Need help with 13 yr old adopted sun conure!

[Birdmaggard]

We recently adopted a 13 year old sun conure. He was with his former parents for almost his whole life. I sit by his cage at least 3 times a day, reading and talking to him, for about 1-2 hours per setting. He is not cage aggressive I don't think. I do put my hand in his cage so that he can come to it and investigate, so that he knows it is not going to hurt him. When he actually comes to it he gives my hand a soft quick nip and runs away. I make sure that I don't move my hand when he nips. He is taking treats from my hand, but I fear that is the only progress I'm making. What worries me is that he won't come out of his cage and only leaves his favorite perch to get food or water. I almost always have his cage door open and I have tried putting his favorite treat outside of his door and giving him space. Nothing is working and I'm worried that he is not getting enough exercise and out of his cage time. He also won't eat fresh, dried, or cooked veggies or fruit, even when I take his dry food out leaving him with that as his only option of food. It never works. I did get some vitamins for his water and I mix a little seed, dried fruit and veggies with his pellet once a day. I know that it's gonna take time and patience to get him to come around, but like I said, I fear that I am not making any progress and that he isn't getting enough exercise. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Kimma]

You don't say how long you've had him for, but some parrots can take a LONG time to get used to a new home.

I have no first hand experience, but I read this book on the weekend, which you may find useful - Second-hand Parrots (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals (Paperback)) : Paperback : Mattie Sue Athan, Dianalee Deter : 9780764119187

One thing she mentions repeatedly is showers. She says that being wet and drying off actually works as exercise for a bird, and frequent showers can improve their disposition hugely.

And have you tried getting him to do any foraging for his food?

 

[Birdmaggard]

Sorry, I have had him since November 8th of this year. Thank you for the suggestion. I love to consume books and you just gave me my next target. And no, I haven't tried foraging yet. I have been so focused on him getting out of his cage and interacting with him. I will give it a try. I'm at the point where I will try anything. He has a bird bath, but has not used it yet. Should I sprits him with water? I don't want to frighten him and get him scared of me or water. He is still really skittish. He isn't aggressive at all, but he runs from anything that gets close to him. Well, unless it is a treat in my hand. Thank you for your response.

 

[Kiwibird]

Just be patient. Some birds take to a new family instantly, but others (especially ones who haven't had good experiences with humans before) can take a VERY long time. Our adopted BFA took a year to trust us enough to step up. It took about 6 years for him to be comfortable enough to accept kisses on the head/back and we're still working on the petting thing. We have included him in literally everything (meals, showers, cleaning, watching tv, hanging out ext…) from day 1 and always shown him love (even though he showed us how powerful his beak was at first).

That said, a bird who is given unconditional love (that means attention and excellent care even if they "hate" you) will eventually come around. If you let them come around on their own terms, you will end up with a companion for life and a very special bond. You haven't even had the little guy a month, give him some time. Remember, their trust is not given, it's EARNED.

 

[psittac]

I am learning that birds can be set in their ways, I have had petrie for 5 years now and theres no bond problem here at all but recently I've been trying new things with her after joining this message board and it hasn't been going so well. Something as simple as a new heated perch took her a week to even try out then out of nowhere she loves it. I haven't been giving her anything other then dry food for a couple years and she won't take anything other then fruits, not even jalapenos which I know she loves. And this is all with a bird that I spend every night with.

I had a sun conure when working at petco that came into our store that had bonded with an employee at the other store it was in, was acting the same way and it took a couple months to get him/her out of the shell. But eventually I got it to interact again. I was doing the same things you are.

One thing I found that worked was getting it's curiosity with my finger and wiggling it but not getting bite, eventually the game with my finger turned into a thing it was willing to step up on. That however isn't nearly as extreme of a case and your bird may not be responding the same way. Give it enough time and dedication and i'm certain you'll bring the birds personality out and create a bond.