Least nippy conure?

[scorpiosue]

Hello! I posted in the new member forum for advice also, but wanted to get some insight from you conure experts, too
I am seeking a playful, snuggly bird. I don't care about talking, or looks, or size. I have a pretty good tolerance for noise, especially if it is just contact calls, not endless screeching for fun, and I am home all day now, so attention will not be a problem.
My problem is, I worry conures may be too nippy for me. I have worked with a lot of birds and have owned birds for decades, so I understand that birds bite, but the only conures I have spent time with were green cheeks and they were so nippy, I have become hand shy with them. I'm sure there are tons of non-nippy GCC's, and I know their owners adore them, but I take this decision seriously and want to make sure my new bird will be a good fit for me, so I feel they are not an option for me.
How about other types of conures that are less nippy (and stay that way as adults)? There are no rescues within several hours of me, so unfortunately, I can't seek out adults with established personalities. I know GCC's are the most readily available, but I know there are a lot of other types out there. Please help me with any insight or advice you may have. I feel like a conure would be a good match for me if I can find a type that is not as nippy as the GCC. I appreciate their playfulness and they seem to enjoy being handled a lot, which is what I am hoping for.
Thank you!!

 

[MonicaMc]

"Less nippy/bitey" is going to be the smaller Aratingas, the Eupsittula and Pyrrhuras.... Green cheeks fall in the Pyrrhura category...

As I mentioned in your other post, if you learn to avoid getting bitten, then they aren't really known for biting, but you do need to learn how to read their body language. (gone into more detail on other post)

 

[LordTriggs]

I think there's a couple things to remember when it comes to a bite, especially from a Conure.

Biting is communication, it's extreme communication but that's what it is, if you ignore them talking to you you're gonna get a chomp you just need to learn those signals first (would you try to pet a snarling dog?)

Birds will bite more the more their communication is ignored and the more biting gets the result they want, by which I mean if a bird keeps trying to wander off away from a poking prodding hand after a while they'll think f*** this! and snap, eventually if the human doesn't learn then that bite becomes a go to as they know only that works.

Much like a dog or a cat or any animal they need to understand their bite hurts and isn't nice, a lot of nippy birds have this at the core of their problem. When young they bite not knowing their strength and not understanding it hurts, then the human makes a funny noise and gets dancing! Remember to a bird that noise and flapping about is a wail of a time (heck have you ever seen someone stub their toe and start hopping around? It's hilarious!) so then they think that if they nip the human dance party will begin. A simple cure to this is to simply react calmly and in a way their flock mates would in the wild which is to say the flock mates would all leave that bird on their own after a telling off, we can't do EXACTLY the same but we can simulate this which I found very simply to be when the bite happens to give an "ow" not shouting or screaming but a quick noise which will get their attention, then give the 'command' "no bite" or "no" or whatever you want to go with to tell them no, then place the somewhere immediately around you that would be boring for the bird to give them a time out. I would avoid using the cage or a playstand for this so they don't think a bite leads to going to that place they like, I went for the floor personally so it was a sudden enough change that suddenly the little guy knew he messed up and it's pretty hard not to find a floor around you! Then leave them there for like a minute or 2 for a time out. Much like some people have a naughty step or naughty chair for a child it's the same concept, if birdy decides to fly up to you or go off to have fun you merely put them back down until that 60 seconds is up. Then you go back to fun and happy time.

Also as a final thing, which I have said a couple times now. Remember that Green Cheeks are small little birds with a small beak, sure it hurts but it cannot do any real damage to you, no more than say a paper cut and nobody stops handling paper after getting a cut!

 

[lplummer52]

Yeah, they all bite every now and then. Once you know what triggers a bite, stop that activity. For instance, Birdie does not like you near her food when she's eating. Don't add anything to her dish while she's eating. Also, don't try to place her food dish on her playstand while she's riding on the dish. I use Ah, Ah, Ah! Or Get Back! She understands both and will stop what she's doing and repeat that phrase. If you get a baby bird, you'll get to know him and what triggers nipping or biting. Birdie usually fluffs up her head feathers if she doesn't like someone. She's been known to latch onto an ear of a stranger (drawing blood) but hasn't done that in a long time because as soon as I see that behavior, I say, "Ah, Ah, Ah," and go pick her up. She used to nibble on our ears too before we taught her that was a no-no. Lots of night time sleep and a good diet will keep him from getting grouchy. Birdie's never grouchy. She is the sweetest, most cuddly, humorous bird I know.

 

[EllenD]

Your question is a tough one to answer, as I wouldn't ever classify Green Cheeks as "nippy" at all. As stated above, Green Cheeks do use their beaks to communicate, climb, balance, etc. quite a bit, but I've not ever known them to be purposely/maliciously "nippy" at all, and I grew-up in a home that bred them for years...And they are also extremely cuddly, snuggly, velcro-birds...

It sounds to me like most of the Green Cheek Conures you've been around were at the very least not properly trained by their owners...Something that you need to think about and take into consideration since this is a huge decision, is that you're most-likely going to be buying a very young, hand-raised/hand-fed, just-weaned baby bird from a breeder, rather than adopting an adult, since there isn't an Avian Rescue close enough to your home...So, if you can find a reputable, responsible breeder (which you should do no matter what species you bring home) who hand-raised/hand-feeds their babies from 2-3 weeks old forward, and you're talking about some species of Conure, such as a Green Cheek, Sun, Nanday, Jenday, Blue Crown, etc., then you'll be bringing home a hand-raised, baby bird who is between 8-12 weeks old, and you'll be this baby's "person" from that point forward. So this is going to create a completely different bond between you and the bird, a totally different experience than just coming into contact with a bird that isn't your bird and that you haven't trained....

Bottom-line is that all birds are going to use their beaks a lot, and even the sweetest bird in the world who loves their "person" more than anything else will occasionally nip, bite, and bite hard...So you can't do anything about that...If it were me I wouldn't focus on the negatives and use them to choose a bird, as the negatives that you're aware of may not be true at all in this situation...Just focus on what type of personality you want in a bird, and try to spend time with that type of bird...most breeders will allow you to visit several times and interact with the babies, so that's the best way to learn about their character prior to actually bringing one home. I'm sure you'll hear that Sun's and Jenday's are the loudest Conures and that they scream continually, but again, so can any species...

 

[lplummer52]

My sun very rarely screams. Just to say hello if we’ve been out, or she sees a big truck out the window. She’ll also squak along with dogs if the’re barking, or if she’s on the porch and wants to come in. If we left her in her cage or on the porch all day and she saw activity where she couldn’t join in, then yes, she’d probably scream continuously.

 

[lplummer52]

My sun very rarely screams. Just to say hello if we’ve been out, or she sees a big truck out the window. She’ll also squak along with dogs if the’re barking, or if she’s on the porch and wants to come in. If we left her in her cage or on the porch all day and she saw activity where she couldn’t join in, then yes, she’d probably scream continuously.

 

[noodles123]

At its worst, your bird could bite 24/7, at its best, rarely. If you are unable to deal with a biter, do not get a bird, because there is no gaurentee and a lot will depend on your ability to read behavior and apply appropriate reactions based on ABA. I know I sound like a "butt" but, you wouldn't have a kid with the same expectations---you just have to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best and much of that will be driven by you.