ElisabethR
New member
- Jul 3, 2011
- 11
- 0
Hello all!
I'm the parent of a new baby sun conure named Tuco. He's 4 months old, hand-raised. The story of how I ended up bringing him home is interesting -- but probably not uncommon. (Long story short -- he picked me. I don't think I had a choice.)
Anyway, we've had him less than a week. He's surprisingly quiet for a conure, though he has his moments, most of the time he just likes to mutter (there's a lot of faint words mixed in), growl, and tut-tut. He's settled in incredibly well. I think WE needed more adjustment than he did. He acts like he's always been here.
My question is regarding his toys and attention span. So far, he just wants to be on me and hasn't shown a lot of interest in any of his toys. He has some hoops, balls, a ladder, driftwood chunks with a bell attached, and a broom/wicker thing. This is what we bought when we got him, and I picked toys for him to "destroy" thinking he'd need a lot of stress management in a new home. So far he's uninterested in everything but the driftwood and the bell, which he rings and swings on for a little bit.
At the store, he had toys, and there was a coconut shell thing he liked (and I'm in the process of trying to duplicate it, the wood toy was the closest we could come) and a ladder he liked bouncing on, so they're not entirely new to him.
He likes shiny things, so I bought him a big chain of bells, pacifiers, and rings and he liked that...for about a minute. He also has a "kitty ball" that has a bell in it, and he will carry that around and rattle it, but so far even that can only hold him for a few minutes, even if he's playing with me. (He'll put it in a cup and take it out.) Two to five minutes later, he's back on my shoulder to gnaw on my fingers or nibble at me.
I know conures are busy and need lots of socializing, but so far he's socializing and not really playing independently or being busy. When he's left alone, he just eats, does the "baby beg" and when all else fails, he goes to his Happy Hut for a nap. I want to encourage independent play. Is there ever going to be hope that he will play by himself and not just hang out on my shoulder? He's still very young, and I'm trying to establish good habits (making him have some alone time, especially when he gets super frantic and cranky, he's very much like a small toddler who needs a nap!) but it worries me that he's not responding to any of his toys for any extended periods.
I'm not panicking or anything, and it's not about not wanting to be around him or handle his demands. I'm just curious if there's anything more I should be doing to teach him how to play. I feel like he needs another outlet for chewing, grabbing, roughhousing, etc., and I don't want him to just *sit* there whenever he's home alone, and be super desperate for stimulation when I get home. (I'm not away often or for long periods. I work out of my house, so I'm always around, and if I'm not, someone else in the family is.) I'd also like him to have fun when he's on his playground on the top of his cage, and not just eat, beg, or sit there.
I also know he's new to the house and we're still sorting out what his "normal" behavior is. He's also growing. I just want him to grow in a healthy, well-rounded way.
I'm the parent of a new baby sun conure named Tuco. He's 4 months old, hand-raised. The story of how I ended up bringing him home is interesting -- but probably not uncommon. (Long story short -- he picked me. I don't think I had a choice.)
Anyway, we've had him less than a week. He's surprisingly quiet for a conure, though he has his moments, most of the time he just likes to mutter (there's a lot of faint words mixed in), growl, and tut-tut. He's settled in incredibly well. I think WE needed more adjustment than he did. He acts like he's always been here.
My question is regarding his toys and attention span. So far, he just wants to be on me and hasn't shown a lot of interest in any of his toys. He has some hoops, balls, a ladder, driftwood chunks with a bell attached, and a broom/wicker thing. This is what we bought when we got him, and I picked toys for him to "destroy" thinking he'd need a lot of stress management in a new home. So far he's uninterested in everything but the driftwood and the bell, which he rings and swings on for a little bit.
At the store, he had toys, and there was a coconut shell thing he liked (and I'm in the process of trying to duplicate it, the wood toy was the closest we could come) and a ladder he liked bouncing on, so they're not entirely new to him.
He likes shiny things, so I bought him a big chain of bells, pacifiers, and rings and he liked that...for about a minute. He also has a "kitty ball" that has a bell in it, and he will carry that around and rattle it, but so far even that can only hold him for a few minutes, even if he's playing with me. (He'll put it in a cup and take it out.) Two to five minutes later, he's back on my shoulder to gnaw on my fingers or nibble at me.
I know conures are busy and need lots of socializing, but so far he's socializing and not really playing independently or being busy. When he's left alone, he just eats, does the "baby beg" and when all else fails, he goes to his Happy Hut for a nap. I want to encourage independent play. Is there ever going to be hope that he will play by himself and not just hang out on my shoulder? He's still very young, and I'm trying to establish good habits (making him have some alone time, especially when he gets super frantic and cranky, he's very much like a small toddler who needs a nap!) but it worries me that he's not responding to any of his toys for any extended periods.
I'm not panicking or anything, and it's not about not wanting to be around him or handle his demands. I'm just curious if there's anything more I should be doing to teach him how to play. I feel like he needs another outlet for chewing, grabbing, roughhousing, etc., and I don't want him to just *sit* there whenever he's home alone, and be super desperate for stimulation when I get home. (I'm not away often or for long periods. I work out of my house, so I'm always around, and if I'm not, someone else in the family is.) I'd also like him to have fun when he's on his playground on the top of his cage, and not just eat, beg, or sit there.
I also know he's new to the house and we're still sorting out what his "normal" behavior is. He's also growing. I just want him to grow in a healthy, well-rounded way.
