Sun Conure acting strange

[northernfog]

Hi,
I know it has been awhile but I wanted to take the time to update on my lil Pompeii's situation and also to reply to some of the things that were brought up here while I was away. I think the vet as well as my family knew that this was a somewhat of an emergency situation for him. He was really shocked and seemed stressed and we didn't want to push him further. I have known the same vet for the past 9 years and she has always been great with my birds and knows how much I pay attention to detail and care when it comes to their health.

Also I have never ever in the 9 years of being a pet bird owner clipped their wings or nails or beak. This situation was different since he was drawing blood so often. At any given time I had 3-5 open cuts in my hands because even when petting him he would snap and just bite, he still does.

As far as how Pompeii is doing, he is doing alot better. We gave him time to relax and didn't take him out of the cage when he didn't want to and now he is back to bagging to get some out of cage time. He is eating better, maintaining his weight, making better droppings as well as acting his old self. I used to own a cockatiel that was just as sensitive as him when it came to vet visits. So when he reacted that way I felt I knew how to handle the situation, and sure enough he seems alot better.

Any tips to teaching him to bite less? I think he dislikes me in particular because I spend a lot of time with my cockatiel Choco which sits on my shoulder 24/7 like you guys mentioned, haha. But I love him to bits too!

ps: attached is a pictured I had from awhile ago of my hand as it looked from Pompeii's biting. And of course my little Choco that is stuck on me like glue. xD

 

[Birdman666]

He can perch on two feet and jump from the perch to the cage bars. He just seems a little out of it. We just fed him some pellets and peanuts and millet. In the morning he weighed 105g now he is at 109g. 109 is pretty normal for him he has alwaays been around that.

The avian vet is willing to see him but said if this is stress, it is best to keep him home. I think she takes house calls so I might try to do that to avoid any further stress especially since shhe is a good 45mins away.

If he's back to his normal weight, you might want to just watch him.

That's the biggest thing.

Parrots can be pouty at times after a wing clipping/grooming. They sulk for days sometimes. Especially if the groomer was less than gentle. (Sometimes even if they are.)

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Every bird is different and so is every situation so it's difficult to come up with the ideal answer that will help.

Bottom line is this - it is NOT 'normal' for a parrot to bite and draw blood on a regular basis. Usually, when they bite this hard it is out of defense.

Skittles will bite EXTREMELY hard when he feels threatened. Breaking skin and drawing blood. It got to the point where he was attacking my neighbor and biting her so hard that I could not loosen his grasp on her, and when I could - he'd bite me almost as hard.

That being said, I have found that 'reassuring' him to any dangers works wonders. I will say in my 'birdy voice', "it's okay, yeah, it's alright". He tends to calm down after I do that several times. It does not work, however, with my neighbor - sadly. He just does NOT like her at all. She is the ONLY one he will attack. He won't attack my other neighbor. But the one he DOES attack is also my best friend, so I sense that is why.

My issue with Skittles is more around his 'over' defending of me against dangers or strangers. There have been several times he has flown over to me when I have a 'foreign' object in my hands and he'll try to attack it thinking it's gonna hurt me.

What I would suggest is observe the environment he is in when he bites. Is there something (or someone) that is making him nervous.

If it is, try removing that thing or person and see if it makes a difference. It usually does. If you remove the threat, you'll likely remove the aggression. That's my thoughts anyways - but I'm not sure it would work in your situation. Suns are notorious for being 'watchdogs' and are VERY protective of their favorite 'human'.

 

[Notdumasilook]

I hate you are not getting more help with your lil conure. Sounds like you are getting "defensive" bites.. at least when you are petting and he bites. Question.. if hes on your shoulder does he attack ears and face?? When just on you hand but "not" being petted does he still try to nail you? Does he "charge" at you when you try to get him on your hand? My Booger will "charge and attack" my hands if I snap my fingers. Otherwise he is fine with petting and belly rubs etc. Years ago I had a (PRE OWNED) cherry headed conure.... a bit larger than a sun and much bigger beak. He would nicely just ease of to ya.. real timid and slow.. and when he got close enuff he'd nail your ear with everything he had. He obviously had issues from prior owners and he ended up back at the pet store. I think if I had him now I could break him of that behavior...but I was birdie dumb back then. You say it took a year and a half for the bird to learn to fly? That is wayyyyyyyyyy too long. Would he just not try or was he a caged bird for a long time??
Another question on the bitting.. are their times when hes playing he bites also?? but not as hard? Just curious here.

 

[BoomBoom]

My parrot had a bad case of nippiness for a week some time ago. I got great advice from Kalidasa and other regulars from this forum. The second they bite, say no calmly and take them back to the cage or the floor. Don't lock them in. On the third consecutive bite, say no, take them to the cage, lock them in - but only for a minute or two. Repeat as needed. Consistency is important. Also, calmness, don't react in a grand way. Goes without saying, but kindness and gentleness, while being stern are also important.

I also redirected his energy. When he starts to get nippy, I engage him in flight recall exercises. Several laps till he forgets that he was on a nipping mood.

I saw results within weeks!