Help what is my bird doing? (video)

[mj21860]

Hey I got this pineapple gc conure a couple days ago and earlier today I opened the cage alittle to try and let him out and he flew out, then I tried catching him and he bit my finger really hard drawing blood.

Now a couple hours later when I approach him he does this funny dance Im thinking hes being territorial cuz hes in his cage but idk. Also how do I teach him to step up my gf has a conure and she seems alot sweeter than mine but maybe its because i just got him.

Anyway here is the video of him doing this thing:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXg7MXSUU7g&list=UUGhEp7KCRCoGtcVe1nFu2rA"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXg7MXSUU7g&list=UUGhEp7KCRCoGtcVe1nFu2rA[/ame]

 

[Superxdude]

you just got him, he needs time to settle down and adjust.

treats through the bars are a good start, not to mention just talk to him gently.

he will come around slowly.

 

[4dugnlee]

Was he tame and handled before you got him? If not you will have to work with him extremely slowly. He has to trust you first. If he was tame when you got him, then I would think that he's adjusting to him new home. Talk to him quietly and calmly. Give him time.

 

[mj21860]

so can anybody answer my question and tell me what he is doin in the video? You guy still have not answered my question...

 

[Selestine]

Here is a video of my sun conure doing the same thing to my eclectus that your bird is doing.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUkzysHYpkE&list=UUlsjmz-Y3FWRg0kgVV9K2mg"]Zephyr and Loki - YouTube[/ame]

I believe he is saying "get the H E double hockey sticks away from me".

He is not always going to tell you to get away. He just needs time to get settled in, get used to you and your house, his new surroundings, etc.

As Superxdude said, feeding him treats through the bars is a great way to help him get used to you. Sit near him and talk to him, read a book out loud, sing songs, etc.

Try getting a clicker (you can pick one up super cheap at any pet store). The basic premise of clicker training, if you don't know it already (sorry if you do), is that when the bird does something right you click and then give him a treat. Clicker training him is a great way to bond together and to help him become more social. You can "target train" him along with the clicker training. That is where you present a target to him (like a chopstick) and when he touches his beak to it (or just even reaches toward it, if he isn't interested in touching it) you click and treat. Once he has the hang of doing that, you can try moving the target a little bit away from him so he has to go to it to touch it.

You can use target training to lure him out of his cage, to teach him tricks in the future (follow the stick in a circle to turn around, touch the stick to an object you want him to pick up, etc). As the stick is not a human hand, he may feel more comfortable with that bit of distance between you while he is still getting used to his new life.

If he is, in fact, aggressive around his cage (but not otherwise) you could try teaching him to step up onto a stick instead of your hand from his cage. He might view that as less invasive.

You said he bit you pretty good while he was out of the cage, though, so I really think he just needs more time to get used to how things are.

 

[Ducatimom]

It kind of looks like what Ducati does when he gets in his "Mom I just can't even" moods. He does it a lot when I go to get him and he's ready for bed. His previous owner called it "rubber-necking". He still kind of does it during the day as well, which we are working on. He doesn't really bite anymore though. Boy he did when we first got him. Now he'll just push my finger away with his beak until he gives up fighting it and steps up, in which case he gets a treat.

So, long story short that's basically what he's telling you. "Just leave me alone right now". Like many people have said it's normal for brand new birds to do this until they learn to trust you. Don't try and make him step up right now or you'll get more bites on the finger. Hold a treat through the bars and let him come to you. When he gets comfortable with that start giving him treats with your hand inside the cage then work from there. Ducati was semi-hand tamed when we got him (he only knew step up and kisses). I however, had never had a bird and this was a huge part of us getting to know each other and start to form that bond. Now he gets mad if I leave his sight.

 

[mj21860]

okay awesome thanks for your response I will probably get a clicker because it will help me train him.

Today I was able to feed him sundflower seeds through the bars so thats a start. Glad you elaborated that he was in fact telling me to go away at first I just thought it was a funny dance or a mating dance.

 

[Ducatimom]

okay awesome thanks for your response I will probably get a clicker because it will help me train him.

Today I was able to feed him sundflower seeds through the bars so thats a start. Glad you elaborated that he was in fact telling me to go away at first I just thought it was a funny dance or a mating dance.

If he's taking them from you pretty confidently you should be able to open his cage and do the same thing inside the cage. Don't chase him with it. You want him to know your hand isn't a threat.

 

[goalerjones]

You are still a threat to his safety until he decides you're not.

 

[Ashleigh86]

That's definitely territorial! Like others said, he just needs to settle in for a while does anyone see their bird do this as a playful type of thing? When Indy is being silly she'll puff up and rubberneck at me lol and it looks like a "come at me bro" stance, but she's not being aggressive towards me at all..it's like she's trying to get attention lol

 

[ACE209]

Lol he's doing the "come at me bro"dance. My Geronimo still does this(work in progress). He will get used to you in time just be patient. Cute little guy though!

 

[Selestine]

Lol he's doing the "come at me bro"dance. My Geronimo still does this(work in progress). He will get used to you in time just be patient. Cute little guy though!

Hah, that's what I call it too.

 

[Birdman666]

It's a form of bluffing. He's poofing himself up to try and make himself look bigger... It's not territorial per se. To me, it indicates that your bird is still afraid of you. That's what this means. So comfort and taming at this point. He's not used to you yet.

I see your eckie was really impressed by a conure doing his big bird thing... (I'm picturing Eddie Murphy conure voice here) "You're getting too close bro, don't make me go big bird on you now..."

Didn't flinch. Didn't back down. Didn't respond. Just looked at him like "Really?! Are you serious..."

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Ha, the 'come at me, bro'. That's a funny way to put it. My birds never did that, but Georgie did something similar when I put a new toy in her cage. She puffed up, held her wings out a little, hissed and kind of 'charged' at it. Then after she showed it who was boss, she played with the toy. (She was not fond of new 'stuff' in her environment.)

 

[ACE209]

It's a good thing he does it, actually shows he's a confident bird.

 

[JosephN79]

Our conures would huddle in the top corner of the cage for like a week after we got them. I would just casually go by and say hello to them without invading their space. After a while they settled in. Now they don't let me leave the room without a fuss ... I have to tell them "stay" when I don't want them following me. They're cage is a few feet from my bed . . . They grumble at me when I lay down at night ... I can hear them making soft "clicking" noises at me in the dark, as if saying they're happy I'm near. But... when the sun comes up... they let me know! Lol