New Owner of 2 Sun Conures

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New Owner of 2 Sun Conures
Topic Started: Jul 18 2009, 09:58 PM (460 Views)
MMATitan	Jul 18 2009, 09:58 PM Post #1
Member Posts: 3 Group: Member Member #914 Joined: July 18, 2009 Gender: Male # of conures: 2 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Faheed Location: NoVa My Conure/s are: Iago/Mango	Hey guys I just acquired 2 sun conures the craziest way ever. I work at Petmsart and one day this guy came in wondering if the store would take his 2 sun conures because he was elderly and his wife recently passed and was going to move into a condo. His new condo would not allow the conures so he was trying to get rid of them. Its against store policy to take in birds but my manager asked me if I wanted them because I loved the conures that we had and would always play with them any chance I got. I absolutely said yes and I went to this guys house picked up 2 around 4 year old conures and his gigantic 500 dollar cage for free. I got super lucky that day. So I brought them home last Sunday and did a edit load of research on them and know most things to do to keep these birds healthy. I eventually got them to switch from a seed mix diet to a pellet diet (Zupreem). Also previous owner did not give them much fresh fruit so I introduced them to some fruit and they love watermelon, honey dew and blueberries so far but they hate bananas. They had some outdated toys so I got the bird kebab a concrete perch, vitamin drops, mineral block, and a little house thing that they will not go inside. I wasn't able to ask him where he got the birds from a breeder or a petshop so I'm not really sure. They are wild as hell, not tamed at all. When I got them at first they shrieked like I expected they would. Now they got used to their surroundings and are doing a little better. They shriek in the morning mostly only now. Only thing I want now is for them to be tame enough to come out of the cage and chill with me while. For three days I sat next to them and watched TV/ hang around them till they familiarized themselves with me and new surroundings. Whenever I'm at work I used to give them some bach to listen to but now Ill leave the TV on for them on low volume. I just ordered the "bird sitter" hopefully that will catch their interest a but more than spongebob and Arthur. I now have a dilemma. I don't know if I want to clip their wings now or wait even more till they get used to me. I know not to use a glove to train because it can cause flooding and the last thing I want is for these creatures to have a bad relationship with me. Its hard for me to use positive reinforcement because they will absolutely not eat treats from my hand. I know to use a perch to get them onto at first and slowly work my hand toward them but cant even get them onto a perch. They are really fond of each other and have bonded. I don't want to separate them but I heard this is the only way for them to be able to be trained. What I was thinking was getting one of the birds wings clipped him out in a empty room and try and train one a little everyday separate from the other. After he gets acclimated to me, just bring the other one into the room and show him that its ok for it to trust me. I read that these birds are super smart and will learn from example, but right now if I get too close they run and will shriek at me. I have one parakeet right now that is in my living room who loves talking to people and he will get on my hand easy. Another thing I can do is purchase another smaller cage and separate them completely and get them individually adjusted and try to acclimate them while inside of a cage. Any advice is greatly appreciated.



conure58	Jul 19 2009, 07:39 AM Post #2
Administrator Posts: 4,736 Group: Admin Member #20 Joined: November 19, 2006 Gender: Male # of conures: 2 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Mark Location: Central Texas My Conure/s are: Kahn (Brown-Throat) & Summer (Sun)	Welcome MMATitan (Faheed). Quite the good deal you got on those 2 little squawkers. I like how you did an edit ( ) load of research too. Hmmm, I wonder what edit means ( ). It's good that you've got them eating pellets and fruits now. You'll want to try to get them to eat some veggies too. I've never had 'wild' type birds myself, so I don't know if separating them would be a good idea or not. I think that clipping their wings *may* help with training, because they have to depend on you to get to places (perch, cage, etc.). It could take quite a while before they trust you. Or it may not happen at all. All you can do is try. I'm sure there's others here on the forum who can give you some more ideas/hints. Keep us posted and feel free to post a few pictures.



