Friend got a new Crimson-Bellied Conure, best way to raise/train him?

[Eqiine]

Hello!

My friend has just gotten a new Crimson-Bellied Conure who is around a month old. They want me to help them with raising and training the little guy.

Some of the bird’s history: My friend bought him from a lady whose conures had accidentally bred (bit of a red flag IMO). He’s apparently on a seed/pellet diet. The lady seemed to have a good living space for them however (large cage, toys, perches, etc.). He was told to be hand-raised and semi-tame on the ad. He didn’t have any vet checks though and hasn’t been sexed (just calling him a he).
I’m not fully convinced he’s completely weaned, as he’s yet to eat any dry foods and will only eat soft fruit and lorikeet formula mixed with water. We are going to get hand-feeding formula from the pet store tomorrow when it opens just in case.

My friend also owns two GCC, one a 2y/o male and one is an older female (presumably, I’m not sure they’ve been sexed either). The male can be pushy and sometimes a bully, but the female is gentle and appears to get along well
I’ve recommended them to keep the baby in a seperate cage, at least for the time being, as I’m mainly worried about how the male will react.

He is friendly, loves pets and cuddles, but has pretty bad seperation anxiety (as I would guess, he’s a baby in a new home). Also, I don’t completely approve of my friend’s choice to get another parrot that is so young, it felt a bit impulsive and there wasn’t much planning involved, but he’s here now.

Back to the matter at hand though. How should we go about training/raising him? Outside of teaching the basics like step up and recall (maybe even harness training when he’s a bit older), I don’t have much clue on how to go about this with my friend. What are some essentials to train? How do we prevent behaviours/habits like non-aggressive nipping/biting? What are some do’s and don’ts? Any information or advice is highly appreciated. As I post this I am also searching the web for advice with my friend as well.

Thankyou!


Picture of him from the breeder’s ad. Sorry for the low quality

 

[Zara]

I’m not fully convinced he’s completely weaned, as he’s yet to eat any dry foods and will only eat soft fruit and lorikeet formula mixed with water. We are going to get hand-feeding formula from the pet store tomorrow when it opens just in case.

It can sometimes take a day or two to eat normally in a new home. You can try boiling the kettle, allowing it to cool down a fair bit, grind some pellets into a powder and then use that powder to make a ¨formula¨. A nice temporary solution without wasting buying a big package of baby food if the bird is indeed weaned. A little comfort feeding (warm formula fed on a small spoon) is always nice for babies in a new home.

My friend

They want me to help them with raising and training the little guy.

How should we go about training/raising him? Outside of teaching the basics like step up and recall (maybe even harness training when he’s a bit older), I don’t have much clue on how to go about this with my friend. What are some essentials to train? How do we prevent behaviours/habits like non-aggressive nipping/biting? What are some do’s and don’ts? Any information or advice is highly appreciated.

At the risk of the information being misinterpreted, Why not invite your friend to join us here on the Avenue? You can both learn together, and they will be able to read directly the advice from experienced folks.
Be sure to check out the sticky threads over in Training court too

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

This thread should help Good Bad Ugly

@alshgs had a crimson

 

[Eqiine]

At the risk of the information being misinterpreted, Why not invite your friend to join us here on the Avenue? You can both learn together, and they will be able to read directly the advice from experienced folks.

Hey! I've suggested them looking at these forums, but they just weren't all that interested. I don't think these kind of websites are their thing, but I am sending information over that I find that I think would be useful for them.