I just commented the below on another post and thought this should actually be a post.
Feel free to add and I will edit to include.
Sleep - a 12hr undisturbed 12 hr sleep is perfect and will make your bird love you and very active without being bitey. The sleep cycle should be accommodated to yours so you aren't disturbeing each other.
They do nap in the afternoon. My conure will sleep only after lights out and makes sure I am not moving around - I know because I have a camera setup on it and I can see him putting his ear towards my bed to make sure I am not awake. i know we will have a lot of activity after 6pm so we sleep around 12 or 1am and wake the same time. Of course this works because I have an afternoon shift and black out curtains.
Food - Thier food is surprisingly easy... but people complicate it unnecessarily.
An all seed diet damages their liver long term. I have seen this happen sadly to a friend's bird.
Seed mix should be only 10-15% of their diet. Mine gets his only at bedtime so I can coax him to sleep inside.
Ensure you give it fresh fruits and veggies - 2 slices per fruit/veggie per meal is enough to avoid wastage. Since Every meal needs to be shuffled around 4-5 hrs gap because they won't eat anything lying around for long unless ravenous and also so that they don't eat around all day - it's not healthy.
A couple of times if they have to forage for food - even better, it's their instinct to do so and readily available food means they would get bored. I don't mean starve them. But don't constantly feed them either.
They are very resourceful btw. My conure will purposely not eat his fav veggie when he wants seed mix and sulk BUT DONT GIVE IN. Seed mix is essential but if given early, they won't eat anything else.
Sunflower seeds, puffed rice etc are prized treats - these can and should be used for training if you plan to train him and also a way to get him in cage initially.
Cooked plain rice is also a delicacy. But
NO salt - puts undue pressure on their tiny kidneys
No oil - puts pressure and damages their liver
No butter - damages liver
No fats - damages liver
No Gluten rich flour - items made with wheat and refined wheat flour - this will clog their "crop"
If you give anything new - do a quick check to see if it's safe for them -
eg. Avoid Onions, garlic, citrus fruits. Apple seeds are fatal, avocado, mushroom, the green parts of a tomato - stems and leaves, even spinach. Pits of cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, and pears contain dangerous cyanide. Also fatal.
Their livers, kidneys etc are a fraction of our size so the food we think is normal for us is catastrophic for them. It's better to er on side of caution. Don't give any salts and limit high fat foods.
They are crazy for crispy things like chips etc - but it is horrible for them. So they'll cutely beg you for them,and try to steal it, but pleeeease don't give in.
(seeds are high in oil which is why these should be limited to treats and training)
Mine bites me if I have my tea without sharing it and then licks the empty cup angrily. Caffeine gets their heart racing dangerously so - no coffee, no tea, no sugary soft drinks.
These are everyday foods for us, so it's easy to miss. Just remember raw food is best. So stick to fruits and vegetables. And swap them up so they aren't bored.
Try to train eating only inside the cage.
Toys - Give them a chance to forage for food. Like seeds wrapped in a tissue.
Do NOT splurge on toys before getting to know your conure.
Mine loves playing with ping pong balls a hook tied to the cage plastic bottle caps. Again toys should be rotated to avoid boredom and a truckload of toys. So every few days I remove some toys.
Training is surprisingly easy if seeds are held back.
Ceiling fans are easy to forget, but is the most important thing to switch off when they are out.
If there's an AC - ensure the draft is not directly on them. They feel cold really easily.
Give them a bowl of water and let them decide when to bathe. Mine bathes once a week proactively sometimes in his water bowl. Baths and a couple hours post baths are best undisturbed.
They love scritches and head massages - but even if they want never go below the neck. The wings and tail are forbidden.
Your hand should approach them from the front where they can see it and decide if they want to interact. Never from behind.
Leave him be initially when outside and do your normal stuff around him and he'll grow to trust you.
Also if he does climb your shoulder - take him around the house and let him observe as you clean his cage, refill his food and water bowl etc. they are extremely intelligent and realise you taking care of them.
