Help, My Sun Conure HATES ME!!!

[kelseygirl707]

Quote:

I have had parrots for years, please buy plenty of gauze and surgical tape. If you can go through the full power of a bite from a conure my hats off to you.

This is common behavior for parrots, they really don't understand discipline and no is not a term that they can relate to. Parrots can only be trained with positive rewards. Trust me they have a memory and will get even when least expected. My wife's Quaker hated to have his caged cleaned whenever I did it I had to trick him out of the cage. So usually the next day he would come out attempt to snuggle and give kisses and latch onto the septum of my nose.

Some parrots are the type that are very social such as cockatoos and cockatiels, some make bonds that are severe. Your parrot sees you as a competitor for her new mate. When he is gone you are no danger to her bo. She may get over it in time she may not. Actually if she is not drawing blood or breaking bones she is just warning you. Yes parrots can do that we once had a cockatoo that broke the welds on a wrought iron cage. Her quaker could make quick work of hard wood limb, would turn closepin halfs into toothpicks instantly.

Well I've already gotten a bite that cracked my nail, but then you mentioned breaking bones and now I'm scared, lol.

 

[Schultz]

Quote:
I agree with Nancy. We have a Green Cheek that favors DH but she and I have come to an understanding. Sometimes birds will think of their human as a mate rather than master. There are steps you can take to help with this. We did a lot of research online when this happened. Gaby is getting beter so I know that some things do work!

 

[kelseygirl707]

Well, I think I have taken another step forward. After squaking her head off, trying to get my husband to pick her up, she finaly realized it was me or nothing, so she let me pick her up, and she is sitting with me right now, but every time she sees my husband she runs to the part of my body that is closest to him, like changing to my shoulder closest to him, but she has been very nice to me, she gave me kisses on the lip, danced when I sang the disneyland Tikki room song, and lets me pet her all I want. I keep telling my husband she just needs time, he's just so impatiant, and he says he could see in my face how dissapointed I was, but I think we will work it out.

WalkingWolf, your right in that she sees my DH as her mate. yeasterday she was grooming his gotee then she would turn her rear around and back it up to his gotee, I think she wanted to mate with him, LOL. I looked at her and said "ha ha Karmen, I get to tap that" and my husband cracked up!

 

[Equest94]

I'm not sure of someone already touched based on this (sorry, I don't really have time to read through everyone's posts)...

A friend of ours has one that they use to take to their shop and it was a very friendly bird; however, they have since stopped bringing her. Well, when asked what happened to the bird they told me that this breed often develops aggression towards strangers as they mature. Females of the species are typically more aggressive and tend to latch on to one person as "their person"... they are the "little lap dogs" of the bird world so to speak, lol...

So, sounds like your bird is just being a normal Sun Conure... sorry..

she's really pretty though!

 

[babalubird]

Many parrot breeds tend to be one-person birds. You are kind of a substitute for a mate--that's how they attach so strongly to their person.

However, if your husband will cooperate, you can probably make the situation much better. You want to socialize the bird as much as possible. If the bird is ugly to you in your husband's presence, your husband needs to show the bird he is also displeased and put the bird back into the cage, tell the bird, "bad. No bite _____(Your name)." or something like that, cover the cage to really make him feel isolated for about 3-5 minutes before trying again.

Birds do need to be disciplined although it's different from other animals. Hitting runs the risk of injury, so a gruff-voiced scolding, short and to the point, without yelling, and a small amount of isolation time is usually the best way to discipline.

If you just got him, he's probably still pretty young too, trying to determine his place in the pecking order. Both you and your husband need to be above him in pecking order.

There is usually light at the end of the tunnel. I had a lory that went through a horrible biting stage for about 2 years, his adolescence, I suppose. After much bleeding, I still hung in there, doled out the reasonable discipline and wound up with a pretty darn nice, fun bird after that.

But all birds do bite occasionally. Giving a little blood now and then is the price of parrot ownership.

Connie

 

[babalubird]

Well, sorry, I didn't read far enough to see things got better. I am so glad. Sounds like you are really making progress.

And I'm so glad you didn't let Hubby sell the bird. Some birds get bounced from home to home and it makes for a miserable life for the bird because they do form such strong bonds with their first person.

So good for you. Thank you for being a responsible bird owner and working hard to find a solution.

Many happy years with your new baby. There is nothing more special than these little feathered guys in my book.

Connie

 

[kelseygirl707]

Thank you everybody for the help, feel free to keep it comin, LOL.

This morning I was the only one to hold Karmen, and she did really good with me all day, my husband would talk and sing to her, and also pet her, but wouldn't hold her. Around 2 O-Clock my husband was going through Bird Withdrawls, so I told him to go ahead and hold her, that she had been really good to me all day, and she deserved some daddy time. Well she will go to him, but wants to be with me now, If I walk close to the couch, she leaves his shoulder and runs to me, if she is with me she will let my husband pet her, but won't leave me for him. She now runs to me whenever I am walking by her, but seems to ignore my husband. Do you think she is holding a grudge because he wouldn't hold her all day? Right now our plan is to alternate days, to get her used to both of us, so today was my day, but tomorrow is my husbands, maybe if we do this for a week or two, she will be good with both of us. This Bird confuses me, but hey thats a woman for you..... Dang Fickle Women, LOL

As for our Cockatiel, he seemed a little annoyed this morning that I was spending so much time with Karmen, but got over it pretty fast, and is now back to giving me kisses.

 

[Beed]

I am so glad you guys are in for the long haul. All of your training tips sound great. I knew I shouldn't have said that about hitting the cage. Sorry. It is just that some folks will come into my sisters house and immediately be mean and nasty to Tootie-hit the cage and yell at him. I didn't mean to offend you. Sorry again.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Oh I'm not offended one bit, it's definately something that is better said than not, because I know there are some people out there that belive scaring the begebis out of a bird is training a bird.

 

[Schultz]

Glad things are going better for you all!