We have recently purchased a Sun Conure. he's in a good- sized cage with plenty of stuff(toys/chewingtoys/food /water /perches/one sandpaper portion of the perch)
The first problem was when we brought him home, he started bobbing his head and shifting back and forth runnung on the perch like a maniac. Now i wus worried because sometimes he would repeatedly bang his beak on the bars. I figured it wus because he's scared confused and overwhelmed about his new home.
next morning he acted more normal:he stopped moving back and forth/started to vocalize every now and then when someone left the room(rarely though, mostly he stays quiet or gives of a soft rumbling parrot squak, nothing loud or anything), he's now playing with toys chewing some wooden stuff.
Another broblem was with biting. he takes food from my hand and everything just like normal parrots do , but he seems too afraid of me so he bites when i bring my fingers close. recently his bites increased in force. slightly painful.
Answers:
First off. My sun does the beak bang too. NO it is not the sign for back off, my space. That is what cockatiels do. Suns conures do not have the same meaning to this.
For sun conures beak tapping, head bobbing, funny slow movements are all very normal for them %26 have nothing to do with fear, agro or saying what's theirs etc. It's all happy guestures. Sun conures are VERY comical with their sounds %26 movements!!
Your sun sounds perfectly normal for one who's only just arrived hiome. If he doesn't want to be touched, don't push, leave him be. They can get quite grouchy if pushed %26 will bight %26 threat with screams. They're never afraid to express themselves. He'll get used to you in no time at all so give him the time he needs first without being handled.
I found the wooden chew toys better as my sun can shred a conure foot or chew toy in seconds flat!! You may find yourslef making some toys. As they velcro birds (they love to shoulder ride 24/7) it might also pay for you to invest in a shoulder apron. Kinda like a bit of material that goes over your shoulders %26 have toys hanging off them, it'll save many holes in your clothes.
Once your sun is used to you %26 allowing you to get close to him, don't allow him to play with your fingers. They love to do this %26 encouragement can make them start to play very rough %26 they will hurt oyu. Replace fingers with toys when ever they start to explore your fingers with their beaks.
He may eat %26 drink but you don't see it. If he can climb well then he knows where the food is %26 will clomb down when he's hungry %26 thirsty. You don't need to lift it up for him.
Another thought is if you've changed his diet from what he was on before buying him. If you do this he's not farmiliar with the new food %26 may not eat it. Diet changes should be done very gradually %26 over time. You also need to be sure he's gonna eat the new food %26 not starve himeslf.
Give him the time he needs to adjust. I can be days to weeks. Sun conures normally warm up to their owners VERY quickly. I'm sure you'll be able to see the change in him when he's ready to get to know you properly. For the time being, loads of interaction with him only if he allows this, don't push it cos it will set him back a little. Offer treats every time he does something right or doesn't bite you or moves closer to you etc...
this all seems normal to me. he seems like he is geting accustomed to his new home well. you can expect him to try to bite you for at least a few weeks. try putting your hands on the cage in front of him for awhile just so he can see it and seeit isnt going to harm him. dont make sudden movements when going into the cage to pet him. let him nibble on you a little and dont raise your voice when he bites. birds learn to repeat actions that they get a response out of. so if you yell he will see you respond to it and keep doing it. hope this helps!
I have a two websites that may help:
http://www.sunconure.com/
http://www.concentric.net/~conure/conure...
it does seem normal to me but don't use sand paper on perches. They are %26quot;supposedly%26quot; designed to trim the parrot's nails but it only irritate it. Just keep feeding him by hand and he'll eventually come around.
First off i don't know where you purchased this bird, but the banging on the bars is a symbol of %26quot;knocking%26quot; is meant to be %26quot;this is my cage, stay away%26quot;! It's a warning sign to all.
Second, remove that sand paper perch cover, they are hazardous to birds.
Third, ALL conures have a blood clotting disorder that can NOT be taken lightly. So if you are feeding a seed diet, that has to be changed to a pelleted diet along with dark green leafy veggies that are high in vitamin K. Those are cooked cabbage, kale, collard greens, broccoli, green beans, peas, etc.
Sun conures are LOUD birds, so don't run back into the room when the bird screams. Ignore the screaming and only bring positive attention when the bird does not scream. Talk to him and start teaching the bird to talk, only when he's quiet and not screaming. This deters the loud screaming in loud conures.
Predomiantly, this is why so many conures end up in rescues, because pet stores and some, not all, breeders don't teach people how to deter the loud screaming of them.
Good Luck and Congrats on your new family member!
mine has always being shy and quiet but she does bang the cage bars when strangers approach, not us though. he is new to your home, give him time and he will come around. mine only bit me once in the 4 months i have had her and its true, the little suckers bite hard. my sunny only squawks to say hello when we wake up or come home. i agree with the people that suggested removing the sand paper perch, those are terrible for birds. i might be wrong but i say give him a few days if need be and then attempt handling him. i was told to wait 2 weeks but since my sunny is preety easy going, i was petting and holding her by the 3rd day.
First off, he is just a baby, very scared and confused. Make sure his food is where he is comfortable getting to it. His cage is his safety zone, so he may not like intruders, such as humans with hands. LOL If your cage has a door that opens outward, put either a small concrete perch, or make a U out of a rope perch and put it on the door. That way, when you open the door, your bird is no longer %26quot;in%26quot; his cage, he is on the %26quot;outside%26quot; and should step up more readily.
If you bought a hand fed/hand raised baby then you won't ahve to tame him. Just build trust. But if he isn't then start now by feeding him treats, and reading to him. Don't stress him out, learn his body language to learn when he is getting stressed and irritated. He is probably biting because he doesn't know you. He is nervous, insecure, and just a little stressed. But when he does bite grab his beak between your thumb and pointer finger knuckle and say No firmly. Loud isn't the key, it's the tone. If you yell, they yell and it will become a game will hurt your ears since as you know Sun conures are LOUD. When he is being good talk sweetly to him and if he lets you: pet him. but biting needs to be disciplined right away to prevent an older bird with an agression problem. You want to start building trust right away, which is all taming is. Getting a bird to become comfortable and trusting around humans. So start building trust today, but don't do too much handling, don't ask him too many commands either. Start traching step up and step down in a couple days.
I have an almost 3yr old conure. I got it when it was 2mths old. My recommendation is to leave the bird without paying any attention to what its doing in the cage and let it adjust to the cage. Meanwhile keep it in a place where it can see atleast one member of the family walking around here and there. And whenever someone is in the mood to talk to the bird wherever they are from (meaning even another room) but not coming too close to the cage. In a few days time you'll see a big difference. As regards to the food, if you have high perches bring them down. And don't bother taking food to the bird. Its in nature to come to food when they are hungry. So don't be afraid and watch and see what happens. Biting will happen from time to time when the bird is unable to express that it doesn't want something. If you think its about to bite move back and come back later again after a few minutes. Donot encourage biting. Once the bird figures that you won't pick it up if it wants to bite, it'll mellow down. Meantime try other things to see what the bird likes. We just have to learn thru trial and error what works best like new moms do. books also give good tips.
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