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A year ago, I adopted a conure that had lived with her previous owners for 19 years, her whole life. They apparently did not put much effort into hand taming her, as she shies away from most attempts to bring her out of her cage to socialize.

I recently asked this question about her appearance: since I have had her, some of her feathers have been discolored and had ratty edges. I thought her yearly molt would fix the issue, but it persists. Over-preening due to boredom seems like the likely cause, partially because it is difficult to socialize with her because she does not like leaving her cage, and partially because she is rarely interested in new toys I try to introduce to her.

I'm worried that because she is old, she is already set in her ways and there is not much I can do. How can I help her explore her environment?

jackwise
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  • Please let me know if this is too broad, I can split into two questions if needed. – jackwise Jul 06 '18 at 14:29
  • I don't think this is too broad, we just need to find someone to answer it –  Jul 08 '18 at 03:11
  • I'm pet sitting a 23yo Rainbow Lorikeet she's pretty set in her ways now. I suspect you've got an uphill battle to pull your Conure out of her she'll. – SAM A Aug 12 '18 at 23:31
  • shell* What about having her out on your shoulder and chat to her as you move around the house tidying, putting laundry away? I think she will have more interest in toys once she feels like she's part of a flock. You could try a birdy kong so she gets a fed if she interacts with it. – SAM A Aug 12 '18 at 23:44
  • @SAMA Her previous owners did that, but my understanding is that keeping birds on shoulders lets them think they have dominance over you. However at this point it may be my only option. – jackwise Aug 13 '18 at 13:40
  • @jackwise the other reason I've heard against allowing parrots on shoulders is it puts them too close to your face if they attack... I know with my mate's African Grey I have to make sure my eyes/head is higher (keep my neck long and my shoulders down) – SAM A Aug 14 '18 at 09:01

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