Help me tame abandoned Sun Conure?

[MonicaMc]

Jayde was a very nervous bird when I got her. She couldn't 'sit still', because if she wasn't moving with her feet then she was nervously preening herself. I didn't force her away from her cage at all. Instead, I wheeled the cage around the house so she could be with me without having to leave the safety of her cage. This led to putting a perch on the outside of the cage so she could come and sit down at my level.

Eventually, I was sitting on the ground next to her cage when she decided to climb down to investigate. Still being nervous, she would climb down, look at me, climb back up, come back down again, climb up a little ways, come back down, etc.... until she eventually made her way to my shoulder.

After that, she'd leave her cage if she could climb onto my shoulder. Fine by me! Whenever she'd start to get scared and needed the safety of her cage, I'd take her back. Sometimes she just wanted to touch the cage then climb back on me and other times she would stay at the cage. Entirely up to her!

Once we got good with her climbing onto my shoulder, I then worked with her climbing onto my arm. If it wasn't my shoulder, she didn't want to touch it! And would occasionally bite, too! Still, I managed to get her comfortable climbing onto my arm to get to my shoulder. Meanwhile, I was also trying to get her comfortable with my hand without biting it. She didn't have to step up, merely get comfortable with it. I'd give her scritches while putting my other hand near her feet. If she went to bite, I'd remove my hand and try again.

After she was getting ok at stepping onto my arm, I then worked at getting her to step onto my hand. She really didn't like that, either! She'd stretch as far as her little body could to grab the part of my body she was ok with touching just so she wouldn't have to touch the parts of my body she didn't want to touch! Whenever she stepped up onto my hand or arm, she would always make a mad dash to my shoulder!



Now she's comfortable enough to step up on my hand and her mad dashes aren't quite so mad now! LOL

 

[flightless]

Jayde was a very nervous bird when I got her. She couldn't 'sit still', because if she wasn't moving with her feet then she was nervously preening herself. I didn't force her away from her cage at all. Instead, I wheeled the cage around the house so she could be with me without having to leave the safety of her cage. This led to putting a perch on the outside of the cage so she could come and sit down at my level.

Eventually, I was sitting on the ground next to her cage when she decided to climb down to investigate. Still being nervous, she would climb down, look at me, climb back up, come back down again, climb up a little ways, come back down, etc.... until she eventually made her way to my shoulder.

After that, she'd leave her cage if she could climb onto my shoulder. Fine by me! Whenever she'd start to get scared and needed the safety of her cage, I'd take her back. Sometimes she just wanted to touch the cage then climb back on me and other times she would stay at the cage. Entirely up to her!

Once we got good with her climbing onto my shoulder, I then worked with her climbing onto my arm. If it wasn't my shoulder, she didn't want to touch it! And would occasionally bite, too! Still, I managed to get her comfortable climbing onto my arm to get to my shoulder. Meanwhile, I was also trying to get her comfortable with my hand without biting it. She didn't have to step up, merely get comfortable with it. I'd give her scritches while putting my other hand near her feet. If she went to bite, I'd remove my hand and try again.

After she was getting ok at stepping onto my arm, I then worked at getting her to step onto my hand. She really didn't like that, either! She'd stretch as far as her little body could to grab the part of my body she was ok with touching just so she wouldn't have to touch the parts of my body she didn't want to touch! Whenever she stepped up onto my hand or arm, she would always make a mad dash to my shoulder!



Now she's comfortable enough to step up on my hand and her mad dashes aren't quite so mad now! LOL

I have another question, this sun conure had a small scab on his head near his nostrils, it seems like he keeps picking at it and the feathers are coming off. It's not bleeding, but he scratches it, do you think he's okay?

 

[MonicaMc]

I think it depends on why the scab is there. If it's an injury, he may be ok, but if it's something else then he may need treatment. Also, it may depend on the size.

It wouldn't hurt to call an avian vet and ask. One may or may not be willing to give some advice over the phone.

 

[flightless]

I think it depends on why the scab is there. If it's an injury, he may be ok, but if it's something else then he may need treatment. Also, it may depend on the size.

It wouldn't hurt to call an avian vet and ask. One may or may not be willing to give some advice over the phone.

Honestly, I think it's from when he fell off the vehicle. The cage, though still perfectly fine, has some noticeable dings on it, my guess is that maybe the bird hit his head on one of the bars when he fell.

I think it's a simple injury, but he keeps rubbing on his stick so the feathers fall off.

 

[MonicaMc]

Charlie, my mitred, once rubbed the feathers off between his eyes and beak. It just made it appear as if his eyerings (the skin around his eyes) touched his beak without feathers. Since getting a smaller cage, he can no longer stick his beak so far between the cage bars and the feathers have grown back just fine.


An avian vet may want to give him antibiotics to either prevent infection, or if he has one, to get rid of the infection.... hence it being a good idea to call and ask, if not take him in.

 

[chippy]

Sounds like you're doing great with him! Thank you, as so many others have said, for taking him in and giving him a new home!

 

[flightless]

Sounds like you're doing great with him! Thank you, as so many others have said, for taking him in and giving him a new home!

He's really been tilting back and forth, sometimes he wants to come out when music is playing, but is constantly fighting his instinct to avoid humans at all cost lol

Charlie, my mitred, once rubbed the feathers off between his eyes and beak. It just made it appear as if his eyerings (the skin around his eyes) touched his beak without feathers. Since getting a smaller cage, he can no longer stick his beak so far between the cage bars and the feathers have grown back just fine.


An avian vet may want to give him antibiotics to either prevent infection, or if he has one, to get rid of the infection.... hence it being a good idea to call and ask, if not take him in.

Probably t be safe I should, it doesn't look infected or anything at least. He's almost been in quarantine for a month now so we're moving him to the main room. I don't let them play together, but my cockatiel keeps trying to go to the sun conure when he's out lol

 

[Aphios]

I am so glad you took him in. Keep us updated on how he is doing.