Flying has made them detatched from me.

[ConureCrazy]

About 2 weeks ago, Bella and Zora started flying, never staying still, always in the air. They never willingly spend any time with me. If I have a treat, they just land on my head, grab a bite, and go. They just stay paired together, preening or peeping on top of my cupboard. They just sit their and watch the living room and kitchen area. When they're in their cage, they just sit looking all depressed, not playing with ONE toy. All they want to do is fly. They won't even step up any more. They think I'm trying to put them back in their cage (I believe) and just fly away where I can't reach them. In all honestly, it takes me at least 25-30 minutes to put them to bed. They just fly laps and land in different high places around my kitchen/living room/hallway area. They don't want to play any more, or interact with anyone,

I'm just thinking if I clipped them, they may become 'tamer', but there is the possibility they'll hate me for clipping them. But they can always grow the feathers out.....

I'm not sure. It just feels like, at times, I have 2 aviary birds living in my house. I guess I miss the social, cuddly them.

 

[MonicaMc]

Have you ever tried clicker training with them and teaching them different behaviors?

With training, you can teach them to fly to you as well as to their cage when it's bed time.

 

[ConureCrazy]

Have you ever tried clicker training with them and teaching them different behaviors?

With training, you can teach them to fly to you as well as to their cage when it's bed time.

I have, but they never held attention. Once they saw they couldn't just grab the treat, they'd fly back to their lookout up on top of the cupboards. Even the tricks I taught them when they were clipped they won't perform. No matter how great the treat is, they just give up. Zora seems a bit interested though. Bella could care less. They've just cut out all human interaction with me or anyone else.

 

[MonicaMc]

Would they do something as simple as turning around in a circle for the treat, and following it? Once they turn in a circle, they immediately get it?

 

[weco]

How old are these two? If you want to train them, you will need to keep them away from each other & away from Oliver during training sessions. You need to be one-on-one with them.....actually training in a room they usually don't go into would be best, because they may not feel as comfortable there as in a more familiar room & their attention will be more focused.....

Since you're having trouble catching them, stick a flashlight in your pocket, turn out all the lights, use the flashlight...just on & off...to verify where they are, grab one, put him/her in their cage & go get the other one.....when you grab them, talk to them so they don't think a monster has grabbed them.

Since they have assumed an air of independence, I would go ahead & clip their wings...or...since you're concerned about them holding it against you, have someone else clip them.....

 

[ConureCrazy]

How old are these two? If you want to train them, you will need to keep them away from each other & away from Oliver during training sessions. You need to be one-on-one with them.....actually training in a room they usually don't go into would be best, because they may not feel as comfortable there as in a more familiar room & their attention will be more focused.....

Since you're having trouble catching them, stick a flashlight in your pocket, turn out all the lights, use the flashlight...just on & off...to verify where they are, grab one, put him/her in their cage & go get the other one.....when you grab them, talk to them so they don't think a monster has grabbed them.

Since they have assumed an air of independence, I would go ahead & clip their wings...or...since you're concerned about them holding it against you, have someone else clip them.....

They're turning 1 on Feb. 21st.

I've never thought of training them in a different room! I think that would be a great idea. When they were clipped, I would train them one on one too.

I have actually dimmed the lights, and it helped a lot, until 2 days ago they flew into the dining room area through the hallway. But at the time the lights were on there, they probably just followed the light. I guess I'll have to turn off all lights in sight. Still takes a while though. They don't fly this way, but they bite, out of fear. But then I soothe them with my voice, and they finally settle down.

I'm also considering clipping their wings more and more. I'll sleep on it for a while...

 

[Featheredsamurai]

What is there diet? If they have something they really like in their daily diet completely remove it and only use it as a treat. That's what I do with cockatiels and millet spray.

 

[ConureCrazy]

Their absolute favorite thing is any 100 percent fruit juice. I usually just use millet though, because I think juice has too much sugar to be used often. (Does it??? I wasn't sure.) Millet is the next best thing though! They just dont want to work hard for it. I'll try the simplest possible clicker training tomorrow, they're in bed right now, finally.

 

[weco]

At a year old, think 2yo child, sitting in a high chair, not wanting to eat what's being offered.....you try to cajole the child into eating, but mouth closes up tight, head turns, hands push food away. You can continue to chase them around, while you try training them...or...you can clip them, short stop their mobility, making them more dependent on you & thus more receptive to training, which should be finished by their next moult, at which time you can try letting them remain flighted or again clip their wings. It's not a non-reversible procedure & while they may pout for a few days or so, the change in their attitude is an almost about face.....

