Trust building exercises?

[Ladyeclectic]

What are some tips for basic trust building with a new bird?

I am now the mama of a very scared, very unsocialized 6-month old Green-cheeked conure, and I worry that I'll do something to make things worse. My idea is to just be around, talk to the bird (no idea yet on the sex) and let it get used to me before I start trying to pick it up...or should I put my hands in the cage and let it get used to me?

Help!

 

[nofearengineer]

Lady,

Just remember the most important thing. Parrots live a long time, so there's really no hurry. Patience is key.

Parrots are social, flock animals. So if you don't force the issue...he will begin to come to you, when he is ready for it. He really doesn't have a choice...it's in his DNA. Just be firm but gentle, kind, and always reward him for good behaviors, and you can't go wrong.

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Thanks for the reply. It's good to remember that in the span of 20-30 years, a few weeks (or a few months) is only a drop in the bucket.

I couldn't find "Parrots for Dummies" at either pet store yesterday so I'll stop by some book shops and if it's not there, just order it online.

My thumb is smarting this morning from where s/he bit me. That pet shop lady did me NO favors, catching the poor thing with a net, then chasing it all around the store. This morning the bird was staring at me from my side of the bars and let me talk softly but when I got about 4-5 feet away it made its way back to its far corner.

I've got my work cut out for me.

 

[wildheart]

My idea is to just be around, talk to the bird (no idea yet on the sex) and let it get used to me before I start trying to pick it up...or should I put my hands in the cage and let it get used to me?

Help!

Make a routine of sitting by the cage and talk to him softly in a loving manner. You can even read a book to him. Let him settle in for at least a week before you try and handle him. You can offer him treats through the cage, he will eventually take it from you.

Here are some good threads that will help a lot:

Taming Your Bird
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/3100-bond-forming.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/300-parrots-bill-rights.html

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Thank you for the links Wildheart, they were really helpful in alleviating some concerns I had (apparently I'm doing alright with my setup and actions so far). For now I just want him to get used to his new digs and the goings-on in my small household (apartment). My little mutt is kind of interested but not too much so, and I don't let her get close to the cage anyway.

This afternoon I'm going to go buy a separate bowl for crackers, fruits and vegetables and place it in there to see what the bird is most into. I don't want to touch the bird, just see what kinds of things it likes to eat so I can figure out what will most entice it to come to me when I get to that point. Slices of strawberries, apple (sans any seeds as I've heard those are poisonous), a few grapes, maybe some peanuts and a cracker. Hopefully doing so won't scare the poor dear too much. I'm also trying to figure out what kind of feed I should use - I grabbed a bag of what they were using at the pet store as I didn't want any drastic variations over what it normally gets, but have heard pellets would be more nutritious so am seeking ideas on good brands for conures.

 

[Jodi]

Congrats on your new baby! He will come around in no time as long as you are patient I feed my green cheek a bean supreme mix every morning that I throw fresh veggies in. He has pellets at all times along with a quality seed mix... In the evenings he gets birdie bread with fresh fruit or a fruit and nut mix if I have ran out of fresh fruits can't wait to see a picture of him

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Thanks for the info Jodi! And I can't wait to photograph him - I'm going to try this afternoon as I have a Nikon with a telephoto lens, the only way I'll likely get up-close and personal pictures of him for the time being. I need to go shopping for a good pellet food mix; the place where I got him was only feeding him seeds and water, so I'm pretty sure some supplementation is necessary although I'm not sure just how much.

Oh, and I named him/her Mishka. Should work for whatever sex s/he ends up being!!

 

[Jodi]

Mishka! what a great name! easy to say and youre right, either gender it fits! They probably didnt have him on the best seed diet, at least the pet stores around my area usually do not. I'm sure someone here can let you know if/how much for the supplementation...I have to sneak up to Panini with my camera because he is a complete ham and usually ends up on my nikon which the hubby is never thrilled to see! I'll check back later in hopes you lucked out with some pictures!

 

[Ladyeclectic]

So this afternoon I've just been hanging out by the cage, reading the conure book I have and talking to Mishka, and it seems to be working! S/he was skittish at first but after a while (especially when I laid down below - ah heck I need to just pick a gender! - her level) she started doing her thing. Eyes always on me no matter where she was, or what orientation (she likes being upside down it seems ).

I took pictures but will have to wait a while to upload them as I let the Dude's family borrow my laptop with the Nikon software on it. Right now she seems to be either confused or excited by the late afternoon sun streaming in through the nearby back door - she was going crazy for a bit there, bouncing around from one perch to another, rubbing her face on the various wood surfaces.

