What makes a bird like one person over others?

ConureParront

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May 6, 2018
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We've had my husband's fiery shoulder conure, Rio, for hmmm...I wanna say a month now, give or take. I stay at home with our kids all day so I am Rio's primary caretaker as well. I let him out in the morning, feed and water, play with him, clean his cage, everything...Im the only person he sees all day, but he is obsessed with my husband, Josh. Like as soon as he gets home from work Rio goes straight to him. And Josh doesnt exactly make it a point to pick Rio up and say hi and be personal with him. Now don't get me wrong, I am super glad Rio loves Josh so much cuz he is his bird, Im just so curious what it is that makes a bird like one person so much over anyone else, especially because Rio only sees Josh a couple/few hrs a day. I always thought it would be the person they see all the time. Does anyone know?
Is it a certain human behavior that a bird is drawn to?
It is just so cute how he loves him so much though😍

Also, an update on my Sun Conure who will be coming home roughly around the end of this month. I have decided that if he is a boy, I will name him Cosmo! Still deciding on what I like for girl name. We are getting the DNA test this coming monday, so will know for sure 7 days later!
I just hope my sun will like me more than hubby lol!
 

chris-md

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Feb 6, 2010
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Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Odds are in the favor of the person they see and interact with the most. However is multi person house, it does become a bit of a craps shoot. You can never really predict!
 

Aratingettar

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May 29, 2018
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Poland
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Sun t̶e̶r̶r̶o̶r̶i̶s̶t̶ C̶o̶n̶u̶r̶e̶ terrorist Cytrynka (F),
Peach faced lovebird Fiona (F),
Peach faced lovebird Fionek (M)
Short answer is, instinct :) Birds use their instinct to pick their human, sex also gets into the mix. Of course if you'll interact with the bird in a way that (s)he likes, your chances are better. But anyway, you don't have full control over who will be the "chosen one".
By the way, Cosmo seems nice name for a boy. I feel it fits sun's nature :orange: Of course pics are more than welcome :)
 

Kiwibird

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Jul 12, 2012
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1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
What makes you more attracted to one person over another? Probably looks, attitude and other factors of compatibility based on your life experiences and/or personal tastes. While a bird may have a different set of standards than we humans do, almost certainly they choose a preferred human much in the way we choose a significant other!

Oh and I've been the primary caretaker of my BFA for a decade. He likes me enough, but he loves my husband, who maybe plays with him for 20/30 minutes a day tops. I spend all day with him and am always interacting. Go figure...
 

SailBoat

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Jul 10, 2015
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DYH Amazon
We have enjoy the company of many Amazons over the years and have come to the conclusion that it is a choice they make! As chris-md stated: its a craps shot.

Our current 'owner' is a big, bad, Double Yellow-Headed Amazon that is fulling into himself and happy to let you know it. And, he is the biggest, mommies boy you have ever seen. He and I can be in a detail discussion that its time for him to sleep and when it is seriously going nowhere, mom will say; 'Bed time' and he will go directly to his sleeping cage making a bunch of happy Amazon sounds all along the way.

Prior to him, we enjoy the care of a wonderful Yellow-Winged Amazon, who was clearly very happy with me.

I have no clue how or why, but their choosing is clearly something they do!
 

GaleriaGila

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May 14, 2016
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The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
What everybody above said!
Sometimes it makes sense, and sometimes... well...

Sometimes, it's in the stars!
 

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.
I went to Petco with a friend of mine. My friend wants a cockatiel, but Petco didn't have any. They only had budgies, finches and two sun conures. One of the suns totally ignored us and the other one, which is adorable, totally ignored me but kept wanting my friend to give him/her attention. I would not have let my friend buy him/her anyways. I would have talked her out of it. I adore my friend, but she lacks the commitment and follow-through that a sunny needs. It still puzzles me why that sunny was so enamored by my friend. I will admit, I was a bit upset by it and definitely jealous, which probably turned the sunny off even more.

I'm glad sunnies are expensive because it will likely deter a lot of 'impulse' buyers.

The pet store I got Skittles at, which is a Maine owned company, no longer sells "live animals" and instead 'encourages' adoptions. The pet store has always had a reputation for putting care over costs and I'm proud to have gotten Skittles there.

So now, to get live birds in this area you have to go to Petco. There aren't any animal rescues within the immediate vicinity and the ones nearby don't usually have birds. I won't get a bird from Craigslist. If they were 100% honest with me, that'd be different, but I'm convinced they are deceptive.

I was watching the 'original' Stephen King's "IT" on Hulu this weekend and when it got to the part where adult Mike showed adult Bill the tube repair kit that he bought 'on impulse' six months before finding Bill's old bike it reminded me of Skittles. I had gotten rid of all my teflon cookware and replaced it with stainless steel on 'impulse' just a few months before getting Skittles.

Somehow, they know things we don't. Like how a dog can smell cancer.
 
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ConureParront

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May 6, 2018
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Short answer is, instinct :) Birds use their instinct to pick their human, sex also gets into the mix. Of course if you'll interact with the bird in a way that (s)he likes, your chances are better. But anyway, you don't have full control over who will be the "chosen one".
By the way, Cosmo seems nice name for a boy. I feel it fits sun's nature :orange: Of course pics are more than welcome :)


Thank you!
We just found out on Monday that mySun is a girl! I named her Nova. I have a few pics from Monday, but not sure how to upload those yet. Will do in the near future😊
 

chris-md

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Feb 6, 2010
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Maryland - USA
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Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Most people here upload the photos to Imgur, then share the BBcode :) can’t wait to see photos.
 

texsize

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the 64 $ question .

My whole flock likes me except tor the 2 birds that are not hand tame (yet).
The RLA at the pet shop likes my Son over me by a large margin.
To say I am a bit miffed about that is an understatement.
 

Sunnyclover

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Jan 11, 2017
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It's feels. That's it!
 

Terry57

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I honestly think they pick up on things that we don't even think about. My husband is very laid back and calm, and I stress easily. I really think that is why most of our flock prefers him. He is reliable, and my emotions bounce back and forth, and I think they can feel that.
 

lplummer52

Member
Apr 19, 2016
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Indialantic, FL
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"Birdie". Sun Conure
Birdie likes my husband better than me too. But she's happy to snuggle with me too. After she's been with me for a while, she goes looking for him though. She only comes looking for me when she hears me in the kitchen 😋
 

IndySE

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May 5, 2016
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Southern California
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Kermit, ♀ GCC (Green Demon)
Who knows. I spend the most time with the parrot in the house (as she's technically my bird), my mom second most, and my dad plays with her in passing sometimes. So of course she chose my father as her mate... She still likes everyone in the house fine, but it's my dad she'll go to always without restraint.
 

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