Meeting Conures

[kookiefool]

I'm hoping i can get some advice here. I will be visiting and staying a few days with my sister, who has two sun conures, both of which she's had for a few years. I have not been at her house since she has gotten the birds. My understanding is they are quite difficult. They screech and bite and attack. They will even attack my brother-in-law.

I'm fairly good with animals and training, but only with cats and dogs, never birds, but I said I'd do some research for her and perhaps be able to help her begin to train the birds to be easier to live with. As it is, she can't even talk on the phone without the birds becoming very jealous and screeching, attacking, biting and trying to get her attention. I do think they are let out of the cage fairly often, and that one needs some type of daily medication.

If needed, I will find out the specifics of that, and if they are kept in the same or separate cages later today. I do know they have their own room.

My first question is about the best way to first approach the birds, how long to wait, if I should at all, etc. I would like to start out with the best possible playing field and relationship with them and gain their trust, not scare them. I'm assuming they will be in the cage at the time.

After that, once I see their behavior issues in person, I would like to come back here and ask for advice on how to show my sister how to start training her birds.

She's begun talking about giving them to a shelter because they've become so difficult to handle, and I'd like to try to avoid that because I know she loves them and would rather keep them. My brother-in-law is getting close to his wits end though. He can't even come into the room when the birds are with my sister or the birds will go berserk.

If this helps, they got the birds while together so it was not a case of him entering the picture after my sister already had them.

So, advice for the introduction and any other suggestions or ideas or information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[mtdoramike]

Mistake. People get two of any species of birds and they automatically put them in the same cage together. What happens is the two birds will either hate one another and try and kill each orther or they will form a bond. If they form a bond, which is usually the case when you put two birds together and they become aggressive towards you.

If they are in the same cage, SPLIT THEM UP or you will not be able to manage them. That is unless you want to breed them. Sun Conures are beautiful birds, but unless they have been trained from an early age, they can get aggressive. Sun Conures are also notorious for being LOUD. I hope you are prepared for that. Because if you split them up into seperate cages when they have been used to being housed together, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

Mistake, Mistake, Mistake. People get two of any species of birds and they automatically put them in the same cage together. What happens is the two birds will either hate one another and try and kill each orther or they will form a bond. If they form a bond, which is usually the case when you put two birds together and they become aggressive towards you.

If they are in the same cage, SPLIT THEM UP or you will not be able to manage them. That is unless you want to breed them. Sun Conures are beautiful birds, but unless they have been trained from an early age, they can get aggressive. Sun Conures are also notorious for being LOUD. I hope you are prepared for that. Because if you split them up into seperate cages when they have been used to being housed together, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

Kind of harsh don't you think? This person is really trying to help his or her sister by coming here for advice. Yes she might have made these mistakes but i'm sure advice would be better taken in a nicer way? It's really hard to tell tone from text. I'm sure you don't mean to be "harsh" but the first 3 words "Mistake, Mistake, Mistake." Sort of put me off, hope OP doesn't feel the same.

Just had to put this out there, we all start from the bottom and work our way up, we were all beginners at one point (I still am).

 

[kookiefool]

Hi all, and thank you, PrettyInInk, for coming to my defense.

I'm not that easily put off. I understand some people are very passionate about animals. I am myself. Dogs and cats (am I allowed to say that word here? :52 are more my area of knowledge, and it frustrates me when I see people take on the responsibility of pets without taking the time to educate themselves on which pet to choose and how to care for them, often causing problems that could have easily been avoided. Sadly to say, my sister is one of these people, but at least she is willing to learn, and to have me help her work with her birds. I'm sure she's made a ton of mistakes, and as you said, that's why I'm here, to share what I learn with her because, bottom line, the well-being of the birds are my first priority. My sister can take care of herself.

If my original post wasn't clear, my apologies, but I had said I wasn't sure if the birds were in the same or separate cages. I have since spoken to my sister, and she told me the birds are kept in separate cages, so that's one less problem that needs to be dealt with.

I have since also read that birds should only be pet on their heads and beaks, and not their backs, wings or vents, because the latter is mating behavior and will negatively affect the way the birds interact with the owner. I asked her about this, and she had no idea about it, and has been petting the birds on their backs and wings. She is stopping that immediately and will pet them correctly in the future. In fact, her response, when I told her it was mating behavior, was, "Ewwwwww."

