Experience sharing - re-homing atwo-year old conure

Hi all,
I am super-excited with my re-homed baby Kiwi. This is the fourth day with her and a lot of things have already happened. As expected, Kiwi still misses her old buddy. They were super friendly, however, probably it was not the best home for her, which I will explain in a bit. The first night she cried (at least it seemed to me) all night, then subsided a bit. One thing about Kiwi is the she is extremely vocal, she never stops. She has a habit of making some wheezing like sound. She mostly keeps her mouth open and I felt that she breathes through her mouth. I was worried and took her to the avian vet yesterday. After check-up she assured me that though Kiwi has a slight breathing trouble, but that's not anything severe. However my heart broke knowing that the previous owner clipped her wings and injured her in the process. She is under medication now and hopefully will recover soon. Another interesting fact I learnt from the vet is that the wheezing sound she makes is not due to any breathing trouble but she probably mimics someone from the previous house.
What I would emphasise is that it's always better to get your new birdie checked if you have any doubts/concerns. Kiwi is a lovely bird. She comes to me on her own. Sits on my shoulder, however, she doesn't let me touch her at all. May be with time she will. If any of you any advice please let me know. Also she was on a seed diet and refuses to eat any fresh food. I understand it will take time and patience. Suggestions most welcome regarding this as well Thanks a lot.

My first conure was at least 9-11 years old when I got him... if not older. From the sounds of it, he really wasn't bonded to his previous owner (dunno about the owner before that), he was never a healthy bird, could never fly (might have had something to do with a ferret attack in his first[?] home?), and really wasn't much of a hands on type of bird. In all honesty, I have no clue if he was captive raised or wild caught.

My second conure was 12 years old when I got him. He's 26 now. He came from wild caught imported parents so he's first gen captive bred. I've been told he's not "normal" for a conure either.... he had one home for about 10 years, then sat in a pet store for a year, then in foster for a year where he lost half of his lower beak. He's been healthy, loud, very hands on, demanding of attention, etc.

My third conure was 4 years old when I got her and may not have come from a "strong" family.... she supposedly outlived her family and died at 7 years of age... she was hands off when I originally got her, but she warmed up to me over time. I of course 'listened' to her and worked with her so her comfort levels grew.

My fourth conure was also not a healthy individual.... he was a young bird with kidney failure that took his life.

Fifth conure has at least been healthy and quite feisty! He's estimated to be about 3 years old.


All of my conures have been second hand, plus, birds. Each one has been an individual in personality, likes and dislikes. Some have been quite hands on, others not so much.



For diet conversion ideas....

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

First, the best of luck with your new guy. I must admit that I admire anyone that re-homes ANY type of pet.
As far as Kiwi not letting you touch her, this is most likely due to her previous home, obviously.
Not sure of your experience with other birds so please forgive me if I offer suggestions that seem like common sense.

My Conure is almost 2 1/2 years old and in the beginning I was able to hold, hug, wrap, snuggle, cover, tickle, etc on him at anytime. He would literally fall asleep in the palm of my hands for an hour. Then all of a sudden, this all stopped. He wouldnt step up, let me hold him or play without nasty bites.

He loves being out of his cage and although he wants to be with me ALL the time...and does...he will not let me touch him. He will talk to me, sit on my shoulder, hang on my shirt, but try and touch him and WHAM!
As of today, he is starting to come around. He just started stepping up on my finger without bites and let’s me head scratch him again, sometimes.

Not sure why he turned on me; maybe he didn’t care for my yelling at the football team I was watching or sometimes making loud noises while fixing things around the house...whatever the reason, gaining his trust back has taken a long time...and here’s how I did it.

First, I listened to all the great advice from people here. I then went back to clicker training which absolutely helps with how HARD he bites. Second, I make a HUGE fuss over him whenever he is in his cage and I enter the room. I’m talking about over-acting with lots of praises and treats.
I have also learned to read the signs of aggression and to NEVER force him to do something he doesn’t want to do.
When I let him out of his cage, we play for about ten minutes with whatever HE WANTS TO PLAY WITH, which is usually his bell.
Believe me when I say that they ABSOLUTELY pick up on your moods. If your in a bad mood and are expressing it, they notice this and it hurts trust.
So every time I see him, I make a huge fuss over him.

He loves being out of his cage and hates it when he has to go back and will do anything not too. So when I finally am able to coax him back, I ALWAYS give him a treat and praise him for going in. Now, it has been easier to do this.

Time, patience, praise and understanding is the key...and LOTS of time.

Welcome to you both! Pre-loved conures are the best . I have 5 that have come from a variety of situations.

Some love to be handled, others are perfectly content to hang out on my shoulder and only permit head scratches on rare occasions. My biggest thing is learning to read their body language. Stanley was a ferocious biter when I got him, he would shred any finger that approached him. I learned to hold my finger up, out of his reach, and wait for his little foot to come up before coming to him for a “step up” (he gave permission and wanted to step up). I don’t ever force things with them unless it is a safety issue and that goes a long way to building trust. Tango still doesn’t love being touched, but she loves riding around on my shoulder and is happy flying to me from anywhere - because she knows that I respect her boundaries. Try music, different kinds of music - my birds all like different styles of music and will get excited/happy when we’re acting silly and bouncing around to music (I will do this while cleaning cages sometimes). I also volunteer at a parrot rescue and I have learned so much about body language there - they absolutely communicate their wants if you are willing to watch their eyes and bodies when they interact with you (or not).

Diet changes can be easy or tough - all of mine came to me on seed diets and all eat pellets and fresh food now. Don’t get discouraged - I put chop in Mr Tee’s cage twice per day for more than a month before he touched it. Now he chows down and thinks its the best thing ever. Mine all like different pellets too - you may have to try different ones to find one that Kiwi likes. With fresh food - try different things: chop it big, chop it small, chop it in long slivers, mix things together, cooked, raw. If she likes seed - try sprouting them, it’s a healthier option and still recognizable as seeds. With my birds, if I make a fuss while I’m eating something they get curious and want to try it - got them to try carrots, bananas, and a few other veggies this way. I’ll let them steal a bite....and then they are often more willing to try it when it shows up in their bowl (they saw me eat it and therefore it must be okay).

Making noise is normal - flock members call to each other and answer each other - it’s how they know that everyone is okay. I try to answer “once” to a flock call. It takes time, but they do figure out what noises in the house are normal, what noise you make when you move around the house. I don’t generally respond to repeat screaming, and I’m careful to not accidentally “reward” incessant screaming by going to them when they do it. You’ll learn what screams are normal noises for her - and you’ll learn to recognize an “abnormal” noise that you should go and check out.

Whew....I ran out of words . Anyhow, ask questions - many folks here that have lots of experience and are happy to help.

Thank you all for the great advice. Everyday with Kiwi is full of surprises. she has warmed up with me. Wilfully came towards my had and rubbed her head. I am not forcing anything, in fact I chose not to do anything on my own. I am allowing her all the space she needs. Hopefully her pellets will arrive soon and she will graduate to a healthier diet and slowly to chops. This forum is a blessing. I learn so much and you guys are rockstars btw I learnt Kiwi likes Nickelback! She was boobing her had listening to 'rockstar'!