Handling conure after two weeks?

[Skyperch]

Hello, I just wanted to say that I have never owned a bird before now, nor have any of my friends/family, but I do work at a pet store so I've had at least some experience with socializing smaller birds.

However, I just recently got a young green cheek conure who is progressing well, but I'm not too sure what I should be doing from here. I've been adding things to the cage which she seems to like, I leave the door open most of the day, but she has not shown any signs that she is willing to come out. She doesn't seem to have a favorite treat besides millet which she usually prefers to eat in her own time anyway.

Half of the time she moves away when I get close (just scoots away, she doesn't freak out) but other times, she just sits and watches me. She'll make noises occasionally and we'll have a "conversation" so she seems to want some sort of attention, but any time I turn to her she becomes quiet once more.

For all of these reasons, I have not been able to handle her (even to bring her out of the cage) at all besides a couple times where it was necessary to cut nails or whatnot. Because she's not interested in any treats, I haven't had any way of encouraging her to come to me, and although I've been able to touch her while she's been in the cage, she has no interest in stepping up or getting any closer. I know you need to give it time, but I feel like I should be doing something else other than what I'm doing and I'm not too sure where to go from here.

NOTE: She is in the room in which I do all of my computer work, so outside of my job, she is always at least 4 feet away from me. I can get close to the cage without much issue, even sit next to it, but overall it seems like progress has kind of stopped there.

 

[Nobirby]

Bless you for giving her a home. Give her time to get to know you and trust you.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

How did you get her out of the cage for a nail trim? I would refrain from forcing her to do anything because that will just set you back, and I would save all millet for training. Break off little pieces and put them in her food dish when you are talking with her or when you walk by. You can try to see if she will nibble on a longer spray and see if you can make it shorter over time. You can also try using it as a bribe. Another thing you can do is put a perch right outside her door so she can go in and out more easily. It hasn’t been that long, so just be patient and I’m sure she’ll come around.

 

[Skyperch]

I had to pull her out for the nail trim. Afterwards I just sat with her and helped with her pin feathers, because she had a lot and she sat still and let me. I don't know if she was just freaked out or if she was actually comfortable, because I wasn't even holding her at that point.

The thing with the millet is that she only really eats it when she wants--it doesn't really feel like a "treat" for her. I recently made a perch to hook to the inside of the door because it's a bit hard for her to reach it otherwise, but she hasn't gone near it yet. She doesn't go by the door that often, really.

 

[Fuzzy]

Two weeks is a very short time to gain her trust. I understand that you had to clip her nails, but by manhandling her like that, you will have gone backwards re the trust. She would have sat and let you deal with her pin feathers because you used a method called flooding. It's where the bird (or other animal) gives up as there is no point in struggling (they know they can't win)... it's also called learned helplessness. Best not to use it again in future if possible, as again, it will only erode trust.

She'll come out in her own time, when it feels safe to. Just keep leaving the door open and move slowly around her. Notice, if you can get close enough without it worrying her, what she picks out from her food bowls first. Maybe she likes apple or some other fruit or veg? If so, you could stick a piece through the bars and see if she nibbles at it. When you have found something she really likes, get slower and slower at putting it through the bars so eventually she is nibbling with you still holding the other end. It might take weeks and that is ok. Then you can work on making the item smaller and smaller so she is eventually taking it from your fingers through the cage bars and then through the open door.

Continue having conversations with her without turning around if that is what she likes. It might be the eye contact she is fearful of. We humans are predators with our two eyes on the front of our heads. Birds are prey animals (eyes on the side of their heads). The steady gaze of a predator in the wild means, I'm going to eat you. With my untame Amazon Ollie, I couldn't make eye contact for months. It would send him hiding. I used to snatch sideways looks at him or even close one eye. With Ollie I also made sure I was lower than him. Reason being birds feel safer higher up... easier to spot predators. In a cage the bird can't get any higher, but you can get lower. So with Ollie I actually crawled to his cage and when I cleaned him out I kept right down low - no eye contact. Ollie was cage bound for 1.5 years, but eventually he came out and lives mostly outside his cage now.

As soon as your Conure relaxes and starts taking food from you, you can do some other training like targeting or step up etc. But you need to find a reinforcer first. Because she's new and you are scary, there are very few reinforcers you can use. Food is a good one as it is unlearned - all birds have to eat. BUT she needs to trust you to be able to take food from you. So go really slowly.

 

[annoellyn]

All the other advice is great so I have nothing to add except even if it feels like no progress is being made, every time you sit in close proximity with your birdie - talking, or just doing every day things - your bird is aware of you and is getting used to you. When I first got Jupiter, she wouldn't let me touch her for a while and our breakthrough came when I was just taking a nap in the bird room and she just flew to me and let me pet her. So even those times that you feel like you're just sitting there and your birdie isn't paying you attention, she definitely is.

