Breeder's advice and what's online

[Boki]

I am the proud owner of a 6 month rosefront conure. I have had it in my house for 4 days. I expected her to be nervous to a new home. I guess I didn't expect her to be so nervous at night before I put the cover on the cage. I think tonight I will move her from her large day cage to her smaller sleeping cage. I hope that will help.

The breeder told me to hold her next to my chest each day for a week. The breeder said it will show her who is boss and by the end of the week, she will enjoy it. Well, for the 1st three days, it has been a vicious biting battle. She does calm down when I hold her next to my chest and give her scritches but the cage battle stays rather violent. One time I let her go the bottom of the cage (wings are clipped) and basically tired her out so she had no choice to let me hold her.

Before I acquired this rosefront, I did a lot of research. I really like that this species may the quietest of all the conures. She only has squawked to match the microwave beeping. Maybe a tiny squawk when I reach into the cage to hold her. But otherwise, total silence.

Before the breeder told me this, I thought I was supposed to entice the new conure to come to me via treats and patience. Maybe because this conure is so young, I am supposed to do it this way. Any thoughts?

 

[Brittany0208]

Yikes! Your breeder is wrong about showing her whose boss. This only frightens the bird. Give her a few days to warm up to surroundings before you try to handle her.
She's biting and screaming because she doesn't know you and you're scaring her.

 

[greys4u]

and also remember you go at her pace for now. She is so scared, her world has been turned upside down and she hasnt figured everything out except you are big and scary. Back off!

 

[MommyBird]

You are smarter than the breeder in this.
What he is recommending is a technique called "flooding" . This is not a good method for making her trust you.
It has been scientifically shown that in the long run "positive reinforcement" aka "clicker training" builds a much better relationship and keeps her from feeling helpless and not able to make decisions for her life.
Your thoughts on using patience and treats are exactly right for any age of any animal.

 

[Feather]

Throw out all of that breeder's advice. I wouldn't trust a single word of theirs after that.

You don't show a bird who's boss. They don't have a dominance structure in their flocks so why should they in a home setting? Be kind and patient and take everything at the pace your conure sets. It will probably take longer than a week... There is nothing fast about bonding with a parrot.

The goal here should be to build a lasting relationship on trust, not to dominate and rule a fearful creature who has given up on protesting.

 

[Monica]

Breeders are often rather knowledgeable and know what they are doing... but wow! Sorry! I can only echo what everyone else has already said and what you have learned previously.

Do not force her out of the cage. Do not force her to interact with you.

Go with what you learned and use training to earn her trust.

 

[T. gillii]

I agree with the advice above... one she settles down, do you mind giving us a photo of her?

 

[aooratrix]

You've had good advice...here. I'd go with ambient attention, meaning no attempts at hands-on unless the bird initiates it. Get a comfy chair near your bird's cage, open the cage door, and and hang out together. I'd have a small bowl of treats handy that you could share if your conure is interested. Listen to music, read a book, etc. Let the bird set the pace. He or she is dealing with a lot of changes and will hopefully be around for decades, so take the long view.

 

[BrianB]

Birds aren't like dogs, even though the breeder seems to think so. It takes a lot of patience to gain trust. Once you do that, you can work on showing them that you won't take any nonsense. Reinforce the positive, ignore or redirect the negative. You don't need to show them who is more dominant - Parrots naturally assume they run the house anyway, sort of like cats

 

[HolliDaze]

You don't force a bird to like you, any more than you'd force a human to! It has,to be on her terms, like making a friend.

 

[cab124]

@Boki,

I adopted my very first conure on May 1, 2018, after my only other bird died suddenly the previous November. I adopted him/her (I refer to him/her as "she" most of the time) because I could not stand to see that way she was being treated in a pet store. As it turns out, this bird is very young but was not tame at all (probably intended to be a breeder). She was terrified of me when I adopted her.

At the time, I had a friend suggest that I might want to do what your breeder described. After thinking about it, I decided to take the approach that the people in this forum have suggested to you - the slow, patient route.

How did it turn out?????

Well, it's about 9 months later and my bird, Mango, is still very cautious of me, but we have made a TON of progress! She now likes to sit near me and eats treats out of my hand. She interacts with me quite a bit, and she is becoming more and more comfortable with me every day. To be perfectly honest, the progress has been VERY slow and has required A LOT of patience. But, it is so worth it. I can't begin to tell you how satisfying it is to see this formerly scared little creature slowly grow to trust me one small step at a time. It has been so rewarding and I would not do it any other way. Remember, birds are very intelligent, emotional little creatures and they must choose to be your friend. You cannot force it.

If you take the time to do what people here have been suggesting to you, I promise that you will be rewarded, and you will be so glad that you did. The bond that you will have with your bird, knowing that he/she CHOSE to be your friend will be sooooo good. Good things take time!

Also, the people on this forum are AMAZING and they will coach you through it.

Wishing you the best!!!!!

 

[Monica]

Birds aren't like dogs, even though the breeder seems to think so.

I honestly don't think dogs should be treated like... well, dogs!!! The whole "alpha" crud, and showing them "who's boss". Not necessary and can honestly cause more harm than good. All animals benefit from positive reinforcement training, regardless if they are a pet or a wild animal at a zoo. Watching them train a big cat (lion, tiger, leopard, etc) or a dolphin where the trainer can't physically get into the same enclosure to train is something else and really puts a different spin on how people think an animal should be trained.

 

[Boki]

Thank you all for your comments and support. I am pleased to say that after just 2 days with this new approach, sh is taking treats from my hand but through the cage. She ran away from treat from me when I approached the cage before. I think I am on the right path but it will take time.

 

[Mizzely]

I am so glad you are trusting your instincts vs listening to the breeder on this It is hard to go against someone who we want to believe is knowledgeable. When you treat your bird with the respect they deserve, they know it, and they usually reward you by being a great companion

 

[BrianB]

I honestly don't think dogs should be treated like... well, dogs!!! The whole "alpha" crud, and showing them "who's boss". Not necessary and can honestly cause more harm than good. All animals benefit from positive reinforcement training, regardless if they are a pet or a wild animal at a zoo. Watching them train a big cat (lion, tiger, leopard, etc) or a dolphin where the trainer can't physically get into the same enclosure to train is something else and really puts a different spin on how people think an animal should be trained.

I've only had one dog that truly benefited from having someone established as a "Alpha" in the household. I blame it solely on the previous owner who raised her dogs in a pack like environment, and then brought another dog into the house and gave it all of her attention. She destabilized the existing order, causing confusion and in fighting between the other dogs that had existed peacefully together. With very little effort on my part (not involving physical discipline, which I don't believe in) we established that I was in charge. I believe this only worked because the dog had known me since she was a young puppy, and the need for leadership fit her personality.

There is no chance of doing this with a bird. You scream, the bird screams louder. You chase the bird and it becomes a game. It's far too easy to damage a bird mentally by trying to establish dominance over them. Positive reinforcement works best.