Blue Crown Conures:

Why your conure plucks his feathers,
and how you can get him to stop

Blue Crown Conures are generally happy, healthy, and well behaved birds.  That being said, your Blue Crown can suffer from intense feather plucking, biting, and even screaming which we'll cover some in this article and more in depth on our main training page. 

Here are three steps for determining the cause of the problem, and how to eliminate it. 

Step #1  Investigate your Blue Crown Conure’s environment. 

Is he getting enough stimulation?  Your Blue Crown Conure is an extremely social bird.  If his cage is isolated from the rest of the family he is likely to become agitated. 

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that he has an ability to spend time with you outside of his cage every day.  Speaking of cage, is your Conure’s cage large enough?  An adequate cage should allow for your Conure to climb up and down to perches as well as fly - 44"x26"x40" is generally an appropriate size for a larger Blue Crown.   

Does your Blue Crown Conure have enough toys and activities to keep him busy when you can’t be with him?  Conures are extremely intelligent birds and need to keep busy.  In addition to having a cage large enough to allow him to freely move around, the cage should have plenty of toys, perches, and things to chew on.   

Step #2  Is your Blue Crown Conure healthy? 

Illness can cause your Blue Crown to pluck his feathers.  The feather plucking itself is not a disease but can be a symptom of a disease.  If your Conure’s environment is optimal, then consider taking him to an avian vet to rule out any illness or medical cause.  While Blue Crown Conures are generally very healthy birds, they can get sick.   

While it isn’t a medical related issue, your Blue Crown Conure could be plucking his feathers, biting, and screaming because he’s emotionally upset.  Have you changed the location of his cage?  Added a new family member?  Jealousy and emotional stress are often the cause of undesirable behaviors.   
Step #3  Is there a lack of trust between you and your bird? 

In addition to boredom, illness, and stress a lack of trust will quite often be the cause of your Blue Crown Conure’s behavior.  Biting, screaming, and feather plucking can all be eliminated when you take the time to build a bond between you and your bird.  We provide materials to overcome this problem and a free video on our main training page. 

How do you build a bond with your Blue Crown Conure?  Conures love to learn tricks.  Trick building is an excellent way to not only build a bond of trust with your Blue Crown Conure, it’s a great way to eliminate many unpleasant behaviors – including biting, screaming, and feather plucking. Simple tricks like stepping up and stepping down teach your bird to not fear you when you retrieve him from his cage or return him to it.  They also teach your Conure that you are a great source of predictable and fun snacks.  When they do a trick correctly, they get a treat.   

Trick training engages your bird so that he has to think and problem solve, this makes any inquisitive blue crown conure very happy.  Additionally, as you build a bond of trust with your bird, they learn to enjoy pleasing you.  It all boils down to your Blue Crown Conure’s need for social interaction.  They enjoy being held, loved, and performing tricks.   

A great way to get started trick training your bird, and eliminating bad behavior, is to use the Taming and Training Video available at BirdTricks.com. This easy to follow video will your parrot behaving better almost instantly using daily 19 minute sessions, lasting only 2 short weeks. 

If your Blue Crown Conure is exhibiting any of the behaviors discussed in this article, follow the three steps: examine his environment for causes, examine his physical and emotional health for causes, and then take the time to train your bird.  Your Blue Crown will love you for it.