My Sun Conure Hates me?

Question

Shes three months old and I got her from a breeder.

I originally wanted a Conure because the ones at Petsmart that I played with seemed to enjoy the play. But not this one. -.-

She's quiet, she doesnt play with her toys and she's bit me three times hard enough to draw blood.

I feed her twice a day and i've only fed her twice because i've had her for a day. When I feed her I lay down and put her on my belly and cover her with a towel and she calms down enough to feed her. I do the same thing after I bathe her. I wrap her in a towel afterwards and she falls asleep on me because I bathe her at night.

She has her wings clipped.

She bit me once while trying (emphasis on trying) to file her nails, once while trying to take her out of the cage and once while petting her after I put her in the cage.

Shes constantly puffed up and every now and then when I get close she puffs up and starts bobbing her head until I touch her and then all her feathers go down.

HELP! What do I do/not do?

In the cage at the breeders she was with her brother so im thinking that maybe she made a bond with the brother and got taken away from him.


So then what steps do I take to calm her down and alleviate some of her stress?

She just bit me again when I went to pet her.

At this point im crying for seemingly making such a monumental error in judgment and maybe 'picking' the wrong bird. Im thinking I should have bought the Petsmart one regardless of age or origin. Im an idiot.

I put her under the towel to feed her because it calms her down enough to be able to hand feed her with the syringe which i have to do twice a day.

Answer 1

Okay, calm down and stop crying. You did NOT make a monumental mistake! I promise!

You just need to go slow and not expect so much from your baby bird so quickly. The only thing you should be doing with your bird right now is the hand feeding as many times a day as is necessary, and talking to her gently while she is in the safety of her cage. No baths, no nail clipping. She's just a baby, and she is in a new environment, away from her "mother" (or "father" - the breeder you got her from) and away from her siblings. She's scared and stressed to the max! Let her get used to things slowly, and when you see her relaxing, then you can start working with her. It might take a few days, it might take a few weeks. Don't rush it!

Be patient - I know that you want a bird that you can play with *right now* but I promise you if you are patient with this bird and take everything slowly and gently, and try to put yourself in your bird's place (would I be scared if someone did this to me?), you'll have lots and lots of fun with your bird for many, many years.

Answer 2

Don't get fustrated and let this upset you. Birds are so smart and intuitive, they can sense if you are upset or stressed out and then they react to how you are feeling. Put it in your head that you can take care of and tame this bird, don't allow yourself to quit or get fustrated. Make sure you talk and coo sweetly to your new bird. Give her a few days to a week to get used to you and her new surroundings before you start handling her alot. Unless she starts to adjust quickly. I've had birds I've had to hand tame and I couldn't even touch them for two weeks. I would just sit near the cage and talk to them, and give them treats. You have to win their trust. Don't bathe or clip toenails just yet. Let her get used to her surroundings first. You don't want to stress her out too much or she will try to bite. Also it helps if you don't show a fear of being bitten. If you put your hand out, and she lunges forward and you cringe she will take that and run. If they have something that they have control or dominance over, they will use it against you. Such as a fear of being bitten. So you must let her know that is not good, and you are the boss. When my birds lunge, I grab the beak, or push the beak while they are lunging, and I say "No bite" very firm and serious and this shows them I am the top bird. She will learn over time that biting is not acceptable. She may still do it, alot of birds will still bite the ones they love every once in a while. You have to learn not to be scared, not to take it personal, how to discipline (usually your tone of voice saying "no bite" will get their attention and they know they are doing wrong), and you have to learn not to get upset and fustrated. If you do, take a break and leave the room, and then come back when you are better. If she is nippy while she is on or in her cage, then take her away from her cage to handle her, and don't put your hand in her cage until she learns to trust you. Good luck... you can do it. This will be your best friend for a very long time, it will be the most rewarding friendship you have ever had. Time and patience are the key with birds, don't rush her.

Answer 3

Why cover the bird up with a towel to feed it? Put the bird in it's cage with a bowl of water and a bowl of Pretty Bird mix which is the right size for your bird and let the poor thing eat. Most birds hate having their feathers covered with a towel. Many birds only like a bath from a plant spray bottle, give it a fine spray and talk to the bird kindly so it gets used to bath time.Let the bird enjoy preening its feathers alone while they dry. Birds take a long time to get used to having toenails cut. At three months it's way too early to start. Filing nails is nuts, get the bird one of those grit textured perches to play and sit on. A Conure protects its territory (the cage) so I wouldn't try to touch the bird inside its cage. Teach it to "step up" on your hand by saying the command and offering your hand. You don't "Pet" birds, You help them preen, which also takes a bird a while to get used to. Lightly message the pin feathers with you thumb and finger tips from left to right on its head, if you push the feathers forward you will always get bit, it hurts the bird. If the bird does not like you touching its feathers, slowly touch its toes while talking and saying its name a lot. Birds like hearing their own names said to them. To be honest about your questions asked, it sounds like you want to play with a doll not a bird.

Answer 4

NAILS: It is WAY too early for you to try & file her nails, have a vet take care of this for now.

TRUST: A birds cage is their "safe-haven", you must proceed with caution at first. I can do just about anything to my African Grey outside her cage, but when she is in her "home" & I try to pet her, she will attempt to bite if I am to quick. First, I slowly put my LIGHTLY clinched fist (no fingers) near her chest area below her beak without touching her, almost like a approaching a dog, never go for the head at first. Then I will pet her head. This builds trust which can take MONTHS with a bird. Please keep in mind, unlike a dog, they do not always want to be touched or handled.

Also, a fully "puffed" bird usually means they are frightened or anxious. Remember your bird is in a COMPLETELY new & different enviroment, take time to show it that you can be trusted, trust is a MAIN priority for birds.
Have patience, I'm am SOOO glad I did.

PS: My bird's bites were BAD in the beginning,(a pierced fingernail once !!) Now, her bites are more of a nibble, she no longer tries to injure me.
Good luck

Answer 5

Don't cry.....I just got a green cheek last week that does the same thing. Some of the advise I have gotten is 1) give her time to adjust to you and to her new home. ou'd be freaked out too if you were moved to a new house without anything you know. 2) wait until she is out of her cage to approach her. We did this the other day and she came right to me. 3) Make sure you teach her the command "step up" and "step down" . Its like teaching a dog to sit. 4) Get a book specifically about conures and research anything you can get your hands on.
Don't give up. That's the best advise I have. We have only had DD for 4 days and its like a different bird.

Answer 6

How long have you taken care of birds?
If youve had the bird for one day you are doing WAY TOO MUCH to that bird.
Take things slowly, you should contact the breeder for help, if its a good breeder they should be more then willing to help
If you havent had a conure before, just know like all birds they can get moody. Maybe the bird just wants to be left alone for a bit. I know mine does sometimes. Sometimes we need to take a timeout from each other because hes bothering me or Im bothering him.