Help taming two parent raised conures.

[Janedeaux]

I brought my babies home sunday and they were progressing really well.
Mystic is about ten weeks old and gypsy is almost 11 weeks. Mystic was the most trusting, allowing some petting and step ups. Gypsy was a little bitey but not bad. She was just the most nervous. Thursday went so well though with both birds coming along and sitting close to me on the perch without flying off. Yesterday morning also went well. Then...
I don't know what happened other than they learned to fly really well. It seemed to coincide. The youngest was the sweetest, allowing petting and scratching and suddenly yesterday became bitey, verybitey and constantly flying to the ceiling fan and sitting there. I then have to get a perch and stool and get her back to her cage. Gypsy on the other hand has become sweeter and less bitey, and steps up consistently, and allows the most rubs. Should I have their wings clipped? Is the biting and flying to the ceiling fan about dominance? Gypsy always follows Mystic up there but does not fly there first. What can I do to get past the sudden blood drawing bites. She latches on and will not let go till shes nearly bitten through the side of my finger tip. I try so hard not to react except just saying no firmly and giving "the bad bird look". Help. I'm confused what steps to take. Leave her alone fir awhile or keep trying? Clip her or not?
This is not my first conure. But is my first time with two, un tamed, and un clipped.

 

[roxynoodle]

I think it's her way of saying she doesn't want to interact at that moment. Sometimes they just want time to themselves, especially if they are tired or hungry. I would just let them set the pace.

You can clip their wings if you want to while they are being tamed. When they molt, they will grow back.

 

[Luna]

Hi, We have no clipped birds but it might be a reasonable first step at least until the nex molt. I have allways found empathy to be a necessary tool in living with parrots. Try to approch handeling tham as you would accept living with a creature one or twohundred times your size. As far as biting or nipping some for comunication is necessary for excessive or damageing my wife recomends taking them to a quiet room and just spend some quiet time with you untill they understand you are trustable. This will work even if you have to towel them at first. I asume you understand the compexaties of two parrots of the same species. D.D.

 

[Janedeaux]

Well, its done. They are clipped. They seem even more scared now. But they aren't flying to the ceiling fan. I am going to leave them be for one more day. Yesterday, I put them on their playstand and sat them next to me all day while I worked. They didn't get off the play stand. Just sure and drank from there and played. Today I have errands so they will get a break from taming. I guess essentially, I am starting over since they seem even less friendly than the day I brought them home. But, I have patience and will use it!

 

[roxynoodle]

Patience is the key. Remember, parrots are essentially wild animals, not domesticated ones. And being parent raised these 2 have not bonded to people at all yet.

 

[Janedeaux]

Well, I gave them some time to get over it. I have taken them to their playstand and placed them near me for a couple of days while I've worked and Yesterday I was gone most of the day.
So, I took them off the cage this evening and took them to a different room. When i do this they instantly calm down and become less bitey and fearful and more trusting to me. The new and different room has suddenly become the more frightening of the two and I'm the comfort. Yay. So I let them step up on me and walk all over my arms and get used to the room. After about five minutes of this gypsy (the less fearful, lunging, bitey one) decided to climb on my shoulder which is what she was starting to do before I clipped her wings. I remembered that she had acted like she might like my hair so I took it down. She fell in love. Almost immediately she began rubbing her head through my hair, on my face, nibbling my eyebrow, crawling in my hair and snuggling, coming back out, kissing her sister, ect. She couldn't get enough of the hair and rubbing her cheek to my cheek. I let her do that for about 20 minutes. During that time, mystic continually tried to climb on my head. I'm thinking right now I should not let her do that. She has been the one from the beginning constantly needing to be at the highest place. So, she wasn't aggressive this whole time but definitely she is going to take more time. And this may sound crazy but I think gypsy was trying to get mystic to join her. It was almost as if she felt like she was betraying mystic by loving on me. She would walk over to mystic (a few steps on my shoulder) and nibble her but come right back to my neck, hair and cheek. So after this session, it was bedtime so I took them back to the cage. They fluttered to the top like always. They didn't become instantly aggressive, but noticeably less trusting. I stepped them up to their perch and put them inside. Started telling them night night and leaned over (from a stool) to see there reaction. Mystic hissed a tiny bit but not more than a second or two. Gypsy bobbed but then when I put a little of my hair onto the cage over them they began playing with it and being sweet again! So I covered them, turned lights off and said night night. Usually this night night is met with much hissing. Not tonight!
Hopefully with a few more hair sessions they will become trusting and maybe one day real cuddlers!

 

[roxynoodle]

It sounds like things are very promising. My conure also loves hair,and preening it. Men with facial hair really drive her wild, but she's such a horrible flirt with men anyway, lol!

Keep doing what you're doing. And yes, a strange room often does help.