by Pajarita » Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:43 am
No, he is not been stubborn. He doesn't trust you yet. Parrots are not like dogs or cats, they are not human-oriented from day one, you have to give them time to feel comfortable in their new home and to begin to trust his new human. Personally, I never recommend people put their hands in their cages or even ask them to step up until the bird asks for it out of its own initiative. They are like people... We don't like a stranger touching us or been too familiar with us and they don't like it, either. Just open the door to his cage and walk away. He will, eventually, come out and climb atop his cage (you can put sweetfeet perches outside his cage and even branches going up for him to climb and chew -I, sometimes, hang toys from the branches, too).
For now, the best thing is to leave him/her be and allow him/her to get used to you and his/her new home. Talk, sing, whistle and keep him/her company for hours every day. Establish strict and steady routines for him/her based on a solar light schedule and offer two different kinds of soft food served warm and fresh twice a day (breakfast and dinner). Offer a seed or two as a treat from your hand BUT if he/she doesn't take it, don't worry, just put it somewhere he/she can reach and just walk away (the offering is not a reward for good behavior, it's a token of friendship you are offering). If you don't free-feed protein (which you shouldn't with a sun conure), he/she will go back into his cage when you put his seed mix dinner in the bowl inside the cage (or a couple of sunflower seeds if you need to leave the house).
Basically, don't rush the relationship, let him/her set the pace and take its own sweet time deciding. It will happen because parrots NEED the physical touch and interaction, it's hard-wired into their brains as a survival tool but it needs to be on their terms. Parrots react very well to respect, patience and love but not so well to people who impose their touch or rules on them and, taking into consideration how bitey and noisy sun conures can be when they are not happy, it will behoove you to establish a good, strong foundation for your relationship with him/her.