New rescue

VDosky

Member
Mar 22, 2020
36
29
Parrots
Indian Ringneck (Kiwi)
Macaw (Lio)
Cockatiel (Pablo)
Hi all. I’ve decided to rescue a little sun conure and I’ve had her for 2 days now.

The previous owner said she isn’t tame which is ok. Her wings are clipped which is a bit disappointing to me as I feel like she’s lost confidence and I have ordered a harness for her, I’m waiting for them to grow back. Also her mouth is always slightly open? Is that weird? Like not fully open just to the point it’s not fully closed..

She is supposedly about a year old now but the other sun conures that he claimed were around her age were much bigger. He also said she’s broken her tail ? I think he confused that with her molting her tail feathers.

She definitely does not want to get touched. She is (fortunately good at letting us know her boundaries. She eats out of my hand but just does not want to get touched. When I attempt to rub her beak she bites my hand (softly) to let me know I’m doing too much.

She does a little head bopping and today I’ve found her chewing on toys which is a good sign. I am just a bit confused on how to gain her trust and make her more confident.

I’ve read in certain places that I should be close to the cage so she knows I’m not a predator and to frequently leave my hand in the cage, but have read in other places to do the complete opposite..

I just hand feed her and I leave the cage door open supervised in case she wants to come out on her own.

I have also put her out of the cage (forcefully though, my mistake but she didnt hold it against me, i had to put her out to prepare her new cage) and she was roaming around the room and while out of the cage I got her to step up a pencil, then on my finger, and she even let me pet her head so I think things will go good! But she now has a much bigger cage so it’ll be harder to do that and I also don’t want to force her out or force her to do anything. I’ve only just got her of course and I’m patient. She was abandoned with 0 interaction in a crappy pet shop.

How can I best gain her trust and gain her to like people? I of course don’t expect a cuddly bud in 2 days but I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right. I also gave her a bath with mist spray (she had NEVER gotten bathed before!) and she was a bit confused but didn’t seem unpleasant to her


This is her and her cage. I had her on my shoulder when I put her out of the old cage to prepare the new one but haven’t touched her after because she seems to be annoyed and it’s still too early. I’m adding a few more perks to it and I’m waiting for more toys to arrive.
 

Attachments

  • EDA26DBC-1C63-4D7F-840A-719959793D47.jpeg
    EDA26DBC-1C63-4D7F-840A-719959793D47.jpeg
    87.2 KB · Views: 121
  • DADD945B-DCBA-45EB-B476-824FE427D13F.png
    DADD945B-DCBA-45EB-B476-824FE427D13F.png
    716.7 KB · Views: 125
OP
V

VDosky

Member
Mar 22, 2020
36
29
Parrots
Indian Ringneck (Kiwi)
Macaw (Lio)
Cockatiel (Pablo)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Howdy! By the sound of things, the two of you are moving forward nicely!
I hope so! She doesnt do much she pretty much hangs out in her cage in the same spot. I hand feed her now. I don’t want to force her out of the cage so I just leave it open for when she is ready to go, when I try to get her out myself she screeches and kind of panics so I definitely won’t do that
 

fiddlejen

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2019
1,232
Media
11
1,156
New England
Parrots
Sunny the Sun Conure (sept '18, gotcha 3/'19). Mr Jefferson Budgie & Mrs Calliope Budgie (albino) (nov'18 & jan'19). Summer 2021 Baby Budgies: Riker (Green); Patchouli, Keye, & Tiny (blue greywings).
By the amount of green feathers, I'd assume your sunnie is young-ish. At a quick glance & without pulling my old cellphone to check my pics, I think that's about as much green as mine when I got her, about 6 months of age. I could be wrong though! Year old is Not impossible. Size-wise you wouldn't see much size difference once past babyhood. Might bulk up a little but as far as length, tip-to-tail, should stay about the same. So size difference with other birds just means, they are different sizes.

As far as putting hand in cage, etc. My own Sun conure is not cage aggressive at all, and it's not something they are especially known for, but every individual bird is different, so go with your best instinct. (My own Sunny actually LIKES me to put my hand in her cage! She goes to a lot of trouble to lure my hand in there, and then keep it there as long as she can!)

It sounds like you are doing a good job with paying attention to & learning what this bird wants. That is great! Target Training could be helpful here, if that is something you want to do. (I worked on Target Training with my own Sunny for a while, but have not continued it myself. But, I do recommend giving it a try, if you feel like it.)
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Kudos for rescuing a beautiful Sun from forlorn existence!