 

[Skyperch]

She's been a little braver as of late. She only gets more comfortable with me after opening her cage door (no idea why, since she previously never came out). Yesterday, though, she flew out of the cage out of fear when a family member started the vacuum, and I put her on the perch on top of her cage. She flew back down a few times so I eventually put her back in the cage. Today, however, she flew out of the cage without prompting and I put her on top of the cage. She doesn't seem to want to step up or stay in my hands, as given the chance she'd rather fly away, but is it okay to put her on the perch atop her cage rather than back in? She eats when she's up there so I assume she's comfortable in some way, but I don't know if putting her there as opposed to her cage (where she's comfortable) is helping?

 

[Monica]

What is her diet?

Can you set up a 'treat cup' at the front of her cage and occasionally drop a piece of millet sprig (just one of the tiny branches) into said treat cup when you are near the cage or walk by it rather than leaving it in the cage all the time?

 

[Skyperch]

She seems to like the apples and nutriberries I drop in her cup, but she's still not a huge fan of being touched. It seems that although she has gotten used to me being around, we're kind of stuck in that one area.

 

[tka]

Why is it important for you to touch her? Two weeks is barely any time for a bird; it seems like you're "stuck" but I can assure you that no one's relationship with their bird is the same now as it was two weeks after they met. Touching also isn't natural for a bird in the same way that it is for the mammals that we keep as pets. Birds will usually only enjoy headscratches from an avian or human friend. Touching anywhere else on the body, the wings, back, under the wings and so on is reserved for a mate, and as a human you cannot be your bird's mate.

By trying to push her, you'll make it harder for you to trust you. It's essential to you at your bird's pace and to listen to what she is trying to tell you. Remember, this is a relationship that could last decades: it's important to not rush and to lay a really strong foundation of trust and respect.

 

[Skyperch]

It is important because I would like her to step up. I am not treating her like a dog. I don't intend to "cuddle" her. But I AM aiming for some sort of relationship with her. I am aware it hasn't been a long time, and I'm not saying "she hasn't stepped up yet so there's something wrong." I am merely trying to further the relationship in positive ways that would eventually allow her to be comfortable with stepping up for me.

It is hard not to be impatient, but besides the times where she has flew out of the cage, I have not messed with her. I recognize these things take time, but many times people will recommend treats as reassurance, and my questions revolve around what to do if a bird is not willing to take them. If it takes months, so be it, but I would appreciate the input if the "normal" ways of taming/reassurance are not working, or other methods that may help better.

On a side note, I work at a pet store and we hand-fed a few conures about a year back. From time to time the people who adopted them will come in for nail trims and I asked them "How long did it take for them to get used to you/step up?" and they respond "Almost immediately." I am not naive, I know every bird is different, but dang if that doesn't make me feel like I'm doing something wrong.

 

[tka]

I hope it will reassure you, but it took about a month for Leia to start accepting even a headscratch from me. Much like you, I was terrified that I was doing something wrong - that this beautiful creature I'd brought into my life just didn't want a relationship with me. I'd let her out of the cage every day for a few hours, she'd explore while I sat and read/worked/supervised her, and she absolutely did not want to step up. I did manage to teach her to target a chopstick so I could at least get her back into her cage and get her to move around with a minimum of fuss, but that was as close as she was comfortable getting. I was thrilled when she landed on my head by accident because at least it was some contact! Her breeder sent photos of her siblings sitting on their new humans' hands and I was so worried that I was doing something wrong and wouldn't ever have that relationship with her.

After about three weeks, she'd sit on the tabletop stand next to me and watch me. Gradually she would start to sit on my knee and watch me. She then allowed a headscratch from me. After a couple more weeks she was bowing her head and asking for headscratches. Two and a half years later and she's my little feathery shadow: she flies after me if I leave the room, she asks for her eyelids to be gently scratched, and part of her bedtime routine is dozing on my shoulder before she goes back to her cage. I am astonished at the depth of our relationship. I think at least part of that is because I went at her pace. I don't push her into anything, and it's okay if she wants to observe rather than interact. I don't expect her to interact with strangers and she still has days when she's pretty hands-off.

What treats have you tried? It's worth offering as much of a variety as you can to see if there's something that your bird likes - sunflower hearts, pine nuts, flaked almonds, pieces of walnut, a pea, a piece of sweetcorn, quarter of a grape...? At the moment you're just trying to find something that she likes - you're not going to be feeding any significant quantity of treats so as long as it's not actively bad for her, it can be high calorie.

If she's not into treats at all, does she like foot toys? Passing her things like a chunk of balsa or even a piece of cardboard to shred will help her see you as a provider of good things. It can help arouse their curiosity if you play with the toy yourself before offering it to her.

