clowns. Mine will do this twisting of his head/body in my hand which is pretty comical. I've heard of some that go in pockets. Mine likes to explore little nooks & crannies. They're just fun to watch.
Mine does talk somewhat. He says, I love you, good boy, What'cha doing, kiss, & stop. Lol.
I wish you well.

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I love this place!
Great answers above.
I second the SEARCH-tab idea. It's a really good engine, and will yield a lot of info.
Welcome. Glad you found us.