New Green Cheek Conure

I've just bought a new green cheek conure.
I feel that it's already got a bad impression of me.
It refuses to eat and just sits there.
I try to get it on my arm and it goes on my arm for a few seconds and tries to fly off or it bites me.
However, it's wings are clipped.
How do I get it more used to me?
(It's currently 4 months old)

It also keeps on biting me very hard to the point where there's blood.
It bites whenever it's on my hand and I'm transporting it around my house.

He has not even settled in yet. Leave him in the cage for a few days so he gets accomodated to his new home and you!

Read this thread top to bottom, out loud in a quiet voice while stting next to his cage.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Hello Calorious, allow me to welcome your new green cheek to the Forum Family. What is his name by the way?

Your new baby doesn't yet know that he can trust you, he is biting to protect himself. With time, he will learn that you and your fingers bring good stuff to him, such as yummy treats and head scratches. Give him a little time to settle in and trust will develop gradually.

Thank you for joining and reaching out! I wish you and your new feather baby a long and happy life together

LaManuka said:

Hello Calorious, allow me to welcome your new green cheek to the Forum Family. What is his name by the way?

Your new baby doesn't yet know that he can trust you, he is biting to protect himself. With time, he will learn that you and your fingers bring good stuff to him, such as yummy treats and head scratches. Give him a little time to settle in and trust will develop gradually.

Thank you for joining and reaching out! I wish you and your new feather baby a long and happy life together

Click to expand...

Yeah I still don't know what name to give it.
Anyway, it keeps on biting me. I don't really know how to stop it.
it's bitten it so hard very persistently.
Sometimes it climbs up random things and while trying to get it off.
It falls off down to the floor.
When it falls, it seems to always be hostile to everything.
After it falls and I try to get it on my hand, it just bites me very persistently. I don't really know how to stop it anymore.
I had a parrot that flew away before (it was a ringneck), I could just blow at it and it would stop biting. However, I blew at this parrot and it let go for 2 seconds and started biting very hard again.
I don't really know how to stop it. I know it's trying to protect itself but does it think I am a very hostile opponent or something?
Any ideas?

Firstly let me say I am very sorry for your loss of your ringneck. It must have been very painful to have lost him.

Now, take a step back and see things from your new bird's viewpoint. Conures in the wild are prey animals and they have evolved that way over millions of years. They can also be particularly aggressive around their cage which they perceive as their territory. Do try to be careful about handling him if he is clipped, unless you have carpet he may injure himself if he hits the floor very hard.

I really think you just need to leave him for a few days and allow him to settle in, you may just be expecting a bit too much too soon. Your baby has gone through some major changes in his short life and you don't know what he has experienced before coming home to you. Every bird is different and some will take to their new surroundings more readily than others. My cockatiel Fang for example settled straight in on day one, but when I brought my lorikeet Lilly home she was TERRIFIED of me for about the first 3 weeks she was here. I would just sit a few metres away from her cage and read to her calmly and offer her treats - in her case eucalyptus flowers but you might try a millet spray which you can hold through the bars of the cage.

Once you have established a base level of trust and your bird knows you're not going to eat him you can work on the biting. If he persists in biting you can use the “shunning” method. If he bites you, simply pop him gently down somewhere neutral like on the back of a chair, walk away and leave him for a few minutes with no eye contact. Don’t put him back in his cage as this may be exactly what he wants! Repeat the procedure if he bites you again.

But first I would urge you to just slow down and allow him that precious time to calm himself. He is just a baby going through some radical changes in his life and he doesn't know what to expect next.

LaManuka said:

Firstly let me say I am very sorry for your loss of your ringneck. It must have been very painful to have lost him.

Now, take a step back and see things from your new bird's viewpoint. Conures in the wild are prey animals and they have evolved that way over millions of years. They can also be particularly aggressive around their cage which they perceive as their territory. Do try to be careful about handling him if he is clipped, unless you have carpet he may injure himself if he hits the floor very hard.

I really think you just need to leave him for a few days and allow him to settle in, you may just be expecting a bit too much too soon. Your baby has gone through some major changes in his short life and you don't know what he has experienced before coming home to you. Every bird is different and some will take to their new surroundings more readily than others. My cockatiel Fang for example settled straight in on day one, but when I brought my lorikeet Lilly home she was TERRIFIED of me for about the first 3 weeks she was here. I would just sit a few metres away from her cage and read to her calmly and offer her treats - in her case eucalyptus flowers but you might try a millet spray which you can hold through the bars of the cage.

Once you have established a base level of trust and your bird knows you're not going to eat him you can work on the biting. If he persists in biting you can use the “shunning” method. If he bites you, simply pop him gently down on the floor, or the back of a chair, walk away and leave him for a few minutes with no eye contact. Don’t put him back in his cage as this may be exactly what he wants! Repeat the procedure if he bites you again.

But first I would urge you to just slow down and allow him that precious time to calm himself. He is just a baby going through some radical changes in his life and he doesn't know what to expect next.

