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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly About Nanday Conures

Jackie

Walking the driveway
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An update on my little black bear! This morning he was so precious! He is scared of everything...well this morning when I took him in our room in front of the window for one on one time...I brought his favorite shirt so he could do his little thing he does (not sure how to explain it) well...I lifted the shirt a little and my little chicken went in and played! He looked so proud of himself and he should be...he was adorable!!! I am hoping the next phrase he will say is Louie is brave!!!

He really does understand when I tell him he is a brave Louie! The other thing he has started doing is when we go night night...I stick my hand in his cage (he use to want to bite me) he kisses all my fingers! My little baby is doing so good...just moving right along! :dance4:
 

Alison

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I came across this forum by accident and just had to join up so I can share my own Conure story.

My baby Mordi is now just over 9 years old, and I've had since a few days after she was weaned and as such she is the most cuddly, human-like parrot I've ever seen. She loves nothing more than snuggling in under my chin and falling asleep, or perching on my knee whilst watching TV - she is currently quite taken with the series Arrow!

For the first number of years, she was a one person parrot, I was Mum and everyone else was horrible according to her, but she took a surprising change when I started taking her to Board Boarding in Kinglake, and she was exposed to other birds and lots of new people. When I went to pick her up a week later, she didn't want to come out of her cage and had to be bribed out! Since then, she loves meeting new people, especially men with beards, they always get treated to a special beard preen if they sit still for long enough.

It is interesting though, as she does not talk and hates fruit and veges, other than corn and the occasional greenery. I keep trying, but at the end of the day, she is a healthy bird, if not slightly on the tubby side. The one thing I have trained her to do though is to go to the toilet (in the actual toilet) each morning. I was sick of the mess her morning poops made of the cage, so I decided to do something about it. She is reward with an almond each time she goes, which is her favorite.

It hasn't always been smooth sailing though, like all Nanday's she has a very loud scream, which has tested my patience more than once. She now has an effective time out, where she gets covered up for a little bit and has a bit of quite time. It often sounds like she is swearing at me when this happens, with a few growls chucked in, and I'm glad she can't see me, because more often that not I'm laughing at her.

Mordi also has issues with self harm, which started at around age 6, she would bite into the skin under her wings and rip huge holes into herself - once she nearly bled out. The Vet said if I'd taken another 30mins to get her to them, she wouldn't have made it.

She now leaves under her wings alone, and has moved onto her claws, and groin area. It's a common occurrence to uncover her night cage and find her claws all bloody, so much so that I've now got taking care of them down to a fine art, and only take her to the Vet when it looks deep. She is currently in a double layer collar, a foam one to keep her from moving her neck to much, and the wide satellite dish that is to stop her from getting to her claws. It sounds mean, but she gets along okay, and it's only until her claws are completely cleared of any scabs.

She is also going to be a big sister at the end of the year - I have my name down for a male Blue Fronted Amazon who will hopefully keep Mordi company during the days when everyone is at work.

To anyone who is thinking about getting a Nanday, and can handle the noise, I'd say go for it. What you'll get is a medium sized bundle of affectionate fun that you can never stay mad at, because the have the puppy dog eyes down to a tee!

I've attached a photo of Mordi in her dual layer collar, I hope it works!
 

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Jally

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She's precious! It always surprises me when I see a fully feathered Nanday lol
 

Alison

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She might be fully feathered, but she's not fully skinned on her claws, cheeky bird :p

Is it common for Nandays (or conures in general) to self harm?
 

roxynoodle

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Jackie, yes, Rowdy chews like crazy, and head bobs and loves to dance :)
 

Echos mom

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RI
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Hi! I just rescued my Nanday (Echo). He has been with me for just over a week, and I need help! He is 6, I know nothing about him. His owner left him, and the owners daughter just wanted him gone. :(
He seems happy enough.. he likes when I talk to him. But if I try to handle him, he freaks! He isn't food motivated at all, so offering a treat is no good. I'm thinking about having him clipped, maybe that will help. Although, my Blue Crown got really depressed when I did hers years ago, so I'm torn!
Any suggestions? Thanks :D
 

roxynoodle

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Hi! I just rescued my Nanday (Echo). He has been with me for just over a week, and I need help! He is 6, I know nothing about him. His owner left him, and the owners daughter just wanted him gone. :(
He seems happy enough.. he likes when I talk to him. But if I try to handle him, he freaks! He isn't food motivated at all, so offering a treat is no good. I'm thinking about having him clipped, maybe that will help. Although, my Blue Crown got really depressed when I did hers years ago, so I'm torn!
Any suggestions? Thanks :D


He needs some time to know he's safe and there will be stability in his life. It will be ok :hug8:

Let him see you going quietly about your life, playing with your BC. Talk softly without looking him in the eye. Read to him. When he's ready, sing and dance. He will eventually take food from you. Rowdy is an absolute pig who wants to eat everything.
 