So she is more than willing to learn and follow through with the ideas and techniques I can find that will help. And she has a clicker. She just has no idea of how to use it.

A little more info, in case it helps ...

One bird, a female, is 10 years old. The second is somewhere around 7 or 8 years old, and they are not sure if it is male or female. The younger one is the one who has Aspergillosis, and is medicated once a day for it.

It is the older bird who is the most aggressive and possessive.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to get the answers, and again, I appreciate very much any advice and information you can share.

I also thought meeting them the correct way and starting off a good relationship with the birds would help me to help her learn how to train them hands on.

 

[kookiefool]

A short P.S.:

The birds seem to get along with each other fine, so that's not a problem at all.

 

[mtdoramike]

That's OK, I changed it to one Mistake hahahaha just incase someone took offense to my post. But to re-itterate if you want to have a pet bird, I wouldn't house them together. The problem could very well be that they are getting along too well together and find you or any other human a distraction.

I'm glad you didn't take offense to my post because anyone that would be that thinned skin really shouldn't consider birds because they will hurt your feelings in an instant. Mine does all the time. But fortunately, I'm not thinned skin so I have learned to roll with it.

But, here is what I would do once you get the birds if you decide you want them.

1. If they are housed in the same cage, seperate them into two seperate cages.
2. I would also put them in different rooms so they are out of sight of each other. It will possibly make them more manageable to build trust.
3. Sit outside each cage for a few hours each day talk to them, read to them and sing to them.
4. When you feel comfortable then open one of the cage doors at a time and see if they will venture out on their own.
5. If not then offer a treat at the door of their cage. But eventually they will get curious and want to see what your all about.
6. Are their wings clipped, if not then I would strongly suggest having them clipped. A clipped bird is easier to manage than a flighted bird. At least until they get to know you. But if they have already been flying, that would be your call. I hate to clipped the wings of a fully flighted bird. To me it breaks their spirit.

In my area, we have a mobile bird grooming service, it costs $8.50 for wings or beak or nails to be trimmed. They also will weigh your bird, check it's habitat and keep thorough records of your bird on each visit. They also make recommendation for things like if they see a bird toy with a questionable metal in it. They will bring this to your attention. I love them. You can always check on Craigslist, that is how I found them for my area. If you can't find one, then check with your closest avian vet, most will do these things as well, but with a bit higher fee I expect.

Now, none of the above suggestions are written in stone, so feel free to use some or none of them and try it on your own and see how it goes. You can also try these suggestions while keeping them in the same room if you feel guilty about splitting them and see how that goes. It's mainly a trial an error thing.

You can also try You Tube, they have a multitude of training videos posted on there for just about every situation. Their short, but you will get the idea of it by the end of the video.

 

[wibitywab]

Mistake. People get two of any species of birds and they automatically put them in the same cage together. What happens is the two birds will either hate one another and try and kill each orther or they will form a bond. If they form a bond, which is usually the case when you put two birds together and they become aggressive towards you.

If they are in the same cage, SPLIT THEM UP or you will not be able to manage them. That is unless you want to breed them. Sun Conures are beautiful birds, but unless they have been trained from an early age, they can get aggressive. Sun Conures are also notorious for being LOUD. I hope you are prepared for that. Because if you split them up into seperate cages when they have been used to being housed together, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

Well said!

 

[merlinsmom13]

I don't know how long you will be staying w/your sister. But birdy rehab is not a week long activity. It could take a long time for any results. What you could do while you are there is assess the situation & help her come up w/a plan. (sounds like your plan). You didnt say, but my bet would be that a wing clip would benefit these birds. It sounds like they are flyers. I've had the no phone call problem, & if merlin called for me or screamed when I was on the phone, I would put him in his cage & cover him up. He seemed to hate for me to talk on the phone.

Good luck w/your visit. I imagine that any problem you run across, someone here has dealt w/it at one time.

 

[mtdoramike]

I don't know how long you will be staying w/your sister. But birdy rehab is not a week long activity. It could take a long time for any results. What you could do while you are there is assess the situation & help her come up w/a plan. (sounds like your plan). You didnt say, but my bet would be that a wing clip would benefit these birds. It sounds like they are flyers. I've had the no phone call problem, & if merlin called for me or screamed when I was on the phone, I would put him in his cage & cover him up. He seemed to hate for me to talk on the phone.