Some birds maintain a slightly open beak stance. Shouldn't be an issue provided no labored breathing or evidence of current/past injury. A well-check by avian vet ought settle concerns. Love that oversized cage, plenty of room for toys, perches, foraging items, etc. You'll want to strike a balance between cage-bound bird and appreciation for self-entertainment when you are not available.

Ah, the joys of bathing! Helpful technique is using fresh "Dollar Store" bottle with adjustable nozzle. Begin with fine spray, triggering angled upward flow from the side, allowing downward fall of mist. Her joy will suggest when to progress with greater volume of water.

Overall you're doing very well! Helpful advice for bonding and building trust: https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/tips-for-bonding-and-building-trust.49144/
 
OP
V

VDosky

Member
Mar 22, 2020
36
29
Parrots
Indian Ringneck (Kiwi)
Macaw (Lio)
Cockatiel (Pablo)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #6
By the amount of green feathers, I'd assume your sunnie is young-ish. At a quick glance & without pulling my old cellphone to check my pics, I think that's about as much green as mine when I got her, about 6 months of age. I could be wrong though! Year old is Not impossible. Size-wise you wouldn't see much size difference once past babyhood. Might bulk up a little but as far as length, tip-to-tail, should stay about the same. So size difference with other birds just means, they are different sizes.

As far as putting hand in cage, etc. My own Sun conure is not cage aggressive at all, and it's not something they are especially known for, but every individual bird is different, so go with your best instinct. (My own Sunny actually LIKES me to put my hand in her cage! She goes to a lot of trouble to lure my hand in there, and then keep it there as long as she can!)

It sounds like you are doing a good job with paying attention to & learning what this bird wants. That is great! Target Training could be helpful here, if that is something you want to do. (I worked on Target Training with my own Sunny for a while, but have not continued it myself. But, I do recommend giving it a try, if you feel like it.)
I’ve ordered a clicker and I’m waiting for it to arrive, I also want her to be comfortable with me first before doing any training so right now I’m just focusing on bonding and letting her know i’m not a threat. She gets spooked out when I get my hand close to her while in the cage and lets me know she doesn’t like it but she tolerates me feeding her with my hands, outside the cage she’s pretty okay with it and even allows me to pet her a bit, I do think she’s younger and she might just be smaller than her siblings which is okay, she’s also missing her tail feathers which is why she might look smaller
 
OP
V

VDosky

Member
Mar 22, 2020
36
29
Parrots
Indian Ringneck (Kiwi)
Macaw (Lio)
Cockatiel (Pablo)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #7
Kudos for rescuing a beautiful Sun from forlorn existence!

Some birds maintain a slightly open beak stance. Shouldn't be an issue provided no labored breathing or evidence of current/past injury. A well-check by avian vet ought settle concerns. Love that oversized cage, plenty of room for toys, perches, foraging items, etc. You'll want to strike a balance between cage-bound bird and appreciation for self-entertainment when you are not available.

Ah, the joys of bathing! Helpful technique is using fresh "Dollar Store" bottle with adjustable nozzle. Begin with fine spray, triggering angled upward flow from the side, allowing downward fall of mist. Her joy will suggest when to progress with greater volume of water.

Overall you're doing very well! Helpful advice for bonding and building trust: https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/tips-for-bonding-and-building-trust.49144/
Unfortunately I live in a place where there aren’t many avian specialists, when I took her to the vet they just told me that her wings were clipped wrong and way too high but they didn’t detect any other problems. She has been on a sunflower seed diet most of her life which I know can cause health problems hence why I was concerned about the mouth.. I did give her a mist bath with a spray bottle and she tolerated it :)

As for the cage I honestly went for the biggest cage they had because I wanted to make sure she is happy and has room for exercise, I’ve added some more perches of different sizes and her toys are arriving soon.. I don’t think she’s cage bound but she’s definitely easier to handle out of the cage and more moody inside of it, I’m just leaving the door open when I’m around and I’m waiting for her to come out of her own I don’t want to force her out.
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Have you had much success modifying diet in lieu of sunflower seeds? The good news is she's young, not debilitated from poor lifelong diet, possibly less stubborn to change.

You're both off to a great start considering less than one week in your home!!
 

Emeral

Well-known member
Sep 16, 2021
209
628
Parrots
Hanhs Macaw
She is beautiful. In time, she will know that she is safe and loved. Meanwhile you might find this information on birds body language, a fun read.

 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top