Hi there. This is my first post here, and it's going to be a long one...please, bear with me.
About 4 weeks ago, a friend of a friend told me about someone having baby conures in my neighborhood. I had been looking to add a conure to my family for some months, but wanted to get a bird that was a good fit...so I kept looking for a healthy bird from a reputable breeder or one to adopt, a tame friendly bird, one that wouldn't spook easily, etc. Well, I went to this lady's house to meet her babies, and the poor things were barely making it. The parents were not taking care of the babies (not feeding them), and the lady/owner was trying her best to rear them. The parents laid 5 eggs, 3 hatched, 1 died, and from the 2 babies that I met, one was almost twice as big as the smaller one. I grew up with birds, so I showed her how to syringe feed them (she was feeding them with a spoon), keep them warm, etc. Well, this lady travels a lot, and hired a pet sitter to watch her animals. The pet sitter didn't know how to feed the babies, the owner asked me if I'd help, so I stepped in. Long story short, the lady seems to have good intentions but is not a good bird parent...although, I have my reservations, and I'm beginning to wonder if she's just letting them breed to make a quick buck, because her pair continues to mate. The parents are not fed a healthy diet, and the babies are left in their own excrement inside the nest box that the owner never cleans (I was the only one who would clean it out when I went to help out with the babies).
In the mean time, my daughter fell in love with the little baby (the one barely making it), as she used to go with me to feed the babies. So it kind of turned into a rescue mission to get that baby out of that house. I purchased her and brought her home as soon as the lady came back from her last vacation. I had set up an incubator for the baby with interactive toys, a snuggle toy, food, water, etc. and I have continued to syringe feed her. First thing I did was give her a bath because her tail feathers were covered in poop and she smelled very badly. I syringe feed her in the mornings before I leave the house, and she gets some play time outside of her incubator. She gets syringe fed again after I come home from work and then stays outside the incubator until bedtime. I've known this bird since she was 2 weeks old...all pink, no feathers. My daughter and I liked her because she was very quiet and laid back...whereas her older sibling was loud and rambunctious. She's 6 weeks and 2 days old today. Baby baby.
Well, before bed, I watch Netflix on my laptop, and I had been opening seeds for her and trying to feed her the inside (no hull), and feeding her her pellets trying to teach her/encourage her to eat solid food. I think she's finally learning!! We also bring her to the table with us while we eat and try to share our food with her. Well...I don't know if this little bird is just a smarty pants, or if I'm thinking too much into it....But, I think she's starting to train me. When I bring her out in the mornings, I've been putting her in the laundry sink so she can poop in there (she has the biggest monstrous poop first thing in the morning). After she poops, I pick her up and take her out of the sink. I think she has figured this out and "faked a poop" tonight when I put her in the sink (she can't fly out of the sink on her own yet) to get me to take her out of the sink. Could this be true??
That all was a prelude to: Tonight was the first time she ever bit me. A few times! She was biting me as I was peeling her seeds while we watched Netflix. What is that about? It's almost like she was rushing me! I did a lot of reading on conures during the months of searching for one. Because of that/from that, I've just been quickly moving my hand to have her loose her balance when she was biting me tonight. But, what gives...? I've known this baby since before she had feathers, and fed her, and spoil her in every way possible. Why is she starting to bite? I want to nip it in the bud...I don't want to create a little green monster. So, please, tell me what I should do when she gets ornery like this? I've read birds bite due to fear or to control. She is definitely not afraid of me. Things were going so well....is this 6 week old bird really trying to control me? Is she starting to get into the "nippy stage" I've read so much about? We've been snuggling every night, and she's been dozing off on me happily grinding her beak while I pet her. What is going on...? Any words of advice would be appreciated.
About 4 weeks ago, a friend of a friend told me about someone having baby conures in my neighborhood. I had been looking to add a conure to my family for some months, but wanted to get a bird that was a good fit...so I kept looking for a healthy bird from a reputable breeder or one to adopt, a tame friendly bird, one that wouldn't spook easily, etc. Well, I went to this lady's house to meet her babies, and the poor things were barely making it. The parents were not taking care of the babies (not feeding them), and the lady/owner was trying her best to rear them. The parents laid 5 eggs, 3 hatched, 1 died, and from the 2 babies that I met, one was almost twice as big as the smaller one. I grew up with birds, so I showed her how to syringe feed them (she was feeding them with a spoon), keep them warm, etc. Well, this lady travels a lot, and hired a pet sitter to watch her animals. The pet sitter didn't know how to feed the babies, the owner asked me if I'd help, so I stepped in. Long story short, the lady seems to have good intentions but is not a good bird parent...although, I have my reservations, and I'm beginning to wonder if she's just letting them breed to make a quick buck, because her pair continues to mate. The parents are not fed a healthy diet, and the babies are left in their own excrement inside the nest box that the owner never cleans (I was the only one who would clean it out when I went to help out with the babies).
In the mean time, my daughter fell in love with the little baby (the one barely making it), as she used to go with me to feed the babies. So it kind of turned into a rescue mission to get that baby out of that house. I purchased her and brought her home as soon as the lady came back from her last vacation. I had set up an incubator for the baby with interactive toys, a snuggle toy, food, water, etc. and I have continued to syringe feed her. First thing I did was give her a bath because her tail feathers were covered in poop and she smelled very badly. I syringe feed her in the mornings before I leave the house, and she gets some play time outside of her incubator. She gets syringe fed again after I come home from work and then stays outside the incubator until bedtime. I've known this bird since she was 2 weeks old...all pink, no feathers. My daughter and I liked her because she was very quiet and laid back...whereas her older sibling was loud and rambunctious. She's 6 weeks and 2 days old today. Baby baby.
Well, before bed, I watch Netflix on my laptop, and I had been opening seeds for her and trying to feed her the inside (no hull), and feeding her her pellets trying to teach her/encourage her to eat solid food. I think she's finally learning!! We also bring her to the table with us while we eat and try to share our food with her. Well...I don't know if this little bird is just a smarty pants, or if I'm thinking too much into it....But, I think she's starting to train me. When I bring her out in the mornings, I've been putting her in the laundry sink so she can poop in there (she has the biggest monstrous poop first thing in the morning). After she poops, I pick her up and take her out of the sink. I think she has figured this out and "faked a poop" tonight when I put her in the sink (she can't fly out of the sink on her own yet) to get me to take her out of the sink. Could this be true??
That all was a prelude to: Tonight was the first time she ever bit me. A few times! She was biting me as I was peeling her seeds while we watched Netflix. What is that about? It's almost like she was rushing me! I did a lot of reading on conures during the months of searching for one. Because of that/from that, I've just been quickly moving my hand to have her loose her balance when she was biting me tonight. But, what gives...? I've known this baby since before she had feathers, and fed her, and spoil her in every way possible. Why is she starting to bite? I want to nip it in the bud...I don't want to create a little green monster. So, please, tell me what I should do when she gets ornery like this? I've read birds bite due to fear or to control. She is definitely not afraid of me. Things were going so well....is this 6 week old bird really trying to control me? Is she starting to get into the "nippy stage" I've read so much about? We've been snuggling every night, and she's been dozing off on me happily grinding her beak while I pet her. What is going on...? Any words of advice would be appreciated.
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