How to tame my BC conure/loss of trust?

[WillowAndGingko]

I have had my black capped conure Ginkgo for almost a month and a half and he's settled in and is getting along great with my budgie but is still scared of me and my hands. I talk to him sometimes and let him out of the cage for a couple hours everyday, he has toys and has been using those. How long does it take for a conure to like you? I also spend a lot of time in the room that he lives in so he's around me a lot.

I know this is bad and I've stopped now but I have been picking my bird up when he's unwilling. I would usually grab my bird to put him back in the cage at night and to "get him used to handling" but it hasn't really helped. When I walk near the cage or put my hand near him he usually moves to get away. Have I permanently lost his trust or is there a way to get him to like me? I've gotten him to eat millet out of my hands several times before but he is often very reluctant to do so.

By the way Gingko is about 6-8 months old.

 

[Laurasea]

Yes you can absolutely earn back trust.
I once years ago was forcing my GCC into a flight harness......i lost her trust rightly so, and i earned it back.

You want to positively shape the brain to move towards you. Shaping behavior take place in little micro steps, and you use your burds behavior and body language as feed back . You are teaching your burd to associate good things with you.

Sometimes it helps to pretend you are starting over and this is tge first day you brought your bird home. I use safflower seeds as my bribe. If your bird will already take treats from you by hand then you will give them that way, if not set up a small treat only dish, I like to have a treat dish on top of the cage too. Ok so you say hello Ginko , and walk up to the cage give the treat , say good birdie( pick a phrase abd always use, can be good boy or girl. ) when treat is in birds mouth then walk away. This is teaching the bird that good things happen when he see you, and that good birdie abd treat go together. Everything you give a treat and he picks it up you say good birdie, this positive association helps because when ever you say good birdie they understand its praise and can come with treats.

So with this starting over it seems like a simple thing and not worth your time, but it is hugely important to get tge burd associate you with good things. And its tge first little step in shaping behavior. So i would do the walk up and say hi give treat abd say good birdie and walk away, then come back and repeat a few minutes later 3-5 times. Then give him a break and sit next to the cage sideways it best and 2 feet away or so , you don't want to just be staring right at him and in his face like a predators. And talk to him, read your texts outlook to him , observe him abd just be near him so he can observe you to , without it being rushed. If he is hanging out near you and seems relaxed, offer him a seed every five min or so skways say good birdie when he takes.

Repeat the hello and treats session five times a day.

Hopefully very quickly he will be moving towards you evey time he sees you , because he now thi ks treats and goid things when he sees you. Its very important to do this as it helps reshape his thinking about you.

I still take time to hand feed treats and just say hello to my birds at least once a day .

Once he always comes right to you for the treat, after at least a few days of this,. You have to get better at reading his body language, of having patience, not rushing, abd teach him he can trust you, he can always trust you. And fir times when you bump a pin feathwr or accidentally spook him , say your sorry. Burds serm to understand an apology.

One of tge next thing's s I do is to have them comes towards me for the treat, which has already been happening somewhat, now expand on that by having them follow you a couple of steps before getting the treat, really Ike only two steps at first. This is teaching their mind to move towards you for positive reward. You can open the cage stand by tge trest dush on top and say come hear , show the treat and put in the treat dish. When tgey get to the dish be sure and say good burd as they take the treat.

If back at the beginning the bird is to fearful to take treats by hand, then at first use a treat dish, then transfer to by hands after a few days.

 

[Laurasea]

Hi I wrote a lengthy reply and it wasn't before posting... dang it oh now I see it posted lol!
Anyway yes you can repair your relationship and I will write more later
This is a fantastic article, it covers so much , well worth a read

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

Excerpt from above article
" Soothing Rituals
Create rituals and predictability in every way possible. Parrots love routines because they appear to enjoy being able to anticipate what is going to happen next. The issue of predictability is closely related with their innate need as prey animals to feel safe"

" One way to do this is to develop a flock language. Say the same things to him at appropriate times. When you feed him, “Are you hungry?” When you give him water, “Do you want some fresh water?” When you leave, “Bye-bye… I’ll be right back.” The more you talk to him in context about predictable happenings, the more secure he will feel. If he hears a noise that startles him, label it for him and reassure him: “That was just the gardeners! Bad gardeners! But you’re okay.”

Rituals are created between owner and bird as a sort of social duet that forms over time. Bedtime rituals can be especially reassuring."

Well your topic has resonated with many visitors, you hsve had 50 views already, so there are probably many people in the same situation.

I can add that 2 hours out of cage time need to be increased. I'd say aim for 5 hours, this doesn't hsve to be all hands on time, some if tge time can be passive near you time as you do chores, make meals ect. The goal is to incorporate the bird into all aspects to of your life, and use the cage for sleeping, for safety if you need to go in and out the door , or other times the cage is tge safe spot.

Parrots are intensly social, in the wold tget would never be alone. Morning is aldo a very important time for burds. They need the reassurance that tge flock survived the night , to reaffirm bonds. Take the time to properly grest your bird each morning, get them out of the cage and share breakfast with them, if you have to get up earlier in tge morning to do this then do it. Make the effort to commit and honor this parrot person friendship, morning is very important.

It can be worth it to print out the replies you get and the linked articles. So the information is easier to read, abd can be referred back to.

Are you a student?

 

[WillowAndGingko]

Thank you for all of your wonderful advice! I think I'm going to try the restarting method. Also the 2 hours of out of cage time is usually a minimum, I spend a lot of time in my room and usually have my birds cages open whenever I am home, except for when its bed time.. I am a college student (living at home) but a lot of my classes are remote so I can be with them even during class. But, when I do leave it is usually only for a few hours a day.

