New Conure Owner Needing Advice

[KaleighMaeA2488]

Hello! I am new to this site and also a new conure owner. I adopted a conure who is a nanday/sun mix. I am having a few issues and wanted to get some advice before I addressed them to avoid making the situation worse.

History: I adopted her (she is about 4) from a lady whose elderly mom moved in with her and had 5 cats. From what I understood the conure did not get to get out of her cage much because the of the cats.

She LOVES when I talk to her and pet her in her cage. On the rare occasions she gets out of the cage she seems to enjoy spending time rubbing her head on my cheek. She always wants to be as high as possible though, retreating to my shoulder or attempts to climb on the top of my head which I do not allow.

I work from home and got her hoping to have a "co-worker" of sorts... aka a little company. I would love for her to sit in my lap, my shoulder, or even sit on a perch on my desk. The problem is it is almost impossible to coax her out of the cage. It is almost like she is terrified of what could be outside of it (maybe cat flashbacks?). On the very rare occasion she does come out she sits on my shoulder and spends the entire time trying to climb to the top of my head. Obviously, I cannot get a lot of work done that way.

What is the best way to teach her that being outside of her cage is not scary?

Also, I am not sure this applies or not either I have researched conure's extensively and have tried to put a wide variety of treats in her treat bowl. Fresh veggies, fruits, and parrot treats purchased at the pet store. She will have nothing to do with anything that is not her normal parrot food.

Also, her nails are fairly sharp but I did not want to traumatize her with a trip to the vet to get her nails clipped yet so I got a concrete perch which should help file them down a bit until she has had more time to get used to her new life. She will not go near it. Nor will she go near the parrot tent I bought her.

It all seems to come back to some kind of fear. Like I said before she wants me to pet her in her cage, she likes hearing my voice, and she acts like she wants to come out and spend time with me she just cant seem to make herself do it. I leave her cage door open all day (it makes a platform she could walk on) she has not once even ventured onto the platform, only the edge of the open door.

Any advice or help you can give me would be really appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

 

[Sterling1113]

Everything is still very new to her. So happy you have given her a good home, though.
It seems like she really likes you! She just isn't sure of everything else yet. I'm sure she would be more than happy to hang out inside her cage or on her cage if you can put it near where you work, and then over time she will start to explore and become more comfortable.

Also, if she is near you while you work, munch on some fruit or veggies as a snack.. seeing you eat them will make her want to try! Sharing is a great bonding experience, too.

IMO, you can take away the tent if she doesn't like it. Some people think they're unsafe because of the fibers, and if she doesn't like it, it's not like it's necessary. The concrete perch you can place in front of her food/water bowls, so that she will(hopefully) stand on it when she goes to eat. Avoid putting it above other perches, because if she uses it as her main perch/sleeping spot it could wear on her feet too much.

My birds love standing on the open door also, or on top of the cage itself. If I attach a perch to the outside of the cage it is ignored, lol.

Sounds like you're off to a good start with her though. Just be patient and continue to talk to her and over time she will open up.
(Excuse my rambling. I tend to do that when it gets late )

 

[KaleighMaeA2488]

Thanks for the advice! I do have her cage stationed right behind my desk where I am facing her while I work (her cage is taller than the desk so it works out pretty well). I will try the snacking trick for sure! I did put her new perch in front of her food bowl without taking the old dowel rod type out. She now clings to the side of her cage and gets her food out upside down to avoid standing on it. LOL she is pretty stubborn. She bops her head up and down and dances when I shake my head with her. Also, sometimes after I pet her in her cage and sit down to work she screams like she wants me to come get her... if I walk back to the door she comes running for pets but if I act like I am going to ask her to step up she runs to the back of the cage again. I feel like I am kind of losing the battle so far but hopefully not the war. My fear is she will just keep getting more and more comfortable in her cage and will get to the point where she will never get out, but at the same time I do not want to force her.

 

[Sterling1113]

Yup, music is good too, I play music and sing to my fids. (They don't mind that I'm not a pro. )

My pionus will hang upside down to get his water.. so I understand! LOL.
IMO you want to remove the dowel perches. They're not good for their feet, and should be replaced with natural wood perches. Grapewood is a hit for my little conures. they love to chew on it and it is always differently shaped so it exercises their feet properly.
The way I like to do it is 1-2 rope perches, 2-3 natural wood perches, and a concrete/pedicure perch for nails. That way their feet aren't resting in the same position all the time. You don't HAVE to do it that way, that's just what I like to do.

