My Sun Conure

[Stephen777]

Here is a pic

I dont see the image using the insert image but the link is: https://ibb.co/bBcR3c

First Bird

 

[Jen5200]

What a little cutie! How old, how long have you had her/him, and what’s their name?

 

[Stephen777]

I have had her/him for a week. They wasnt sexed so we just call Sierra a her, and named her Sierra.
She was considered a baby when we got her a week ago and you can tell she is experiencing everything for the first time....like climbing lol
Tonight she started randomly biting my finger and finger nail hard and she doesnt normally do it. Not sure if she just is upset or what.

 

[Jen5200]

Aw, well Sierra is pretty darn cute. Babies explore a lot. I would just encourage moving at her speed, letting her get used to you and her new environment. There are some great threads about bonding and building trust on here that you might enjoy. Mouthing everything is part of how parrots explore and it’s often how they communicate that they do or don’t like something. Watch her body language, and pay attention to what is happening at the time that the bites occur (sudden noises, movements, did you just touch her, etc) and you’ll start to get familiar with what she’s trying to say. My suns are both lovely, friendly birds - but they do have their opinions about things and are more than willing to tell you how the feel about it lol

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I agree with Jen in that you have to move at THEIR pace, not yours. That's fundamental.

They also use their beaks to 'explore' and 'test' things. You can easily tell whether or not a bite is an act of aggression or an act of instinct. You want to discourage the aggressive tactics with distraction and encourage the instinctual and positive actions with rewards.

 

[Stephen777]

What should I get for treats? And I was thinking of putting her food pellets in one feeder and dried fruits in the other. Or would that be too much fruit?

 

[Jen5200]

I tend not to give treats in quanity in a bowl or feeder - my experience has been that it stops being a “treat” and becomes their preferred food lol . Dried fruit also tends to be very high in sugar and I’d keep it to very small amounts as a “special treat”.

Have you tried feeding your bird any fresh food (veggies/fruit)? If not, when she’s a baby is a great time to start introducing these to her. They’re much healthier and a good way to add variety to your little one’s diet. Feeding fresh food (often called chop), I tend to use mostly veggies with a bit of fruit because they do enjoy it.

I use things like safflower seeds, other seeds, minced nuts, bits of millet and small pieces of fruit as treats (your girl will have preferences). I use treats when I’m training or when I’m asking them to do something new and sometimes just for fun - but the treats always happen when we’re interacting (keeps them special).

There’s lots of great threads here on diet, with all kinds of ideas for keeping food interesting for Sierra.

 

[Stephen777]

Someone told me to boil an egg and cut it in half, giving one half to her.
She didnt really interact with it. She did however take a few small pieces of the shell.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

It's really a matter of trial and error. Start with the fruits and/or veggies that are high in Vitamin A (meaty orange,leafy greens etc) and go from there.

Its really dependent on the bird. The ONLY fruits I can get Skittles to eat are grapes, apples and strawberries. Whereas with vegetables he'll only eat broccoli and sweet potatoes. So it's a process of elimination.

I'd advise against leaving 'treats' in dishes. ESPECIALLY fresh fruit/vegetables because it doesn't take long for them to get bacteria on them once exposed.

What I do for Skittles is if I am eating something that he can have, I share with him. Other than that, I feed him the Harrisons power treats. I don't leave them in a dish though. He 'earns' them through good behavior and he has to come get it.