New Sun Conure Help

[Louie V]

Hi!
So I have a new sun conure that I have had about 3 weeks now. I brought him from Petco so I don't think he was social or hand trained. He is my first bird. He has a large habitat and I feed him Royal Milling small hooked bill cuisine ( which is a mix of seeds and pellets).
Here is my problem he will not come to me at all. In fact every time I go up to his cage to just show him my hands he lunges at me and hisses or just acts as if he wants to bite me. I leave his cage open all day but he never comes out. He is in the living room with us so I know he know us. Yesterday when I was at a local bird store picking up food and treats the owner suggested i just go in and grab him and hold hime against me. So i did that with a small towel and picked him up held him and rubbed his head for the last 2 days (while wrapped in the towel). Of course he was hesitant but eventually he calmed down. I am starting to think this may not be a good idea. But i have tried treats (veggies, fresh and dried fruits and nuts oh and millet) but still nothing. Can you help Please?

 

[hiriki]

What you're doing is called flooding and is generally considered bad form when training birds. Most people in this forum are going to encourage you to use positive reinforcement--always go at your birds pace and reward them for any behaviors you want to encourage.

With fearful birds, it's important to establish that you respect their boundaries. What this often looks like is approaching and STOPPING! the moment the bird shows signs of discomfort, and taking a step back. Gradually the bird will allow you closer and closer, and once you're close enough, start offering food from your hand.

Most importantly, stop flooding! No more holding the bird against its consent. That is doing you no favors in the trust department.

Keep in mind the birds age too. Your bird could be going through puberty. If the aggression is indeed hormone related, you can improve the situation with more quiet, dark hours for sleep every night (12-14) and a balanced diet. You may want to transition gradually from seeds to an all pellet and fresh food diet.

 

[Mango the Sun Conure]

Hi!
So I have a new sun conure that I have had about 3 weeks now. I brought him from Petco so I don't think he was social or hand trained. He is my first bird. He has a large habitat and I feed him Royal Milling small hooked bill cuisine ( which is a mix of seeds and pellets).
Here is my problem he will not come to me at all. In fact every time I go up to his cage to just show him my hands he lunges at me and hisses or just acts as if he wants to bite me. I leave his cage open all day but he never comes out. He is in the living room with us so I know he know us. Yesterday when I was at a local bird store picking up food and treats the owner suggested i just go in and grab him and hold hime against me. So i did that with a small towel and picked him up held him and rubbed his head for the last 2 days (while wrapped in the towel). Of course he was hesitant but eventually he calmed down. I am starting to think this may not be a good idea. But i have tried treats (veggies, fresh and dried fruits and nuts oh and millet) but still nothing. Can you help Please?

I would try giving him a treat through his cage and see if he comes to you. Sun conures do what they want.. lol they have that type of personality. It will take time and patience but they will soon learn to trust you. For me I would just feed my conure treat’s through the side of his cage and then slowly made my way up closer to his door. Then I would hold my finger outside of his door and held the treat higher up and he then would step up. My sun conure really loves sugar snap peas and apples right now he will do anything for it. Once my conure got comfortable on my hand or shoulder he seemed to be comfy with me. Something that helped me and my conure bond a lot is making his chop every morning together. He is very food motivated. If treats/food don’t work try toys.

 

[clark_conure]

An unpopular opinion, I've seen flooding actually work. What you need to do is see if it did work, if not then stop. If it does then I don't know.....

I always called it "love bombing" like cults do...

the alternative is just taking time, they usually all come around with trust.

It might work out, but if it's not working with the bird not starting to come to you then stop. A sun conure not likeing a human actually sounds weird.....I mean they get off on teasing their human pinching thier neck, but not afaid.


In all cases..offer treats.....like a male fiance the easiest way is thru the stomach.