I ordered "Parrots for Dummies" today, it should get here sometime in the nextfew days so I can start learning what a lot of this behavior means! Right now she's just staring at me, comfortably perched on the thicker "branch" with her back kissed by the sun, happily grinding her beak.

Yeah. I think I could love this odd little creature.

 

[SharonC]

I think you already do!

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Sharon: Maaaaaaaaaybe.....

Dude spent some time this afternoon doing what I'd been doing, just laying by the cage and letting her get used to his presence. I heard him call me and got to the living room in time to see him set Mishka back into the cage. Apparently while he'd been staring out a window she'd decided to go through the open gate and flutter halfway across the room!! Seeing as she won't even let us touch her yet neither of us had wanted it to go that far lol!

A breakthrough this evening, kinda: we had to do some renovating of the cage (a perch was over her water bowl and she'd already pooped in it a few times). Well I was adjusting her rope perch, trying to figure out a good position for it that was entertaining but not beneath everything - even had to move a few toys around. Whether it was because I never actually put my hand out to touch her or she was just tired for the night I don't know, but my little baby didn't move from her perch despite my hand being less than half a foot away at times!! *is proud*

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Well this morning as I was getting ready for work Mishka was fluttering around her cage, clearly interested in what was going on. She stayed on the bars closest to me while I talked to her, but whenever I let my hand get close she immediately shied away.

This afternoon I'm going to try something: laying my hand inside the cage and wiggling it around a bit (but never reaching for her) so she can get used to hands and fingers. Maybe if I can get her to ignore the hands more (every time she sees them they have her FULL attention - it's actually kinda cute but sad) she might not be afraid to take treats from them. I also have to figure out what kind of fruits she'd like as she didn't want anything to do with the apples and asparagus I put in yesterday (maybe if I shredded them, or made them into even smaller bites?).

 

[wildheart]

You are doing perfect! Dont worry too much about her shying away from your hands, it is perfectly normal. You must show her that those hands bring lots of treats and joy. Dont consider covering your hands either, the sooner she gets used to them the better.

I slice an apple in half, take out all the seeds and give the whole half to my girl. She prefers it like that, but it is maybe because she cant hold something like other parrots. The chances are also that Mishka wont dive in and just start eating because everything are unfamiliar to her. If I was you I would slice the apple in front of her and eat some of it. You must really make a fuss and show her how nice it is yumm-yummmmm! Do that with all the food that you offer her. Eat some and offer her some, she will start to become interested in this yumm-yumm.

I also read in one of your first posts that you mentioned peanuts. You need to stay away from ALL peanuts because it can kill your parrot. Here is a website that explains it well. Also safe this website in favorites because it contains LOTS of information about EVERYTHING that we need to know.
Aspergillosis in Birds: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options as well as Prevention

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Oh yikes!! I had no idea about peanuts, there's even a few bits in her current food! Glad I didn't splurge on that big bag of unshelled peanuts yesterday! Is it just peanuts or all nuts I should keep away from?

I'm going to get a carton of blueberries and raspberries today too, just for some variety. I'll also do what you suggested and halve/pit an apple for her. Do you think I should take out her seed food too for the afternoon so she only has the fruits, or let her learn about them on her own?

Gah I hate newbie status but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Well crap. That list is going to make me have to reevaluate a lot of what I'm doing currently: her bedding (which lies below a grate for easy cleaning) is walnut shells and her bird food is high in sunflower seeds (although she doesn't seem to like the larger seeds). I think she's getting used to her new place enough that I can switch out the food, any recommendations? I want to start her on more pellets but that'll be easier said than done I think...

Thanks for the link, definitely worth knowing!!

 

[wildheart]

Nuts are fine.

If she was only fed seeds then it is best to slowly wean her off it.
Eclectuses have unusually long digestive tracts and require large amounts of fiber, fruits & vegetables in their diet to remain healthy. This need has to be met. They are far more likely than other parrots to suffer from nutritional deficiencies, since many people ignore their special dietary needs.They need more fruit and veggies than other parrots.



