Advice about introducing a new friend to my Conure?

[Kiwibon]

So I have Lilly (Female) my only bird, a Pineapple green cheek, about 2 years old... and she's been with me for about a year. She doesn't bite and is quite attached to me... she screams for me when I leave the room... or just follows me in lol.

Shes VERY shy, and still wont let me touch her... I don't think shes afraid of my hands because she takes food and will lick my finger for a treat. Perhaps she just will never let me hold her.

What worries me is that she's not getting the affection she deserves... I give her plenty of attention but I'm afraid she'll go forever without being held or touched or preened. I was wondering if gradually introducing a new Conure will potentially give her some closeness with another being? (well if I successfully introduced them, that is) Am I being silly?

If you think maybe it's a good idea to introduce a friend... Whats the best conure breed, and what gender pairs are the best? I have a lot of guides about introducing birds together... but if you have any of your own advice, I'd love to hear it!

Edit: I've decided to skip the friend part... and perhaps look for some advice on trying to get her used to my hands? I've done all the training with treats that I can, and she will still run away. Will catching her in a towel help in the long run, or will it make her hate me? Any tips??

Thank you!

 

[Sunnyclover]

If it were me I'd just focus in her and working towards getting her used to hands and being held/on shoulder. Getting another bird"for her" is sometimes the worst thing you can do. They may not get along and then you have 2 birds who don't get along and are very needy towards you and 2 birds are twice the mess. If the birds are flighted and don't get along then you have 2 birds that you can potentially let out of cage separately if they attack each other. Or here's another thought...they get obsessed with each other and the new bird never bonds with you but with Lily and is really hard to tame after that and Lily loves the other bird and you get left out of it completely and they both become somewhat wild, flying around the house making a mess and or possibly attacking each other. It's always a bad idea to get another bird to make your current bird happy and it oftentimes does not work out. I know sort of about this subject because I just got a 2nd bird but I got him for me and my husband and not at all for my current bird as a friend. They don't get along very well at the moment and Ollie tries to attack my new bird Finley. Lucky it's not that big of an issue because I did not get Fin as a friend for Ollie but for me to have another feathered friend in MY life. In fact it works in my favor to have them not get on that well because I am able to build and keep a strong bond with them both. I can tell they will probably eventually get along but probably won't be best friends because my bond with Ollie is so strong.

 

[clark_conure]

I would get your bird hand tamed first... you might have two birds that totally ignore you. Or someday one is aggressive to the other and you have to be able to intervene and take one or the other without adding to the drama.

A GCC is naturally a little timid being smaller but is very attention demanding. If you're in limbo your in the exact wrong spot.

I know someone might come on here and say OMG don't do that....but if your bird is friendly around you and follows you around for attention...might not be the worst idea to actively touch her. When I first got my bird I knew it was hand raised, but I knew it was ok with humans, I had on a thick shirt, I picked him up and held him to my chest and said pleasant things to him...I was re-creating his babyhood with humans. May get bitten or nibbled a bit, may take a few minutes, but if you just cuddle and hold and pet....she might just say...ok your cool.

In fact wait 24 hours let everyone else to chime in, so you can all say I'm wrong, BUT if your bird is comfortable with you and follows you, I think she might just be looking for a little tough love to let her know it's ok to trust you.

A GCC will ice cream cone like in my profile picture, lay on its back on you, or in your hand, climb on your face when your reading so she can feel the hot air of your breath on her feet (whether you like it or not). I'm giving you permission to pick up the bird and basically making it beta to your alpha but she realizes she's 100% safe in the end.

Again let everyone else chime in so they can say how I'm wrong. I'm ok with being wrong if someone has a better idea.

 

[Kiwibon]

Thanks guys!! I think I will decide against the friend.

@clark_conure I've never been able to pick her up because the flies away if my hand gets close if she knows its without food. I know she trusts and likes me, but the lady I adopted her from told me she wasn't raised correctly and will escape being held. She will land on my shoulder but that's as far away from my hands as possible, haha.

