New conour.. help needed

[GreenCheeks]

I brought a male green cheek conour yesterday from a pet shop, he is approx 10months old.
He was hand raised and then placed in an avery with not too much handleing, he is very curious about people and will take sunflower seeds and fruit from your hands.
He hates me taking him from his cage and he will bite and jump around to avoid being caught, once i get him out i put him on top of his cage and just let him explore so he knows being outside of the cage isn't scary.
Does anyone have any tips to get him more tame/friendly? he is very shy.
thank you

 

[meghanxx4]

I don't own a Green Cheek Conure, though i know there are a few people here with conures.

Texdot33 & Christy both have a Green Cheek Conure, so they'd probably know more about them, and have better advice.

Though my advice, is to let him settle in for a day or two if he's shy. Let him come to you, not you come to him. You can stick your hand in the cage, but don't grab him, or force him out. Try step ups and little excerises like that inside the cage. Then from there you can slowly work your way to bring him outside the cage. You could leave the cage open (of course when your there) and he may slowly come out and you can try putting your to his chest(so he steps up) and work from there.

Sorry i'm not the greatest help. Hopefully either Christy or Texdot33 reply soon, and will have some better advice as to what to do.

 

[Tracy842]

Ok first some questions that will help better understand your situation.

Is his wings clipped?
Is he housed with any other birds?
Has he been to the vet since you got him?

I wouldn't just take him from his cage because you are losing trust with your bird. Try leaving his cage open and let him come out when he is ready. If the top of his cage is above you, you are letting the bird have dominance over you. My senegal is very well hand trained but once she gets on top of her cage its a whole other story. Just have patience and let your new bird adjust to his surrondings. To help build your trust don't force him to do anything but talk to him and give lots of praise when he does something you like. It usually takes a week before they feel comfortable. Hope this will help for now.

 

[GreenCheeks]

yes his wings are clipped but he can fly well still, he has been housed with another conour but is on his own now, and no he hasn't been to the vet since iv'e had him he was dna sexed and checked over i have cert.

 

[Tracy842]

Well my suggestion would be to take him to the vet and get him checked to be sure. I worked at a pet sotre the one I got my Senegal at and she came with certificates that she was health checked but that wasn't the case. I took her to the vet she supposedly was seen by, and nope the vet never seen the bird before. Popsicle ended up having some health problems. Better safe then sorry.

 

[GreenCheeks]

He does look very healthy, but i may end up taking him for a check up at the vets. He has recently been wormed.

 

[TexDot33]

yes his wings are clipped but he can fly well still, he has been housed with another conour but is on his own now, and no he hasn't been to the vet since iv'e had him he was dna sexed and checked over i have cert.

My Mackie is the same way ... little bugga has only 4 flights on each side and he buzzes around here like it's his own private airfield ... he is REALLY good though, he flies to US, to his play-stand and to his cage and that's it ... direct routes, he flies with a purpose, unlike Hamlet, our sunny, but that's another thread altogether ...

Ok, I have to post a pic now cause I am talking about him ...

​

One of my personal Faves!

Some of you Newbies haven't seen Mac's impression of Harry Potter!

One wet Green-Cheeked Conure
​

 

[GreenCheeks]

Hi,
just wondering what information is on a leg band my conure has a blue one, does it tell you the sex of bird?

 

[TexDot33]

nope, there isn't sex info on a leg band ... my vet has taken both bands of Mac and Hamlet

 

[Flyte]

Is it an open or closed ring? The info on the closed ring is usually something like the breeders initials/numbers, a number for the bird & sometimes the year. Thats what was on the closed bands I used anyways.
The open ring usually just has a number on it.

 

[meghanxx4]

It just says the hatch date and where it came from... If it's bothering your bird i would get a vet to take it off, but if the bird seems to be fine with it i would just leave it.

 

[TexDot33]

The first thing my vet did for both well birdy checks on both the boys was to cut the band off ... personally I don't like either ... could get caught on something and there isn't really any good reasons for them once they leave the breeder ...

