My conure is afraid of me!

[Maryriver]

I rescued a 23 yr old Sun Conure who can't fly and had been with the same folks all those years but with no training at all that I can tell. I knew to leave him be in my living room for a couple weeks and then sit and talk to him for a few hours each day for a week and then open his door for a few hours. He would soon hop up on the cage sill and look around but one day he fell to the floor and scampered under a bookcase. I have a Bengal cat so I first grabbed her and shut her in the bathroom. I also have a Greyhound who was curious and sniffing but obeyed my command to stay on her bed. By the time all that had taken place the poor bird was terrified and definitely not going to come out and biting my finger to bleeding when I reached for him. So I got a clean white washcloth and covered his head, picked him gently up and put him back in his cage. Happy ending yes? NO! It has been 6 weeks since that happened and he is still afraid of my hand, and absolutely tries to kill any sort of white cloth or paper that comes within his reach! The piece of puppy pad I use for a cage liner and change every morning....he hates it and will not allow it until after I let him attack it, bite it till he is satisfied, drag it to the far back of his cage and finally drop it! The same process goes for the baby wipe I use to clean the poop off his tree. I could remove him from the cage before I do these chores (which would require its own process) but I decided to let him beat up the white paper until he realizes it is not the enemy. I hope.

When he is finished with the white stuff he always goes to the very top of the cage which allows me to quickly finish wiping. Then a few days ago I started resting my closed fist on the sill of the open cage door. He watches for a few minutes and then comes down to get his morning food. This week I started putting one slice of almond, his favorite, on my arm above my wrist far enough up the arm that to reach it he has to "step up" and walk a step to reach the treat. At first he just watched but after a few days he walked over and stepped up and got the treat! I felt like I had gained a bit of his trust..at least equal to a slice of almond!

I think this is the way it goes. I have tried to imagine how I would react if I were suddenly moved to one of those bird rocks we see on TV where there was no human beings just me and 10,000 birds! Imagine, it'll help you understand.

Hope my story helps you find creative ways and joy as you and your bird bond -- cause you will

 

[LaManuka]

Re: My conure is scared of me

Hello Maryriver and welcome aboard.

You can start a new thread by picking what you think is the most appropriate forum from the list under the “Forums” heading, then there’ll be an option “New Thread” at the top of the list of forums, on the left hand side.

I hope you find the answers you’re looking for!