Conure biting face

[Lovemyconure]

hi there, newbie to the forums i have my doubts, but just wondering if there is anyway to train an older sun conure not to bite? impossible i'm sure as he is likely set in his ways but anyway, we saw him in a pet store for the longest time and broke down and got him after finding out he was there for 2 years ( so sad ) it was like his spirit was broken, he had dead looking eyes, just would crawl up on any finger put in there like a zombie, so we got him out of there. So he took to me automatically, loves me to death, and hates everyone else including other pets and the hubby. He is a busy guy, wants to be with me constantly or screams his head off, and he is a LOUD one. anyway to get to the biting, he is great if i am only paying attention to him or he is eating or chewing my shirt or whatever, however, when i touch something, ie broom, cup, fork etc he pecks me to drop it..normally i just don't touch much with him around or do it very quickly with my head turned. this morning i was getting some water out of the fridge and he bit my nose, blood, really nice looking going to work... i've had the odd pecks on the cheek/throat that have bled/bruised etc, and am a bit concerned about my eyes naturally, any thoughts or do i just have to continue to put him down if i need a drink etc etc? most times if HE wants a drink he welcomes the water cup and will drink from it, but if he is not thirsty apparently i am not either lol ..thanks

 

[Mudkips]

Thank you for saving your baby and giving him a new lease on life.
Firstly I will say that you are very lucky to have a parrot take to you so quickly - there go half the problems!

When he attacks you, you need to pay close attention to what sets him off. Are you 100% sure it's triggered by picking things up? Does he give any warning before he attacks? Have you tried picking something up slowly to see how he reacts?

Whatever you do, don't fall into the trap of rewarding his bad behavior. If you drop what you're holding every time he bites, you could be enforcing his behavior by giving him what he wants.

 

[crimson]

welcome to the forum!
I agree with Mudkips....
try feeding him delicious foods from a fork, or a spoon.
(good association with the object he hates)
congrats on your new addition, and wonderful that you rescued that poor bird.
he sounds like he is afraid of the objects and is correcting you not to go near them.
don't let him on your shoulder for now.
only to the crook of your arm, no further.
my senegal is sort of the same, certain things scare him, and he bites them, not me.
he hates my eyeliner,lol.
so I put it on the bathroom counter, he walked over to it and picked it up... doesn't fear it anymore, but still doesn't like it when I put it near my eye.
he doesn't come in the bathroom with me for now.
you can also try giving him a treat(grape,apple etc...)while he is with you.
just make sure it will take him a while to eat it while you do your thing. it will distract him, as birds can only do one thing at a time.

 

[Lovemyconure]

hi guys, thanks for the replies! yes I was very lucky he took to me, I lost my 'little girl' - dog of 14 years - so was heartbroken and needed something so luckily he helped me through that with his purring and cuddling <3 we eat together all the time, i have a peanut container filled with a variety of his foods and while I eat, he eats, and I have a glass of water for him as he likes to dip certain dried fruits into it etc ..basically if I am home he is with me (or he screams) But yes crimson, he is definitely afraid of 'things'.. maybe they teased/tortured him in the store at times? because if I lift up a back scratcher for instance, he flies at it and bites the heck out of it.. same with trying to pick up a broom, I got bit on the hand badly a couple times with him trying to bite the broom, so now I just have to wait until he goes to bed before I can sweep..stuff like that. I did find out a few months ago that he loves tearing apart toilet rolls! So now when we go in the bathroom I put him on the sink and he rips apart a toilet roll while I do my makeup lol.. he goes through a lot of toilet paper but it is still cheaper than toys I think and well worth the break it gives me. He will only sit on my shoulder or finger, so I just turn my head away whenever he is there. I have modified my life around his pretty much over the last year Mudkips, so maybe I have already taught him that he can get away with it.. maybe i'll just have to keep it like that now...ugh. Poor hubby though is getting bit here and there more often though and getting a bit fed up with that.. before the bird would jump off me, run across the couch, bite him, then run back to me, so I sit over on another love seat usually in the evening which sux..but now the bird will fly across a small room and really give him a few sharp bites before I can run over, so really have to keep a watch on him.. I watched some videos on clipping and did get some clipped off his blue 'flight' ends, but not enough ... oh my, good & bad, the joys of being a bird owner!