Good luck w/your visit. I imagine that any problem you run across, someone here has dealt w/it at one time.

Tiki is the same way. If I'm on the phone and she is on my shoulder, she will literally climb across my chest over to where the phone is and start squawking into the phone and try to pinch my cheek or chin. She reminds me of my daughter when she was like 2 years old and I was on the phone. She would scream, cry and pull on my pants until I got off the phone.

 

[merlinsmom13]

I know, it got to where my family would text "put the bird up" b4 calling. lol He's not so bad now, I'm home w/him, maybe he doesnt feel he has to compete for my time.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

My feelings do get hurt easily, lol! Apple already did that yesterday, he had a bad day. I didn't mean to come off as a jerk or anything, lol! I am also glad OP didn't take offense, I just try and be REALLY nice to new comers as to not shoosh them off (not saying you were), the animal is the one who suffers in the end, you know? I am a member of many other forums and is just something I have noticed. Thank you and your welcome!

 

[kookiefool]

merlinsmom,

As I said, I will only be there a few days and was hoping to do what you suggested, help her come up with a plan and a training strategy that she could continue with. I am still hoping to get an idea of how to introduce myself to the birds so I could demonstrate techniques to my sister without the birds being more stressed out with a new person around than they had to be.

mtdoramike ....

Mistake. In my first post I said I did not know if they were housed together or not. In my second, I said they were not. You keep harping on this as if I said they were, and that is not helpful.

Mistake. I made it clear these were not my birds. Someone else reiterated (no hyphen, one "t") that fact. I am not getting a bird, nor am I considering getting a bird. They are not, nor will they ever be, my birds.

Mistake. I don't need preaching on making a decision I do not have to make. I don't need information on how to get the birds to bond with me for the long term, or learn to get used to their environment and venture out. They have that already. Their wings are not clipped, they do fly, but that is something that is under control and not a problem, unless they attack my brother-in-law. Usually they just fly to my sister.

Mistake. The birds get along with each other fine, so working on that problem is a non-issue.

Mistake. It wouldn't hurt to read posts through and understand them before answering. If you are going to mouth off, do it about what was said, not about what you assumed was said. Your answers were very preachy and judgemental about issues that were not raised, or even valid.


wibitywab,

It may have been well-said, but it had nothing to do with my post. Wouldn't hurt you to read through all the posts before answering as well.


I will go elsewhere for advice, since it seems I will not get it here. I prefer forums to youtube, as I believe a discussion can be more helpful than a four to five minute, generalized video. Advice to check youtube is fine, if one offers suggestions on what specifically to look for.

In all the responses, no one has answered, or even acknowledged, the one specific question I asked regarding how to approach the birds, or commented on how the facts I did post about could affect the situaton.

No skin off my back, but sad for the birdies, who need the intervention.
And an intervention based on their specific situation, not an assumed one.

 

[kookiefool]

merlinsmom,

I will suggest to her that any time the birds go crazy while she's on the phone, she put them in the cage and cover them up. That sounds like it would work well. Thank you.

 

[mtdoramike]

I actually did tell you how to approach them. "sit outside their cage and talk, read & even sing to them". This is done to begin to form a bond. Do you want me to tell you HEY, walk up to the cage reach in and grab one? Go ahead, those little needle sharp beak hurt. You may also want to read through posts as well before commenting.

Yes, I may have assumed that you were thinking of taking the birds since YOU posted that they were considering taking them to a shelter so you might try and interveen. That was my mistake. You know what they say about assuming.

But from reading your last few posts, you don't seem to be very receptive to the suggestions that have been made. So good luck with it. "I will go elsewhere for advice" So if you feel this way, then maybe it's best if you look elsewhere for advice.

So good luck to you and yours.

 

[Amber]

I don't know how long you will be staying w/your sister. But birdy rehab is not a week long activity. It could take a long time for any results. What you could do while you are there is assess the situation & help her come up w/a plan. (sounds like your plan). You didnt say, but my bet would be that a wing clip would benefit these birds. It sounds like they are flyers. I've had the no phone call problem, & if merlin called for me or screamed when I was on the phone, I would put him in his cage & cover him up. He seemed to hate for me to talk on the phone.