Does she like music? If you dance around or sing, is she interested and excited?

Her getting used to you is a great start and not to be underestimated.

 

[tka]

Something else to try is seeing if she'll step up onto a perch - have you tried that?

 

[Skyperch]

I have tried nutriberries, apples, and millet. She seems to like all three, although I can only tell that she ate them after cleaning out her food dish (she does not eat them right after I add them to the bowl). She does seem to like certain toys at certain time, but is just putting things like treats (or something like cardboard) in the bowl enough or should I be trying to give it to her directly? She seems to like music at times, or just videos playing in general and will usually only make noises when they are playing. To be honest, she has been a lot quieter than usual the past few days.

She also seems to get really excited when I play videos of other birds making noise, as she will move up and down and chirp (scream) back. I have not tried to see if she would step up to a perch, but I might.

Is it worth mentioning that she still gets a little spooked when I move closer to the cage/enter the room? I'm in there any time I'm not at work, and after I'm sitting she normally relaxes, but I feel bad when it appears that I spooked her.

 

[M&M Ninja]

Hi @Skyperch and welcome to the forum. I haven't had to work through the handling issues you describe, but we did struggle to find a treat that our new conure would eat with any enthusiasm. After offering her papaya bits several times (broken up into various sizes), she now wants them and will perform for them (step up, down, head into harness hole, etc). Sunflower seeds, several nuts, and cheese were disregarded. She does like apple and will eat some of a nutriberry.

 

[tka]

Try offering a greater variety of treats to see if she'll go for any of them. You want something that will make her think "JACKPOT!". I particularly like flaked almonds; you can easily break them into a bite-sized piece and you can buy them in the baking aisle of a grocery store. Dried fruit can work but make sure it doesn't contain added sugar or use sulphur dioxide as a preservative.

Once you've found a treat she really likes, you should link it to your presence. For a cautious bird like yours, a treat bowl in the cage can work well. It's a separate bowl to the main food bowl(s) and is just used for treats. You drop a treat into the bowl every time you walk past or go near the cage. This might also help with her getting a little spooked when you get closer to the cage or enter the room. If she gets a treat every time you go near the cage, she'll come to associate your presence with something good rather than something worrying.

Having a birdie dance party can work! Mirroring movements is a nice way to show that you're friendly.

I'm sure you already know this, but try not to look at her directly. Predators have forward facing eyes and an intent, interested gaze makes a bird think they're about to get eaten, no matter how harmless we are. Look at her out of the corner of your eye. You can also waggle your tongue at her - this is how parrots show that they're interested in something.

 

[Monica]

I recognize these things take time, but many times people will recommend treats as reassurance, and my questions revolve around what to do if a bird is not willing to take them.

I'm still waiting for a response to one of my questions.

 

[Skyperch]

I apologize, I hadn't seen it before. I am currently feeding her Vita-Prima Cockatiel & Lovebird as it was closest to her previous food, but that probably won't be permanent.
I can possibly use a treat cup if you think it may work. Is there a huge difference between using a separate treat cup vs. just putting it/them in the regular food bowl?

 

[Monica]

Okay, knowing that information helps.... If you can switch her onto a pelleted diet, this will make seed, nut and fruit rewards as a more highly valuable reward. If you think about it, if she's already eating those foods in her diet, then using those same things as a reward really isn't all that interesting.

I would recommend Harrison's, but Roudybush is also okay. There are other brands out there, Zupreem is a popular choice... however it does have sugar and/or dyes in it, which I'm not a fan of.

The point of using a separate dish for a treat cup is so that the treat cup is empty. When you drop something inside of it, she can hear it hit the bottom vs just falling into a dish of food that'll muffle the sound... so in short, yes it can help!

Likewise, I would recommend figuring out how much food she eats in a day and only feeding her that amount for the day. Then you can either try training first thing in the morning prior to changing out her food dishes, or perhaps later in the day but before she's had a chance to eat in the afternoon or evening.


It can work if you change around her diet, make it so you are only feeding 2 or 3 meals a day, training before meals, etc. Depending on what would work best for you and her you kind of have to get a feel for.

 

[Skyperch]

Alright, so update: I'm moving her onto Zupreem at the moment, she's on the "pure fun" food until I can move her onto the fruit blend (unless there's a better option?). She seems to like the food, and even the treats I've been giving her, but she's still not ready to step up. She's making a lot of noise nowadays though. She is very shy when I first walk in, but once I open the door she starts chirping and screaming, and we'll go on having our conversations while she paces around the cage. The door is wide open so she can come out when she likes, but she hasn't yet. I've actually been able to reach in there and touch her belly without her flying away, but I've only done it a few times before walking away.

Do you think this is making good progress or should I be trying something else/more?