Conure Training

[boabab95]

Hi, I m the proud owner of a 1.5-2 yr old Male Maroon-bellied conure named Kiwi (see introduction thread) and have some questions:

but first a little info:
I have trained animals in the past but for some reason Kiwi has been a lot harder to train.

I have have been trying to train him since he was 6 months old, but isn't cooperating.

He's in the living room, so it's not like he's lonely.

Now for the questions they're pretty common, but everything i've read doesn't work:

1. He's Very territorial and even when giving him a millet spray and changing food and water, He attacks me and won't stop until i'm a couple feet from his cage. Any way to stop this???

2. everytime i leave the room, he won't stop squaking until i'm in his sight again... i assume this is kind of like him not wanting to be lonely.
.
3. Any easy to make Toys that will amuse him for hours, if not days??? i've tried a kleenex box, that lasted a while, but then it got messy and my mom (im 15) made me get rid of it.

4. The age-old question, should I get his wings clipped??? they used to be clipped but then we kind of left them...

5. are bird leashes any good? I don't like him flying to far, and sometimes want him to stay on his play gym, so i was thinking of getting one for when he's out of his cage so i could watch where he goes...

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Welcome,

To address these point by point:

1) Is he just territorial about his cage? I take a bit of a different view from some people about this. You should be able to clean his cage and do what must be done, but we should not oppress our birds demanding they do everything our way in our time and on our terms. Their cage is their safe zone; it is their territory and we should respect that. So negotiate and compromise.

Auggie and I get along great, but I never go in his cage when he is in it, and there is a play box he has set up that I never go in PERIOD. It's his space. To clean his cage or fill/clean food and water dishes I let him out first.

If you let Kiwi out first can you then go into the cage for these things?

I would not blame a bird for attacking a hand that was coming into their cage while they had no where else to go.


2) PATIENCE is key. The main step here is to NEVER go back into his room until he is quite. This can be challenging, but it MUST be done. Something that can help though is that instead of just waiting for quite teach him something incompatible with screaming.

You could use a toy with a bell, or teach him a pleasant whistle. Every time he makes this acceptable sound you should come in, reward him, and let him out for a bit. Show him not only that screaming does not work, but also give him an acceptable way to ask for what he wants.

3) He's a conure. Nothing will last very long. I give Auggie lots of empty paper towel rolls and egg cartons. He shreds them quickly, then I toss them out and get new ones. There are a few sturdier toys you may find - but the best advise is to give him cheap shredable things (junk mail).

4) This really depends on your situation. There is no one right answer on clipping. If you told us a bit more about your set up and the daily routine we might be able to list some of the pros and cons that should be considered in making the decision. Given what you say in question 5 though I think it may be good to keep him clipped for now. Bear in mind I'm not even much of a fan of clipping, Auggie isn't clipped, but he's in a different situation.

5) There are a number of types of harnesses for birds. I have not had much luck with any of them. It takes time for the bird to accept them and be willing to wear them. I know there are many BAD (as in unsafe) harnesses out there, so if you go with a harness please check out the Aviator harness. There are also flight suits for birds, perhaps other members can comment on these - I have not tried them.

If Kiwi is clipped however he should be able to hang out on his perch without a leash.

 

[boabab95]

okay, thank you! he's more territorial of HIM, not just his cage, i let him decide, NEVER force him! if my hand goes near him, he kind of jumps at me, yet when my sister takes him out, he flies right to me and cuddles right up. and doesn't bite. It's wierd, maybe he just hit puberty lol.

 

[Iago]

I give Auggie lots of empty paper towel rolls and egg cartons.

Is this safe? I read (I think on here) that the glue/adhesive they use to keep the roll together is not good for birds and should be avoided. If this is not true then Iago has plenty! Oh, and there wouldn't be a diff between paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls, right?

 

[bogo1]

Hi,
Chiming in here. Re paper towel rolls, john paper rolls, etc, it depends on what the bird does with them. If your bird likes to eat the thing... avoid these... and egg cartons and... But honestly most conures are just into destruction. My girls can dismantle an egg crate in no time at all and deliver the mess in a glorious semi-circle around the red zone. But they don't suck on or eat the stuff at all... In fact feet are as much the weapons of choice as beaks. So I think you are okay if your bird is just enjoying the "I killed it...its dead" part and not into "I will eat its heart" part.

Okay, on your other issues. You are obviously experienced so if you are having a challenge I would suggest.
1) NEVER respond to a screech. (Unless there is a chance the bird is ill or has just landed in the toilet of course). I have worked with a bird with a serious screech problem (to be let out of the cage so used when people in the room) that had been exacerbated by his will meaning parront goingto raise the cage door like a good little Pavlov's dog. THIS IS CONTROVERSAL but I was able to solve the problem by covering the cage whenever screeching started and immediately whistling the whip-poor-will_ whistle.As soon as the bird stopped screeching I immediately uncovered. If the bird screeched, recover immediately and remove after thirty or forty seconds without screeching. Then, I would use the whistle any time the bird was just wondering where someone was... often starting the whistle myself. Over time the whistle became reassuring. Then, the bird (being clipped) was allowed out much of the time onto a play top. If screeching started, I would whistle back and it would usually stop. In the beginning, when it didn't, the bird would go back into cage and covered for the thirty or forty seconds necessary to stop the noise. The bird learned" out is fun! Out is a given if I don't screech. Screeching gets me in and in quiet time. If I am out and lonely, all I need to do is whistle and someone will whistle back. (Sometimes it was my old bird Sam whistling back but usually it was me. Hope this helps. Have to be consistent and very quick. The covering time should be only for a minute or so. As soon as forty seconds goes by without noise, uncover. Oh, finally, I agree with AG. My birds are fine with me reaching into their cage, but I have fostered ones that were not. When they aren't, it is usually about not having an escape route and the need to be big enough to scare off any danger. Honestly, I don't think they are keeping the loved parront out of the cage. They are keeping the threat out of the cage. I would let the bird out first before doing any cage detail work.

Good luck!