Rescued blue crest. Bad attitude, help!!!!!

[Wes]

I recently rescued a female??? , 5 year old????, blue crested conure. Her name is Ellie. She is very adversive to contact of any kind. Bites constantly. Scratches constantly, avoids bathing like it would kill her. Very limited vocabulary. She seems almost wild. I am at a loss to how to help her. She came from a home where she would remain in a covered cage for days at a time. In a cage too small for her.my goal is for her to be happy, healthy and loved. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[IndySE]

Poor girl. Take it slow. She's used to a small space and is getting used to the idea of an appropriately sized cage. Have you don't the basics yet ? Establish you are safe with soft-talking until she accepts your presence. Read to her. Then, when she's ready, see if she will take treats from your hand. If your goal is just to make sure she's happy, those steps should be enough. She may never be a snuggly conure, but I think just about any bird can accept human presence. Also, you can try misting if she won't take to a bath. It's unusual that a conure doesn't like a bath, but I suppose it happens.

 

[Tami2]

Congratulations and Good for you!!

Patients, patients & than more patients. The poor thing is traumatized.

Check out this link for helpful info.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Best of luck to you both. :heart:

 

[Wes]

Thank you both for the advice. She is enjoying the new cage, and the freedom of being out of a cage. Her wings are not clipped, but she is very reluctant to fly. I think that is because of all the time spent in a small cage. But she is slowly coming around. She takes treats from my hand, with a few bites at me, but she is warming up. I'm not pushing her. Giving her all the time she needs. I did try misting. She hates it. Still not sure what to do about bathing her.

 

[itzjbean]

It may just take time with the bathing thing. You should be getting her to see a certified avian vet to ensure she doesn't have any underlying health problems. You can get a carrier and bring her there by putting her into it with a towel. She may not like it but it's pretty standard for new brids to get a checkup.

Put toys in her cage and see if she likes them. Continue to take it slow, if you are getting bitten you are getting too close to her still. Continue with offering treats, and really the key is to show her that you are a friend and that she can spread her wings now.

Again, welcome and congrats on your new conure. It will be a long journey for her but just give her patience and love and it will pay off in the end!

 

[KateMyshkin]

I adopted a five year old conure about three months ago. His owner got sick and then his wife couldn’t care for her husband and the bird so her son sold it to a mom and pop pet store down the road from me that I frequent because I like to buy local and I had a cat .. she passed last June then in September I saw a conure in the shop and took him home. I was patient and just this week out of nowhere and practically over night the bird started acting like a conure. I think he was slightly neglected with his bonded human falling sick and unsure when I took him in. Also, he was bonded to a man and I’m not a man. My bird was very moody and he bit... and got “beaky” where he was biting but not using pressure or breaking skin but really mad and yelling and head bobbing and charging ... puffed up his little face and neck feathers... but I just stuck to a bed time routine.. 10 to 12 hours a night, we usually do 12 because it’s an apartment and we put him in the corner of the living room but any time we go to the bathroom or kitchen we wakes up. Lately we have noticed the bird is afraid of the dark. He cries as if he’s in pain so I leave the tree on and he’s stopped the crying... who would think? All my reading says to put them in the dark and cover them so shadows don’t spook them. Is your bird getting good rest? Then I switched the bird off seed only and I think a few weeks of good nutrition and detox happened. I know I’m moody when I quit carbs so consider that your bird might be detoxing from his sunflower seed addiction. Good nights sleep and a good diet will really help the birds attitude. Now seemingly over night my bird accepted me and we are great pals now. Keep us posted .. cheering for you