Friendly conure won't step up or play with toys

[peachface]

Hi everyone,
I am a lovebird mama who just adopted a one year old pearly conure named Bailey. She is adorable and very eager to be my best friend. She was well-loved in her former home(s), but was home alone a LOT. She has lived with me for about 3 days, and we are getting along nicely. I'm surprised at how quiet she is compared to my two lovebirds and their ear-piercing conversations.

Bailey is being kept in our living room for the proper amount of time before she can be cleared to share a room with my other birds, who are in a room on a different floor of the house. I have made a vet appointment to have her checkup, tests, and nail clipping done. (She had her feathers clipped, but they are almost grown in and I want them not to be clipped again. I am pro-flight.)

From what I have observed so far, Bailey loves to be in our company, but has not been trained to step up on to a hand. She goes right for our shoulders, but I want her hand trained first, so I don't allow it. She will step up onto a perch, so for now that's what I use, but she usually tries to bite me after she is on the perch. When she does lunge at my hand, I will put her back in her cage and walk away. I'll try again until she doesn't lunge, then reward her with a treat.
She is pretty calm, and when out of her cage, she is happy to sit and watch us. She had a diet of mixed seeds and colorful cheap pellets before (her former owners were thrilled to include all her food, which I promptly threw away, along with the fabric and rope toys in her cage.) Right away she started eating the Harrison pellets I gave her, which was a huge relief! She eats all the veggies and fruit I offer her, so there is no worry there.

Bailey will let us touch her and scratch her head, but won't step on to my hand. She also never plays with toys or does anything in her cage besides cling to the bars and/or sit on her perch looking out at us, with her quiet "let me outta here!" squawk. She has chew toys, hanging toys, and foraging toys. She has a basket with shredded paper in it... she's not interested. Do you think it's because she's still settling in?

Bailey came with her beautiful cage, which would have cost me well over $400 CDN. It seems there are a lot of people in the Toronto area who are eager to get rid of a parrot - cage, food, and all. It's sad how many people buy a parrot then get rid of it because they don't have the time to do more than look at it. Her perches and toys were all a bit too big for her, so I am slowly replacing them. Thankfully, the cage bar spacing is the right size, because I think her former owners thought she was bigger than she actually is.

Has anyone had the same experience with a friendly bird who won't step up? Do you think she is just getting used to everything and everyone, or is this something I will have to work on with her before anything else? Should I give her time to get comfortable before I begin training her?

I was told she was a Green Cheek before I met her, but when I saw her coloring, I was pleasantly surprised to find out she is a Pearly.

Thank you in advance for your input.

 

[GaleriaGila]

You really hit the ground running with this bird!

I admire your style... you covered a lot of bases, and clearly are the best thing yet to happen to this little love. You made a great move by joining up here too. You'll love it.

Meanwhile, 3 days isn't long... I agree. With all the new amenities, there will be an adjustment and I would think it would be a while. For now, I would keep doing what you're doing. There is a step-up training tactic that people here will tell you about. I don't use it, so I'll defer.

Congratulations on your new set of pearls!!!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Congrats on your new fid!

Three days is still well within the adjustment period. It can take as along as several weeks for a bird to get accustomed to a new environment (even longer if the bird was moved around a LOT). So be patient.

As for the perches- size and texture are very important. I'd advise against getting perches all the same size or of the same material. Natural wood perches are best as well as a sanded/cement perch. Most natural perches that you buy are already varied in shape and size. By providing different sizes and surface textures, your bird will have many options and it will also decrease foot fatigue.

As for stepping up. Again, three days is not a long time- and you don't want to put pressure on your new fid, particularly during the adjustment period- as it can backfire.
One of the best ways to successfully teach a bird to step up is with treats. Holding the treat with one hand and putting out a finger on your other hand for the bird to climb on.

I'm not even going to say what I think about people who just get rid of parrots they don't want anymore cause it wouldn't be very nice.

 

[CherylCali]

That is a beautiful baby right there!

CherylCali

 

[peachface]

Thank you for taking the time to respond, I appreciate it! The couple I adopted from were very nice, but they inherited Bailey from a parent. I didn't ask for details, but they only had her a few weeks and had NO information for me besides she's a girl and she bites. I am having fun learning about her, as every day she reveals a different hidden talent! Yesterday when I was playing music, I said, "Dance with me, Bailey!" And she bobbed her head several times! This morning she was hanging on the side of the cage and whistled at me, so I went closer and whistled back. She started lowering her head as I whistled, so I started high and lowered the whistle (like a bomb falling, complete with explosion sound at the end) and she did it again. It was so cute!

I will post more pictures, because she's just so beautiful. I also started an instagram account for my bird pictures (I have cute lovebirds too), if anyone is interested: @heyyy_bailey

 

[GaleriaGila]

Heyyyyyyyyyy, Bailey!
You're a lucky little girl.
What a happy story.

 

[peachface]

So after being home alone with Bailey for a few days, my partner Jake comes home, walks over to Bailey's cage and opens the door. He sticks his finger in and Bailey gets on it, and ta-da, she IS finger trained! When I do that, she bites me. Hard!
What now? I know it's still super early, but what kind of approach do we take from here?

 

[CherylCali]

I followed

CherylCali

 

[GaleriaGila]

Ummmmmmmmmmm........ uhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......... Mmmmmmmmmmmmm........
Wellllllllllllllllllllllll.........................
I'll defer to more experienced folks here but.............
My friend, there is PARROTCHEMISTRY.
You can manage and deal with it, but...
Sometimes, love happens.

 

[peachface]

I changed my approach with Bailey, and it worked! I was being cautious with her, expecting her to be shy or nippy, but when Jake and his son deal with her, they are confident. They don't really know what to expect, as they aren't bird people, and Bailey responds by doing what they ask. I decided I would do the same. This morning I went downstairs to make breakfast, and opened Bailey's cage door. She climbed out on her own, and flew after me, landing on the floor in the hall. I bent down and offered her my finger, and she stepped up. I pretended this was normal for us, and she didn't bite me. She watched me get my lunch ready (she sits on the back of a dining room chair that faces the kitchen), then when it was time for me to go upstairs, I offered her my finger, she got on, and I put her back in her cage. She went easily with no biting.

I guess I just have to be confident!? Anyway, this is good.
Thanks for reading!

 

[peachface]

She is also starting to chew some of her toys. She still won't go in her basket, which I set-up in the top corner of her cage, but I know once she tries it she'll love it.

 

[CherylCali]

That's such an awesome feeling when you get breakthroughs. Bailey is building trust with you.

CherylCali