day 5 with my new conure

[champconure4]

This is day five with my new conure Charm. I purchased Charm from an older gentleman who said he couldn't give Charm the attention he deserves. Charm is 4 years old.

He is definatley getting used to us and the adjustment seems to be going well. He will not step up to my hand but if I stand next to the cage he will step up to my shoulder. I will take a quick tour around the house and bring him back to his cage I only let him stay there for a couple of minutes so that he knows he is safe and then back to his cage.

His cage is open all day long and he comes out all the time.

As far as his diet he seems to be eating well. I leave a bowl of seed and nut mix for him about half full, I also have a bowl of pellets about 20 at a time in the bowl, and of course fresh water bowl.

My questions is should I be leaving the food out for him all day or should i set up a routine for him and feeding times.

He loves peanuts and almonds as well as millet.

I wish he would step up to my hand but he just bites at it, then I blow on his face and walk away for a few minutes and when I come back he lowers his body and slightly opens his wings and stands at the end of his cage and will get on my shoulder.

I know he knows I want to pick him up. He just doesn't trust me enough.

I guess I should be happy with his progress. though as to date and it has only been 5 days he doesn't screetch all that badly at all. Not near what I though from what I read about conures.

Also I can't seem to give him a bath I put a small dish like bowl with warm water at the bottom of his cage and he won't go near it. Any ideas on bathing would be helpdul.

Sorry about the long post I am jsut happy to have Charm in my life and really want him to be more friendly with me.

 

[barw33zy]

Congrats on your new friend. You should give him food to have available all day, and offer selected fruits and veggies(mostly veggies) at times, but take them away after a few hours so they don't spoil. I find that having a separate cup for fresh foods works best for this. Also, if you are not feeding some sort of pellet you should start introducing it gradually until it becomes his/her primary food instead of seed mix. I feed my conure kaytee exact, with a small amount of seed mix and fruit and nut mix mixed in to have available all day. Make sure to research what fresh foods are safe for birds before you offer them.

My first parrot (r.i.p. but that's another story) was a rescue from the humane society and was not tame at all. I never did get him to accept my hand, but with time the shoulder and knee as well. Remember that Charm doesn't have hands or arms and they may be strange to him, he may even wonder why YOU don't have wings. Just take your time and do not blow on his face anymore, parrots don't really understand punishment, but they respond exceptionally well to praise if you are consistent with it. They also love attention, even bad attention, so when he does something you don't like the best "punishment" is to not respond at all. This is a difficult concept, but if your bird ever bites you, it is always your fault, because you have exceeded his boundaries in some way. Patience is key.

For bathing, try a clean sink with a slow trickle of warmish water. Do not use the shower because with too much water it may enter his nares. I made this mistake, followed by an emergency call to the vet and my poor conure vomiting out all the water. I felt terrible but he was ok and didn't need to be taken in. He will also most likely bathe in his water dish on occasion so change it a few times a day.

I hope this helps and most importantly, enjoy the company of your new companion! The more you put into the relationship, the more you will receive!

 

[Kern2012]

I think it is so sweet you are trying to be a good parent. You sound like me still to this day and I have had Coop for almost 9 months now! She is my everything! As far as the food I have food available for Cooper all day. Im in the process of getting her to a pellet diet. It has been about 2-3 weeks now. So I clean her bowls out in the am and I give her fresh pellets and fresh water. I also give her, her favorite treat a Labeber's Nutri- Berrier then later on through out the day I will give her some fruit and veg's and some other food I'm eating well at least see if she wants it, normal she runs from me! Second you could try misting him with a spray bottle real lightly. That might help him get use to the water. My sister's bird hates bath and the only way she can bath him is wrap him in a towel and soak the towel with water. But give your little love some time and he will turn into your best bud Good luck and hopes this helps! Keep us posted and would love to see pics

 

[erik7181]

Just remember parrots use there beak to feel and grab things he may be testing your hand which could be mistakeing for biteing. I just got a 6mo sun and he is not really nippy but still in the stage where he dosnt know he's beaking to hard. If he bites you can drop your finger in a downward motion and say no.
Put your finger on his lower body and say step up. Its all about patients. I would cut out the seed. Me personally I even try to limit the millet and I give it as a treat. Pellets in one bowl and fruits and vegies in anothor in the morning and at night which I remove after two hours to prevent spoiling. My sun is on a pelleted diet but I'm trying to transition him onto a diet called the ultimate blend which consist of pellets,dried fruit and vegies.

 

[ACEPHONECHIC]

I find for bathing usually they prefer not to use the dish in the cage but will do if they get desparate. In time you will get to read the sign of when they want one and what they want. Zak my sun he likes to sit on either the side of the sink or your hand and let the water trickle over his head. He will also jump in a dish.
The Green cheeks i have a shallow stainlees steel dish which they know gets filled if they want a bath and often will go towards it or the the tap if i am running it.
I fill it part way with luke warm water and they dive in almost immediately. Conures love bathing. Mine then jump on my shoulder and rub themselves on my long hair to dry. I then end up a bit wet but bare it as love them all.