Need some advice

[KeithAndBandit]

So I got a dusky conure on the 11th he's 7 months old and was quite nippy when I first got him because no one wanted to see him due to the other brighter colored birds, which is a damn shame he's such a sweet little guy now but I digress a bit. I tamed him by quite a large margin he doesn't bite at all anymore but there is one issue that I need some tips with. He won't perch onto my hand when he's in his cage he'll let me pet him and scratch his head but, if I want him out of his cage I still have to take him out using the same method of which I hand tamed him which is taking his cage apart, slowly turning it upside down and letting him climb up and either trying to get him to go on my hand then, or having him step onto a pillow then onto my hand. Once he's on my hand he will step hand to hand in quick succession, sits with me for several hours with no signs of frustration, in fact he's even taken a couple of naps perched on my thumb with my index finger rubbing his head and the rest of my fingers lightly covering his wings as well as nestling in my neck and sleeping there a few times as well. So I know he has a fairly large amount of trust with me. I just need to figure out how to get him out of the cage, taking it apart every day gets a bit tedious lol. Any help would be great. Thanks. Oh and his name is Bandit and gonna add a rather cute pose I managed to get a picture of.

 

[itzjbean]

Your boy is super cute!

I have four birds, only two of which are hand-tame and will step up. The other two insist on climbing out of the cage themselves and so I provide perches for them to climb up on and out on top of the cage so they can get to the playstand on top to hang out. It's important he has a spot (playstand, java tree, on top of his cage) where he can just sit and hang out without you and just enjoy being out of the cage by himself.

What has helped me with my other two non-tame birds, is attaching a perch onto the inside of the cage door and then opening it when the bird is on the perch, so that they swing out and easily step up onto me. Sometimes birds get cage aggressive so we have to find ways to snap them out of that mentality. I have a soft rope perch also near the door on the outside that leads to the top of the outside of the cage so they have a way of climbing up to the top if need be.

Let your bird come out on his own -- will he come out if you just leave the cage door open for him for a while? What also may help is....enticing him to step up to leave his cage by holding a super tasty treat for him to want to get to.

 

[KeithAndBandit]

Yea treats are the one thing I haven't tried yet, mainly because I haven't been able to afford them yet. I'm surprised I was able to tame him as much as I did without treats. I'm thinking about trying some millet spray or if you have a suggestion for a treat that would be more enticing I'm open to ideas

 

[Laurasea]

As, above,
Also use a hand held perch and let him step up far fr hand. Slowely over time move hand closer to his end when you ask to step up.
Birds can become hand shy so easy! Feedits of treats good by hand, that helps.
You got a gorgeous bird! It was the same with my Ta-dah, she was sale for being a plain color morph! Their credit card machine was down , I had to run get cash, I said don't sell her till I can get back. They said don't worry no one wants her!!!
Anyway I would love to meet a duskyhead Conure!! I've read great things about them!!! Please tell us all about Bandit! I would flow his thread!
I'm going to attach a couple of links to articles I like you might find sone good Infi too
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/
https://www.windycityparrot.com/blog/2010/04/13/flight-important-parrots/#ixzz62HloSvKV

 

[KeithAndBandit]

I'm not sure if I'd consider it fully hand shy because he's completely fine once he's out and with me, I suppose it could be considered a form of hand shyness. It has me confused honestly since he's fearless of my hands when he's out and isn't exactly afraid of them when he's in his cage, cause like I said he lets me pet him and scratch his head but refuses to perch unless he's out of the cage. Also before I hand tamed him he didn't even let me pet him or scratch his head while in his cage. And I did try using a perch a few times over the past couple days he hissed at it and attacked it. Treats might be my only option, he doesn't hiss at my hands or have any aggression at all towards them.

 

[T00tsyd]

Syd will often avoid stepping up onto my hand in the cage but will onto my sleeve or a spare perch. Why? I have no idea. I have just put it down to his idiosyncrasies. Once out of his cage he has no hesitation wherever he is. Very often I simply open his cage and let him get out his own way. He has several perches on top and at the sides and I like him to fly to me otherwise once on me he tends to stay put or just walk about and I am conscious of strengthening his flight muscles.

 

[Pampa]

Do any of you do target training? Watch BirdTricks videos on YouTube to see how. You can use the target to get him onto your hand. For my birds I usually just have them come out of the cage themselves and then step up from there.

 

[Laurasea]

This article might be helpful.
https://blogpamelaclarkonline.com/2018/06/19/teaching-a-fearful-parrot-to-step-up/

 

[clark_conure]

in a few months/even weeks; it won't matter anyways, once you have complete trust (if you earn it) a conure will expect to be picked up in the cage or will climb out on top to be picked up....
I'd recommend spending more outside the cage time doing stuff after you get him /her out, listening to music, watching tv, or netflix, you don't have to always be playing, but have the parrot along for the ride so they see outside the cage as like tv or entertainment. Any time I'm home I just have my girls on me....If i leave they hang out in the cage, when I come back they shun the cage and want to hang out with thier really big mammal flock mate.

It will happen, you jst have to hang with him/her more.