Good luck w/your visit. I imagine that any problem you run across, someone here has dealt w/it at one time.

Tiki is the same way. If I'm on the phone and she is on my shoulder, she will literally climb across my chest over to where the phone is and start squawking into the phone and try to pinch my cheek or chin. She reminds me of my daughter when she was like 2 years old and I was on the phone. She would scream, cry and pull on my pants until I got off the phone.

Alex is the same. I think it's because I'm holding the phone and talking to IT and not HIM that he cracks it. We've compromised though, he's allowed to sit on my shoulder and talk and listen too if its not a professional call provided he's not to loud. I put it on speakerphone sometimes for him, especially when people he knows (my mother, aunt and his breeder Joan) call so he can hear and talk too.

 

[Amber]

It's a shame you don't have more time to work with the birds. Bonding with them to the stage they they are comfortable with you handling them and demonstrating things, particulars if they are aggressive to people beside your sister, could take awhile. ):

I don't know jack about trying to work with difficult birds so I won't offer advice. Horses and dogs, I can do, but no experience with bad birdies

Edit- Actually I did try to work with my mothers two rescue cockatiels for years, but we kind of reached a plateau after one would take food from us through the cage bars. It took me a year to get him to that stage. And we've never been able to progress past that stage with them despite our best efforts. (Mind you one is terrified of people due to reasons unknown, and the other has epilepsy like issues thanks to a head injury prior to us getting them, so their not the most friendly birds) So we invested in a big indoor aviary for them and just left them to it. They whistle and sing at us, but that's the extent of their human relations. But they are happy and that's all that matters in the end. But they were not tame birds so this is a totally different game I guess? Either way, definitely sit around them and talk to them to gain trust prior to working with them. bribing them with their favourite food may work too!

Good luck!

 

[CAGLulu]

Mistake. People get two of any species of birds and they automatically put them in the same cage together. What happens is the two birds will either hate one another and try and kill each orther or they will form a bond. If they form a bond, which is usually the case when you put two birds together and they become aggressive towards you.

If they are in the same cage, SPLIT THEM UP or you will not be able to manage them. That is unless you want to breed them. Sun Conures are beautiful birds, but unless they have been trained from an early age, they can get aggressive. Sun Conures are also notorious for being LOUD. I hope you are prepared for that. Because if you split them up into seperate cages when they have been used to being housed together, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

I must disagree here. I know many many people with same parrot species living in the same cage, without any problem with handling them. If you spend time with them like you did when you only had one parrot, they will be just as tame as the were from the breeder.

You're completely right about that it is very wrong just putting two birds together in same cage, without letting the birds being near each other in different cages and letting them out together. There will be fights when they are out of their cages and here it is crucial that you act right. If you take them away from each other when they begin to fight a bit, they won't accept each other. The only time that you should step in, is when you can see that it is going to end very bad .

Sorry if I have misunderstood your post .

 

[mtdoramike]

Mistake. People get two of any species of birds and they automatically put them in the same cage together. What happens is the two birds will either hate one another and try and kill each orther or they will form a bond. If they form a bond, which is usually the case when you put two birds together and they become aggressive towards you.

If they are in the same cage, SPLIT THEM UP or you will not be able to manage them. That is unless you want to breed them. Sun Conures are beautiful birds, but unless they have been trained from an early age, they can get aggressive. Sun Conures are also notorious for being LOUD. I hope you are prepared for that. Because if you split them up into seperate cages when they have been used to being housed together, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

I must disagree here. I know many many people with same parrot species living in the same cage, without any problem with handling them. If you spend time with them like you did when you only had one parrot, they will be just as tame as the were from the breeder.

You're completely right about that it is very wrong just putting two birds together in same cage, without letting the birds being near each other in different cages and letting them out together. There will be fights when they are out of their cages and here it is crucial that you act right. If you take them away from each other when they begin to fight a bit, they won't accept each other. The only time that you should step in, is when you can see that it is going to end very bad .

Sorry if I have misunderstood your post .

