Ask Lafeber

4 month old conure

I have a 4 month old sun conure. I’ve had him for a few weeks now.I haven’t done a dna test yet so I’m not sure if it’s male or female but I call him “he”. A few day after I brought him home he became very attached to me. It’s almost impossible to have him out of the cage without him flying to me. It’s becoming a bad habit of his to fly to me as soon as I put him down anywhere. The past few days he’s been biting me a lot. He only seems happy when he’s on me and does his happy dance then a few minutes later he’s either biting my neck or ears or my finger if I try to take him down. He’s well fed with a variety of food options and plays well when he’s in the cage. The issue is when he’s out I can’t keep him off me long enough for him to enjoy doing anything else. And with the biting that he’s been doing lately it’s got me concerned and I’m not sure what to do about it.

Hi,

These are common issues with a handfeeding and weaning parrot. You have to train him. He doesn’t automatically know what is and isn’t OK, or how much pressure is too much with his beak. I would highly recommend that you consult with a parrot behaviorist before these issues get harder to work with. It’s worth it to invest in his training now, rather than end up having to do it later with a lot more work. I’m going to give you the links to a couple of our behavior webinars to help you better understand his behavior. Parrots are a wild, exotic pet regardless of being captive raised. Their behavior is based on instinct, so while they do a lot of things we don’t care for, the behavior isn’t bad, it’s just undesirable. But there are ways to work with them in a positive manner. Parrots do not learn from being punished. And any training require patience and being consistent. The behaviorist who presents these webinars is available for consultations and is one who we highly recommend. It’s important to work with an expert, and not just someone with parrots who posts on social media and portrays themselves as an expert. A good parrot behaviorist will be certified by the IAABC.

 

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda