Sun Conure but I think is a Jenday

So, I already own a Senegal and today bought a Sun Conure, but I think is a Jenday. Anyway, I bought it from a lady who said she was moving and could not take them with her (she had 3). He is so beautiful, but quite different from my experience with my Senegal.

Java (my Sennie) has not bitten me once with me handling her (other than when other people come around me that she does not like). I can pull her wings out, turn her upside down, hang her upside down, cut her nails, doing her in the beak, pull her hair up like I am spiking it, really do anything, and she loves me to death and literally I can do anything to her and she wants more.

The new bird, she says is sweet. I get him home and right away go to touch him and he goes to bite me. I just figure he needs time, so I sit by his cage with the door open and on his own he comes out. I was talking to him, singing to him, etc., and he comes on my shoulder. So, now he will step up to my hand and sit on my shoulder, but I CANNOT GET HIM OFF TO GO BACK INTO HIS CAGE. He is afraid of sticks, so cannot use a stick for him to step up to. I tried leaning back to the cage so he can just walk off, cause he will step up to my hand off the top of the cage to put him beck in the cage, but if I go to take him off my shoulder, to put him back in his cage, he will bite me. Do I just take the bite and take him off my shoulder or what? A few times today in the hours I have had him, I could put my finger out for him to step up to from my shoulder, but he is refusing currently. He is happy to sleep up there. I tried a glove but he don't like gloves more than he don't like the stick. I know it will take some time, and he had other owners, where as my Sennie I bought from PET shop and was never owned by a person so we bonded immediately.

To PET the Sun, whereas I could PET my Sennie anywhere, anytime, any day, I have to show him my finger and then he will let me touch his head, but he will sit on my shoulder for hours. It does not make sense to me.

When I find batteries for my camera, I will take a picture, but the lady said she was calling him peaches, but I cannot make that name stick, I keep forgetting it, so have been calling him Jenday. I know not really original, but it seems to be sticking. Oh, too, I went to cover him for a nap before, and as soon as I put the blanket over the cage, he starts yelling "silly birdie, silly birdie" over and over again. I was dumbfounded. He talks already. My Sennie says very few things here and there, but nothing clearly. I just know what she is saying because of our bond, and I have had her over a year.

The only other thing is, I am keeping them away from each other for a few days to make sure the new one is not sick, but if I hold my Sennie near the cage of the new one, she looks like she wants to kill it. Do you think they will ever get along to have playtime together. Sennie is only my bird. Nobody is allowed to touch her, look at her funny, talk to her, or come near me. She lunges at everything and anything, cats, kids, even when hubby comes to kiss me before leaving for work, I have to put her down to kiss him or he will get bit or I will lose an ear. This is the only time she will bite me ever. She is starting to fly onto people that come too close to me, land on their chest, arm, etc., and bite them. I am afraid she is going to do that to the new bird.

Edited: I just got him off finally, by moving to the other side near the cage with other shoulder which made him adjust himself, then offering my finger to step up on and he did, so that I could then put him in his cage without issue.

So far, his noise has not been loud at all. He has let out a few shrieks, but mostly he makes these adorable duck-like quacking sounds.

Any ideas or experiences similar?

Thanks!!!

You're not quarantining? You're risking your bird's lives.
A few days aren't going to reveal any diseases and they are in close proximity to each other. That's how I killed 6 budgies
I have a sick budgie now. Lucky I'm quarantining.

Sort of quarantining, but I have limited area to do so, so I do the best I can. There really is no way to do that unless I leave the new bird outside in the freezing cold. I have 3 bedrooms which my kids live in, my office, which is where I am with the birds and my dog and the cats come on through all day long, no way to lock it off. 1 bathroom, a living room which has no way to cordone off, and a unfinished very cold basement.

I know this will mean nothing, but he looks very very healthy. He is full of vim and vigor and spunk.

I had no plans to buy any bird any time soon, but saw an ad on my local PET classifieds online and she was in a huge hurry to sell these 3 birds to move by the weekend (I only bought one, she gave other 2 to a family member supposedly and they are supposed to be mom-dad (to family member) and I got son).

Birds do not show thier illnesses because they are prey animals. If they are displayig signs and symptoms of illness then it may be too late. Your new bird will be shedding viruses for at least a month and you will not see this. If you have no space for quarantine I question why you got a second bird. You are risking the loss of your Senegal.

I also have both a sun conure and a senegal. I had Nicky, my sun, before I adopted Gracie, my sennie. Nicky doesn't seem to mind Gracie but Gracie HATES Nicky. If they get too close to each other she will hurt him. I have had a couple of close calls but luckily I was the one to get bit and not Nicky. I wonder if it is a senegal thing to hate sun conures.

I also have a problem with getting Nicky off my shoulder to get him back in his cage. We are working on that. Try to coax him with a favorite treat. Nicky LOVES walnuts. If you get him off your shoulder and into the cage with no biting then give him lots of praise and a treat right away.

How old is the sun conure? They look a lot like jendays when they are young.

Why did you even buy another bird if you couldn't quarantine? My new bird is still vomiting, not contagious but what if it was and I didn't quarantine? My birds would be sick too and might even be dead. You just can't risk stuff like this.

Yes, as mentioned above, Suns do look nearly identical to Jendays for the first year or so of their lives. I've got a baby Sun (I met his beautiful golden parents even), and upon going into a bird shop a few weeks after bringing our baby home, my daughter saw an adult Jenday in a cage and shouted, "Look mom! That bird looks like Charlie's brother!" So you may just have a young Sun. Do you know his/her age?

With the name change, if the bird is old enough to have learned its name, you may have a hard time with a name change. You might want to consider changing his name to something that sounds at least a little similar to his old name Peaches such as Pecan, Peace, Kreachy, hmmmm.... yeah, Peaches is a hard one. You'd have to be creative!

With the behavior, it'll take time and persistence. When he bites, firmly tell him no and either put him in his cage or set him on the floor. But then when he steps off your shoulder and onto your finger nicely, shower him with praise and a treat.

After quarantine time, try placing the two cages across the room from each other. If the two birds seem to get on okay at a distance, you can try moving the cages closer together. But if they go at each others' throats, you probably shouldn't have them both out at the same time. It really depends on the individual birds. They have personalities that get along or clash with others just like people do. But hopefully in time, they will grow to at least tolerate each other or maybe even become buddies. Good luck!

p.s. -- Not literally "go at each others' throats". Figure of speech . . . you know. =)

Hi Java,
Ratzy and Spiritbird are correct on how important quarantine is. If you are newer to bird owning (I consider anything less than 5 years "new") then its hard to realize how important quarantine is. I have owned mammals my whole life and a experienced person can still check their eyes, nose, body, etc and realize if they are healthy or not. With a bird, it is not always so. They do hide their illness very well till it is critical. Another possibility is that they don't show any symptoms, are immune to the virus but can still be carriers and get other birds sick. That is why quarantine is a precaution with birds. Just figured that would explain it a bit as well as why they were so stressed that you weren't quarantining. Are the cages in different rooms?

As for the not stepping off you while he's on your shoulder: I would recommend not letting him on your shoulder till you both are more use to each other and trust each other more. This is a precaution because you don't know if he might suddenly bite your face/ear/etc. This may seem hard, but if gives you a bit more control over your interactions and teaches him he can't always be "boss".

Spend time with him sitting on your lower arm, on a perch next to you, on a table beside you, etc. This helps him get use to you and not in a situation where he can easily escape you such as on your back/shoulder area. Practice touching his beak, feet, and head. If you first have to show your finger for him to let you pet him that is fine!!! He just isn't sure of you, or what you want, or possibly what you are going to do with him. How much can you handle him?