How to increase chances of conure bonding with me?

[greencheekfantasy]

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Hi, it's Toots here and my brother is going to get a green cheeked conure soon--he's 6 and I know 99.9 percent he's not going to provide the out of cage time that GCC's need. My sister and I can but I am a much more avid bird lover, but she'll gush and coo over it like a madwoman with no real love to give, just wanting it to bond to her (makes a LOT of sense, right?) .

I know that I can really really love this bird with all my heart. I've done so much reasearch and I'm the one that convinced my dad to get the bird, after working many odd jobs to cover the cost of the animal and the supplies. My siblings did NOTHING except agree with me all along the way and pretending like they shared in the work.


So, it would really irk me if one of THEM, with no real love for the bird (believe me, my sister wanted a dog at first and when my dad kept saying no, and suggested a bird, she BROKE DOWN and refused to get one, until I convinced her too) would be the object of the bird's affections.

[[[[[[[OKAY IT'S THE END OF MY SOB STORY....YEAH, REAL QUESTION'S BELOWWW]]]]]


From the extensive research I've done, GCCs tend to have a strong bond with a single person. I want to drastically increase the chances of that single person to be me. How does one go about doing this? Any advice, no matter how mediocre or brutal, is appreciated.

THANKS I LOVE YOU
uhhhh....not THAT way....


NOTE: I'm not trying to FORCE the bird into a bond with me; if the bird picks one of my siblings, then okay, not my ideal situation but I can deal.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Trick training

 

[SoCalWendy]

I loved reading your post. You sound very excited in getting your new bird.

Enthusiasm is great and is needed. Something's you will want to consider. Bird ownership is a huge responsibility. This birds is going to look to you for water, food, housing, and interaction. All on a daily basis. You will want to make sure you provide fresh water, fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, as well as other foods like pellets, seeds, etc. You will need to make sure your bird is getting enough to eat too. You can tell by a couple of things, but most importantly it's droppings. So you will need to make sure you keep the cage clean so you can tell.

When you bring your bird home, you ALL are going to want to hold it immediately. That may be fine if the bird is okay with it. But if it seems scared in its new surroundings, give him/her sometime to adjust. During this time you can still provide it for needs, but do so in a clam manner. Talk softly, move slowly and let the bird adjust.

Something you mentioned here about it bonding with one person. Ideally you want you bird to socialize with everyone. You really don't want to exclude anyone. This way he/she will be subjected to different situations. The more social your bird is the better adjusted it will be. GCC are known for being very friendly and clown like. So use this to your advantage. Okay I am going to stop here and let your digest everything.

Welcome and please always ask questions. Can't wait to see pictures of the new bird.

 

[Julianna]

Spend a lot of time training and playing with your conure. Probably he/she will bond most to the person who spends the most time playing, training, and caring for him/her. However, I agree with SoCalWendy--hopefully your conure will be friendly toward and bonded to everyone, not just you or one of your siblings. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[antoinette]

When bringing home the bird, rather let everyone bond with the bird, holding and loving the bird.
You obviously interacting with him more than others, meaning feeding him and cleaning the cage.
Sit near the cage, talking and singing to your bird, an incredible way to bond.
If you were the only person the bird bonded with and you got ill, your bird would not be afraid to go to others.

 

[henpecked]

I'm afraid that there's little you can do in the beginning to influence who the bird's favorite will be. The best situation is for everyone to take a part in the birds everyday life. Hopefully your getting a just weaned baby. Socialize,socialize.socialize. In terms of the bird's overall happiness and well being, the better socialized the better your chances at being the "one". Everyone has good advice on caring for the bird, interacting and training. All things that will help endear the bird to you. I'll give you the "secret" , learn how to preen his feathers, be the one to get him out in the AM and cuddle/preen. Put him to bed at night and cuddle/preen. You'll never be able to force him to like you but you can put the odds in your favor. Your bothers and sisters will be fighting over who gets to hold him and he'll resent being held against his will, be the one who allows him choices and respect his wishes. Try and see the world though his eyes.