Yes, Conures Do Accept Bribes

Who knew that a simple green nut could wrangle a green-cheeked conure so completely?

Innocently eating a few pistachio nuts one day in front of my birds, it sparked an interest from my flock. At the time, the tiels had tried them before and liked them. Green-cheeked conure Frodo, however, was new to my home, so seeing me eating, he mooched one to try for himself and literally went nuts over them. If you have a conure that really likes a particular food and the happy little noises they can make as they relish the treat, you will understand the inference. He absolutely loved it!

I don't have pistachios in the house very often, because I think they are a bit spendy. Though they aren't very good for them and shouldn't be given to your pets on a regular basis, conures can be bribed with a pistachio nut. Perhaps not all conures feel the same, but my Frodo would trade his best friend for one.

When they first met, Frodo didn't like my dad at all. I think it was the baseball cap dad was wearing. If you want Frodo to scream, walk into a room wearing a baseball cap, and that little sucker will bring down the house, stirring up all the rest of the birds into a panic. The same thing happens when my brother walks into the bird room with his baseball cap on.

Disappointed that Frodo wasn't making a very good first impression on my parents when they came to visit, I asked my dad to remove his cap and gave Dad a pistachio nut. As soon as Frodo saw the nut in my dad's hand, he stopped screaming and began bobbing his head up and down and straining forward. If you own a green cheek, you know the behavior to which I am referring.

Dad gave Frodo the nut. Frodo took it right out of his hand, ate it and begged for more. No more screaming at my dad that day. It was really cute.