getting her acquainted with snuggle hut + few other q's

[sunswimmer]

Hey all

(questions are below bird ramblings)

Dee, as I've decided to name her, (short for R2-D2 because of those cute adorable robot noises she keeps making when she is perched on my shirt or shoulder) .. is doing very well!

We are still in our first week together but I think we are getting along together quite nicely.
All she wants is attention! No texting or typing if she can help it. I have already socialized her with a few other humans. I don't know if this is too early at 4 months old, but she let children gently pet her so that's a win in my book.
She rarely rarely bites, and even then I wouldn't call it "biting" more of, I want to press down kind of hard on your fingers with my beak, tell me what you think. I will gently grab her beak when she does this and say no, then follow it up (usually) with a treat. This is positive reinforcement for.. what's the technique called? beak squeezing right? hope it works. she really isn't that bad about it either really, sometimes she just gets worked up about my delicious fingernails lol.

I am starting to get pretty good at keeping her entertained while she is out with me (and got some great ideas for when im away) so that is progressing nicely.

Here are my questions!
1. I got her a snuggle hut I'd like her to use. Here is how I rigged it up, it wasn't quite like this the first night (with the front branch there) but you more or less see what I'm going for. She, as far as I can tell, hasn't used it yet. I got her to look inside today though! She poked her head in. Hopefully she uses it tonight, but what is the best way to introduce this? I want her to sleep as snug as a bug in a rug, as far as I know she just perches for the night. Is this 100% accessible for her now?

2. What does this body language mean? I have been trying to read it much better, she does this a lot! I will do my best to describe it, and here is the best picture I can give for it. She puts just one wing out in front of her and stretches it a bit, sometimes she tucks her head into that wing too.

 

[Ann333]

The picture isn't working for me but try leaving a favorite treat inside the snuggle hut to convince her it is not there to harm her. Also I LOVE the name!! My conure sounds like a robot too, hehe.

 

[itchyfeet]

Don't stress too much if she doesn't take to it quickly, although it's my understanding of conures that they'll seek it naturally.
My IRN and 'tiel both have beautiful well made huts, and often sleep right next to them, snuggled into the side. I've seen the IRN in his once, and the tiel, who I've had for many years more, about 4 times. I know if they get cold enough they'll seek it out
Don't forget to keep a super close eye on it for loose threads etc.

 

[Mimsy01]

Can't see your pic. Foofanny loves to sleep in her hut. It took her a while to get used to it, probably about a month before she slept in it. She only likes them if they are yellow. She's fairly finicky about color in her cage though. She is very particular about her hut, she never poos in it and you will never see anything in it, not a dot of food or a stray feather, she cleans it constantly. She has one which she's had since we had her and it still looks brand new. The huts are not necessary, just many conures like them.

The pose you are talking about, Foo does when she is cleaning herself or going to bed at night sometimes.

 

[Kyoto]

Kyo usedd her hut immediately when I put it in. She is very good about new things, not a fearful bone in her little body. She's all curiosity

That said, I started to get worried about fibbers etc because I see her preen it occasionally. I kept an eye on how she was sleeping, and found that she often sleeps on the cage bars beside it rather than in it. That was my cue to opt for one of the models with a perch and no floor. I feel much better about leaving this in her cage, because the fleece it's made of doesn't come apart like the fibbers of the happy hut.

We now use the happy hut for cuddles outside the cage. I hold it for her and she runs in, sticks her head out and waits for scratches. Often she lays on her back during it.

 

[Shae26]

Bandit sleeps on the side of his cage snuggled up to his hut. I have it in the corner of his cage where he usually sleeps and he hangs on to the cage and rubs his face and body all over it and then falls asleep lmao. I've only ever seen him IN it once, he's usually either under it or cuddled up to the side of it