Newbie help

[thelilpnut]

Hello everyone,

I have an 18-month-old sun conure, Laverne, that was given to me by my mom. My mom has her sister (sexed by the breeder) and they have been together until about 2 weeks ago. While I was visiting my mom over the winter holiday, Laverne bonded with me and my mom told me that I could take her because the two of them together was too much for her. Laverne was always the shy and quiet one that never came out of the cage until she and I bonded.

Now that she's at my home, she screams unless I'm in the room, but oftentimes she won't get on my finger or shoulder. I'm a little lost. I don't know what to do for her. I want her to be happy and I love her so much, but it seems like our bond is broken. Or maybe she's grieving. What can I do for her?

 

[itzjbean]

Understand that your conure has gone through a big change of environment, and now that she has you -- and only you -- you have become her flock. The screaming you hear is called flock-calling. You are now her flock and have that bond so you can do things to let her know that she doesn't have to scream.

1. When you leave the room, tell her where you're going, and continue to call/talk to her when you go out of sight.

2. Get some toys for your conure to play with. It's important that a bird is able to be independent because let's face it, we can't be with them all the time, 24/7.

3. Training with positive reinforcement . Basically you want to find something that your conure likes - a treat of some kind, sunflower seed, piece of a nut, etc. and begin training her. She may have regressed with the change in environment, so now would be a great time to continue with training. She should be learning the step up command, bite-pressure training (if she hasn't already), flight recall, and target training. All will be great for her mind and for your bond to grow! Lots of tutorials can be found online, youtbue, google.

4. A routine! Just like toddlers/kids, birds thrive on routine and feel more comfortable when they understand when things will happen. Uncover in the morning, breakfast. Playtime with mom, then inside the cage for a while to play by myself. Then some training with treats. Lunch, etc. Dinner, covered for the night until the next day. Getting a routine set will make it easier for your conure to adjust.

Good luck with your sun!

 

[Peaches_The_Sun_Conure]

And remember, don't try to force them onto you. If she doesn't feel like stepping up, just leave her be. Relationships with suns are formed over time and understanding.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Two weeks is such a short amount of time. Yes, agreeing, try these good suggestions and just practiced your best Zen-ness and behavior mod skills as you let things settle.

We'll stick with you.

I'm glad you're here.

 

[thelilpnut]

Thanks everyone for the support.

I discovered today that sunflower seeds are her favorite, so I will be purchasing a bag of those to work with her on training. I watched a few videos on training today as well. Thanks for the suggestions. I moved her from the dining room to the bedroom where I work most of the time.

She's never been to the vet, so I'm going to take her to one next month to make sure she's healthy.

She and I will have to learn patience with each other. I appreciate you guys so much.

Thank you!!

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

Please make sure that the vet you’re seeing is an avian vet, not a regular dog and cat vet. They know nothing about birds!

 

[wrench13]

On flock calls - develope a standard return saying and use it when she calls to you. Something like "Im here, where are you?". Important - do not answer her every time she calls for you. Once or twice lets her know you are near. More then that you'll be training her to call/scream more. Learn to ingore the excess calls, they will diminish with TIME. Patience is you best tool in changing behaviour, that and consistiency ( and treats for good behaviour) Good Luck.