Training an old sun conure to lay on back

[James121515]

Hi everyone,

I have a 14 year old sun conure. He can't do any tricks other than bob his head while listening to music. I have always wanted to teach him to lay on his back, but He can't stand it when I try to lay him on his back. I have always figured that you probably have to train them to do this when they are a baby or else they will never learn it.
So my question is, is it possible to train him to lay on his back, despite his old age?

 

[weco]

Yes, it is possible.....last summer I brought a sun home, whose owner could no longer care for her. The day I picked her up, she bit me, but on the 700 mile trip home she would climb all over me when I'd let her out of her travel cage. A couple of days after we got home the oldest stepdaughter comes home from school, took her out of her cage & had her hanging from her finger by one foot.....that evening or the next day she had her laying in her lap, on her back.....

I can get her to lay on her back for me on occasion, but the girls can do it almost every time they handle her, so I would say that it is all in how patient you are & how trusting of you the bird is.....laying on their back is not a natural position for a mature bird, however, young birds often lay on their back to play.....

You don't mention how long you have had the bird, but having seen a mature bird do what you're trying to do after meeting someone for only a couple of days, I might think that it is either a trust problem or you might be going about the training the wrong way.....maybe if you watched some of the training videos available on youtube, you might find a training technique that would work for you.....my step daughter is not any type of extraordinary trainer...she just is exceptionally patient, a good trait if you're trying to train parrots.....

OH, teekee was 11 when we brought her home.....

Good luck.....

 

[MonicaMc]

I can lay my mitred conure on his back in the palm of my hand and then toss him in the air! People keep asking me how I taught him to do that, but the truth is, I didn't! He already knew how to lay on his back when I got him (at the age of 12 years), and it was his foster mom who put him on his back in the palm of my hand to try and get him to bond to me. At the time he wanted nothing to do with me!

So here I was with a bird that wanted nothing to do with me and he's laying in the palm of my hand.... what the heck am I supposed to do???? So I just started lightly tossing him in the air and he didn't seem to care! His foster mum turned around and saw what I was doing and immediately started laughing!



Is your sun conure comfortable with you putting your hand on his back? Will he rest on your chest? If yes, you may try cupping him against your chest and slowly, in small increments, leaning forward. Stop for a moment and then sit back up. Reward. Repeat. Lean forwards a little further, stop for a brief moment and return to normal sitting position. Reward. Repeat. etc!

 

[Jphan1]

I think it can be done. My sun conure iis only 5 months old, but will hang upside down and lay on his back. I spent time with him daily since he was 3 weeks old. I think it has to do with trust and if the bird is comfortable. If you just got the bird i woud start by getting the bird use to you touching it all over especially the back and work from there. I just posted a thread called "my sun conure" you can see some pics i posted of how he lays on the couch at night while i watch t.v.

 

[Kinny]

they can learn it whenever. However they need to be trusting you completely before you teach them that trick.

PLAY DEAD
To teach your bird this, you need to put your hands together in a prayer-like pose, with your bird clasped gently between the hands. If your bird loves and trusts you he will allow this with a minimum of practice.
Next try gently lowering him a little ways backwards, like you were going to lay him on his back. He will probably dislike this a bit, so take it slow, and don’t force him. If he stresses, let him up. The key here is repetition until he sees that this will not hurt him.
When he will allow you to lean him back in a reclining position, then loosen your hands a little while you praise him effusively for playing dead. Make him associate this action with the words "Play dead!" At first he will only lay on his back as long as your hands are there, but eventually he will allow your hands to be taken away while he lays there. Much praise should be give as a reward!
It may be easier to practice this on your lap, where the bird can be more easily nestled in the valley of your legs for easier balance.
In time you should be able to say, "Wanna PLAY DEAD?" and then lay him back . He will lay there with his feet and tail stuck up in the air.

Bear in mind that this is the most vulnerable position a bird can place itself into, so only try this if you know that your bird has unwavering trust in you. Otherwise you may end up with a very stressed out bird!

Reference: What neat tricks can I teach my green cheek conure?...? - Yahoo! Answers