Baby conure HELP

[Awycherley]

Hi, I am new to this website and also to being a bird owner. I am a proud owner of a 17week old pearly conure called Monty. I am wondering if this age is to early to start training him basic things? I've tried teaching him to 'step up' but he is very impatient and uninterested, nor does he take a liking to any of the treats I offer if he eventually does step up. Please help!

Ashleigh

[rebcart]

No age is too young for very simple, basic training, but there's no real point trying to train a bird if you don't have rewards on hand! So your first step, before anything else, is to find something your bird loves that you can use.

Have you tried -

different kinds of seeds and nuts? (try both shelled, and unshelled - sometimes they don't care as much about the taste, but just enjoy shelling them. Big nuts like almonds can be broken or chopped up into small slivers. Millet and sunflower seeds are loved by most birds.)

different kinds of fruits? vegetables? (Our conure loves digging the peas out of snow peas, and chewing on capsicum. Sometimes texture/shape really affects whether the bird likes it or not, so try offering the same item chopped in different ways - eg. grated, chopped into big cubes, tiny cubes, matchsticks, thin/thick circles, etc. You can also try steaming vegetables, as a contrast to raw ones. You can also offer a tiny sip of fruit juice diluted with water)

eating the treats? (most birds want whatever YOU are having, so if you eat/drink some of the food first while the bird is watching, it'll usually get them a lot more interested in trying it)

Experiment a lot! You know Monty liked something if, when you hold it up, he looks excited and tries to get to it! That's when you can get started on training.

[marie83]

I agree no age is too young but at 17 weeks the conures tend to lack an attention span.
At this age concentrate on step ups which you may need to do in little teeny tiny sessions and introduce him to as many new things as you can such as the carry cage. touch taming can also be done now and socialisation.
Tricks and things can wait until he is older and less wriggly.

[Awycherley]

Thankyou! yes he is very wriggly so I have been keeping the training sessions short! He seems to like capsicum and some dried fruits I will keep experimenting with treats!

[Shadows Mum]

How is Monty coming along? I know at 17 weeks conures have virtually NO attention span. Plus if he is new to your home (at any age) they can be jumpy, un-focused, & lack motivation to take food from our hands (even if they DO love the offered treat). My advice is give him a few more weeks of "settle in" time before holding him to much expectaions. Although handling & basic taming is a must, sometimes its more effective if we hold off until they are ready. One of my favorite parts of being a bird owner is the intuition/understanding (non verbal) shared between bird and owner. You will learn your birds likes & dislikes, and your bird will let you know when he is ready for more interaction & mental stimulation... You will "just know" if you pay attention to his comfort level, trust etc... And then he will be more confident in training! Good luck! & keep us updated on Monty.

[Cockatielsongs]

Definitely good to start basic taming at 17 weeks young, you have a good advantage there in regards to taming considering he is pretty young. I agree with marie, tricks can wait until he is older.
Do post photos of Monty! We'd love to see your baby boy

All the best