Possessive Conure Advice

[Jenypher]

Looking for some training advice, or...something!!

I have a long-term foster sun conure, who's about 10-years-old. I unexpectedly took him in from a family member. At the time, I was also waiting on my bonded pair of conures (a GCC and a Jenday) to age up enough to come home. The Sun came first by a few weeks, and settled in nicely! After a few days, he stopped being snarly towards me (I am the Keeper of Treats), and does quite well with my cockatiels (he was raised around cockatiels, and likes them enough to let them actually enter / hang around in his cage).

Cue the babies, especially the Jenday. He clearly doesn't like them (the GCC landed on his cage to try to make friends, and it went badly, so the GCC stays away). The Jenday is a velcro bird. Any time I walk by his cage (we have limited space and that part is unavoidable), if I'm not careful and get too close, the Sun will FLING himself onto me to attack her. The Sun can't fly, he had a terrible wing clip when he was a baby and never recovered that particular faculty.

I suspect his behavior is jealousy and possessiveness. He did it again today. Usually, I just separate them and put him back on his cage. This time, I carefully removed the Jenday from his reach, but didn't put her down. Instead, I cuddled the Sun and whispered to him. He usually hates hands, but he was all into the cuddles and scritches such. After he'd calmed down (didn't try again to go after her again), THEN I put the Jenday down, and continued to cuddle with the Sun until he got fidgety and wanted to go back to his cage.

My other birds all tolerate each other within norms - this is the only bird I have who acts like this. I know 10 is kind of far along in the conure life cycle to be changing behaviors, but is there anything I can do besides what I just described?

 

[itzjbean]

Yes, this sounds like jealousy!

Sounds like you will have to designate separate times to be with your Sun and your other conures. As in the Sun needs to be caged while you have the other two out of the cage. If he is attacking them it is not fair for your other bids, he needs to be in his cage safe until the other two conures are in their cages.

We have several members here who have birds that hate each other and are never trusted outside the cage alone together (otherwise it would result in fatality) but they manage the time between bids by keeping one in the cage while the other is out.

 

[noodles123]

A bird loving cuddles is usually hormonal (and most will be when given the chance)--- keep "cuddles" out of the picture---petting on the head/neck is okay, but anything else can be stimulating in the wrong way.
Make sure he has no shadowy spaces (tents, huts, piles of paper, under blankets, in clothing etc) access in or around the cage and pay special attention to sleep cycles. 12 hours (on average) each night is important.

 

[Jenypher]

A bird loving cuddles is usually hormonal (and most will be when given the chance)--- keep "cuddles" out of the picture---petting on the head/neck is okay, but anything else can be stimulating in the wrong way.
Make sure he has no shadowy spaces (tents, huts, piles of paper, under blankets, in clothing etc) access in or around the cage and pay special attention to sleep cycles. 12 hours (on average) each night is important.

He gets 12 hours of covered darkness per night (they all do), and has no huts or anything else to hide in (that way across all their habitats). When I say cuddles, I mean that I covered him with my hands so he couldn't see her, and had him contained, but was only scritching his head and neck (he's got pins). It's possible he's hormonal, but this seems more specific to her.

I'm more concerned about socializing them. Does anyone have any advice about that?

 

[clark_conure]

I have two green cheeks. actually I have a green cheek female and she has a green cheek non dna related daughter.

Me; I'd put them on the floor in a small room, and lay down. If theres an issue you can put you hand in and stop it, if they bond your good. Also the floor is like the ultimate lowest platform. theres no hierarchy or level position or territory.


Now not for nothing birds need a pecking order, one bird needs to come out on top s bit so no other fights occur. so let the dominant strut their stuff a bit.....for the peace. It's a nature thing.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

A bird loving cuddles is usually hormonal (and most will be when given the chance)--- keep "cuddles" out of the picture---petting on the head/neck is okay, but anything else can be stimulating in the wrong way.
Make sure he has no shadowy spaces (tents, huts, piles of paper, under blankets, in clothing etc) access in or around the cage and pay special attention to sleep cycles. 12 hours (on average) each night is important.

Cuddling should only be limited (or avoided) during mating season if/when it becomes or is a problem. Cuddling at other times is fine, in fact, sunnies are very cuddly birds and I can't imagine someone having a sunnie and not allowing cuddles. Cuddling is Skittles favorite thing to do. Granted, its just him and I and no one else, but still, when I had my cockatiel Peaches, I couldn't even pet her or touch her during mating season without her going into heat. With Skittles, I don't have that problem. The only hormonal problem I have with him is regurgitation during mating season and when that happens, I just remove the triggers and limit his access to anything that might become a trigger (ie, he has a fabric fetish and during mating seasons, i have to keep him away from certain fabrics).

 

[noodles123]

A bird loving cuddles is usually hormonal (and most will be when given the chance)--- keep "cuddles" out of the picture---petting on the head/neck is okay, but anything else can be stimulating in the wrong way.
Make sure he has no shadowy spaces (tents, huts, piles of paper, under blankets, in clothing etc) access in or around the cage and pay special attention to sleep cycles. 12 hours (on average) each night is important.

Cuddling should only be limited (or avoided) during mating season if/when it becomes or is a problem. Cuddling at other times is fine, in fact, sunnies are very cuddly birds and I can't imagine someone having a sunnie and not allowing cuddles. Cuddling is Skittles favorite thing to do. Granted, its just him and I and no one else, but still, when I had my cockatiel Peaches, I couldn't even pet her or touch her during mating season without her going into heat. With Skittles, I don't have that problem. The only hormonal problem I have with him is regurgitation during mating season and when that happens, I just remove the triggers and limit his access to anything that might become a trigger (ie, he has a fabric fetish and during mating seasons, i have to keep him away from certain fabrics).

Unless your bird is in an outdoor aviary all year, there is no true mating season..Therefore, everyday is potentially "mating season". It is weather and light dependent. Yes, different birds have different triggers, but many bird owners have ended up with egg-bound birds without any clue that their birds were being hormonal. I suppose female birds are a greater risk, but still, it isn't always obvious until things have gotten out of hand. Cockatoos are called "velcro birds" and that does not mean that it is advisable to cuddle or stroke them (even though they love it).
I am not saying that this can't be bird specific, but the "only during mating season" thing is not definite for all birds.

 

[Jenypher]

I have two green cheeks. actually I have a green cheek female and she has a green cheek non dna related daughter.

Me; I'd put them on the floor in a small room, and lay down. If theres an issue you can put you hand in and stop it, if they bond your good. Also the floor is like the ultimate lowest platform. theres no hierarchy or level position or territory.


Now not for nothing birds need a pecking order, one bird needs to come out on top s bit so no other fights occur. so let the dominant strut their stuff a bit.....for the peace. It's a nature thing.

Worth a shot!! If they bond, I'm good. If they don't, well, we tried Thanks for the advice!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Maybe, maybe not as far as mating seasons go- but I do know that Skittles tends to be more hormonal in the spring.


He actually tried 'humping' my hand this afternoon. He's tried that before, but ironically, he's never tried it when I've petted him or held him. It happens when my hand is just lying still and he's sitting on my knee or something. I just redirect him when that happens. Its kind of funny in a way though, it reminds me of the kitty my sister had when I was a kid. Her cat took a 'liking' to my ventriloquist stuffed monkey.


I'm just grateful that cuddling with him doesn't make him hormonal (and I hope it never does) considering how much we cuddle.