Click to expand...

Yeah actually, I think I'm handling him like I would when I was with ringneck for like 3 months+.
Thanks! I'll try to check in on him after a few days and weeks.
I'll try to pick him up and feed him though, but it just seems so eager to get on another stable platform when it seems to be making my own hand unstable for itself (it just walks around my hand when I'm moving which makes it think that my hand is an unstable platform)

Just a question... do you know if this little one was hand fed? This can make a big difference when it comes to attitude towards hands at first. If it was not hand raised it could be reacting like a bird in the wild would, scared and afraid. It’s just going to take some patience to get him/her to know your there as a friend.

We have a turquoise, a pineapple, and a yellow sided and all were hand fed. They all can be nippy when playing hard or not wanting to leave or go back in cage. At first they did clamp down when stepping up onto fingers as can be unsure or afraid. Think of their beak as also being the equivalent of your hand. It’s the only way they can grip things they are not standing on.

As far as falling and such, if they are not used to wings clipped, they can be clumsy. Just be careful how high off the ground or table you put her/him.


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Alembic772 said:

Just a question... do you know if this little one was hand fed? This can make a big difference when it comes to attitude towards hands at first. If it was not hand raised it could be reacting like a bird in the wild would, scared and afraid. It’s just going to take some patience to get him/her to know your there as a friend.

We have a turquoise, a pineapple, and a yellow sided and all were hand fed. They all can be nippy when playing hard or not wanting to leave or go back in cage. At first they did clamp down when stepping up onto fingers as can be unsure or afraid. Think of their beak as also being the equivalent of your hand. It’s the only way they can grip things they are not standing on.

As far as falling and such, if they are not used to wings clipped, they can be clumsy. Just be careful how high off the ground or table you put her/him.


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Click to expand...

I doubt it's hand-fed because I got it from a bird shop.
I'll take note of the rest though.
Regarding it biting, I would be fine if it were to just grip onto me to get onto it's destination point but it just seems to be biting me very hard just to protect itself despite me trying to be patient with it.
I'll take note of everything and get back after a few weeks. Thanks everyone!

Calorious said:

Alembic772 said:

Just a question... do you know if this little one was hand fed? This can make a big difference when it comes to attitude towards hands at first. If it was not hand raised it could be reacting like a bird in the wild would, scared and afraid. It’s just going to take some patience to get him/her to know your there as a friend.

We have a turquoise, a pineapple, and a yellow sided and all were hand fed. They all can be nippy when playing hard or not wanting to leave or go back in cage. At first they did clamp down when stepping up onto fingers as can be unsure or afraid. Think of their beak as also being the equivalent of your hand. It’s the only way they can grip things they are not standing on.

As far as falling and such, if they are not used to wings clipped, they can be clumsy. Just be careful how high off the ground or table you put her/him.


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Click to expand...

I doubt it's hand-fed because I got it from a bird shop.
I'll take note of the rest though.
Regarding it biting, I would be fine if it were to just grip onto me to get onto it's destination point but it just seems to be biting me very hard just to protect itself despite me trying to be patient with it.
I'll take note of everything and get back after a few weeks. Thanks everyone!

Click to expand...

You should call the shop and ask them. It could have been hand fed but may have been there for a while with no interaction. Just take it slow. Take her:him out and let her crawl all around you. They are great birds and usually are playful.

Just patience and time. Try letting it snuggling up in a blanket on your lap. Ours love this. Just be careful and don’t fall asleep yourself.


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Calorious said:

LaManuka said:

Firstly let me say I am very sorry for your loss of your ringneck. It must have been very painful to have lost him.

Now, take a step back and see things from your new bird's viewpoint. Conures in the wild are prey animals and they have evolved that way over millions of years. They can also be particularly aggressive around their cage which they perceive as their territory. Do try to be careful about handling him if he is clipped, unless you have carpet he may injure himself if he hits the floor very hard.

I really think you just need to leave him for a few days and allow him to settle in, you may just be expecting a bit too much too soon. Your baby has gone through some major changes in his short life and you don't know what he has experienced before coming home to you. Every bird is different and some will take to their new surroundings more readily than others. My cockatiel Fang for example settled straight in on day one, but when I brought my lorikeet Lilly home she was TERRIFIED of me for about the first 3 weeks she was here. I would just sit a few metres away from her cage and read to her calmly and offer her treats - in her case eucalyptus flowers but you might try a millet spray which you can hold through the bars of the cage.

Once you have established a base level of trust and your bird knows you're not going to eat him you can work on the biting. If he persists in biting you can use the “shunning” method. If he bites you, simply pop him gently down on the floor, or the back of a chair, walk away and leave him for a few minutes with no eye contact. Don’t put him back in his cage as this may be exactly what he wants! Repeat the procedure if he bites you again.

But first I would urge you to just slow down and allow him that precious time to calm himself. He is just a baby going through some radical changes in his life and he doesn't know what to expect next.

Click to expand...