Pritti's Pal

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Florida, USA
It is delightful to read your story about Rowdy. Thank you for sharing. I've always been drawn to Nandays. There is something mysterious about them to me. Alot of what you describe sounds like my Pritti in his younger days, but he's not a Nanday, and has mellowed out (only in certain respecets) somewhat. I would love to rescue or foster a parrot but don't want to rock the boat of Pritti being king of the castle. But if/when I do, I surely hope a Nanday chooses me.
Thanks for your story.
 

Jackie

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It has taken me awhile to get back in the swing of things since coming back from vacation.

I love seeing the Nanday stories! Oops need to go...ugh
 

Jackie

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I so love my little black headed baby! I got a few of Sally Blanchard's E-Z Publications....I am anxious to try some games out with Louie!
 

roxynoodle

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I so love my little black headed baby! I got a few of Sally Blanchard's E-Z Publications....I am anxious to try some games out with Louie!

He will like that. Nandays are crazy smart!
 

Jackie

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I was so hoping to side step the hormone shot this season...but Louie has been biting me and know I annoy scared of him but the beak. I can tell he is fighting to not bite so I need to give him some help. Maybe one day we can do without the hormone shot but not this year. :-(

My poor little guy...
 

Juliette

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i think nandays are one of the most amazing birds out there , but for me the noise is probably a problem :(
i wouldnt mind it , but my parents would :lol:
so im just admiring them , trough my computer screen :heart:
 

Alison

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He will like that. Nandays are crazy smart!
LOL my Nanday clearly missed that memo. She has learned a few things, but overall she is terrified of anything new and strange. Made moving her into her new adventure cage....interesting to say the least!
 

stephanie69wvu

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I just adopted a Nanday a month ago. Her name is Sheila and her previous owners had left her in her cage for 2 years. They had her advertised on craigslist saying they didn't have time for her. I felt so bad for her when I came across her ad that I knew I had to have her. I called them and made arrangements to pick her up. In the meantime I read up online to learn everything I could about nandays so I would know how to care for her. When I went to pick her up she looked so sad in her cage and her toys were old looking and wore out. When I got her home I guess I thought she would be happy to come right out of the cage so I opened the door to her cage and she just looked at me. For the next few days I sat by her cage and talked to her trying to get her to come out but she had no interest in even stepping out. I left the door open and went about life still she just sat there. Finally I forced her to come out of the cage and closed the door. I got her to step up on my finger and from that point we became friends. Now we are best friends. Sheila is always with me and screams when I get out of her sight. She flies around the house til she finds me. She even takes showers with me. She has even started saying love you.
 

MosbyGCC

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Fostering a Nanday soon. Bit nervous because I have never heard one and cannot even comprehend what the call must sound like. :)
I work with a lot of different birds on various issues and have been around too's and Macaws. If we are in that level I am sure I will survive ;-)
 

rockybird

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I have a female Nanday conure. I found Scout on cl, living in a tiny cage. She looked neglected and forlorn. It turned out she had a broken wing. She was not in good shape. She bonded to me immediately. I never intended to keep her, but she is so darned sweet...

It took Scout about 1.5 yrs. to find her voice. Because she seemed to need time to adjust to her new home and gain some strength, I kept her separate from the other two parrots for about 8 mos. (in her own room with a view). Once I got her out of quarantine and she settled into the bird room, her calls started. She will only call me when I am out of sight when she is out of the cage. I do not mind the calls at all.

The screams are another story! Very loud and in quick succession - but she only screams when I come home from work because she wants out. She used to scream from her dinner cage for me to pick her up, but she learned that doesnt work and it has stopped. Yes, the screams are loud, but they only happen once a day. She will go for many hours without making a peep. Overall, she is quieter than my caique. The only exception is if someone new is in the house. She will scream quite a bit and I believe it is because she is stressed. She does settle down after a few minutes. She is very intelligent and I believe I could train her not to scream at all if I took the time.

Scout's noises are different than my other birds. Scout loves to make kissing noises, clucks and clicks, all mannerisms of sound. She also mumbles like someone is talking, moving her head up and down like she is deep in coversation. It is hilarious to see. None of these noises are loud. She makes them when she is next to my face, like she is talking to me.

