Conures and traveling

[djkoe]

Hey guys! New forum member here. Tonight my girlfriend and i will be going to visit a 3-4 month old green cheek conure at a breeder and most likely will be bringing him/her home! I have two questions to ask you both related to traveling. I have done lots of research about the birds and how to take care of them but i havent really found an answer to these two questions.

The girlfriend and i do not live together yet till we can buy a home so the bird will be staying at my place. Once the bird has matured a bit and is comfortable with us will i be able to take him/her to her place for visits? Or will this be too stressful on the little one? Second question is if that is usually okay will he be able to stay there over night/for a couple nights. Say im gone out of town or i know i wont be able to spend as much time as i would like to with the little one for a couple days would it be okay if he stayed there? Or would this again be to stressful on the little one?

Thanks alot

 

[plumsmum2005]

No I think it will be fine if you go about it in the right way. If your bird accepts/trusts you both it will work. You have a bit of ground to cover with basic training and settling in time first but introduce with short visits to your girlfriends. The bird will need a travel cage and to be safe and secure in the vehicle, this will be strange at first. Are you going to shuttle the main cage back and forth or acquire another? It takes a bit of thinking about ie the amount of stuff a bird needs in one place. Mine loves trips out and about and I feel its good for him. Good luck.

 

[Birdman666]

My conures were all out and about trained.

They went everywhere with me, especially my little sun conure.

Conures are A LOT like macaws. They love the attention, and they want to be with you. They'll like going out better than staying home.

Big thing is to train them not to spook and fly off, and/or harness train.

 

[Ann333]

My conure also loves taking trips. He is flighted so he stays in a small travel cage, but he still has fun and you can tell how interested he is in everything new going on. Start young and keep him well socialized and he will most likely love to go out on new adventures. Make everything a positive experience. bring along his favorite treats.

 

[Flboy]

My baby loves to travel, but the wife's, continuously pukes in a car!

 

[djkoe]

Thank you guys very much for the info! We went to visit the little one tonight! it is super cute. There is a problem though and that is that he bites and doesnt not like you touching his back AT ALL. Apparently the bird was sold to someone a few weeks ago. The person had the bird for a day, freaked out then returned it to the breeders where he has been staying. The Bird never had this biting problem up until then. He does seem to like me for the most part though. he would step up and when someone else was holding him he would hop/fly over to me and hangout on my shoulders. Also i should mention its not just a little nip...he does grab on pretty good, enough to cause me to bleed a little bit! I dont have much experience with this but i feel as if the person who had him for a day had difficulties because he could be bonded to the breeders? The only thing that would suggest otherwise to me is that he also bites them sometimes too! Apparently the bird has gotten much better over time... When they first got it back yo could hardly touch it at all. I love the bird and he is gorgeous but being a first time bird owner i have alot to think about. It would be a whole new thing and alot to learn getting a bird without this issue....but its even more getting one knowing this problem is going on. What are your thoughts?

thank you

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi he is some info from the site which I think will help you build trust. Bit of a bumpy start for the little one but with time and training sure he will be fine. Stay with head skritches, don't push.

Be patient, be kind but most of all be informed and I'm sure you will be the best parront there is and your little fella will be happy as larry.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/3100-bond-forming.html

 

[Ollie_Ash]

I take my conure almost everywhere, specially when I go out for a run! She loves it. I don't think travelling will be a problem. Make sure you both bond with the bub properly, because it will be important.

If you decide to live the bub overnight later on, it might be a good idea to set up exactly the same cage place in both of your places, so that he accustomed to his/her cage.

 

[Flboy]

You touch my JoJo's back, you will be nailed! Otherwise, she is a sweetie with me and friends with others!

 

[rosembers]

Touching a bird on the back can be taken as a sexual touch from a birds prospective. And it's best to avoid doing that. I've heard this from multiple parrot experts, including the lady who hand raised my GCC. Could have to do with why yours is bothered by it. Try softly rubbing his head area with your finger instead and maybe he'll be more comfortable with that. Plus, he's still getting to know/trust you which takes time Conures are so fun and loving, but they definitely have attitudes and rules. I bet if you're gentle and slow with him, he will get used to you in no time and as long as you respect his boundaries, he will be a wonderful loving bird

 

[Kalel]

I echo everyone else's experience. My sun conure would like nothing more than to spend all day out with me. He makes happy grunting and chattering sounds whenever I open the door with him on my shoulder. The first few times I took him out I brought treats and did a couple of familiar tricks and rewarded him to make him feel comfortable because he did feel a bit out of his element, but by the third or fourth trip he was as comfortable as can be. I'm sure if you take it slow, he will learn to love it. Good luck!