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I think my sun conure has really bad anxiety help

al.the.sun

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Hey hi hello

I’ve had my sun conure Mango (and her partner Ducky, she’s a green cheek) for almost two years now.

My mom got them off eBay a week after her cockatiel Cheekio died. (we lost a Hans macaw that same week) and she bought them without thinking ahead... if that makes sense.

Moving on

Mango has always been the “mean one” (mister grinch heheh) She won’t let anyone near her cage, and will literally take a chunk out of you if you do.

Whenever you walk up to her cage she fluffs up, opens her beak, and either lunges at you, or start moving their entire body in a circular motion. Almost like a dance.

But on those lucky days when she’s calm, she seems so weak, only barely able to perch on my arm/finger/shoulder without sliding a bit.

Also, Ducky will sometimes pluck Mangos feathers out while they are preening eachother... Mango has a bald spot on the back of her head but she STILL wants to be with Ducky. And will scream and cry if she isn’t in the room.

I’m actually kind of scared

I don’t know what to do... any advice?

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Elrav

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I personally would suggest going to the vet and having a full checkup on Mango because I don't think it's healthy for a bird to randomly be so weak like that. Your vet can probably give you some professional advice in regards to the plucking and cage aggression.

In regards to the mean behaviour, what I would do is listen to her. If she does a dance or shows any signs of aggression, just back away until she stops and gradually come closer (over a few days, weeks or months, depending on her). I recently got a pair of alexandrines, one of which was "wild" and the other was "aggressive", and by respecting their boundries and moving very calmly when I have to invade their personal space (like changing food/water), they have already shown significant signs of improvement. I personally feel like mutual respect is key to all relationships, with both humans and animals.

Treats also tend to help associate you with good things so just drop one in her bowl as you walk by her enclosure.

I am by no means an expert in these things but hopefully someone a lot more experienced will be able to give you some better advice.

Good luck with your fids and remember to keep us updated!!!
 

Mike

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Separate them, but keep their cages side by side.

Sounds like the GCC is just a mean bird. It happens, you know. Don't let the GCC torture the Sun.
 

Robert Schulz

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Sounds like we need some more insight on what's going on. How long has all of this been happening? What's their diet?
 

alshgs

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Did your mom happen to do necropsies on the two birds she lost in one week? She shouldn’t have brought two more birds in without finding out why the first two died.

What is their diet like? If ducky is plucking mango, separate them. They can still be out together, but they need to be in separate cages (if they are not) green cheeks can be mean, and suns can scream

I would recommend a full avian vet checkup on both birds to make sure they are healthy and not hiding any sickness (especially since your mom brought them into the home after two had already passed)

You don’t use candles, air fresheners, chemicals to clean, Teflon, or anything like that do you?
 

al.the.sun

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It’s been going on for a while, about 1
1/2 years (oh gosh)

About how or when the other birds passed, we did take the cockatiel to the vet after he died. (From old age, he was in his 20’s)

We already knew how the small macaw died since he was diagnosed with some avian disease prior to his death. He was put down :(

Moving on,

When we got them they came together, they were bonded, they still are, and they really didn’t like anyone other than each other.

But when the plucking started, we separated them. I think that’s around the time mango’s anxiety and/or other health problems developed. And they both started to bite (makes sense, if birds are agitated, they bite!)

But because of this my parents wouldn’t spend any time with them at all, and I was kinda scared of them, (idk why) so we just ignored them for the most part. We cleaned the cages and of course fed them but nothing else (terrible I know)

My mom kinda gave up when things didn’t go her way with the birds. Impulse purchase I guess. :(

About their diet, my parents just buy whatever is on sale. Much to my demise. You can’t just change an animal’s food and expect them to be healthy

(btw I’m a minor so i’m doing what I can, sometimes my parents don’t listen, which makes sense but i’d thought I’d just mention it haha)

But I do give them lots of fruit. Mostly blackberries, and strawberries, sometimes apples.

I’ve already talked to my mom about taking them both to the vet so hopefully that’ll happen soon! I’ll try to keep this updated! :)
 

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orphansparrow

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I think it's wonderful that you are here asking questions, and being honest. You are a really thoughtful young person, and I know it's hard when you aren't the one with the power to change things. Stick around this forum, and keep reading, and try to convince your mom to read some of the points people make on here regarding diet, quality time with humans, etc. This forum is filled with very knowledgable people. :)
 

Garet

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Poor little guys. :( If possible, could you convince your folks to take both to the vet? Ducky may be plucking Mango because Mango is sick, but there is also a chance that Ducky may be in pain and is plucking Mango as a way of coping.
 

al.the.sun

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I have tried to persuade my parents to bring them to the vet but they honestly don’t believe me when I say there’s a problem. I mean they know Ducky pulls out Mango’s feathers, that’s why they were separated in the first place! But they don’t think the are sick, or distressed in general.

Honestly, I believe that Ducky and Mango are very stressed. In fact, I believe that Ducky is starting a feather plucking habit. I saw her rip one of her own feathers right in front of my eyes and it broke my heart.
 

Garet

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Could you maybe show her the thread here? This could be a serious issue and can lead to your bird/s mutilating their bodies. If you're right and it is stress, vets can sometimes help with that, too.
 

echobird

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What disease did your last bird pass from? Some diseases can still be within the environment.

I know this may be difficult, but try and convince your parents to agree to take the birds to get a wellness check. They aren’t that expensive unless the birds are actually ill.
 

TikiMyn

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I am sorry you can’t do anything yourself, but I am very happy you are still trying!! If they won’t take them to the vet, you could work on improving their overall wellbeing. Perhaps you could get them Some additional perches(you can make them yourself from safe, unsprayed trees), make them Some simple toys with cardboard, paper, straws etc:) There are a lot of (medical) things that can cause plucking, including boredom. The only way to find out which it truely the cause a vet visit would be needed, but by improving their diet(adding more veggies instead of fruit) and overall wellbeing you much have Some succes:) even if you don’t you Will make them happier for sure!
 

al.the.sun

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Kiwi, (The macaw) had PDD but I think it's also called Macaw Wasting Disease? My mom said that it's most common in macaws but conures can get it.

However, the room Kiwi was kept in, along with his cage was completely sanitized before any other birds came in contact with it. (The cage Kiwi was kept in is now Ducky's cage btw)

I just asked my mom again if we could take them both to the vet (and I showed her this thread) and she still isn't quite sure about it, but did agree to think about. She did however, agree to go to the pet store and get more perches and stuff for them. Which I'm so exited about. Even tho my birds have a habit of avoiding new perches AT ALL COSTS for a about a week haha.
 
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