Conure Avoiding Me!! Help

So, I rescued Phoenix about a month ago now, we got closer and she took food from my hands, scurried away and hid to eat it. But i was okay with that as she was still getting used to me, but now she doesnt allow me to go anywhere near but always looks at me like she wants to snuggle up to me and have a nice nap, evry time I move even if my back is turned I can hear her move quickly thinking Im about to come over, and she wont even take treats from my hands anymore, shes scared of anything to do with hands, she seems happy when Im around which is all day, I rarely ever leave the room and she squeaks and screams to me as though she is having fun, I always talk to her. But I cant understand why we arent making any progress, what have I done wrong?! I dont want her to have a sad life where she never reacts with anyone and is scared of ay human movement... Any advice is helpful thankyou

Love Bronte and Phoenix

How old is your bird?
Did you towel her or grab her with your hands?
Do you have any huts/tents/boxes or shadowy spaces in the cage? If so, remove them when your bird is not looking.

noodles123 said:

How old is your bird?
Did you towel her or grab her with your hands?
Do you have any huts/tents/boxes or shadowy spaces in the cage? If so, remove them when your bird is not looking.

Click to expand...

No, as soon as she sees hands near her she either runs or flies off, ive never forced anything upon her but i think her last owner did as they had small children. But as of what I know She should only be 11-12 months old... She does not have any huts/tents/boxes, she is out quite often, I usually let her out an hour after waking her up (0900 ish) and she usually stays out until I turn off the lights and she goes in by herself to cover her up (2200-2300) Her cage is in the corner of my room but next to a window, which i thought was more suitable because my room doesnt get much light except from near the area of the window... She has been in my room since I first got her and we've been bonding ever since (so i hope anyway) and shes been here since the 26th of January

Give it time and keep building trust.
Also, I would try to move her to a more social location (wherever people spend the most time, assuming it is safe). You may need a sleep cage, if the main hub is too active/noisy at night.

She is also likely hitting puberty/sexual maturity, and that is always rocky. Avoid any access to shadowy spaces, pet on the head and neck only, and shoot for 10 hours minimum sleep in a darkish/quiet space.

noodles123 said:

Give it time and keep building trust.
Also, I would try to move her to a more social location (wherever people spend the most time, assuming it is safe). You may need a sleep cage, if the main hub is too active/noisy at night.

She is also likely hitting puberty/sexual maturity, and that is always rocky. Avoid any access to shadowy spaces, pet on the head and neck only, and shoot for 10 hours minimum sleep in a darkish/quiet space.

Click to expand...

I will work on that, thanks... there is only me and my mother in my house, i spend my time upstairs she spends her time downstairs where my budgie sleeps (Phoenix doesnt like him) but my problem with petting her is she doesnt let me touch her, but I will just try to keep bonding, thanks again xoxo

bronterose_xo said:

noodles123 said:

Give it time and keep building trust.
Also, I would try to move her to a more social location (wherever people spend the most time, assuming it is safe). You may need a sleep cage, if the main hub is too active/noisy at night.

She is also likely hitting puberty/sexual maturity, and that is always rocky. Avoid any access to shadowy spaces, pet on the head and neck only, and shoot for 10 hours minimum sleep in a darkish/quiet space.

Click to expand...

I will work on that, thanks... there is only me and my mother in my house, i spend my time upstairs she spends her time downstairs where my budgie sleeps (Phoenix doesnt like him) but my problem with petting her is she doesnt let me touch her, but I will just try to keep bonding, thanks again xoxo

Click to expand...

You've had her for so little time, so it's not weird that you guys aren't super close yet. On top of that, you have puberty, which makes them cranky/amplified.


Whether or not you move your bird, she needs socialization and exposure to other household noises etc.



The sleep thing ties into hormones and behavior (across all areas). It also regulates immune health, so while sleep may seem unrelated to what you are experiencing, until you can get her 10 hours on a schedule, you won't know. If you see behaviors while on a 10 hour sleep schedule, you still must continue 10 hours, but then you know that the behavior is related to something else that you are doing.