It is generally recommended that eclectuses be fed about 80% soft foods, such as fresh or thawed-out frozen fruits, vegetables, soaked seed. They enjoy corn-on-the-cob, banana, mango, apple, per, passion fruit, berries, cantaloupe and watermelon. It is imperative that the fresh, soaked and cooked food items need to be removed daily to prevent sickness from contaminated food.
Convenient Sources of Fruits / Veggies: For days when I am too busy to prepare something for my eclectus, I always have available jars of baby food with fruits & vegetables (i.e. Gerbers). My pet birds LOVE those.
Vitamin A:

The Eclectus is often deficient in Vitamin A and offering a diet in dark leafy greens and orange-colored produce (i.e., apricots, cantaloupes, carrots, red peppers, pumpkins and sweet potatoes), mashed up with other fruits or vegetables will be both loved by your eclectus, as much as it is good for her or him.
It is important to favor safe and natural forms of vitamin A over supplements. Synthetically produced nutrients may not be absorbable and could easily be overdosed. With a healthful diet, birds should never need a vitamin A supplement - assuming that they have no metabolic problems.
List of natural sources of beta carotene/vitamin A that are safe for birds (starting with food items highest in this nutrient):

• Red chili peppers (fresh or dried) - Most Eclectus relish hot red peppers and they are rich in beta carotene; so including dried hot chili peppers in a dry food mix will be a constant source of a safe and natural form of vitamin A.
• Broccoli leaves; broccoli flowers - as well as dandelion greens and other dark leafy greens are rich sources of beta carotene and are, therefore, highly recommended for parrot health.
• Carrots - Many birds also enjoy fresh carrot juice - or try offering shredded carrots.
• Sweet potatoes
• Turnip leaves, Collards, Endive, Spinach, Canteloupe
• Egg yolks - Laurella Desborough, Eclectus Parrots For Sale Eclectus Parrot Breeder Eclectus Babies, advises as follows "Eggs should NOT be offered more than twice a month. Vet experience and breeder experience is that eclectus parrots (and other parrots) fed boiled eggs on a routine weekly basis develop serious problems with high cholesterol and subsequently arteriosclerosis and die young!"
• Mango and Papaya

Eclectus Diets
​

 

[Ladyeclectic]

Well then! I'll definitely start pushing the fruits and veggies more, thanks for the info. Good to know about the eggs too: I was going to hardboil some this afternoon but wasn't sure how often I should feed them.

I'm going to remove her seed food dish today (it needs to be changed out anyway and she has a nut bar hanging from the roof of her cage) and give her a bunch of fruit options and a HB egg for the afternoon. She seemed more confused by the fruit than turn-up-her-nose-ish so I doubt she's seen much, poor baby.

Nice to know other nuts are okay. I'd imagine birds rather enjoy the challenge of opening them up.

 

[Ladyeclectic]

I can already tell I have a bossy little bird! Yesterday I took out her seed and, in her separate veggie/treat bowl, put out an asparagus head, half an apple and half a HB egg. She tongued the asparagus and pecked at (nibbled?) the egg but didn't even touch the apple, so I'm really going to have to figure out what fruits and veggies she's going to eat.

Back to the bossiness though: when I took out the seeds there was a general WTH-vibe, then she sat next to where the seeds normally are and started making her first real vocalizations, staring straight at me and making chewing motions with her beak. Basically demanding to have her seeds back! When I finally gave in and got them for her (at that point she'd pecked at only the egg) she dug in, so I'm a little at a loss on how to feed the girl her veggies. Better selection I guess (couldn't go to the store so tried to make due with what I had).

I got the impression yesterday she was bored in her cage; whenever I have the door open and blatantly ignore her, she hangs out near the opening just staring at me. Of course she skitters back when I get my hand close which is fine: I don't want her to come out unless it's on my hand. Twice she dangled from the top of the open door, half in and half out, but each time I put my hand out to offer my finger she made a mad dash back inside. At least she's getting closer though, even if she still can't stomach the thought of being touched (although each time she dangled there, I did manage to get brushed by feathers - but of course I don't count that as "touching" ). She walked all over too, hanging out a lot at the bottom of the cage until I covered it for the night whereupon she retreated to the dark upper corner. I laid by it for a while afterwards, just talking with the Dude about his day, and whenever I peeked at her I saw she was on the topmost branch, on the edge nearest to me, just watching.

I'll take that as a promising sign.

 

[bogo1]

Your instincts are excellent and you clearly have the patience. Can you mix some seed, fruit and veggies together in a rather small amount (like a mash) and put in cage in am after pulling all food when you cover the evening before. The seeds being mixed up with the healthy foods plus a touch of hunger might get her to taste things she's not tried before.

 

[bogo1]

Don't leave that for more than two hours as it will go bad fast. For her main food bowl try mixing seed and pellets and slowly increase ratio of pellets to seed.