General questions - growing up

[James85]

So over the last month or my sun conure has been coming into his own. He's started to responding to treats / food being handed to him and we've discovered peanuts are an absolute fav (I know I know, fatty and to be kept to a minimum and I do. No mould either). Along with this new adoration of peanuts came the ability to start training and in the last week we've mastered spin and touch (touching the end of the training wand). My first question though is he is really only interested in doing such training on his perch / ,entertainment gym I built him. Trying to persuade him elsewhere, like in the coffee table, is pointless. Why? Is it likely just a lack of confidence in slightly unfamiliar surroundings?

Next question, when I wake up in the morning as soon as he here's me stir he star "singing" out! Not terrible, if I just ignore him he stops. But if knows I'm up (hears me talking, catches site of me) it's on for young and old. Most mornings I greet him and we "chat", scratch, etc then I have my coffee on the couch where he can see me from his perch and that's that. A couple of mornings though I have to leave extra early, so I'm up and getting ready to leave straight away. These days he usually accompanies me around and even into the bathroom where I shower. I sling a towel of the too of the shower glass so he can grip and he happily watches inquisitively. Well at least he did. He started venturing further and further down the towel and looking at the shower. If I turned it toward him he would retreat. Till I decided he actually needed a wash a few weeks ago and held him so he got wet and had a bit of a bath. A few bites and scratches later I was worried I may scared him off baths forever. Quite the opposite. Since last week, he comes down the towel and insists on getting soaked. It's hilarious. FOR how gorgeous they are dry, "wet" is not very becoming. He looks like a drowned rat. Haha. Anyway, my question is, how often can he take a "bath" like this. It's probably only twice a week at this stage.

Cheers

 

[Gypsy]

Birds can be bathed daily as long as the environment is warm to speed up the drying process.

 

[Lady Jane]

Letting you know peanuts are not that good for birds because there is a good chance the shell harbors fungus. Most people here do not offer a bird peanuts. Other type of nuts are better such as walnuts, almonds and many more.


Are Peanuts Safe For Birds?

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Peanuts are yummy but they are grown in the ground and can have nasties at times. Try pine nuts which are small and delicious.

Daily shower is fine. They look like a rat when wet but those feathers are gorgeous once dried. Watch your bird especially in winter when the heat is on....they bathe more and in their dish. They don't usually bathe as much in the summer. Put an ice cube in the water and watch them go to town bathing.

Sounds like he sure is having a great time and is the right size. Large macaws can REALLY take over the shower.

 

[pajarita]

If he likes the shower, it's fine - only thing is the water needs to be cold because warm strips the natural oils off his plumage and skin. I admit to giving my birds peanuts but the large ones (grays, amazons, toos) get one single one and it's once in a blue moon, the rest of the time they get one almond, half a walnut, a pistachio, like that.

Training for tricks is not something that comes naturally to birds (they are not hardwired to please anybody) and the ONLY motivation for doing a useless action is a good reward (read, a high value item). Problem is, well fed birds tend to downgrade the value of such items after a while (smart cookies, aren't they?).

 

[James85]

Theyre not whole peanuts, shelled and part of dried fruit mix (fit for human consumption), though he's not fussed about the dried fruit.

 

[pajarita]

Well, he is a smart birdie because dry fruit is not good for them even when it has no sugar or sulfites added to it.

 

[Monica]

My first question though is he is really only interested in doing such training on his perch / ,entertainment gym I built him. Trying to persuade him elsewhere, like in the coffee table, is pointless. Why? Is it likely just a lack of confidence in slightly unfamiliar surroundings?

Probably more like new environment, "new behaviors."


Many people assume that their birds know how to step up, because the bird almost 100% reliably steps up from the floor. However, the bird avoids stepping up from the cage, or possibly other locations. The bird doesn't really know step up, rather the bird knows that higher up is better.


Your conure knows those tricks on his gym, but he hasn't generalized that behavior to other locations. In other words, it's normal! If you can, you might try moving the gym around to different locations and requesting the same behaviors, then try having him on an object *next* to the gym, but not on the gym, and ask him for those same behaviors. Then try further away from the gym.


I do agree though, if you are going to feed nuts, tree nuts are a healthier and better option!

 

[Wolf]

Depending on the length of time that he has been living with you it could be that this is due to it being unfamiliar to him. It is also possible that he doesn't like hard flat surfaces as they tend to be slippery to them. So how old is he and how long has he lived with you?