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                                                                 Bob

Kiwi 

Nanday conures are native to South America and are also bred in the USA and can be found in many pet stores throughout the country. They can live 25 to 30 years in captivity. Foods consist of various seeds, fruits and greens. It's also a good idea to mix in pellet food such as "Fruit Blend Flavor Diet" made by Zupreem to help balance out their nutrition requirements.

Nanday Conures Make Great Pets!

Nanday conures make fantastic, loving, entertaining pets, but nandays are very noisy critters. They are possessive and demand attention from their owners. That cute quiet bird in the pet store can quickly try to become the ruler of your home and possibly make you regret your purchase. These birds live a long time, so it's up to you to take control of the noisy situation and gain the respect and co-operation of your new pet. These birds are very smart and fast learners and will quickly bond with you if you follow these tips.

Why Conures Are Noisy

Nandays and other parrots spend their day flying from place to place looking for food. They will gather in flocks and love their own company. Making noise is just their natural way of enjoying life. It's what most parrots do.

A caged bird usually just sits around alone in his cage with nothing to do until his owner decides to interact with him. Even with toys, the bird gets bored, lonely and stressed. The bird will make excessive noise to get the attention that he craves. Yelling at the bird to be quiet won't solve the problem. To some birds, getting yelled at is better than no attention at all, but this will only encourage the bird to scream louder and resent and fear it's owner which solves nothing. In the end you wind up as unhappy and stressed out as your bird. So, Here are some easy ways to quiet your bird.

Step one. Exercise Your Nanday Conure!

Exercise your bird outside the cage! Here's how:

Bob
Kiwi
 

Take your nanday for a "walk"! Always use a flight harness and leash before attempting this!

OR:

Have your pet stand on a piece of dowel rod that's about ½ inch around and a little over a foot long that you are holding in your hand. Slowly move the stick up and down and side to side to force your conure to flap his wings. If he flies off the stick, place him back on it and repeat the process. Do this for about five minutes the first time. Repeat again after a short break. Make this seem like a fun experience for your bird. Also place the bird on your finger and make him hop from one finger to the other causing him to flap his wings. Praise him as you are doing this. If he tries to bite, just say, "don't bite" and continue, or place him back on his stick.

Sometimes it's better to take the bite and not pull away or show fear. You must stay calm and in control of your bird under any situation. This is how you gain your bird's affection, trust and respect! Keep in mind though that the bite could draw blood and hurt. If you have tender fingers, then you should try wearing gloves instead. I personally dislike wearing gloves while working with these birds because it's easier and more natural to work bare handed and aids in bonding.

Step two. Change His environment!

Conures and other birds in the parrot family sometimes need a change in their environment because they can sometimes be noisy and have bad attitudes while they are in their cages. It's good to remember also that their cage is their home and your hand and fingers will not always be welcome. I use a simple stick as a means to control my bird by gently pushing him into a position on his perch where he will be away from his toys. I can then easily coax him to step on my finger without any biting.

I then calmly and quietly take the bird to the bathroom, place him on the shower curtain rod, close the lid on the toilet and turn off the light. This is his "time out" which benefits both you and your pet. Sometimes the screaming might make you regret buying your Nanday in the first place. Your bird will quickly quiet down in the bathroom (or any other quiet dark room that you can set up in this manner).

Keep your bird in the room for about 10 or 15 minutes. You will notice a drastic change in your bird's attitude upon emerging from the "quiet room". You will most probably have a very happy bird that while sitting on your shoulder, will brush against your hair, gently nibble on your ear and give you a happy chirp! This technique is basically the same as re-booting your computer. Your pet's brain is now in a happy mood and should be well behaved. Try to find out what is causing your bird to scream and the end result will be fewer trips to the quiet room.

Some reasons that could cause your bird to be noisy:

1)    Not enough sleep. Conures require 10 to 12 hours of sleep. This is not always easy to provide when you have a lack of space. Not everyone can provide their bird with their own private bedroom! The good news is that they adapt to your schedule over time. Mine actually alerts me when it's bedtime! He will sit on the edge of his cage and quietly squeak. If I ignore him, he will climb to the top of the cage door and squawk loudly!

2)    Bored/lonely. Your pet needs something to do! Conures are very active in the wild. Interact with your pet as much as possible. Supply different toys at least once every few months if possible. I actually bought my pet a parakeet! They keep each other company. My parakeet is named "Scooter" and he has his own cage across from Kiwi.

Bob
 

Bob
Kiwi is ready to come out and play!

My birds enjoy an open cage policy.  Their cage doors are left open all-day and closed with their cages covered at night. Kiwi won't fly from his cage, but Scooter, the parakeet will. Keep those wings clipped!

Bob
Scooter takes over the toys when Kiwi is visiting me!

Bob
Scooter checking out Kiwi and me.

Bob
Using the stick is the one of best ways to control your birds.

 
Bob

 Bob
Bonding with your pet allows you to handle your bird without getting bitten!

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