Pictures Sun conure with trust issue, pls help :(

[kokoskavik]

I am clueless how to tame my sun conure. It's going to be a bit of reading but I REALLY NEED HELP PLEASE

This beautiful boy (i assume because he hasn't had any egg being over 2 years old) is Com. He is currently molting but other from that, he shows no temperament.

However, he refuses to go out of his cage and engage in playing with me or any family members. I put a lot of toys in his big cage (i included a screenshot from a clip to help visualise his cage) so from what it looks like, he is pretty self-contented: loves food, always curious at my puppy running around the flat, enjoys mocking me with little headbobs and small tsk sound,... there is no sign of him being stressed. He doesn't bite or get aggressive as well which is why i am ruling out fear.

The biggest issue is he doesn't seem to trust human at all. If it's not feeding time (i hand-feed him), he won't leave his cage. When getting fed, Com is a little hesitant to leave his cage, until he believes i won't make any sudden "attack" (movement). I tried to train his recalling when feeding, but as soon as he is full, he will immediately fly back and get in his cage. I tried closing off the cage so he could hang around safely inside my flat (with my puppy in the crate of course), but he would just either fly somewhere really high to stay away from human, or sit still on my shoulder if i put him there and will not move or play - always in high alert mode.

Now a little bit of context is... he has been through a lot (2 times rehomed, loss of partner - my other greencheek, some accidents when he was little fighting with others in the flock - he does show some aggression towards other birds).

Now that i only have him, i'd like to focus on him more and i want to help him.

But at this point i'm not even sure if he needs help or not. He just seems to prefer it his way, but it hurts me so much to see how he's grown so distant and hesitant to simply be with me ;(

I am desperate for help. I've been nothing but patient for the past 8 months but it shows no progress at all.

Appreciate all advice, criticism and suggestion!!!! Thank you.

 

[kokoskavik]

A little side notes to his daily routine:
0800 - 1200: gets sunbath from the window.
Once every 2 weeks, he gets a mist bath in the morning to dry out during sunbath.
1200 - 1400: feed him seed mix and veggie chops around noon inside. He eats off my hand first at the cage's front door for the first 10 minutes, then i close off the cage and let him eat from his tray in the cage.
1400 - 1800: some more sunbath and breeze in my balcony (i have a big cover so the wind doesn't blow too hard and cold directly into the cage).
1800 - 2100: the cage is moved inside where he can see me work and i try to make eye contact, whistle, speak to him as much as i could during work. Occasionally, i'll lure him out with sweet fruit and treat him while he chills on my shoulder.
2100 - 0000: handfeed him with Kaytee Exact, while training recall, shoulder step, kisses/smooches, feather check and etc.

Whenever he is full, he will immediately leave my side (so flies off somewhere like the curtain racks or the high fan, or just gets back in his cage). I try not to push his boundaries so if he shows a sign of hesitation, feather ruffles, high alerted eyes: I will soothe him and put him back in his cage - immediately and no question asked. I'm just so scared of startling him.

Idk if i'm doing something wrong or my giving in is conditioning his behaviour. I'm basically clueless since he behaves so differently from the cockatiels and the greencheeks i've had.

 

[kokoskavik]

I tried posting on subreddits but noone has replied so far please help

 

[Wannabirb?]

A bit off topic but Is seed mix his main diet? I don’t know a lot about birds but maybe try to switch to a pellet diet. Seed diets aren’t very healthy and even though you are feeding him chop I think pellets will be even better.
Rooting for you!

 

[kokoskavik]

A bit off topic but Is seed mix his main diet? I don’t know a lot about birds but maybe try to switch to a pellet diet. Seed diets aren’t very healthy and even though you are feeding him chop I think pellets will be even better.
Rooting for you!

Thank you so much for replying!!!

I learned about pellet diet only a couple of months ago but apparently, NOWHERE or NO SITE actually imports and sells it. It's strange for me too 'cause i've been on my Vietnamese forums (i live in Vietnam) and they all guide to feed seeds as the main diet, along fruits and and occasionally veggies; while on foreign forums, they do the opposite.

That's why i stay on handfeeding kaytee exact as his main and i offer seeds less now. I'm thinking of switching to veggie chops as his main for day meal, kaytee handfeed for night meal, fruits and seeds offered as treats for training. Is this a good alternate approach?

 

[Wannabirb?]

Oh ok, so you can’t buy pellets online like on Amazon or Ebay? Or is there any local pet shops that sells pellets? I’m not quite sure about feeding chop as a main diet because most people I know still use pellets. Chop is still great and you shouldn’t stop feeding it to your bird but if you can find pellets anywhere please use it.