Scout is nothing short of adorable. She loves attn. She is very affectonate. She dances and taps her foot to music. She gives me kisses when I ask. She loves to roll on her side snuggled up against me, with her foot in her mouth. She just always seems so happy.

Unlike my other two parrots, Scout eats pellets. I feed her Zupreem pellets. This is a relief to me as she will not eat vegetables, pasta, or fruit, unless I handfeed it to her. She loves safflower seed and hemp seed.

Scout seems very adaptable. She took to her new cage right away. She took to her night cage immediately to. She does not go potty in her night cage so I take her to the trash first thing in the AM.

Scout like to chew on wood. She is not one for playing with toys, unless I am also playing with it. Then she will run over very excited and join in.

Scout loves to be touched and kissed. She nuzzels me and licks my face. She very much craves closeness with me.

Scout does not like other people. She will not leave me to be held by new people. I believe this has to do with her previous home. I think she is afraid she will be taken away.

In summary, my nanday is loud, but on a very limited basis. She does not like new foods, but does eat pellets. She is not one for toys, but this could stem from not having many for a number of years. She makes all kinds of cute endearing noises. She is adaptable. She dances and taps her foot to music. She loves interacting with me and cuddeling. She is, in short, a little ham.
 
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stephanie69wvu

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Scout and sheila have a lot in common. They both came from terrible homes to loving homes. I wasn't really planning on getting a bird until I saw sheila on cl and she looked so sad and miserable. Once I talked to the people who had her I knew I had to get her. She wouldn't even come out of her cage when I got her she was afraid to I think. She had never been allowed out before. Once we got her to come out she never wanted to be in it again except to sleep and she's not ever in it unless we are not home or its bed time. She isn't really loud unless she sees someone new come in the House or pull in the driveway. She also hates the broom but other than that she.doesn't really scream. She is starting to talk some.now. she say love you, bye bye, night night, no, thank you, and is trying to say some other things but not clear yet. She gives the best hugs with her wing over my face and loves to give kisses. She also thinks she's allowed to try what I eat and demands to do so. I manage to tell her some things are not for her but some.others she will land beside my plate and help herself. She especially likes corn and beans any kind of bean. She has come so far in the 11 months we have had her and I wouldn't trade her for anything. She also has a kitten that is her best friend and they play together all the time. Its funny to see them chase each other and hang on the back of the couch. Black cat and green bird the kitten is really careful.not to use his claws with sheila and she hasn't bit him either lol
 

Ark

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Sounds like Nandays have a lot more in common with each other than I would have originally expected, as my Elliot matches most of the descriptions in this thread very well! I thought his personality would be similar to my Jenday, but there are some very distinct behavioral differences. He also came from Craigslist and is very much a one-person bird and clingy. I do think that he's afraid he's going to be abandoned, and has attached himself strongly to me as a result. He is LOUD. Much louder than my Jenday. His alarm call sounds almost mechanical or like a siren, and of my two Aratingas, he's the one to randomly screech during the day. That said, if he's near me he only makes quiet noises and loves making kissy sounds/actually giving kisses/laughing/imitating me. He sometimes lunges at the cage bars around strangers who get too close but is so incredibly gentle with me... not sure how much that has to do with his prior homes, his personality, or both. He gets along with my Jenday conure very well. Not nippy at all, but he doesn't much care for toys... he prefers chewing soft stuff and preening. Perhaps more of an individual thing, but he absolutely loves music. That was the key to getting him to bond to me. He would sit in his cage and refuse to come out, but the second I started playing music and singing, he wanted to be on my shoulder and nod his head and make little rasping noises as if to sing along.

I've only had him for 7 months and we're still getting to know one another, but I would describe him as very even-tempered. Unlike my Jenday, he is content to spend most of his time in one spot rather than flying hyper-actively from here to there or playing on his back while playfully chewing my fingers. Elliot could spend all day on my shoulder, preening me, himself, or my other conure, and be happy with that. He has also been really good about communication. I try as best as I can to be consistent and clear with how I talk to him, and he uses certain sounds/words to communicate when he wants me to pet him or when he's uncomfortable with what I'm doing, so he no longer feels like he needs to even posture to bite to get his point across. Really, from my somewhat limited experience, Nandays are wonderful birds so long as you can handle the noise. Smart, gentle, affectionate, and adaptable... but it really cannot be overstated; when they want to be, they are LOUD!
 
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