Sun conure with trust issues

[cleo9289]

Well, about two months ago we rescued Cleo, a 3 year old sun conure. She has had bad experiences with people her entire life. Her first owners, from our understanding, barely handled her and basically fed her what was for dinner that night. From there, she flip-flopped between a few owners who neglected her and finally ended up at the farm and garden store down the street, where we stumbled upon her. So, the store was going to "get rid of her" if she was not adopted within another week and a half. And with my soft spot for birds, she came home with us the next day.

So, needless to say, she has some serious trust issues with humans. We have been taking things really slowly so she doesn't get stressed out. The first two weeks or so were her getting adjusted to her new cage/environment/diet with a little interaction. She has obviously had some training because she knows how to step up, and actually says "thank you"! She is very cage possessive, which I guess is understandable... but she DOES come out on a perch. When she is out, she interacts with us a little bit; we have found that she really enjoys head rubs, but after a while she gets nervous and nips. She generally hates being touched past her neck. Maybe it makes her feel vulnerable? But her favorite place to be is on your shoulder, she'll stay there all day if you let her. But, if you try and get her off she'll try and nip you. (I try to keep her off my shoulder as much as I can but when I take her out she literally makes a beeline up there it's the only place she really feels safe right now)

Another thing is that she has a cage full of toys but rarely plays with any of them. It seems silly but I don't think she really knows how to play with them, I don't know that she's ever had them before.

I can tell she is coming around. For example, she is letting us give her headrubs, she takes treats from me now (which she gets after a session without nips), and she came out of her cage on her own yesterday.

I really want to show Cleo that she can trust us and to give her a better life. But I also know that I can't force her to trust me and I want her to come around on her own.

My question for you is: do any of you have any suggestions about what I can be doing for her? How can I make her more comfortable with us? We have had a few keets and a cockatiel but we got them as babies and this is pretty new to us. Any help is appreciated

 

[weco]

You're just going to have to let her progress at her own speed, but the fact that she is interacting with you is a positive sign.....the aversion to handling may not really be from previous abuse, so much as just a preference.....I've got a nanday that is like that, he was like that with his last owner also.....I can rub his beak, sometimes his head, but no body touching, but when I open the cage door he'll take a lap or two to flex his wings, then heads for one of my bookcases or my shoulder...bookcases are taller than I am.....


You might try a little reverse psychology with her…..back off your attempts to further interaction…..talk to her, maybe get her to step-up a few times, but let go for anything else for a while…..

Conures are big flock animals, wanting to be where the action is & if you back away some, she’ll most likely come looking for more attention, which gives you the opportunity to work with setting limits with her. If you prefer her not on your shoulder, start telling her NO, give her a disapproving look when you tell her put her down somewhere else, giving her another stern NO when she starts to nip or a stern NO BITE & either walk away or put her back in her cage…..none of my birds like to be ignored & if I tell them NO & they try to do what they want anyway, they’re ignored for 15-30 minutes…they have their little tantrum, quite down & let me know they’re ready to come out again...they all know both phrases & they pick up on the disapproving body language sometimes more than they do the terms.....


Whenever she does something you ask of her, praise her & make a big deal of it.....


Good luck & welcome to the forum.....

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Poor thing

Rosie, a galah cockatoo, was given to my friends by a lady who's husband was going to kill her. She had been abused and neglected. She stayed with my friends for about 5 years but they didn't offer her the right care and although they meant well she was also neglected in there home. She also had no toys. She came to me with more physical/mental problems than I can quickly explain in this post. I've had her for almost 2 years and she only just recently started playing with toys which is absolutley fantastic. Your conure may take equally as long, or even longer.

What does your conure do when in his cage? Rosie had learned hopelessness. She barely ate, and just sat in one spot or scratched her head on a perch if I didn't take her out.

Is your conure similar? If so it will be a long process to heal his mental state.

Unless birds are a bonded/breeding pair they don't touch one another below the head. Touching other than the head is flirting and telling them you are interested in being their mate. Some birds can be pet elsewhere, I can touch Rosie anywhere, but we need to be hyper aware of our birds getting excited. We should strive to be our birds flock mate, not their mate. Imagine if somebody kept feeling you up, yet when you tried to respond they rejected you. That happens to many pet birds because their humans don't know better.

So when he bites if you pet him elsewere he is saying "hey, don't touch me there I don't know you and don't want you to be my mate".

 

[MonicaMc]

I agree, back off from trying to handle her. Give her some time while you read up on positive reinforcement and clicker training. Also, look into foraging!