hal9000	Jul 19 2009, 08:40 AM Post #3
Super Moderator Posts: 1,414 Group: Staff Member #166 Joined: July 6, 2007 Gender: Female # of conures: 3 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Haley Location: Right Behind You... My Conure/s are: Petrie the Pirate (FS), Phoenix (JC), Marvin (GC) My Facebook/Myspace/Twitter myspace.com/elf_monkey_queen	Hi, welcome to the site! Congrats on your conures! Yeah, veggies are better than fruit as fruit has a high sugar content. But if they've come this far already it shouldn't be hard. Wing clipping would probably help during training. I prefer flighting them myself, but I do clip if I need to train one, or if one of them needs an attitude adjustment. You can always let the wings grow out after you're done with training them. You could do it yourself, or if you aren't comfortable, an avian vet or a breeder or something would probably help. Or maybe someone at PetSmart. Wing clipping isn't that hard, though controlling a bird who is able to bite through a towel is pretty hard. Anyways, best of luck with your conures, keep us posted on their progress. Edited by hal9000, Jul 19 2009, 08:42 AM.



Dusky Lover	Jul 19 2009, 01:06 PM Post #4
Moderator Posts: 1,149 Group: Staff Member #817 Joined: April 6, 2009 Gender: Male # of conures: 2 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Phil Location: Western , Connecticut My Conure/s are: Conrad the Dusky , Sunny the Sun Conure	Welcome to the forum ! Hope you have luck training your 2 new Sun conures , i agree with Mark , and Haley's previous posts with wing clipping , possibly helping you with the training . Yes , veggies are good for the birds , but i myself have had tougher luck getting my birds to love them . They prefer fruit , but just like anything else keep putting veggies for them , and eventually you can get progress . Enjoy your birds , and good luck to you ! Dont let the Squawking / Screaming get to you either . Sun conures can be very vocal birds , but they also are affectionate little clowns who LOVE attention .



MMATitan	Jul 20 2009, 06:50 AM Post #5
Member Posts: 3 Group: Member Member #914 Joined: July 18, 2009 Gender: Male # of conures: 2 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Faheed Location: NoVa My Conure/s are: Iago/Mango	hal9000 Jul 19 2009, 08:40 AM Hi, welcome to the site! Congrats on your conures! Yeah, veggies are better than fruit as fruit has a high sugar content. But if they've come this far already it shouldn't be hard. Wing clipping would probably help during training. I prefer flighting them myself, but I do clip if I need to train one, or if one of them needs an attitude adjustment. You can always let the wings grow out after you're done with training them. You could do it yourself, or if you aren't comfortable, an avian vet or a breeder or something would probably help. Or maybe someone at PetSmart. Wing clipping isn't that hard, though controlling a bird who is able to bite through a towel is pretty hard. Anyways, best of luck with your conures, keep us posted on their progress. Yeah, I dont want them to be flightless throughout their lives, I just need them clipped so they cant get away from me or hurt themselves. My manager said she would clip them but ill probably give them another month to get used to me before any more of that. Ill def let you guys know how its going.



Bird_Lover	Jul 20 2009, 09:17 AM Post #6
Silver Member Posts: 536 Group: Member Member #293 Joined: November 29, 2007 Gender: Female # of conures: 2 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Hannah Location: Minnesota My Conure/s are: Orrin--Peach Front Conure, Rylee--Sun Conure	Most of my budgies (and my lovebird, AJ) came to me completely wild. They were afraid of hands, noises, new things--pretty much everything! It really helps to move at their pace when it comes to new things. AJ, my lovebird just started taking treats from my hand through the cage bars last week. Taming a wild bird isn't easy or quick. It can take months, as in AJ's case. Just keep working with them consistantly, and you'll eventually see results. That is great that they will eat fruit! My conures love cooked corn on the cob, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, and celery for veggies...they aren't very picky eaters! Taming is usually best when their wings are trimmed. It will take much longer to tame a fully flighted bird--I usually trim their wings first thing. I feel that this helps them to adjust better, and keeps them safer. Also, trying to catch a completely flighted and wild bird can be a nightmare--for the bird and you! Keep the stress to a minimum--trim before you tame. The first thing you're going to want to do is gain Iago (I love his name! ) and Mango's trust. You can do this by setting up a daily routine--feed them around the same time each day, cover their cage around the same time. Spend lots of time sitting near their cage, quietly watching tv, reading, or listening to soft music. Don't stare at them or walk up to the cage. Just allow them to study you and become more comfortable in your presance. Talk softly to them so they can grow accustomed to your voice. Allow them to watch you eat occasionally, and offer bits of food in a dish inside their cage. If they can connect something good, like food, with your hands, it will greatly help with taming and training. If at any time they seem afraid of you, respect that. Back off a bit and try something less scarey. I remember when I first adopted AJ, he was afraid of the cage drawer being slid out. I would stop sliding it until he camled down, and then proceed to pull it out even slower. Within a week, he wasn't afraid anymore. Working at the bird's pace is one of the best things you can do when it comes to taming. I think it helps the bird to think that they are in control of the situation--if they are scared, you will take a step back. This has really helped my previously untame birds gain confidence. Please keep us up to date on Iago and Mango's progress! I'd love to hear how it all goes.