I have held her before, but only catching her in a towel... which scares her and I think it makes her distrust me a bit? I'm unsure how to approach the touching, if she wont give me a chance... Any ideas? ;__;

 

[clark_conure]

yep loose the towel.

The bird knows a towel is not a bond of trust.

I recommend starting with food then just grabbing her, I'm a bird lover but I'm being dead serious, if you only had her a week, month, few months, I'd be saying something else but this long and her following you...she's looking for a nudge... she has to learn....not now give this a day let everyone chime in, someone may have a MUCH better Idea....but if your bird is social and bonded slightly even if she hates the holding she will forgive you....the same way clark threatens to kill every human in the world every time I clip his wings, then 60 seconds later he's fine and is climbing all over me.

Sometimes you need to break the wall if the bird is putting up the bricks as fast as you take them down. Don't let her be in charge, you are the parent, and you love her, or you wouldn't even bother being on a site like this...that's why I feel fine telling you this, if it was some random person in a pet store I'd not be saying this. I know you won't hurt her, and she will understand that too.

It's worth it in the long run, you have 30+ years with this bird.




OH CRAP I FORGOT once you have her pet her head, pet the head and the neck...it's an off switch.....once you get that it's all over......she won't leave you.

 

[Kiwibon]

@clark_conure Oh gosh, I'd have to try my best... she can only be caught in her small travel cage because shes so darn fast... I'll need to prepare for pain too I bet.

When I did catch her in the towel before, i did pet her head and she relaxed... it was so cute... but the second my hand loosened she was gone haha.

Like you said... no more towel for Lilly, and I will wait for any more advice you lovlies have to offer. ❤

 

[clark_conure]

If you have a really good freind you could have them make the leap....offer beer and pizza.....

I wouldn't expect a bad bite at least not blood. Just "...wait, this is new what are you doing, why are you, oh that feels nice WAIT I MUST BITE!, oh that didn't change anythi---wait more to the right oh yeah right there I love that.... oh the neck to ohh that feels good.... Well, Ok, uh hum, I'll try your services again silly human you have entertained."



That will probably be your birds train of thought.....

 

[Sunnyclover]

I'm kind of on board with Clark because I never wait that initial period of time to let the bird get used to it's surroundings or whatever when you 1st bring them home. I just sort if start acting like I've had them for 6 months and it's any other day and handle them. Even when I handle birds at bird stores and stuff I act like it's my bird and they usually follow suit weirdly enough and let me handle them and do whatever. I have got the stray bite (not from mine) here and there but nothing major. I just think birds can read your emotions and if you're scared they'll pick up on it and be scared or defensive. If you act like "umm of course I'm going to hold you... you're my bird" she might just let you eventually do that.

 

[clark_conure]

OMG YES I FORGOT THAT SUNNY CLOVER IS SO RIGHT!!! your attitude is like 98% of the experience. you have to not be afraid at all or it will not work. I'm so ...well me,..... I didn't even think of other types of people.....

You have to commit 100% and show no fear it's more about your emotions than the birds....

 

[Sunnyclover]

So I took this video literally 5 minutes ago and got Fin (my new bird I've had less than 2 weeks) to do the ice cream cone Clark is talking about for the first time. I just acted like "of course your going to do the ice cream cone because you're my bird" and he followed suit. You have to be confident! If she bites you just try again and don't be scared, the bites don't really hurt too much from conures anyways in my opinion. It's just a pinch. You go girl!

[ame="https://youtu.be/OiKf7fnjAJw"]Nanday conure Finley is very trusting. - YouTube[/ame]

 

[clark_conure]

awesome.....that just how I do it

 

[Kiwibon]

You guys are so nice TT__TT❤

I'll try my best and report back to you! I've never read online to just 'go for it' so it's a new approach for me... I wish myself luck!!

My first conure was 15 and loved hands, and she practically flew into my arms the moment she arrived, so I've never had to do this before!

 

[Sunnyclover]

Hi Kiwibon. How goes it?

 

[clark_conure]

yeah how'ed it go?