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Biting maroon conure

Shauna0522

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Shauna tuck
Hi i have 2 maroon conures Dobi is 3 yrs i have had him for 3 months and Sophie is 2 or 3 she is a rescue. Well not from a rescue center but from an older couple who got her from a little kid that didn't want her anymore. They had her for 6 or 8 months and they said she couldn't be handled because she bites so they used gloves on there hands to catch her and remove her from her flight cage. I just got her 3 days ago and last night i got her out of her cage and she was a complete sweet heart she climbed all over me while i prepared dinner, after dinner she went back and forth between my oldest daughter and I as we pet her and just enjoyed her personality. Today i got Dobi out while I prepared breakfast and after he ate I put him back on his cage washed my hands and went and got Sophie. She was a little brat today she let me get her out of her cage just fine and she is fine just being on/with you but she is terrified of hands she hisses at them and lets just say some of my fingers are tore up from her beak. I am super sad that she is so scared and i really want to help her get over it so when she bit me i would push into her instead of pulling away or i would cover her with my hand to try to calm her down. But i am at a loss as to what to do. The people i got her from smoked in there house so her cage, toys and food dishes were all yellow from nicotine tar it was absolutely discusting so i took her out of her cage which was huge flight cage that she could bite paint off of so its not safe for her. But now she is in a cage that is half the size as she is used to...shes in a new house has new toys, different food then she is used to and then there is me who just wants her to get used to being handeled and loved. Can anyone give me any kind of tips to help this go smoother. I do know that i should give her a few days to adjust i just feel bad because she is in a cage that is so much smaller then shes use to and thats not good for her but i dont want her experiences with me to be all bad either cuz that wont help her trust me and she was so sweet last night that's the sophie i want lol. Also her bowel movements are very watery with almost no white but normal feces im guessing this is just stress cus they weren't that way last night but im not sure...should i be worried about that? I will be taking her to the vet but i cant do it for a couple weeks. Any information i can get would be greatly appreciated. Also just so everyone knows sophie is in another room for quarantine.
 

Tiel Feathers

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Congratulations on your new bird, and I'm glad you can give her such a loving home! I would suggest you keep your hands away from her and have her step up onto your arm or a stick to get her out of her cage. Alternatively you can keep the door open and let her come out on her own. Pushing into her when she bites, or covering her with your hands, is just going to terrify her. She's biting you because she's trying to tell you to keep your hands away. The more she bites you, the more you are teaching her to bite. She needs more than a couple days to settle in, so give her time. It might take months for her to get used to hands again. Just go slow and try to build her trust. Training, talking sweetly to her, and dropping treats in her food cup are good ways to build trust. Never force her to do anything, because this can break trust. She sounds like a sweetie, so patience on your part may win her over.
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome to the forum!
 

Monica

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Sorry Shauna, I became interested in your thread because you said you have maroon bellied conures... or, I thought that's what you had said. Your avatar however indicates that you have a green cheek conure, more specifically, an opaline (aka yellowside) green cheek conure, which is a completely different species to a maroon bellied conure. Maroon bellied conures aren't very common, and many people who have them think they have green cheeks, when they don't.


As far as the biting goes.... please keep this in mind.

"The only bite that can't be rewarded is the bite that never occurs"


Basically, this means, try to avoid putting your bird in a position where he or she feels the need to bite. If the bird *does* bite you, then get the bird off you! Gently, of course! As Tiel Feathers said, allowing a bird to bite is only going to be teaching that bird *TO* bite. Don't punish the bird, don't ignore the bites. Just get the bird off you. Don't worry about taking the bird back to the cage if you aren't next to the cage. If a chair or table or a couch is near by, that's okay! If nothing is, then the floor! Then take a moment to think of what lead up to that bite, and how you can avoid getting bitten in the future.


If you can't take her out of her cage without getting bitten, then okay! So be it!

Instead, work with her on target training through the cage bars. Learn how to give her rewards without getting bitten. Once she can target around the inside of the cage without any problems, then try through the cage door. If she's good at that, then try target training on the outside of her cage. Then away from the cage.



As far as her old cage goes, if the paint isn't shipping, you can thoroughly scrub the cage down with a vinegar and water solution (or 100% vinegar! that works too!) to remove the nicotene, then go over again with soap and hot water, bleach water, F10 or some other cleaning disinfectant. After that, it should be fine to use! (had to do this myself once - nasty!) As far as the perches and toys go... that would depend on them, in which case it might be better to toss them.
 

Shauna0522

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Shauna tuck
Thank you so much Tiel feathers and Monica i will definitely take everything you have said in consideration and thank you monica for the correction on what kind of bird he is. I really appreciate the help you two have givin me and i know i will be able to help her become the best bird ever.
 
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