Angry conure

[Leo armendarez]

I'v had my sun conure mango for a little over a month now and at first we were cool I can hold him and train for a bit but after forcing him out of his cage for a vet check up it has been a little over a week ago and he still wants nothing to do with me he runs away during training so I back off then try again and he violently bites me he is only gentle if he falls and can't get up or I have a treat other than that he seems to hate me know and I'm at a loss he's only 6 months if that matters any clue what I can do?

 

[zERo]

I'v had my sun conure mango for a little over a month now and at first we were cool I can hold him and train for a bit but after forcing him out of his cage for a vet check up it has been a little over a week ago and he still wants nothing to do with me he runs away during training so I back off then try again and he violently bites me he is only gentle if he falls and can't get up or I have a treat other than that he seems to hate me know and I'm at a loss he's only 6 months if that matters any clue what I can do?

What did you do to get him in the carrier to go to the vet?
He could be scared from the trauma of going, especially if he associated you with the vet trip.

 

[Leo armendarez]

What did you do to get him in the carrier to go to the vet?
He could be scared from the trauma of going, especially if he associated you with the vet trip.

He refused to step up so I used a towel like the breeder taught me to

 

[zERo]

He refused to step up so I used a towel like the breeder taught me to

I’d imagine he might still be upset over that.
He might think you’re going to do it again.
You should try to build your relationship back up. Give him treats, talk to him softly and train him everyday.

 

[Terry57]

Welcome to the forum!

I agree with zERo, it may take some time but you will be able to regain his trust. Those first vet visits are always hard on them but need to be done anyway.

I think I'd back off of training and concentrate on regaining the damaged trust.

May I ask what you mean by this part?

he is only gentle if he falls and can't get up

I'm wondering why he can't get up?

I'm really glad you and Mango joined us

 

[Leo armendarez]

Welcome to the forum!

I agree with zERo, it may take some time but you will be able to regain his trust. Those first vet visits are always hard on them but need to be done anyway.

I think I'd back off of training and concentrate on regaining the damaged trust.

May I ask what you mean by this part?


I'm wondering why he can't get up?

I'm really glad you and Mango joined ushe is clipped but tries to follow my budgie who can fly so he glides to the floor and that's when he is ok about stepping up...sometimes he will step up then once on the cages play area he bites me.

 

[Terry57]

Oh, I understand now, it is hard for birds to fly up even when they aren't clipped It sounds as if he got a good clip as well since he is gliding to the floor rather than dropping like a rock.

A month isn't a long time to bond with him, usually it takes longer than that to gain their trust completely.

This is a great thread for working on that:

Tips for Bonding and Building Trust

 

[wrench13]

Parrots are all about trust, in ways we can't fully appreciate, not being prey animals for 1000's of millenia. But parrots most definately are prey animals and everything about them, from their intellgence to their flight abilities have been evolved in them to help them in that regard, for the sake of survival of the species. A mouth full to be sure. But we can take that into consideration when we interact with them.

Think of a trust bank. Every thing you do or say or present to your parrot is measured by that yardstick. Always think "Does this make a deposit or a withdrawal in this parrots Trust Bank". Toweling or chasing them around to get them into a cage or travel enclosure - withdrawal. Using your smarts and a little guile, using a treat to get them inside would side step this and might even make a deposit since he received a treat first! When I need to get Salty into his cage (and yeah even after 7 yrs some nights he just does NOT want to go to bed) and I must use a towel because he is too smart to fall for lures of treats, I make sure that he does associate the towel with me or my hand or body. I talk to the towel as if its a separate being and dont make it obvious that its being manipulated by me. I use it calmly, and offer my hand as the escape route, should he want to go that way. I use the same towel every time, a single color one so he does not associate other towels (like one used to dry him off after a big bath) with the action.

I would try to avoid the whole forcing him into a cage or carrier for a while and concentrate on training and building your bond better. Training can be the highlight of his day, if done right. And it need not only be step up training. Parrots enjoy learning new things if presented right and duly rewarded when he does the action correctly. My own experiences with Salty have proved this out. Trick training is the apex of his day, he knows its coming because we do it every night at the same time, we always start with 1 or 2 tricks he loves to do and show off on. We have our set tricks, over 40 of them now of which we do 10 or so every night. I also always have a new trick that we are working on or a variation of one of the others, just to keep things interesting. So I give you my 3 bits of advice about training.

Be immediate - have the treat ready to give him immediately when the trick is done correctly or when there is any forward movement to the aim of the trick. Example: Shake Hands - even if he does not actually shake your hand, if he picks up his foot - that is forward movement and he gets the reward. Reward should be given within seconds of completion, no more then 30 seconds or so. Any more and he will not associate the treat with the action.

Be consistent - nothing will confuse your parrot more then changing the treat, the trick itself, how you ask for the action where you train and I think the time of day too ( we train at 8:45 PM +/- 10 minutes). Once you decide on these, stick with ethem! Brak complex tricks down to smaller ones and teach them in sequence.

Be patient - parrots rate of acceptance of new things or change is GLACIAL when compared to our quick monkey brains. Sometimes learning is a slow steady incline and sometimes its like a light switch being flipped. Be prepared for either. Salty, who often gets new tricks in 1 or 2 tries, will sometimes be incredibly stubborn and resolute in not understanding or even un-understanding a trick!

 

[clark_conure]

I really can't add anything to what wrench13 said......he kind of hit every topic so do that ^