My Sun Conure and Lovebird (advice needed)

[rochesteralexk]

Here is a picture of newly acquired Sun conure and lovebird. (Conure is about 2yr and lovebird around 1yr)

I know. Weird combo. But they are totally in love with each other and I dont think i could ever separate them.

Now there is a small problem. I am completely new to birds. So any advice would be great. They seem to still be nervous after the move. (its only been 3 days) The conure will eat out of my fingers but does not like my hands without food in her cage to much. The lovebird loves to jump around and act like a monkey but sticks real close to the conure most of the time.

So i am just looking for tips on helping with bonding. I am aware i need to start out slow. But any advice would be great.

thanks.

 

[wibitywab]

Don't keep them too close, because most of the time the birds will start to love eachother and pay less attention to you. Good luck with your new beautiful birds!

 

[Abzeez]

If they are bonded then I would not take them away from each other. That will only stress them out more. Just work slowly.

 

[Pedro]

It is a myth that if you have 2 birds housed together it will take away any attention from you or they won't talk. I have never heard such rubbish. Being a multi bird house hold i can assure you that i have a great relationship with my parrots & most of them also talk & so do a lot of other members on this forum that have more than 1 parrot.

IMO if these 2 birds have been together for sometime & are happy there is no reason to separate them at all unless the conure gets aggressive as it gets older.

I think you just have to give them both time to settle into their new home. Don't rush things.

Enjoy.

 

[Steph]

Definitely start out slow. Are they tame (will they step up)? If they're tame enough to step up, you already have most of your work done. If not, you'll have to gain their trust slowly. I would use treats like safflower seeds, but not too many or they'll get fat. After that just keep handling them so they can get used to you, and they'll start bonding to you. I think it's harder to bond with two bird at once rather than one at a time, but separating them is a problem. Maybe someone else can offer some suggestions. With patience and handling, you'll be able to bond with them! Maybe if you find out who the leader of the two is, you can start with him/her. Then the other will probably watch and see that you aren't a threat, then he'll come to you too.

 

[rochesteralexk]

They are definitely bonded to each other. I do not think there is any chance of them fighting. The conure looooves bread so much and when I hand it to her she quickly walks offer to the lovebird then holds her talon up so they can share. Very very cute.

The previous owner said that the conure and lovebird would come out and play on the cage and the conure would yes step up onto her finger. (i do not believe there was a vocal trigger for that though) But she will not do that for me. By a long shot. She bit me once trying to do it.

So where should I start? Like i said i really dont have much experience but every day that goes by i find myself really starting to love them... I think about them quite alot and really hope i can make things work for them... I really want to do this right. So any help would be great and if you guys are interested I will keep this updated with pictures/videos and stories of our progress.

 

[Steph]

Let them play outside their cage often and be near the cage. They'll get used to you after a while. Don't expect anything too soon. Some birds take months to tame down, and you have a bonded pair. That's two against one! But it may o to your advantage if you can get them to follow each other. Then once you tame one, the other will be much easier to tame. A lot of people have success with clicker training. Will the sunny ear from your fingers? If she will, you can introduce a clicker and start target training with a stick. If she won't eat from your fingers, hold food in your hand and wait for them to come to you. Don't force anything, it'll take a lot of patience. The main goal for you is to slowly bring your birds closer to you. The easiest way is to use food, and with target training, you can get them to go wherever you want. Good luck!

 

[musser1972]

Start by spending a lot of time next to the cage, just talking to them. Slowly get them used to you being there and talking to them. When they are fine with that, use your hand to play wiht things on the cage and just generally try to get them use to your hand being around and on the cage. When they are fine with that, try step-up. Place your finger just above the feet, under the brest in a smooth sweeping motion until you just touch the breast above the feet. Usually if you can get that far, they will step up. You will know quite quickly if they are going to let this happen or not. Just keep gaining their confidence and try to suppress any fear. I believe they can sence if you fear them and it works against what you are trying to do.

 

[rochesteralexk]

1st of all thanks for the advice so far.

I think i am actually making progress! I am getting my hand inside the cage and the conure is walking over and taking food from my fingers. I have been trying the "step up" she knows what i am trying to do. But i dont think she is used to ME doing it yet (i have 2 bloody bitten finger to prove it haha)

Ill keep trying though and ill let you wonderful people know of the progress. And any other advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!

