I need a little help with my Sun Conure

[Jferrand526]

Hello everyone, it is nice to finally join a community with so many bird lovers. Talking about birds I need some help with mine. I have recently adopted a baby sun conure, he is about 5 1/2 months old. My friend had to move away and I took Tango the sun conure into my life because he had attached to me before.

When I had brought Tango home he was the sweetest little baby bird I’ve ever known. He loved cuddles and just hanging out and sleeping all day. He was amazing and still is. I love the little guy, I love him so much that I am protective of him but I fear his bite a little bit. Recently Tango has started biting hard to the point he will draw blood or bruise me.

About 2 weeks ago I had moved Tango’s cage from the living room to the office room because the living room can be very crowded sometimes and I live with my parents who come home late at night and disturb Tango’s sleep, hence why I moved him to the office room where he can rest a little easier.
Tango will yell in the morning for me to come get him, I usually rush into the room to get him once he has gotten a little more quiet, this works. I am just very concerned as to why he all of a sudden started biting. I had gotten him a big cage two days ago because the one i had for him was too small, this one is perfect, I also feed him Hookbill Cuisine which is a mixture of seeds and fruits. He has many different toys made out of wood and I tend to change them out, he also has a play perch ontop of his cage that has even more toys so he will not get bored.

Tango also lives in the office room with three of my other birds but Tango was my first, all of my birds I have been given in the last two months because I had 3 friends who had all given their birds away because they were moving out of state. Tango, Echo the yellow sided greencheek, Comet the pineapple greencheek, and Arrow the cockatiel are all my babies. They are all around the same age but Tango was my first and he spends the most time with me personally while the other three love to come out of their cages and play with their toys and perches.

Tango still loves kisses and cuddles but he will bite everything every second that he is sitting on my shoulder. I’m worried I have done something wrong and I just need some advice, any advice. I love Tango, I don’t want him to feel as if I don’t love him.

 

[MonicaMc]

If Tango is not getting a variety of fresh foods in his diet, then it's essential to make pellets a part of his diet.

The best way to teach a parrot not to bite is to not get bitten in the first place. So the question is, why is he biting? What happens before the bite? What happens during? What happens after? How can you change your approach to avoid bites? Learn to avoid situations that result in a bite. Learn to back off before a bite occurs. Also, learn how to redirect the bite into a more positive behavior.

 

[Jferrand526]

I open the cage to let him out, I reach for him because he spreads his wings and runs to me right away and he steps up willingly. While I’m holding him I do our usual routine which is walk to the living room and sit down with him for about an hour and watch tv then give him a bath if he wants one. Recently my sink has not been working and is getting replaced so he has not been able to take a bath in the sink which he really enjoyed. I can set him down on the arm of the chair and he usually loves to just sit there but recently he runs over and delivers a bit to my arm or at the skin inbetween my pointing finger and thumb. When he bites me when i’m holding him I usually don’t say anything, just put him down and turn my back to him for a few minutes while he is on the stand. Recently though, he has started holding on to my skin and not letting go, he peels it off, so when he does this I set him back down and turn my back again and he will scream for me to pick him up but I wait for about 10 minutes and when he is quiet I pick him back up and hold him.

When I pick him back up after setting him in a time out, I usually give him a treat a minute in without him biting me. I also don’t know if he was attached to the old cage he had, because this has been happening ever since I changed his cage and also when the sink broke. He never lunges at my finger or my hand.

I’m sorry if the timeout thing was the wrong thing to do. I’ve been told to do this by many sun conure owners and this is my first time owning a sun conure, I know my friend who had given Tango to me worked with him a little bit but not that much.

 

[clark_conure]

he proper time out method is to get up. Put your bird on the floor or someplace he doesn't want to be and walk away. Not on his cage or playstand. Leave him alone on the floor and make him come back to you.... He has to understand his bite has gotten him "shunned" by his flock.

No playstand or arm of chair or top of cage, but the floor; or some other place he won't want to go, BUT can leave and come back to you from. Once he comes back he will be much sweeter.

It will probably take a few episodes, but after that he will figure out that a bite equals no fun...and separation. And the long walk back makes it sink in and gives him time for the excitement to calm down.

OH also verbal queues, say NO in an authoritative voice as you move him to the floor.

 

[Terry57]

It sounds like Tango may be reacting to all the changes in a short period of time. If so, hopefully he will settle in now that things are set for him, and he can get back into a routine.
We use time outs for our birds, but not on the floor as most of ours love to be on the floor and we try to discourage that.
I agree about adding fresh veggies to his diet, they are so beneficial to their health.
Here is a wonderful thread with tips on converting him to a healthier diet:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/23367-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

This is a great thread for bonding/building trust:
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Best of luck to you!

 

[clark_conure]

Well like terry said if the floor isn't something then some piece of furniture, 'away' from you and other family members....he has to make the journey back thinking about why he has to in the first place. Even if he can fly, he has to fly back to you...you are the alpha and no biting aloud.

 

[Jferrand526]

Thank you so much Clark and Terry. I will try this today! Thank you very much for the article as well I’m going to get to reading that as soon as today as well. I now see what I was doing wrong when I do put him on the floor. I come to him instead of letting him come to me. I can withstand his bite for now and even if I couldn’t I would love to work with him to resolve his biting issue. He is only 5 1/2 months old, him and I still have a long way to go in our relationship and I have a long way to go in learning all about my birds. Thank you so much for the great advice, I really appreciate it!

 

[clark_conure]

Going well so far? should have had some progress in the last two days.

