My conure has been raised by me since he first hatched, (he’s 2 years old now) and he’s suddenly he’s become terrified of my hands. It might be because I am the one who clips his talons, but I’m not sure and even so I still don’t know what to do to help him overcome his sudden fear, sometimes he pecks at my fingers but that’s the closest he can get.
Hi Mikaela,
It can be difficult to figure out why a bird does this, and often there is no clear reason. Has anything changed in your home – new person, pet, his surroundings? Does he exhibit this fear with anyone else? It is possible he is associating the trims with you. That’s why it is always better to have a professional groom your bird, and you get to be the good guy to comfort him. If you continue to do it, you should have his face covered with a light towel where he can’t see you. Of course this makes it hard to monitor how he is doing, which again is a reason to have someone else do this.
He is at the age where hormones are kicking in strongly for the first time. This could be something that has made him act this way. The best thing to do is be patient and reassuring, and talk to him a lot, offering treats. Let him approach you and don’t try to grab him. Usually these phases pass and the bird will go back to normal. Again, it depends on why he is doing this. I’ll give you the link to our taming and training page. While the information may seem like it’s for beginners, you are basically needing to go back to basics and earn his trust again.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