 

[aliray]

Giving him a wing clip was going to be my suggestion if he is flying over to and biting hubby. Maybe you should take off another couple of feathers

 

[Lovemyconure]

lol, he flew at him again last night and tried this morning so I definitely need to i feel bad about doing it/holding him gently in the towel as of course he hates it, but its for his own safety too.. he would never fly away from me but he might fly at a visitor and someone swing at him out of shock etc

 

[baron1282]

I am glad you got your parrot, they can be very entertaining pets, and very annoying at the same time.

I am lucky that our Conure took to my wife and I and not just my wife or myself. I believe we are both bounded to this bird in our own special way. He likes us both, but he sure lets us know when he wants to be with one or the other. lol

As far as the biting goes, mine is the same way. He bites when he feels were not paying attention to him. We don't reward his behavior and that is the KEY!!

Also just because you clip his wings does not mean he won't be able to fly. He just won't be able to fly as well. My bird still flies to us, but its more of a gliding than flying. They are just not as fast with clipped wings.

As far as your husband being attacked, I would try and get him to socialize with the bird more. Have your husband talk to him though the cage for a while. Have your husband use a stick to get the bird to step up onto with his command, and than give a treat. Your bird might not ever like him like he likes you, but it might help with the attacking.

With him screaming when you are at home, while he is in his cage. Do not take him out, until he calms down and stops screaming. This will be the hardest part of the rehabilitation. Because he wants to be with you, but you can not afford him to be screaming like that all day long.

First thing, is to make sure his cage is a fun environment. Toys for the bird to play with, and make him work for his food. Forging is a way for the bird to get out his natural aggression. Put a paper towel over the food bowl, with a small hole in it for him to see where the food is. He will ripe the paper towel apart to get to food. Once he figures out that, make it a little harder, and so on.

Next, cover the cage until he stops screaming. Once he stops take the cover off the cage and reward him with a treat. Don't take him out right away, but talk to him in his cage. Make his cage a fun place for you and him to interact with. This should help with the screaming. Remember, they are flock animals and will want to call out to their flock to make sure you are around. So when you get into your home, be the first to call to him. Make it as loud as your comfortable for him to respond back too.

That should help a lot, but just because your bird was at a store for 2 years does not mean he is set in his ways. They can learn new ways of interaction! Also make sure his cage is in a frequently visited area of your home. Make him feel like he is apart of the action!

Lastly, not all pet stores are bad. The one where I bought my bird from always has their birds out and on their shoulders. They interact with the birds every day, and play with them as well. So while I can understand some pet stores being bad, not all are.

 

[justjake]

I would start trick training him. Trick training has been key in helping understand how my Sun communicates and there are "tricks" you can teach him that aren't so much entertaining as they are a way to reward and encourage positive behavior, like NOT biting. I recommend going to youtube and looking up birdtricks.com's "power pause" technique and start with that. Do you have a clicker? What do you feed your bird? Is he clipped?

hi there, newbie to the forums i have my doubts, but just wondering if there is anyway to train an older sun conure not to bite? impossible i'm sure as he is likely set in his ways but anyway, we saw him in a pet store for the longest time and broke down and got him after finding out he was there for 2 years ( so sad ) it was like his spirit was broken, he had dead looking eyes, just would crawl up on any finger put in there like a zombie, so we got him out of there. So he took to me automatically, loves me to death, and hates everyone else including other pets and the hubby. He is a busy guy, wants to be with me constantly or screams his head off, and he is a LOUD one. anyway to get to the biting, he is great if i am only paying attention to him or he is eating or chewing my shirt or whatever, however, when i touch something, ie broom, cup, fork etc he pecks me to drop it..normally i just don't touch much with him around or do it very quickly with my head turned. this morning i was getting some water out of the fridge and he bit my nose, blood, really nice looking going to work... i've had the odd pecks on the cheek/throat that have bled/bruised etc, and am a bit concerned about my eyes naturally, any thoughts or do i just have to continue to put him down if i need a drink etc etc? most times if HE wants a drink he welcomes the water cup and will drink from it, but if he is not thirsty apparently i am not either lol ..thanks