Giving them partial light is not going to stop them, as you have found out. When you're ready to cage them, start turning out lights the furthest away, until you get to where they are.....if there are outside lights that would back-light you moving around, you'll need to close drapes & blinds.

As long as they are flighted they have each other for support, but limit their mobility & I'm pretty sure you'll find they still remember how to step-up.....

When you grab them, you need to use your thumb & forefinger, with a slight upward pressure...using your thumb...under the beak.....this will allow you to control their beak & their ability to bite.....just be careful not to squeeze their throat. If Oliver is easily handled, you could practice on him.....

 

[ConureCrazy]

Oh yeah, the grab I've done when giving medicine. Once I have them they don't flap, just sit. The hard part is getting them in your hands. I may give them a light clip, which will grow out this coming summer, which I think is good amount of time to test it out. Just clipping enough so they can't fly laps and such.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm with weco on this one! I completely agree with the methods that was mentioned. I know it's a debatable issue but it has worked for me. Sure I have trained birds without clipping but certain ones, especially pairs is very hard to do without clipping. By their next molt allow them to grow back and see how they react.

 

[MeganMango]

A clip isnt forever, we fully intend to let our Mango fly, but not until I know he will come when he is called. Maybe work on this first?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Have you tried touch training? it's very simple and effective. I completly tamed a young untame cockatiel in less then a week with this method, and used it with Rosie to teach her how to use a clicker.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlcdRa5j-x0"]video on touch training[/ame]

 

[MonicaMc]

It would probably be a good idea to do training with them first thing in the morning before they've eaten... maybe in this way, they'll pay attention to you long enough to actually do something?

 

[ConureCrazy]

I think I will do a light clip. Their next molt will be in early summer, so the feathers will grow in if for some reason it doesn't work out. I'll try clicker training, then if they still continue to ignore everything, I'll clip them lightly, but I may anyway, to test it out.

P.S. , weco, I've agreed with very word you've said so far.

 

[Akraya]

Perhaps just clip a couple of feathers, my boys have 3 feathers clipped and they still zoom around (bit too fast so might do another feather or two) I haven't noticed any animosity for clipping from my birds, have other people had issues?

 

[MonicaMc]

I was able to get 5 adult, untame budgies to fly to my hand every day for food. I was able to get them to not only come to me while inside their cage, but also to fly out of their cage and to my hand.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUx81WHTUwk]1 Bird in hand Leads to Many - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSm4uFZzVU]More Budgies!!!! - YouTube[/ame]


Which led to a semi-tame cockatiel that hadn't been handled in years to demand the same behavior. She was hesitant at first, but eventually warmed up to the idea so well that she flew to me with confidence.


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q88bN30qOjo]Sunshine in the Morning - YouTube[/ame]


Which led to another cockatiel that's *not* tame wanting that same interaction.


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9w9w8nMRmw]Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]


And she, too, became confident in flying to me.


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9ZWxhCSAE]Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]


Which led to another semi-tame(?) cockatiel (first tiel in video to fly to my hand) and an extremely skittish cockatiel (second tiel to fly to my hand that scares the first one off) that has been known to fly off if there is any movement made towards him... they were coming to me.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKmHswgiHs]Cockatiel Feeding - April 24th - YouTube[/ame]




Sure, they aren't conures, but they are flighted. If I can do it with several birds, I believe you can also do it with your conures!

 

[weco]

Unless you are planning to clip them several times....."let's see if this works" trial & error style, clip the first 5 feathers on each wing. Green cheeks are strong fliers & they are young birds.....

If you don't restrict them the first time, they will resent the additional clipping that you will need to do to slow down their mobility so that you can work with them...while others may have had success with what they did with their birds, there is no guarantee that the same will work in your situation.....your's are not the same birds as those mentioned by others, your surroundings & environments are different, you have two birds that are bonded or at least very supportive of each other & neither of these birds are bonded with you and as long as they are treated well & not abused, their wing clip will be little more than you taking a toy away from a child, who is using the toy other than it should be used.....

 

[weco]

I will acknowledge that that you have probably done that, but budgies are not conures. I also have had the opportunity to hand tame 4 sibling conures. They were 4 sun conures from two succeeding clutches, left with their parents & never hand tamed. They were 18 & 24 mo (two of each).

My schedule was such that I did not have the luxury of an everyday training session with each bird, let alone more than about 30 minutes each. It took about a year to finally get them to step-up without argument, but I was happy with that.....the training was on their terms, based on my rules, so I think everybody ended up happy.

 

[MeganMango]

Mango only has a couple of inches taken off about 5 feathers. He still gets about 3 feet of air, and flies from chair to table etc. He glides down to things pretty easily, and he can still escape getting caught if he wants to