This is quite a long story so I will cut it as short as possible. If you need more details I'll be glad to provide them.
My wife adopted two conures from a friend of a friend. At the time I didn't realize they are far more than just large parakeets, so I said it would be all right. Since then I've come to realize that we may be in over our heads, for several reasons. For one thing the birds are different species, and while I'm not sure if that actually matters, we do know that they don't seem to like each other. The one time they were within a few feet of each other they were making biting motions at each other. We also don't know how old they are for sure, although the information we have indicates they're in the adolescent years, so we have no idea if their aggression is from being in that stage of their life or from trying to adapt to what has no doubt been a frightening transition period for them.
As far as the aggression goes, they both have different kinds, too, which further makes it hard to tell what we should be doing. The one is a blue-crown (?) And is shy/aggressive. I cannot even change his water without him either running for a corner of his cage or making biting motions at my hand. Though he sometimes acts very curious about events going on around him, he flees back into his cage when approached. The other is a red-cheek (?) and is ... bossy (can parrots be bossy?). He will not let people touch him, but has no problem "taking over" a person's shoulder (and very much prefers my wife - and in fact has bitten at people who interact with her while he's on her shoulder). He is very difficult to get back in his cage.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com I've become frustrated since we've had them for going on two months and there hasn't been the slightest change in either of them. While I didn't expect miracles and I knew progress might be slow, I'm kind of stymied that there seems to be no progress at all.
So I guess my question is, when dealing with parrots who are probably adolescent, and were raised by someone else for several years, what do you need to do to gain their trust? Where might I be going wrong here? Our house is kind of chaotic and I've guessed also that perhaps a conure is not the right kind of bird for our crazy household, but I didn't find anything about that aspect of bird preferences in the research I've done.
If worse comes to worse, and we cannot provide the kind of care the birds need, I could also use some help with perhaps finding them a better, more appropriate home in Pennsylvania. I'd hate to give them up; I particularly like the blue-crown one and would like to develop a relationship with it but I realize that if I can't give him what he needs then I will have to find someone who can.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Thank you in advance for any ideas and suggestions.
You haven't given it enough time. Birds learn SLOWLY, and adapt to change very slowly.
You're on the right track thinking they haven't settled in yet. Remember, birds bond tightly to their "flock". Taking a bird away from it's family is very traumatic for them. There are separation issues, anxiety, anger, inability to bond with people because they're waiting for their "real mom" to show up ...
Don't expect real change for at least a year.
Yep. A full year!
Keep doing what you're doing. Spend time with them. Use food bribes. Be patient and consistent.
Good luck.
-__-That's a lot to read
There is nothing wrong with what you are doing. The bird is not yet familiar to you. If you want to speed up the taming process, put your finger close to him inside their cage for at least two minutes then gradually increase it. Let it hiss or try to bite your finger, they will not bite it anyway they are just trying to scare you. then on the second day or third day, try to put your finger under his belly. He will probably jump all over, that is ok. then on the fourth or fifth day try to make him step up your finger by putting your finger under his belly and this time give it a little push on his belly. Once he step on your finger, leave it inside the cage for at least two minutes. Repeat this process until he is comfortable stepping up your finger. Next try to take him out of his cage once he is on your finger.