 

[Steph]

Sounds great!! Keep up the good work, with time and patience they'll both come around !

 

[wuvzbirdies]

First of all, how cute are they?????

Great advice above, the only advice I can give is to have patience. You wouldn't expect a human to bond with someone in 3 days, same rings true for birds. Here is a great link from one of our Admins about bonding, slow and steady will win the race, show them that you're in it for the long haul and they'll learn to trust like you were their Mother. Definitely do not seperate them if they are bonded, they might resent you and never bond with you.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/3100-bond-forming.html

Good luck

 

[rochesteralexk]

Thanks again guys. I am setting up an appointment this week with a bird spe******t to help me really work on things in the correct manner with my beautiful little birds.

I am fully committed to make this work out (the safe and correct way for her) no matter how long it takes.

Again ill let you guys know of any progress.

 

[rochesteralexk]

Another Update!

I have finally named the Conure. She shall now go by the name Waffles. (dont ask me why I really dont know either haha just thought it fit) and the lovebird is named monkey (he is always climbing upside down and swinging from things)

Couple things though. I have started click training with Waffles. She seems to be responding really well so far. I can get my hand in the cage without her giving "warning bites" to her perches and angry squawks while giving her her favorite treats. I also have her walking to my hand (with food in it) across the cage to take the treat.

Couple questions though... I have been reading about the "touch" command. Like putting a stick in the cage saying touch and when she does click then give her a reward. Seemed basic enough that thats where i would start next. Problem is she seems very afraid of the chopstick (and all sticks for that manner) with a hand attached. I think that is how the previous owner would goad her out of the cage and she will not go anywhere near the thing (and gets quite nervous)

SO. My questing is... Where should I start next? I would love to find a way to get closer.

Also... Side note. They are coming out of the cage on their own now. Monkey was doing quite a bit of exploring on his own today climbing up the curtains looking down at everyone haha. Very excited about that.

 

[xxgoldieloxroxxx]

Try wearing a glove or something to keep your fingers all good! Once the bites are gone you can take them off. Or you could Target train. Target training is when you point the stick to where you want the bird to go, and it will follow the stick then bite the stick, instead of you finger
Just load them up with treats, but not too much or else they will get fat lol. Talk softly by their cage, and in a matter of time they will love you, just so******e ALOTT with them.

 

[xxgoldieloxroxxx]

social ise* dont know why it used ****.......???

 

[rochesteralexk]

She is not really afraid of my finger she just sees it as a threat sometimes. But she is absolutely terrified of a stick entering her cage. I feel really bad and don't wanna do that to her.

Also I got them out of the cage yesterday! With some bread and sunflower seeds and patience they were playing around and climbing the drapes.

 

[rochesteralexk]

Ill get some pics of it soon but I have a huge hand built cage that is about 5 feel tall 4 feet long and 3 feet wide. There is a area at the bottom that us like a "pit" to catch all the poo. I have a few sticks and perches going from the bottom leading up just incase one of the birds fall down there.

... Which happened today. Waffles the conure must have fallen in there and could not figure out how to get out. So i put my finger in there and she happily grabbed it and I actually got to play with her a bit! She was very nervous and would not eat treats. I tried putting her on an perch outside her cage... Still would not eat. She did get on my finger again and i was able to snap a few pictures.

After that I put her back on top of her cage and tried to see if she was still afraid of my finger. (that resulted in a bloody finger haha) I think this is progress though. At least she is starting to know my hand will not hurt her and it usually has treats.

 

[antoinette]

[FONT=&quot]It sounds like they have bonded, and are close, I would personally not separate them, always be alert tho.
To gain your trust could take days, weeks, months even years. Each and every bird is so different. They obviously feels a comfort zone in their cage.
Sit near the cage, talking and singing to the birds. Let them become familiar with your voice. Leaving the cage door open, offer them treats through the bars at first. When they willingly accepts them, try placing a treat near the open door. Eventually they will starts taking the treats from the door, make no attempt to touch them. When they do come out, they will probably climb around on the cage. Let them explore in their own time. To get them back in, place a treat inside the cage, making sure it's visible.[/FONT]