KaleighMaeA2488
New member
Hello! I am new to this site and also a new conure owner. I adopted a conure who is a nanday/sun mix. I am having a few issues and wanted to get some advice before I addressed them to avoid making the situation worse.
History: I adopted her (she is about 4) from a lady whose elderly mom moved in with her and had 5 cats. From what I understood the conure did not get to get out of her cage much because the of the cats.
She LOVES when I talk to her and pet her in her cage. On the rare occasions she gets out of the cage she seems to enjoy spending time rubbing her head on my cheek. She always wants to be as high as possible though, retreating to my shoulder or attempts to climb on the top of my head which I do not allow.
I work from home and got her hoping to have a "co-worker" of sorts... aka a little company. I would love for her to sit in my lap, my shoulder, or even sit on a perch on my desk. The problem is it is almost impossible to coax her out of the cage. It is almost like she is terrified of what could be outside of it (maybe cat flashbacks?). On the very rare occasion she does come out she sits on my shoulder and spends the entire time trying to climb to the top of my head. Obviously, I cannot get a lot of work done that way.
What is the best way to teach her that being outside of her cage is not scary?
Also, I am not sure this applies or not either I have researched conure's extensively and have tried to put a wide variety of treats in her treat bowl. Fresh veggies, fruits, and parrot treats purchased at the pet store. She will have nothing to do with anything that is not her normal parrot food.
Also, her nails are fairly sharp but I did not want to traumatize her with a trip to the vet to get her nails clipped yet so I got a concrete perch which should help file them down a bit until she has had more time to get used to her new life. She will not go near it. Nor will she go near the parrot tent I bought her.
It all seems to come back to some kind of fear. Like I said before she wants me to pet her in her cage, she likes hearing my voice, and she acts like she wants to come out and spend time with me she just cant seem to make herself do it. I leave her cage door open all day (it makes a platform she could walk on) she has not once even ventured onto the platform, only the edge of the open door.
Any advice or help you can give me would be really appreciated!
Thank you in advance!
History: I adopted her (she is about 4) from a lady whose elderly mom moved in with her and had 5 cats. From what I understood the conure did not get to get out of her cage much because the of the cats.
She LOVES when I talk to her and pet her in her cage. On the rare occasions she gets out of the cage she seems to enjoy spending time rubbing her head on my cheek. She always wants to be as high as possible though, retreating to my shoulder or attempts to climb on the top of my head which I do not allow.
I work from home and got her hoping to have a "co-worker" of sorts... aka a little company. I would love for her to sit in my lap, my shoulder, or even sit on a perch on my desk. The problem is it is almost impossible to coax her out of the cage. It is almost like she is terrified of what could be outside of it (maybe cat flashbacks?). On the very rare occasion she does come out she sits on my shoulder and spends the entire time trying to climb to the top of my head. Obviously, I cannot get a lot of work done that way.
What is the best way to teach her that being outside of her cage is not scary?
Also, I am not sure this applies or not either I have researched conure's extensively and have tried to put a wide variety of treats in her treat bowl. Fresh veggies, fruits, and parrot treats purchased at the pet store. She will have nothing to do with anything that is not her normal parrot food.
Also, her nails are fairly sharp but I did not want to traumatize her with a trip to the vet to get her nails clipped yet so I got a concrete perch which should help file them down a bit until she has had more time to get used to her new life. She will not go near it. Nor will she go near the parrot tent I bought her.
It all seems to come back to some kind of fear. Like I said before she wants me to pet her in her cage, she likes hearing my voice, and she acts like she wants to come out and spend time with me she just cant seem to make herself do it. I leave her cage door open all day (it makes a platform she could walk on) she has not once even ventured onto the platform, only the edge of the open door.
Any advice or help you can give me would be really appreciated!
Thank you in advance!