 

[meghanxx4]

The first thing my vet did for both well birdy checks on both the boys was to cut the band off ... personally I don't like either ... could get caught on something and there isn't really any good reasons for them once they leave the breeder ...

Well... they should be so that if there that loose to get caught on something they SHOULD be cut off. They're supposed to be snug on the foot. Not like super tight so it causes the bird uncomfortable, but also no so loose he can dangle it etc.

I like the idea. If you buy second hand birds you know the owner cannot lie about the age and you know where it originally came from.

 

[ashley]

Some of you Newbies haven't seen Mac's impression of Harry Potter!

Wow hahahahahahahahaha that was amazing

Millet can be your best friend when trying to coax a bird out. Sit below him, don't make direct eye contact (birds have eyes on the sides of their head so they look with one eye at a time, predators stare straight on, so be a bird haha), and in a high friendly voice tell him how pretty he is and what a good bird he is with the cage door open. Try putting your hand near the opening but not inside the cage and if he seems frightened take it away and continue talking to him and praising hm. Once you can get your hand near the opening without him being afraid, place some millet on him and see if he'll come close for it. Never force him or you might lose his trust. Good luck!

 

[Flyte]

Your birds bands said the actual hatch date? Thats weird/cool, never seen that before... When I ordered my bands for my chicks I got a large amount at once. They took several weeks to arrive, no way I could have gotten them on the babies if I sent out for ones with actual dates. Maybe some people inscribe their own or something. Madison has her closed band on, just has numbers, I believe. It fits her perfectly and while I appreciate the warnings from my friends here, It's there to stay. She loves it, it's her jewelry.. whenever I have on a bracelet she plays with mine and then hers and just gets so excited about it.
I also think it could be important if she was ever lost.
I don't like micro chipping, saw it a lot at the vet when I worked there and while there were never any problems with it, it's just a little too scary for me and my brats
Yah, millet is a good one to try, my conure just loved it. My Grey loves it now. My poor Madison tries to eat it but she just cant do it with that huge beak. She ends up just getting mad and flinging it across the room.
Try lots of (healthy) stuff! Pretty soon that little guy is gonna be bouncing and licking his chops whenever he sees you coming!

 

[meghanxx4]

Your birds bands said the actual hatch date? Thats weird/cool, never seen that before... When I ordered my bands for my chicks I got a large amount at once. They took several weeks to arrive, no way I could have gotten them on the babies if I sent out for ones with actual dates. Maybe some people inscribe their own or something. Madison has her closed band on, just has numbers, I believe. It fits her perfectly and while I appreciate the warnings from my friends here, It's there to stay. She loves it, it's her jewelry.. whenever I have on a bracelet she plays with mine and then hers and just gets so excited about it.
I also think it could be important if she was ever lost.
I don't like micro chipping, saw it a lot at the vet when I worked there and while there were never any problems with it, it's just a little too scary for me and my brats
Yah, millet is a good one to try, my conure just loved it. My Grey loves it now. My poor Madison tries to eat it but she just cant do it with that huge beak. She ends up just getting mad and flinging it across the room.
Try lots of (healthy) stuff! Pretty soon that little guy is gonna be bouncing and licking his chops whenever he sees you coming!

I agree, if it's not bothering your birds then i don't see the point to take it off. It's like a birth certificate to them.

 

[Keupi]

Regarding the band, and per the US, if your bird has a closed band it was born here and if it has an open band (rare) it was born in the wild.

That being said, the information on the band may be, in some countries, hatch dates, but mostly it's breeder information and bird. Consider the band like a footprint, because it tracks the bird to a breeder - the starting point. (As a side note, if you have the band cut off - save it. Regardless, make sure - even with a cut off one, that the identification numbers on the band are recorded in your fids medical records.) The number on the band, from my understanding, is unique and should be recorded and saved.

Keeping them on or off is a collaborative decision between you and your vet. With my budgies I always had them cut but with Keupi, it's still on and there's no point in dealing with it now (though, given his crush on his old vet it would have been MUCH easier then).

As for the behavior, you have received some really great advice. Follow it would be all that I can add!