She is very cage possessive, which I guess is understandable...
She needs to learn how to station and to step up in a *positive* manner. The best approach here is to actually target train her. Once she learns how to target, you can target her to step up.


but she DOES come out on a perch.
How does she come out on a perch? Willingly, or do you need to chase her around the cage? Or do you have to push into her to unbalance her? I ask because it makes a huge difference!

When she is out, she interacts with us a little bit; we have found that she really enjoys head rubs, but after a while she gets nervous and nips.
May help to keep a log of when she nips. Is it possible that something or someone moved within the environment? Something outside? Is she bored? Tired of it? Try and gauge her reaction so you can pinpoint the exact reason.

She generally hates being touched past her neck. Maybe it makes her feel vulnerable?
Unless you'd like to mate with her, it's best to keep to the head region....

But her favorite place to be is on your shoulder, she'll stay there all day if you let her. But, if you try and get her off she'll try and nip you.
Of course it is. It's near you, it's a high spot, and it's easy to defend! More rewarding to be there than 'down lower'. This is another area where targeting comes in handy! If she learns that good things come when she does as asked (not forced), she will be more likely to step up!

Another thing is that she has a cage full of toys but rarely plays with any of them. It seems silly but I don't think she really knows how to play with them, I don't know that she's ever had them before.
Not silly. A lot of parrots don't know how to play with toys. They aren't born knowing what to do with them! The most curious birds are the ones most likely to interact with their environment!

Birds are also like humans, in that they have various preferences. Some birds love shiny toys, some like destructible toys, some love beads, some love leather, some love foraging toys, etc. Try and provide a variety of toys!

Oh... and guess what? Targeting can be a great way to teach birds how to play with toys!!!!!!!!! How awesome is that?!?!?!?!

PS, foraging toys are great, too! Start out easy and increase the level of difficulty that a bird must forage for treats! A simple "foraging" activity is to put seeds into the kabob bird toys and hang from the cage, or get some slotted/doweled pieces of wood or cardboard containers with holes and stuff with food! Check out the products below for ideas!

Yucca Drums Sliced Yucca Parrot Chewing Toy - StarBird
SpinaRoo Wooden Foraging Parrot Toy - StarBird
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Balsa Block Soft Wood Parrot Chew Toy - StarBird
Brainiac Block Wooden Parrot Foraging and Chewing Toy - StarBird


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PLUCKERS/OVERPREENERS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE
Bird Kabobs - Lowest Prices! (yucca logs/kabobs)


she takes treats from me now (which she gets after a session without nips),
At this point, it's probably best to rewards her for any good behavior she does, not just when she's been "good" for a while.


You might like this page.
Working with Fearful Parrots: A Study in Videos | Learning Parrots

 

[jugoya]

A good trick for working on that nipping is 'beak training her'.

All of my birds when I first got them were nippers and biters, but now none of them bite; Birds in the wild use their beaks for everything, including affection towards other birds. The trick is to teach them to think of your hands as nothing but something that administers affection.

Start with simply touching her on the beak, with your finger carefully and gently where she can see, yes this will get you nipped a little more often but in the long run?

My bird Porter loves beak scratches now lets me grip his beak in my fingers.. its all about trust building and eventually? You will have a bird that doesn't bite hardly at all, save for the normal beaking that a bird does to test out a perch or a grip.

Any trust building after all is good at this point.

^^

Goodluck with your pretty conure!

 

[Sasha2]

Wow she is doing much better then our 2yo rehomed Sun.He wont let us touch him at all.Wont step up and screams all day like he wants something but I have no idea what.LOL.
Sounds like yours has less trust issues then mine.I wish mine would at least step up.Heck Id even take a nip at this point if he would just let us come near him.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

First of all, thank you for taking this bird in and being willing to give her the life she never had. It's a big job when you aren't sure of the road ahead, but her life will be so much happier for it and i'm sure in the end, yours probably will be too.

And, yes, like others said, it's not really that odd to not enjoy being touched all over. Georgie was never really that cool with it, except her head and nail clipping. Other than that, she kind of didn't love too much petting.

I used to also be "disappointed" that she didn't play with toys like i wanted her to. However i learned she enjoyed toys she could destroy and chew apart. She definitely appreciated new toys, but only of that variety. Maybe in time you will find a certain type of toy that appeals to your bird.

I think you are definitely on the right track with her.

 

[94lt1]

Birds with issues can be very rewarding... My macaw is one such bird... He was very difficult at first, still has some issues with plucking... But he's my watch parrot now... Lol.. I try to get him to be sociable with other people... Not right now lol..

But you're giving the bird a new start and it takes time... Slow and easy... But rewarding...