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Painted Conure Nippiness Solution?

Cawkatoo

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Hello everyone! I finally got my painted conure and he is beautiful and not shy at all, since he has been exploring all around his cage and chirping. The first day, he was completely calm and let us all handle him. Today (day 2), however, he touches his beak to your finger when presented with it to step up, then slowly increases pressure until he chomps down. He hasnt made me bleed, but has nipped me a good 10-20 times in a single day. This was, of course, completely expected since he is a pyrrhura conure, but what is a good solution to it? He is still young at 3 months old, and I dont want to stress him. Any tips or advice? Thanks!
 

Lady Jane

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You are being tested. That is one of the jobs of the beak. Try not to get upset and learn to watch his body language so you can tell if a bite is coming and you can take steps to avoid it.
 

Cawkatoo

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You are being tested. That is one of the jobs of the beak. Try not to get upset and learn to watch his body language so you can tell if a bite is coming and you can take steps to avoid it.
Well I try not to react, but I have noticed he does not like being touched right now at all. Whenever I move my hand SLOWLY towards him, he looks at it and as soon as it comes within reach, pinches (doesn't draw blood). So from that, I guess I can conclude not to touch him as of now. As for his body language, well, he is always pacing back and forth on the bottom grate and as soon as I open the door, he climbs out at top speed trying to get close to me. I think he wants to be with me, but doesnt want any physical interaction. Would that be correct based on what im describing? Also, he wont step up at all, and if you present your finger, he will pinch it in like a 4-5 time succession lol. the only way I got him to step up once is by putting a pellet right out of his reach and he had no choice but to climb onto my finger to get it.
 

JosienBB

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Ophelia was extremely nippy when I first got her. I didn't necessarily do anything different, but she's gotten a lot less nippy with time. Don't get me wrong, she is still very nippy, but not nearly as much as before. I think it's something they have to grow out of.
 

JosienBB

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Also, your boy may not know how to step up. Ophelia didn't know how to step up when I first got her -- I had to teach her.
 

Cawkatoo

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Also, your boy may not know how to step up. Ophelia didn't know how to step up when I first got her -- I had to teach her.
He doesnt know how to step up. When should I start training him? Its still only day 2 and I dont want to rush things. Also, forgive my ignorance, but how exactly should I go about doing this? Target training?

And by nippy, was Ophelia so nippy that you couldn't even get your finger within reach? Because thats how it is with this guy. Its not aggression biting either, because as soon as I put him back he starts pacing on the grate and squealing to be let out. So I guess hes just exploring and is a curious little bird lol
 

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She would bite like crazy whenever she sees human flesh lol. It got a little better when I Handfed her some formula -- baby could be beaking everything because he wants to be comfort fed (he's newly weaned, right?) I'm on the road right now, will talk more later.
 

Cawkatoo

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She would bite like crazy whenever she sees human flesh lol. It got a little better when I Handfed her some formula -- baby could be beaking everything because he wants to be comfort fed (he's newly weaned, right?) I'm on the road right now, will talk more later.
Alright lol, glad to know it isn't just me. I've been target training her for the past hour. Its amazing how fast these birds pick new things up! He's already going around the cage touching the chopstick. He still wont come to my hand when targeted in a position to step up though; he just ignores the stick then and nips my finger a few times. Maybe i'm going too fast and should slow down? Also maybe I should add if I feed him pieces of crushed nutriberries by hand, he only takes the food and wont bite my hand, so at least I can feed him myself :)
 

Wolf

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Training sessions should not last more than 10 to 15 minutes especially with such a new bird. Don't forget that he is scared and needs time to adjust to his new home and to you. Take the time to get to know him and let him get to know you. At this point in time he needs more reassurance and comfort than training.
 

Cawkatoo

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Training sessions should not last more than 10 to 15 minutes especially with such a new bird. Don't forget that he is scared and needs time to adjust to his new home and to you. Take the time to get to know him and let him get to know you. At this point in time he needs more reassurance and comfort than training.
Oh, alright, by an hour I meant alternating between 5 minutes of training and 5 minutes of break. If not yet, when should I begin step up training? Also, should he be getting out of cage time as of now? The only way I can put him back in is grabbing him and putting him on a perch, and I don't think this is good for him. Should I wait until he is step up trained until bringing him out?
 

Wolf

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So many thing depend on the particular bird as what works for one doesn't work for another, this is the same as having two brothers in the same household you often have to use different methods to teach each one of them. I very often let my birds out in the late afternoon about a couple of hours before it starts getting dark and while they are out I make sure that when it gets to be dinner time to get the birds attention and let them see me put their dinner in their cage. By doing this they will often return to their cage on their own for dinner. There have been a few cases where I had to wait until dark for them to go in and even a few that I have had to catch after dark and put them back myself.
I t seems to me that most hand raised birds will step up within just a few days if you spend time in their presence talking to them and offering a little treat off and on through the time with them. I can't say that I have had to train a bird to step up for me, they, so far, have just done it on their own. I don't think that you are doing any harm by target training your bird this soon after getting him and training may help to deepen a bond once it is there but training can't create the bond. You create the bond when you spend time with the bird reassuring him.
 