 

[Laurasea]

Hi,
If your burd is always living in your bedroom. He needs more. There are many new cool burd carriers to take him on walks, on car rides.
Rolling or taki g his cafe outside, well secured, I secure tge bottom tray as well as all tge doors with zip ties, and don't put tge cafe in full sun, a light shade or full shade abd stay with tge cage at all times. Even doing thus 15 min a day has an impact t on their well being, mood, and even in shade they hsve a gland in their eye that asir s vitamin D abd tgeur preen oil converts to useable vitamin D. It makes my burdsso happy to go outside, their feathers become more vibrant.
Always staring at tge same 4 walls gets old.

 

[Kaytana22]

I saw this cute bird backpack on an ad once hehe was pretty cool

 

[noodles123]

Don't touch your bird to get him used to it unless your bird initiates. Look for positive/approving body language rather than fear/stress signs (as you have already pushed too far at that point)


Please see my replies on this thread and watch the videos: http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/89733-new-parront-here-biting.html


Also see my replies on this post: http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/90281-ok.html


other tips for building trust : http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html


You also must consider the major role hormones play in creating fear, anxiety and behavior-- You still have to build trust and start back at square one, but rebuilding trust will be much easier if you eliminate hormonal issues (which can impact overall health, behavior and emotional well-being). The following steps to reduce problematic hormones must be followed:

Boxes/hampers (or any shadowy spaces) will only encourage hormonal issues (even if they can't fit inside, if they can get their head into a darker space that is all it takes---so those coconuts with holes in them= no good if they can look inside...same with huts, hammocks, tents, and access to places with blankets, under furniture, in cabinets, in low shelving etc etc,.. Remove access--- they do not need a special place to sleep and while they always like these shadowy places, it is a nesting instinct that you want to discourage....this applies to single birds or birds in pairs/a group. If you have shadowy spaces in the cage now, remove them BUT NOT when the bird is watching you....They may be upset at first, because they like them (even though they are unhealthy). You don't want to be associated with the removal, but you do want to remove them to make sure you are working with a non-hormonally triggered bird.
You should not be allowing access to things like low-ledges, drawers, boxes, nooks etc..piles of paper, bedding, couches etc all can trigger nesting instincts as well.

Also, make sure you pet on the head and neck only. Contact outside of these areas is a hormonal trigger and can lead to behavior issues and encourage breeding in pairs, but also sexually frustrate single parrots.
Avoid feeding the adults warm/mushy foods, as this is another trigger (they mimic regurgitation)
Ensure that your birds get a minimum of 10 hours sleep nightly, in a dark/quiet space on a set schedule (just like a kid has a bedtime and wake-up). This is essential for regulating breeding cycles, hormones, behavior and immune health.

***NEVER** partially cover the cage unless your bird is dealing with a medical issue (such as shock) or in the event of transport panic. Also, do not use cages with solid tops. For an indoor bird, you want full daylight on all sides of the cage until lights out, at which point you may cover the cage. If you choose not to cover the cage at night, you will need blackout curtains in the room, as you do not want them to see a visible difference between their cage darkness and the rest of the room.
^The advice above also applies to single birds and should be followed whether or not the bird has ever laid an egg.

 

[Ria.345]

Hello!
It seems like your intentions are good with you wanting to tame your bird. However, there are some things you can work on during this taming process. This doesn't just go for black capped conures, but can also apply to many other parrot species because of their similar behavior patterns and body language signals.

You mentioned that your new bird has settled in for a month and a half. To me at least and to many other parrot owners, new or old, that time span is way too short for a new bird to be used to their person, maybe even their new environment. Since you also did mention that he is getting settled into his new home, we don't have to worry about that anymore. If he is eating, playing, and sleeping well, those are good signs. We at least know that there are most likley no health barriers to this whole taming process, because otherwise that would have to be addressed first.

To directly answer your question on how long it takes for a bird to like you or get used to you, the answer to that is simple but complex. It takes time. And it may be frustrating to us and a little scary too, but the truth is some birds will be willing to interact with us immediately, and some may be too scared to even be touched by us. It makes sense because they are prey animals and we are big human beings that are unfamiliar to them and they do not know our temperament. To them, we are basically a threat and trust must be earned. That trust eventually leads to a bond. That bond is so desirable and feels great, but it takes time, and lots of it, to get there. Sometimes it can be as little as weeks or as much as months to years in fact of building complete trust and bonds with our birds. It all just depends on their personality, and sometimes it's important to consider their past experiences with humans or whether they were hand raised or not.

Now you also mentioned that you picked up your bird and forced an interaction with him despite his unwillingness to cooperate. Even though again, the intention was good, it isn't something you want to continue doing. If you only did it once, try to refrain from doing it again since you did say that now he seems more scared of you and your hands. It's best to go at the bird's pace, and only the bird's pace when it comes to trust building and taming. It's crucial to be able to read a bird's body language whenever possible. If you see signs such as reluctancy either through moving away from you or not taking treats from you or etc, then leave him be and try again later. Maybe start slow, perhaps with some target training.

You also asked whether you lost trust with your new bird. The answer to that is I don't think so. The trust was not necessarily reallt there or established to begin with. Instead, you simply moved a couple steps back from where you wanted the trust to be. So I would simply start again if I were you and see if we can make progress from there. It may be a little more delayed now because your bird now associated your hands with "grabbing" or making him do things he doesn't want to do. So just take things slow.

Some tips are to continue doing what you were doing before. Sit near his cage, let him come out on his own, let him explore his surroundings more, allow him to come to you, give him treats every time you walk near his cage so he associates you with positive things only. But also, read his body language and give him space when you feel he needs it.

Good luck, love. And have a great day!