Hello from the UK

[nicola1990]

hIya I'm new here my name is Nicola and I'm much looking forward to being part of this forum, I am a new parrot Mommy to my 12 week old yellow side GCC Rudi. I grew up with parrots and now have one of my very own, I'm learning as I go and enjoying every minute of it,
he has settled in really well and we have began training with great results so far. he has learnt to step up, step down, come when called, to wave and we have now just started target training. He loves our training sessions and I'm sure he will learn many things in time.
looking forward to lots of reading and lots of pics of everyone's parrots xx

[Wolf]

I first want to welcome you to the forum and I hope that you will enjoy your time here. Secondly, always feel free to disagree with anything that I may say. I am saying this right now because I do have something to say and you are new and I don't want you to take it wrong or be offended in any manner.
That being said, I will move on to what is on my mind.
I don't know how long you have had your bird, but I am guessing that it is not more than a week to 10 days. Regardless of that, at 12 weeks old, your bird is still a baby and this early in your relationship, I think that you are moving too fast, too soon with your training and that your time would be better spent in bonding with this baby bird. I know that it is not as exciting as the training, but the process of bonding is what forms the foundation for everything that is to come in your relationship. Many people have come here with the problem that their bird suddenly stops responding to their training and runs from them or bites them, where it was previously cooperative in their training attempts and as a result have to back up to the first thing that they should have done, that of building a strong bond based on trust.

[Pajarita]

Yes, please, do not put so much emphasis on trick training. Treat the baby bird the same that you would treat a toddler, teach things relative to socialization (like not to beak too hard, to eat the right kind of food, schedules, routines, etc) and concentrate in bonding, not on expecting him to entertain you with tricks.

There has been too much of this trick training of baby birds and there will be a price to be paid for it.

[nicola1990]

HIya,
thank you for your input and concerns,
I have had Rudi since he was 9 weeks old, we have an amazing bond he trusts me totally, and is very loving with everyone in our household.
we got Rudi from a breeder who let us have a lot to do with the hand rearing process from 3 weeks of age, so he was very socialised with us all before we even got him, he was also trained to step up and down and to also come when called before we got him home which the breeder trained him to do, it just needed a little more practise when I got him so that he continued to do the same with me. I can understand exactly where you are coming from, but I am so glad it was taught so young because just two days having home he flew out of the front door which some0one left open he was gone for 40 minutes across the field we called and called him and once he found his way to a tree near our home he actually came back and landed on my partners head. I really thought we had lost him and would never see him again I was crying and everything but because he had already been taught recall and he knew us so well he came back. I was great full and thankful to my breeder you have no idea lol.
I grew up with parrots of many species but I am new to conures and so have taken all my advise from the breeder I have bought our baby from and am still learning along the way. I would in NO way rush our baby, he loves our one hour a day training sessions, we are still at the basics as I have said and I wouldn't try to train him anything I didn't feel he wasn't ready for.
when I first got him for the first couple of days he was very beaky with my hands but now he doesn't he only preens he is so gentle and very affectionate.
his diet has also changed dramatically, when I first got him he was eating various seeds and some fruits.
his daily diet now consists of,
a blend of 13 different types of pulses and brown rice soaked, mixed with chopped fruit & vegetables of the following
peas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, sweet corn, peppers, cucumber, tomato's, apple. with some flack seeds sprinkled on top.
he has a teaspoon of seed in the afternoon mixed with his organic pellets.
once a week he has some orange and a few grapes and also the odd bit of palm oil extract.
I have no worries with his diet thankfully lol he seems to be willing to try anything and has loves everything so far.
as treats he has a nut mix and some sunflower seeds. he also has a foraging wheel in his cage which he can forage for dried fruits and millet . he loves banana chips they are always the first out of the wheel.
he has a mineral stone and also a cuttlefish in his cage. loads of toys his swing and his snuggle cave which he sleeps in,
we have a great routine which seems to be working for us all and also so that Rudi is getting his 12 hours a night sleep which is must lol cant have a grumpy tired parrot,
he spends around 3 hours during the day in his cage other than that he either on his play gym or on me . he loves showers in the sink he really is a spoilt baby and we all love him to bits and I think he loves all to. he has a carry cage which we use to take him out with us he seems to love it I think I have covered everything lol.

[Wolf]

You have apparently spent much more time with him than the majority of people that have a baby of this age and also seem to have more experience than most. This is wonderful, thank you for understanding my concern for your baby.

[nicola1990]

You have apparently spent much more time with him than the majority of people that have a baby of this age and also seem to have more experience than most. This is wonderful, thank you for understanding my concern for your baby.

thank you lol I maybe should of wrote more in my introduction that's my own fault
lol i like people who are straight to the point I'm much like that myself and if I feel something isn't right or someone is doing something wrong then I to like to put my point across to so thank you for your honesty
I've always loved parrots, my mother father and my grandparent all have parrots, my favourite is the African grey but I wont get one until my children are older for many reasons, my grandmother has 3 African greys , a cockatoo, an amazon, a hans macaw, a cockatiel and a parrotlet, so her birds taught me so much before i decided to get my own. I also grew up with an African grey in my family home with my parents I loved him so much he was amazing, he sadly died a couple of years ago at the age 39. ive read so much and learnt from both my parents and grandparents and also from reading and reading. I'm 24 at the moment with 3 young children and decided a conure would be a perfect fit into our family, we also have 2 sphynx cats, 2 black Labradors, a boa constrictor, a royal python and some ferrets. we all love animals here. my partner of 10 years is a huge reptile fanatic he rescues and re homes reptiles. and now we have Rudi. i love him so much hes a cheeky ball of feathered fun and he keeps me busy which i like.

[Pajarita]

My dear, he did not come back to you because he knew recall, he came back because he is a baby and babies don't stray far from what it's familiar to them so don't let your guard down because if he flies out in another 6 months, you might not be so lucky. Please do not do one hour sessions, it's way too long even for an adult. The sessions should never be more than 15 minutes at a time (you don't even train an adult dog for a whole hour at a time, much less a baby bird).

[Harpmaker]

Welcome to the forum, nicola1990! Quite a menagerie you have there. Good luck with your new baby!

[nicola1990]

Welcome to the forum, nicola1990! Quite a menagerie you have there. Good luck with your new baby!

thank you

[nicola1990]

My dear, he did not come back to you because he knew recall, he came back because he is a baby and babies don't stray far from what it's familiar to them so don't let your guard down because if he flies out in another 6 months, you might not be so lucky. Please do not do one hour sessions, it's way too long even for an adult. The sessions should never be more than 15 minutes at a time (you don't even train an adult dog for a whole hour at a time, much less a baby bird).

I know I was very lucky to be honest at the time I thought I had more chance winning the lottery than getting him back. we don't know how far he had gone, but we called and called as the breeder showed us how and he came back landing in a near by tree to the house. my partner called him and after a while he came and landed on his head. it was a huge relief and we learnt the hard way. we now have a new rule in our home where no one is to answer the door other than myself or my partner and the door is now locked at all times.
i do understand what you are saying but i do believe without the familiar call that he knew i don't think he would of come back with out it. he wasn't familiar with the surroundings or our home as we had only had him for two days at the time. so i really believe it was the call he was taught so young that he could recognise that steered him in the right direction. thank god lol.
his training sessions are broken down into train and play i don't train for a whole solid hour that would be very hard on him. it just roughly works out to an hour a day all together, but he loves it i know when he isn't interested or isn't in the mood so we always choose a time he is happy and ready.