No, you didn't misunderstand my post. It may have turned out well for you. But both times I did it the first was out of ignorance, the second was out of stupidity, turned out badly. Not for the birds, they got along great. But where they used to be tame and loved to spend time with me to wanting to rip my hand off any time I got near them. This was especially true for the female. So learned my lession. If you want pet birds, raise them as pet birds, but if you want breeders then raise them as breeders, but not both.

Others may have had great success with raising two birds in the same cage, but I have not.

 

[CAGLulu]

Mistake. People get two of any species of birds and they automatically put them in the same cage together. What happens is the two birds will either hate one another and try and kill each orther or they will form a bond. If they form a bond, which is usually the case when you put two birds together and they become aggressive towards you.

If they are in the same cage, SPLIT THEM UP or you will not be able to manage them. That is unless you want to breed them. Sun Conures are beautiful birds, but unless they have been trained from an early age, they can get aggressive. Sun Conures are also notorious for being LOUD. I hope you are prepared for that. Because if you split them up into seperate cages when they have been used to being housed together, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

I must disagree here. I know many many people with same parrot species living in the same cage, without any problem with handling them. If you spend time with them like you did when you only had one parrot, they will be just as tame as the were from the breeder.

You're completely right about that it is very wrong just putting two birds together in same cage, without letting the birds being near each other in different cages and letting them out together. There will be fights when they are out of their cages and here it is crucial that you act right. If you take them away from each other when they begin to fight a bit, they won't accept each other. The only time that you should step in, is when you can see that it is going to end very bad .

Sorry if I have misunderstood your post .

No, you didn't misunderstand my post. It may have turned out well for you. But both times I did it the first was out of ignorance, the second was out of stupidity, turned out badly. Not for the birds, they got along great. But where they used to be tame and loved to spend time with me to wanting to rip my hand off any time I got near them. This was especially true for the female. So learned my lession. If you want pet birds, raise them as pet birds, but if you want breeders then raise them as breeders, but not both.

Others may have had great success with raising two birds in the same cage, but I have not.

I only have one bird. I do know people, not my friends, but bird owners that have had success bringing two birds together in the same cage and still being 100% tame. Actually my local pet store have a 40 year old Cockatoo and a 5 year old Amazon going together in the same cage, preening each other and still being fully tame. It all depends on the time you spend with your birds when having them together, and also the birds themselves. I'm not saying that all birds will accept each other. It pretty much depends on their personality.

 

[Amber]

Mistake. People get two of any species of birds and they automatically put them in the same cage together. What happens is the two birds will either hate one another and try and kill each orther or they will form a bond. If they form a bond, which is usually the case when you put two birds together and they become aggressive towards you.

If they are in the same cage, SPLIT THEM UP or you will not be able to manage them. That is unless you want to breed them. Sun Conures are beautiful birds, but unless they have been trained from an early age, they can get aggressive. Sun Conures are also notorious for being LOUD. I hope you are prepared for that. Because if you split them up into seperate cages when they have been used to being housed together, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

I must disagree here. I know many many people with same parrot species living in the same cage, without any problem with handling them. If you spend time with them like you did when you only had one parrot, they will be just as tame as the were from the breeder.

You're completely right about that it is very wrong just putting two birds together in same cage, without letting the birds being near each other in different cages and letting them out together. There will be fights when they are out of their cages and here it is crucial that you act right. If you take them away from each other when they begin to fight a bit, they won't accept each other. The only time that you should step in, is when you can see that it is going to end very bad .

Sorry if I have misunderstood your post .

No, you didn't misunderstand my post. It may have turned out well for you. But both times I did it the first was out of ignorance, the second was out of stupidity, turned out badly. Not for the birds, they got along great. But where they used to be tame and loved to spend time with me to wanting to rip my hand off any time I got near them. This was especially true for the female. So learned my lession. If you want pet birds, raise them as pet birds, but if you want breeders then raise them as breeders, but not both.

Others may have had great success with raising two birds in the same cage, but I have not.

I suppose like you said it depends on the birds and people in question. Alex's breeder has two pairs of hand raised ekkies who are now breeding, and two pairs of suns, one of whome was handraised. The handraised ekkies will flock to them in the avairy for cuddles, the hand reared sun (and now his parent raised mate) still do the same. They are tame and like people, but I don't think they would do well as pets anymore due to the strong bond between them, if that makes sense.