kiddo76	Jul 21 2009, 04:31 PM Post #7
Conure Crazed!!!!!!!!! Posts: 714 Group: Member Member #679 Joined: January 4, 2009 Gender: Female # of conures: 8 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Jo Location: Near Pittsburgh, PA My Conure/s are: Tee-Jay, Mattie, Miley, Marley, Sarah, Loki, Edward and Bella My Facebook/Myspace/Twitter send me a message. Facebook and MySpace are set to Private	clipping wings is not a bad idea. Personally I clip all my birds. Yes it really helps with training. a flighted bird loves high places and open windows and doors. if they are not tame they will often try to escape. clipping the wings will help the bird realize that for most things they will need to rely on you. if they are on the floor, they will soon learn that when they want up they need you to assist. be patient and take baby steps. btw the flight feathers come back with the next molt so it is not as permanent as some may think.



Dusky Lover	Jul 21 2009, 06:16 PM Post #8
Moderator Posts: 1,149 Group: Staff Member #817 Joined: April 6, 2009 Gender: Male # of conures: 2 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Phil Location: Western , Connecticut My Conure/s are: Conrad the Dusky , Sunny the Sun Conure	I agree with the above post ! Good advice



CRToon83	Jul 30 2009, 10:19 AM Post #9
I'd rather die while i'm living than live while i'm dead! Posts: 53 Group: Member Member #805 Joined: April 2, 2009 Gender: Male # of conures: 1 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Russell Location: Tallahassee, FL My Conure/s are: Amira - Cinnamon Green Cheeked Conure	Welcome... couple comments. * I would feed more veggies than fruits. Fruits are filling and very high in sugar, while low in nutrients. Also, remember your birds stomachs are just about the size of a nickel... so feed supplements SPARINGLY. No more than a teaspoon or two per day. They will obviously choose fresh fruit and veggies over the pellets, however, the pellets have all the nutrients which are necessary for health. If you feed Zupreem, I would go with the Zupreem Natural (I don't like feeding artificial colors.) Not getting into a pellet debate here though, there are already enough of those threads. * Vitamin drops are just about worthless. Plus, if you're feeding a pellet, you don't need those. * I would clip them for now, then let them grow out once they have become a little more tame. I keep my bird at a managed flight clip. http://www.hagen.com/hari/docu/clipping.html * Make sure your cement perch is not the only perch in the cage. Personally, I hate cement perches. I have seen too many pictures and read too many articles about how badly they can tear up the birds feet. I would throw it out and get a sand perch or calcium perch. Make sure that you have different sizes and types of perches to let the birds feet stretch. * Hannah made some very good points... smart woman... listen to her and... POST SOME PICS! lol...



MMATitan	Aug 12 2009, 11:57 AM Post #10
Member Posts: 3 Group: Member Member #914 Joined: July 18, 2009 Gender: Male # of conures: 2 I'm a conure: Owner My name is: Faheed Location: NoVa My Conure/s are: Iago/Mango	Hey guys sorry for the super late response, ive just been busy with the birds/work/getting ready for college. They are both doing fine right now, they chew through bird kabobs like no other. I got them a honey comb perch recently and they almost immediately chewed through the entire thing. Thanks for all the advice. I havent been able to find my camera but my macbook pro came in a couple days ago so i was able to take some pictures with that. Its not much but its all I have. Once again thanks for the advice!!!



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