odd behavior (to me?)

[MsPony]

I've always had cockatiels, and all my work conures have been sold before sexual maturity, so this is my first sexually nature gcc (IF that's the difference here?)

My conure will push his (her?) beak against the cage, stick it's butt up and.... hmm.. wiggle? shake? it's wings.

What the heck does this mean?

 

[MonicaMc]

Butt up or head down???? (i.e. hunkering down?)

Could you describe the wing behavior as "quivering"??? Like slightly opening the wings and quivering them?


If it's anything like that, I'd say it's probably begging behavior! When birds want to go in a particular direction but can't or wont fly, they'll often hunker down, quiver their wings and typically "ponit" where they want to go.

 

[MsPony]

Yes! Sheesh now that you say it like thAt it makes perfect sense, duh!

...so what do I do when he does that? I haven't had the chance to bond with him, he needs his wings clipped (2 story cathedral ceiling house, open loft upstairs, a LOT of windows, people always coming through, it's needed) and my guy friend who can help hold him, his wife just gave birth so he's mia for awhile. I'm taking him to my avian vet this week to get him a spa day (beak, wings, nails, General health as he's a rescue and was in bad shape.) I know he prefers it if I hand feed him, spoiled brat.

 

[MonicaMc]

I really don't recommend clipping wings.... and the beak should never be trimmed unless there's a health reason for it (i.e. overgrown beak due to liver failure or a mite infestation) or there's been damage to the beak causing it to grow incorrectly.

Re: Clipping - it's no guarantee that it will prevent your bird from getting lost outside (clipped parrots are actually in more danger outside than flighted parrots!), and clipping removes control of flight. (flighted birds with no experience or those that are frightened are more likely to fly into things than an experienced flighted parrot - but a clipped parrot has no control and can't as easily avoid objects that a flighted bird could!) I do understand the reasons for it, I just don't agree with them. Besides, sounds like a rather large home to 'bird proof'!

That aside, well, it sounds like a great opportunity to start a bond with your new companion! Training can begin from right inside the cage, door closed! You can work on target behaviors, trust behaviors, etc! And as the bird grows accustomed to you and his new environment, you can start allowing him out for short periods of time under supervision! If he's not ready to come out, don't force him out! Just give him time to settle in and learn that everything is ok!





You can find a lot of great information about training under positive reinforcement and clicker training! I love Lara Joseph's blog, Barbara Heidenreich has a good blog and there's also the websites/blogs Learning Parrots, Best In Flock and Cage Free Parrots.

 

[sofiaee]

Oliver does this in his cage when he wants to come out but he also does this when he's trying to decide how to fly somewhere. He'll just look in the direction of wherever he's going and do the quiver thing for awhile then finally fly there ^.^

 

[MsPony]

As far as the beak (and nails) go, that's up to my vet to decide, she's an avian vet and founded the UC Davis avian program eons ago Since the she's been in practice as our towns only avian vet, so she has a LOT of experience. I tried contacting dr. Attila Molnar in calabasas as he's an hour away, out of curiosity, but he doesn't practice right now?

I sucked it up, threw on riding gloves, toweled him and brought him into the bathroom (despite there being windows for him to smash into, which he's done twice already!) We ate raspberries together, and I found out he LOVES music, so I've playin dubstep and letting him dance around the bathroom with raspberries to music, LOL.

He desperately wants to hang out on my shoulder, but he already bit me so hard he bruised me, and it takes a lot to bruise me, so I'll wait on that. I wish I could take a video of him dancing and squawking to dubstep right, adorable.

 

[MsPony]

Hiding with mr zebra, I'm going to get him his own wooden zebra And you can see he got raspberries allllllll over!

Dubstep, raspberries, dubstep, rassssberriessss!

We moved this thing to a corner by some windows, we're currently making it in to an epic play center.

 

[MonicaMc]

You should try to find a zebra that is petite in size! Maybe 2 or 3" tall max??? He may love that!