Need advice for my new friend

[NikkiGarcia]

Hi everyone,

New here, but have been to this site for tons on info the past couple months. So thank you!

I added a new member of my family this past weekend, Sunny Jim the Jenday Conure. Pretty sure he is young, as he still has a little green left on his head. I have been visiting this bird in the pet store for months and when my cat died two months ago I decided to get Sunny. I got everything ready, read as much as I could and finally brought him home. I think he recognized my face and voice, because he instantly started the "Stevie Wonder" head sway and seemed happy. I stuck my hand in and he perched on it. Then he made his way up my arm and rested in the crook of my neck/collar bone area. Now, I know that having a bird on your shoulder can be a good and bad thing, as they tend to me a little more bossy when up high and they have to trust you. But he doesn't nip or bite my hands or ears, so as long as he behaves up there it's ok, I guess?

I am worried about how fast this is all happening. He is doing all of this on his own but I still wonder if this is the right thing to do. Shoulder or no shoulder?

I'm also wondering when a new bird should be prompted to bathe. I know they should be getting wet everyday but I don't want to scare him. I put a little water in a pie dish yesterday but he looked at me like I was crazy. So with him on my shoulder I proceeded to splash a little with my hand. He watched me, clearly interested but made no move to try it out. We will try again later, and maybe he prefers something else. Keep trying, right?

Lastly: He is scared of fruit. If I hold it in my hand, he will get as far away from it as he can. Usually hides in my hair. This is just holding the piece of fruit, not bringing it near him or anything. He will eat seeds and his food from my hand, but not fruit. How should I try and introduce fruit to a bird who has probably never had it for my future reference?

I know I have to be patient with him, but I want to be prepared when he's ready to try new things. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wrench13]

Welcome. You want to wean him slowly off a seed diet and onto pellets. You'll need to try aq few different types until you hit on the one he likes. I suggest writing to the various manf and asking for a sample , which almost all will send. Cheaper then buying a bag and wasting it. Then the thing is to slowly introduce fruit and veggies, check the food sub board on here for ideas. Shoulder space is privilege space. Any nips or bites while there means no shoulder for awhile. It took Salty awhile to lean that. You can try lightly misting him a bit, and then putting him by the water. Each bird baths differntly, you just have to figure what they like. A lot of parrot care is like that.
Screeching - you have to figure out what YOUR doing to cause it. Its never the fault of the parrot. SO your little guy sounds very cute and lots of personality. Work with him to do small tricks, not for doing a show but to strengthen the bond with him. Do it every day, same time. Good luck as a parront.

 

[Piasa]

Veg is much more important than fruit. My advice is to get him eating veg first, so he won't be picky/refusing of veggies later in life. Go healthy with greens - beet/turnip greens, bok choy, chard and dandelion are all great. My conure likes all of them. They can be fed as leaves, chopped in food processor and mixed with other foods, or put in a smoothie.

Bell pepper, yams, cantaloupe and carrots are all relatively good tasting to a conure - also lots of beta carotene which is super important for birds and not always enough in a seed or pelleted diet. Chop small and put in his cage in a bowl he knows is for food, or even better, where the treats go. Offer daily even if he won't touch, he will eventually get used to it being there and perhaps try it. Eat things you like in front of him, see if he wants a bite.

Bathing
You can mist over his head and see what he thinks. You can also take him in the shower with you. He can sit on the rod or on your hand right beside the spray. Watch for him to lift or open his wings, that means he's into it!

If he can fit in his drinking water bowl, he may bathe there. Keep working with the pie pan, that can work as well. My conure will also sit on my forearm and when I cup my hands under the sink faucet, he will bathe in my hands! This is the best scenario imho

 

[NikkiGarcia]

Thank you both so much for the advice! I will try misting him today and see if he likes it! I found out last night that he wants to try anything I'm eating or drinking so we're making some progress.

 

[Taw5106]

Congrats on the new family member! Regarding your question of shoulder or no shoulder, be cautious you are both still learning about each other. Both my fids are shoulder riders but they do not bite at the face so they can ride.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[saracuse]

My 4 month old isn't a fan of the misting at all. Shes so annoyed every time i take the bottle out for the plants. I started her hanging out on a training perch in the shower with me in the mornings. Eventually she started asking to come to my hand instead of the perch and we slowly (very slowly) decided that we love showers. We like to get soaking wet from head to toe and rest on the training perch while i finish up. Once shes over on her perch i turn the water warmer for myself which i think she enjoys the steam. She usually has her eyes closed and just looks so comfy. She just recently started flapping around in the sink while im brushing my teeth or doing my hair. She loves it.

As for the shoulder, Tiki is never on me above my chest. Shes on my hands or forearms, or if i'm sitting i'll allow her to snuggle on my chest for scratches when we're relaxing. She really prefers to sit on my thumb leaning into my other fingers.

 

[T1DMom]

One thing I have found to be helpful with introducing new fruits and veggies is to experiment with how big/small you cut them. Some birds like them in big chunks that they can hold and others prefer them more chopped up. Also, for my birds, sometimes certain colors (red) scares them for some reason. I got my first conure from a pet store so she was not used to eating fruits and veggies at all. After several months, she still prefers fruit over veggies, however I continue to offer the veggies every single day. It is a lot of trial and error. I am so happy your Jenday has found a home with you. It always breaks my heart to see them in the pet stores.

 

[TacoNTiki]

One thing I have found to be helpful with introducing new fruits and veggies is to experiment with how big/small you cut them. Some birds like them in big chunks that they can hold and others prefer them more chopped up. Also, for my birds, sometimes certain colors (red) scares them for some reason. I got my first conure from a pet store so she was not used to eating fruits and veggies at all. After several months, she still prefers fruit over veggies, however I continue to offer the veggies every single day. It is a lot of trial and error. I am so happy your Jenday has found a home with you. It always breaks my heart to see them in the pet stores.

Sorry I am going off topic - T1Dmom: may I ask what the T1D stand for?

 

[T1DMom]

One thing I have found to be helpful with introducing new fruits and veggies is to experiment with how big/small you cut them. Some birds like them in big chunks that they can hold and others prefer them more chopped up. Also, for my birds, sometimes certain colors (red) scares them for some reason. I got my first conure from a pet store so she was not used to eating fruits and veggies at all. After several months, she still prefers fruit over veggies, however I continue to offer the veggies every single day. It is a lot of trial and error. I am so happy your Jenday has found a home with you. It always breaks my heart to see them in the pet stores.

Sorry I am going off topic - T1Dmom: may I ask what the T1D stand for?

TacoNTiki, I tried to send you a PM, but not sure if it went through. Yes, the T1D stands for Type 1 Diabetes. My 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with it 11 years ago .