 

[Wannabirb?]

I think a bird’s diet should be 60% pellets, 40% chop, seeds only as treats and fit in some fruits every other day. (Correct me if I am wrong)

 

[kokoskavik]

Oh ok, so you can’t buy pellets online like on Amazon or Ebay? Or is there any local pet shops that sells pellets? I’m not quite sure about feeding chop as a main diet because most people I know still use pellets. Chop is still great and you shouldn’t stop feeding it to your bird but if you can find pellets anywhere please use it.

Literally nowhere sells it!! It's crazy, vietnamese bird owners don't even know what pellet diet is. The closest so far i've found is "egg-only pellets". Is this a good option?
I tried finding on Amazon but there was no shipping to Vietnam, eBay however offers some, but the cost is crazy and there's no way i could afford it (once or twice) but not forever as his main diet

 

[Wannabirb?]

Oh ok, what’s your budget for a bag? I can see if I can find some online (that has a reasonable price)

 

[kokoskavik]

Oh ok, what’s your budget for a bag? I can see if I can find some online (that has a reasonable price)

I can spend at max $20 for my bird's diet every month. I know it's a bit low, currently i don't earn a lot as a student, and i also have a golden retriever to feed as well as myself since i live on my own

 

[Wannabirb?]

Oh how many grams/ kilos do you think that will be (currently looking lol)

 

[kokoskavik]

Oh how many grams/ kilos do you think that will be (currently looking lol)

Honestly, i have never fed pellets so i am clueless. I'm currently looking as well and it seems to have only 1lb or 5lb package types. How much would a 5lb normally last a parrot conure-sized?

 

[Wannabirb?]

honesty I don’t even know, its been so hard trying to find some that ship to Vietnam but I’ll tell you when I find it.

 

[kokoskavik]

honesty I don’t even know, its been so hard trying to find some that ship to Vietnam but I’ll tell you when I find it.

Thank you so much for helping already! I really appreciate it! I'm researching on more alternatives to make a nutritious chop for him

 

[Wannabirb?]

I’m so sorry but all the websites that can ship to vietnam are ridiculously pricey, I’m afraid I can’t find any pellets.
I hope you can find a nice and healthy alternative, have a nice rest of the day!

 

[Wannabirb?]

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you that maybe your bird is just a little skittish, some birds are like that and you can’t really change it but the fact that your bird trusts you enough that he can sit on your shoulder is a major accomplishment (don’t trust me though, this is just my insight lol).

 

[kokoskavik]

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you that maybe your bird is just a little skittish, some birds are like that and you can’t really change it but the fact that your bird trusts you enough that he can sit on your shoulder is a major accomplishment (don’t trust me though, this is just my insight lol).

Thank you! I guess skittish is a good word to describe him. It's just strange to see him go from being so loving and cuddly to this cautious around me, i have no idea where and when i went wrong. I guess i just have to take everything from the beginning again and give him as much time and space as he wants. I'm off from work more now so i can focus on him better. Looking forwards to converting his diet to something healthier, and a lot more fun toys for him to stay enriched as he wants to be by himself

 

[Wannabirb?]

That’s amazing!
hoping for the best!

 

[T. gillii]

Luckily, conures seem to be a group of parrota that can generally do okay without pellets, though they are preferable.

I would look into a nutritionally balanced chop recipe- legumes, root vegetables, and very very few fruits. I can send the one that I use.

I would not feed an adult bird handfeeding formula as a main diet. If you can find a good seed mix, give that as the base diet BUT offer chop as his morning meal.

To me he sounds a bit nervous. Can you cover his head partially with your hand when he is on you? I feel that this gives some birds an added sense of security. I would also recommend maybe trying to have him out in another (bird safe) room

 

[Shezbug]

Always good to have an independent happy bird!
Sounds like you’re not actually doing anything wrong, you just need to find a way to build on the trust your bird has in you, find a way to communicate with your bird (target training or clicker training can be a great help), discover what you can do to make him more interested in hanging out with you and feel more comfortable out of the cage.
If he’s only got up high places to land that you can’t reach that’s where he will sit (also if he’s not ready to get closer) so you could try offering sone safe comfortable areas for your bird to land that are a bit lower- if he’s really nervous then don’t make it too low.
I find when I’m doing things (folding laundry, making toys, tidying up etc) my birds are more interested to follow me and join in, if I’m doing nothing they either do the same or misbehave usually lol.
Keep working with your bird and be patient, always let him lead the way. Read all the sticky (they’re all the green ones at the top) threads in our forums, there’s so much info in them.

Sorry for my scattered reply, I’ve had a busy day and am very tired so I will leave it here and hopefully some others will also chime in.