Half Moon Conures:

3 Tips to Nip a Half Moon Conure's Bad Behaviors in the Bud

Your cute little half moon conure has become a big handful.  He’s biting, screaming, and pushing you and your family around.  I bet you didn’t expect this much attitude out of such a little bird!  The truth is this little bird is a powerhouse of attitude and he may push your boundaries as far as he can. 

If you’ve already allowed him to get away with being the boss of the home, it’s time to lay down the law – positively of course.  Here’s how to nip your half moon conure’s bad behavior in the bud.  Our training package also includes many additional techniques to solve these problems.

Tip #1  Give your half moon conure plenty of your time and attention every day. 

They enjoy interacting with people, so when possible let him out of his cage to hang out with you and your family.  Your Conure also enjoys being handled.  If biting is a real problem consider placing a towel on your hands when you get him out of the cage, at least until he is properly trained.  Of course, when you’re unable to be with your half moon, make sure that he has plenty of room to fly around his cage and plenty of toys to keep him busy.   

Tip #2  Don’t accidentally encourage bad behaviors with your half moon conure. 

Many birds go through a nipping phase and if you punish it or have an extreme reaction, you can actually train them to continue nipping.  Similar habits can be developed if you have a strong reaction to any adverse behavior whether it’s biting, screaming, charging, or feather plucking.  

If you yell or splash your bird for screaming or biting, you teach him to be fearful of you.  Fear breeds bad behavior, you’re doing exactly the opposite of what you want to do.  You want your bird to love and trust you.  You want your Half Moon Conure to feel comfortable, happy, and well socialized.   
Tip #3  Trick train your half moon conure. 

Trick training solves bad behavior problems in several ways.  First and foremost it gives your Half Moon Conure what he wants most; attentive and structured time with you.  Secondly, it engages your Half Moon Conure’s intelligence.  Bored conures can cause trouble.  Trick train your Half Moon Conure and you challenge his intelligence.  You stimulate his problem solving skills.  Third, when you trick train, you build a bond of trust between you and your bird.  

Lastly, though not the least important, is that there are specific tricks that you can train your bird to make it stop those annoying behaviors.  Biting when you retrieve him from the cage for example can be trained away by training the step up and step down commands.   

Trick training must be done correctly, which means that if you’re going to trick train your Half Moon Conure then consult the advice and guidance of experts in Bird Trick Training.  Look for easy step-by-step guides, like the ones found at birdtricks.com.  The trick training products found at there are also designed to eliminate unfavorable behaviors.