Cawkatoo

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EDIT OF HAPPINESS: HE STEPPED UP ON MY ARM! He's still not comfortable on my hands, but an arm step up is great progress nonetheless! Also, in the 3 days Ive had him, his nippiness has surprisingly halved. Surprising, but definitely not something I'm complaining about haha. Still nippy, but not painful nippy. More beaky I guess.
 

parrotluv

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As a breeder, some babies start to associate step ups with returning to cage. So make sure that when practicing step ups it's not just to be put back. So always reinforce by placing baby on a play stand or other area a few times before going back to cage. I also found with conures that a separate play area away from cage was always best. Also give food they like in a dish when returning to cage. This helps associate going back as a good thing.
 

Cawkatoo

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As a breeder, some babies start to associate step ups with returning to cage. So make sure that when practicing step ups it's not just to be put back. So always reinforce by placing baby on a play stand or other area a few times before going back to cage. I also found with conures that a separate play area away from cage was always best. Also give food they like in a dish when returning to cage. This helps associate going back as a good thing.
I give him 1/2 a nutriberry every time he goes back. Those are his favorite treats, lucky for me. I also use small bits ( 1/8 section pieces for each desired behavior) of nutriberries for training treats in sessions. I go through a total of about 2-3 nutriberries a day.
 

Monica

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Try to avoid the nips rather than to ignore them. He's probably part trying to figure you out, part figuring out his new home.


Step up training should look something like this... and you can use a clicker or a word. Target training is great!


  1. Reward bird for looking at you.
  2. Reward your bird for moving his head towards you.
  3. Reward your bird for taking a step towards you.
  4. Reward your bird for taking another step towards you.
  5. If he doesn't run away, keep rewarding him for remaining where he's at. (if he runs/backs off, you may need to start over again)
  6. Reward your bird for taking a couple more steps closer.
  7. Encourage him to come closer yet again and reward him.
  8. Reward your bird for touching you with his toe(s).
  9. Reward your bird for putting a foot on you.
  10. *JACKPOT REWARD* Give your bird lots of goodies for putting both feet on you!
 

Cawkatoo

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Try to avoid the nips rather than to ignore them. He's probably part trying to figure you out, part figuring out his new home.


Step up training should look something like this... and you can use a clicker or a word. Target training is great!


  1. Reward bird for looking at you.
  2. Reward your bird for moving his head towards you.
  3. Reward your bird for taking a step towards you.
  4. Reward your bird for taking another step towards you.
  5. If he doesn't run away, keep rewarding him for remaining where he's at. (if he runs/backs off, you may need to start over again)
  6. Reward your bird for taking a couple more steps closer.
  7. Encourage him to come closer yet again and reward him.
  8. Reward your bird for touching you with his toe(s).
  9. Reward your bird for putting a foot on you.
  10. *JACKPOT REWARD* Give your bird lots of goodies for putting both feet on you!
He's already stepping up onto my arm, but not my finger. He steps up onto my finger if I offer him a treat, but otherwise won't. On my arm, he steps up as soon as I say step up. What should I do? Also, he doesn't like scritches. Is that normal for a baby? He squeals and flinches whenever you touch a feather. Wierd, since on the first day I got him he let me pet him all over.
 

Wolf

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You are thinking like as if he was a dog, as a dog would be reacting as you are expecting your bird to. Try to see things from his perspective, starting with the fact that he is prey and not predator. It is in his nature to be skiddish and be very careful about being touched and to run when faced with the new and unknown. He is smart and knows that he can't run very far in a house, and especially one that he is unfamiliar with, each corner or doorway could be hiding predator waiting for him to get close enough to grab him. He knows that he is dependent upon you and wants to trust you, but you are still very new to him so you are still an unknown to him.
 

Monica

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I agree with Wolf.

If your conure is ok with stepping up onto your arm, then work from there! You can slowly teach him to step up closer and closer to your hand (I had to do this with Jayde - starting from my shoulder!) and you can even teach him to walk down your arm to your hand. Use lots of treats!
 

Cawkatoo

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I agree with Wolf.

If your conure is ok with stepping up onto your arm, then work from there! You can slowly teach him to step up closer and closer to your hand (I had to do this with Jayde - starting from my shoulder!) and you can even teach him to walk down your arm to your hand. Use lots of treats!
He will step onto my hand for treats, but flutters back immediately after getting the treat. As for the closer thing, he is fine stepping up onto my wrist.
 

Monica

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Just keep working with him and getting him comfortable with hands. :) Try to avoid forcing him to do a behavior if you don't have to, and try to keep things positive with him.
 
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