As long as you keep the cage door open, I don't think she will hide inside it all the time. Just make the outside interesting! she has plenty of time to adjust, so don't feel like she'll never come out. Some birds take weeks or months to warm up, and each bird is different.

By the way, we love pictures here, and suns/nandays are so very pretty.. not sure I've ever seen one of those hybrids. *hint, hint.*

 

[KaleighMaeA2488]

I am definitely going to try to get a better set up with perches and such in her cage, I am just afraid of changing too much too fast. I think she hates me a little bit for the new perch I put in about a week ago. LOL but thank you for the advice so now I have an idea of what I should work towards as far as perch varieties with her. I have a photo of her but it isn't the greatest due to her current back of the cage hiding phase she is in. Hopefully I will have much better ones in the future once she starts venturing out. Also, do you have any suggestions for something I can get her she can chew on and keep her beak filed down?

 

[Sterling1113]

What an interesting bird! Is her chest bright like a sun conure?

My conures aren't too big on wooden toys, for some reason. But some good woods would be Pine or Balsa. Not too hard, so that she can chew it without too much trouble. My pionus loves coconut chunks. But he'll chew just about anything I put in front of him.

My conures however DO love shredding. Cardboard, bamboo finger traps, etc.. they love it. I do have some wooden toys also(like pine) and their grapewood perces that they chew on occasionally. I've never had to get their beaks trimmed so I guess they chew enough to keep it at a good spot. They also rub their beaks on their perches, so that helps too.

 

[KaleighMaeA2488]

Yes her chest is super bright like a sun and the top of her head starts black and fades to red. She really is pretty! I am hoping her just hanging out in her cage with me working next to her all next week then me slowing starting to try to coax her out again the following week will make a difference. Thank you for the advice of things to chew for her, I will grab a couple things for her tomorrow.

 

[KaleighMaeA2488]

So hopefully last question for a while: The treat issue. While I am trying to get her to trust and bond with me I want to be able to be the treat queen. However, the only thing I can get her to take from me and eat is sunflower seeds which I know are supposed to be fed in moderation. List of foods she has refused to eat even when left in her treat bowl:

Peanut Butter
Broccoli
Peppers
Store Bought Parrot Treats
Grapes
Lettuce

Any other suggestions of things I can try? So far everything has been a huge fail

 

[Phlox]

I'd love to see more pics of her...from that photo she looks like a brown-throat or a hybrid of that more than a Sunday.

New foods will take a while, considering her age, but my GCC loves and goes crazy for warm rice, beans and corn. I usually mix in a bit of greens too. I tend to sprinkle seeds on it and that can help a picky/nervous bird explore a need food too.

 

[Agapornis]

For treats, my GCCs LOVE raw pine nuts. I would love to see more pics of that gorgeous bird! What an interesting combination of 2 of my favorite birds!

 

[KaleighMaeA2488]

Well I made her a perch activity center today! Here are better photos of her.

 

[Kalidasa]

I second the motion for pine nuts. Have you tried removing the platform and seeing if she'll come out without it?

 

[faeryphoebe1]

Just had to say that your DIY activity center is amazing!

 

[MrsKay]

What a pretty bird!
I would definitely get a piece of cuttlebone which will supply some essential vitamins as well as help keep her beak trim. You will find cuttlebone in nearly any pet supply store.
My Larry likes apples, cherries, peaches, plum, orange, any dark green veges. Try some sprouts, spinach, zucchini, whatever you are eating. Just clip some to the cage and eventually she will try them out. If you clip some to the outside of the cage she will be curious and eventually get to them.
also, Remember there is a list of DO NOT FEED foods, such as avaocado, coffee, alcohol....

 

[KaleighMaeA2488]

I will definitely keep trying with different fruits and veggies. I went to buy her a cuttlebone the other day and the only one they had that was big enough for larger birds was cracked in a bunch of pieces. I was going to try again tomorrow. :0)