 

[Jferrand526]

Yes Tango and I have made some really great progress. He bites less now, when he does it is soft, very soft to the point where I don’t feel it anymore. Thank you for all of the great advice

 

[LordTriggs]

sounds like Tango is doing pretty well. An idea as to the why of the bites it could be like Terry said the sudden change but it could be boredom, maybe take a little toy for him to play with whilst you're there like a little ball or a piece of wood, could be an idea to keep him entertained

 

[nhilton1295]

Hello everyone, it is nice to finally join a community with so many bird lovers. Talking about birds I need some help with mine. I have recently adopted a baby sun conure, he is about 5 1/2 months old. My friend had to move away and I took Tango the sun conure into my life because he had attached to me before.

When I had brought Tango home he was the sweetest little baby bird I’ve ever known. He loved cuddles and just hanging out and sleeping all day. He was amazing and still is. I love the little guy, I love him so much that I am protective of him but I fear his bite a little bit. Recently Tango has started biting hard to the point he will draw blood or bruise me.

About 2 weeks ago I had moved Tango’s cage from the living room to the office room because the living room can be very crowded sometimes and I live with my parents who come home late at night and disturb Tango’s sleep, hence why I moved him to the office room where he can rest a little easier.
Tango will yell in the morning for me to come get him, I usually rush into the room to get him once he has gotten a little more quiet, this works. I am just very concerned as to why he all of a sudden started biting. I had gotten him a big cage two days ago because the one i had for him was too small, this one is perfect, I also feed him Hookbill Cuisine which is a mixture of seeds and fruits. He has many different toys made out of wood and I tend to change them out, he also has a play perch ontop of his cage that has even more toys so he will not get bored.

Tango also lives in the office room with three of my other birds but Tango was my first, all of my birds I have been given in the last two months because I had 3 friends who had all given their birds away because they were moving out of state. Tango, Echo the yellow sided greencheek, Comet the pineapple greencheek, and Arrow the cockatiel are all my babies. They are all around the same age but Tango was my first and he spends the most time with me personally while the other three love to come out of their cages and play with their toys and perches.

Tango still loves kisses and cuddles but he will bite everything every second that he is sitting on my shoulder. I’m worried I have done something wrong and I just need some advice, any advice. I love Tango, I don’t want him to feel as if I don’t love him.

Hello and welcome! I recently purchased a Green Cheek Conure and had the same issues. Birds will typically go through a "honeymoon" phase when you first bring them into a new home - they will be super sweet, give soft nibbles, sleep all day, etc. Once they get more comfortable with their new surroundings after a few days, they will go back to their normal behavior.

First and foremost, although we all love our fluffy companions, being allowed on your shoulder is absolutely an EARNED privilege. Tango will need to prove himself to you, and earn his way to your shoulder. This will take lots of time and patience.

Tango is most likely not biting out of aggression. Conures are generally very nibbly birds, and love to explore everything with their beaks. The challenge you'll have to overcome is teaching Tango how hard of a nibble is TOO hard. For me and my GCC (Zelda), I

1. Completely stopped letting her nibble on me (or would only allow it for a brief moment).
2. Made her lose her balance every time she DID bite/nibble too hard - birds to NOT like losing their balance, so you can just tip your hand to the side a bit, or maybe upside down to make him flutter to the ground (if their wings are clipped).
3. Would place her on the floor if she bit too hard. They do not like being low to the ground. Tango will automatically feel the need to come back to you (and will most likely fix his attitude/realize that what he did wasn't appropriate).
4. Left the room if she bit too hard - she hates being alone. In nature, if a bird bites on of its own, they are shunned.
5. Gave her treats each time she DID nibble SOFTLY.
6. Had toys or food with me when I held her at all times, to avoid being the victim of the bite.

All of these have worked very well for me and Zelda. Tango will need to learn that his nibbles can't always be hard, and that biting is unacceptable.

Once again, being on a shoulder is an earned privilege. I still have yet to place my Zelda on my shoulder because she's still learning.

Be aware that owning a bird means that there will likely always be a bite her and there, bit there are definitely ways to train your companion to be more gentle.

You should check out some articles on "pressure biting".

Also, try laying out a few different types of treats. See which one Tango goes for first. Whichever one he seems to enjoy most, use that as his main treat for when he nibbles SOFTLY.

Good luck!

 

[Jferrand526]

Thank you for that great advice! I was talking to someone else the other day telling me of the toys I can make! I’m really thinking of creating some tomorrow. Although Tango has calmed down quite a bit. The only thing I can’t figure out is if he is really a sun conure or a jenday conure because they look so much alike when young

 

[Jferrand526]

Also thank you Nhilton1295 I really appreciate all of the great advice. Tango and I have been working a lot together. He has learned a little bit what it means to bite too hard, whenever he has bit me too hard I put him down and walk away, he will follow me wherever I go and I am very careful not to hurt him, I usually do this when no one is around to bother him and I. Recently Tango has been held by many people in the house and instead of hearing “He is evil” I’ve been hearing “Tango is so sweat. What did you do? He doesn’t bite anymore.”

The only time Tango will bite really hard and I will put him down now is after its his bedtime and I’m getting everyone ready for bed and cleaning the room.

 

[clark_conure]

Clark sometimes nibbles, well we really kinda fight and bicker like an old married couple and he will grab and earlobe, but never hard....thats how we know we are in love.

 

[Jferrand526]

I totally understand how you and Clark feel. My relationship with Tango has always been that way. Ever since I got him, we just sorta clicked. I would honestly love another sun conure but I want to wait till I get my own house within the next 10 years. I would love a large bird but sadly I don’t have the money right now or the space.