Yeah actually, I think I'm handling him like I would when I was with ringneck for like 3 months+.
Thanks! I'll try to check in on him after a few days and weeks.
I'll try to pick him up and feed him though, but it just seems so eager to get on another stable platform when it seems to be making my own hand unstable for itself (it just walks around my hand when I'm moving which makes it think that my hand is an unstable platform)

Click to expand...

Don’t leave him for weeks, just a couple of days to allow him to settle. Alembic is quite right, he may have been hand fed but that often isn’t the warm and fuzzy experience that it sounds like. Often it’s just a case of being isolated in a brooder with his nestmates and being handled at feeding time and very little other interaction. And yes he may be reacting to your hand being unstable, in my experience GCCs only latch on even harder if that’s the case.

LaManuka said:

Calorious said:

LaManuka said:

Firstly let me say I am very sorry for your loss of your ringneck. It must have been very painful to have lost him.

Now, take a step back and see things from your new bird's viewpoint. Conures in the wild are prey animals and they have evolved that way over millions of years. They can also be particularly aggressive around their cage which they perceive as their territory. Do try to be careful about handling him if he is clipped, unless you have carpet he may injure himself if he hits the floor very hard.

I really think you just need to leave him for a few days and allow him to settle in, you may just be expecting a bit too much too soon. Your baby has gone through some major changes in his short life and you don't know what he has experienced before coming home to you. Every bird is different and some will take to their new surroundings more readily than others. My cockatiel Fang for example settled straight in on day one, but when I brought my lorikeet Lilly home she was TERRIFIED of me for about the first 3 weeks she was here. I would just sit a few metres away from her cage and read to her calmly and offer her treats - in her case eucalyptus flowers but you might try a millet spray which you can hold through the bars of the cage.

Once you have established a base level of trust and your bird knows you're not going to eat him you can work on the biting. If he persists in biting you can use the “shunning” method. If he bites you, simply pop him gently down on the floor, or the back of a chair, walk away and leave him for a few minutes with no eye contact. Don’t put him back in his cage as this may be exactly what he wants! Repeat the procedure if he bites you again.

But first I would urge you to just slow down and allow him that precious time to calm himself. He is just a baby going through some radical changes in his life and he doesn't know what to expect next.

Click to expand...

Yeah actually, I think I'm handling him like I would when I was with ringneck for like 3 months+.
Thanks! I'll try to check in on him after a few days and weeks.
I'll try to pick him up and feed him though, but it just seems so eager to get on another stable platform when it seems to be making my own hand unstable for itself (it just walks around my hand when I'm moving which makes it think that my hand is an unstable platform)

Click to expand...

Don’t leave him for weeks, just a couple of days to allow him to settle. Alembic is quite right, he may have been hand fed but that often isn’t the warm and fuzzy experience that it sounds like. Often it’s just a case of being isolated in a brooder with his nestmates and being handled at feeding time and very little other interaction. And yes he may be reacting to your hand being unstable, in my experience GCCs only latch on even harder if that’s the case.

Click to expand...

I've also realised it's become scared of every hand that touches it. Including mine.
It just feels that I'm going to catch it so it just runs and climbs around it's cage everytime I try to go close to it.
How can I make it not be that scared? I just want to interact with it and possibly bring it out of it's cage so that more interaction can occur.

Calorious said:

LaManuka said:

Calorious said:

Yeah actually, I think I'm handling him like I would when I was with ringneck for like 3 months+.
Thanks! I'll try to check in on him after a few days and weeks.
I'll try to pick him up and feed him though, but it just seems so eager to get on another stable platform when it seems to be making my own hand unstable for itself (it just walks around my hand when I'm moving which makes it think that my hand is an unstable platform)

Click to expand...

Don’t leave him for weeks, just a couple of days to allow him to settle. Alembic is quite right, he may have been hand fed but that often isn’t the warm and fuzzy experience that it sounds like. Often it’s just a case of being isolated in a brooder with his nestmates and being handled at feeding time and very little other interaction. And yes he may be reacting to your hand being unstable, in my experience GCCs only latch on even harder if that’s the case.

Click to expand...

I've also realised it's become scared of every hand that touches it. Including mine.
It just feels that I'm going to catch it so it just runs and climbs around it's cage everytime I try to go close to it.
How can I make it not be that scared? I just want to interact with it and possibly bring it out of it's cage so that more interaction can occur.

Click to expand...

Here's a video to what I'm talking about when I say that it just tries to run around its entire cage when a hand goes near.
[ame="https://youtu.be/cwWAnP5n6A0"]YouTube[/ame]

EDIT:
I've got him out of cage (finally) after like 20 minutes.
Had to kind of force it because he just kept wanting to bite.
He's just so eager to bite everything he sees. He also wants to perch on everything and anything that is within his range.
I'm just planning on training it to become like the ringneck I lost. It was very cooperative. However, this little guy just seems so uncooperative and doesn't want to do anything.
He also doesn't want to get out of his cage willingly at all and is scared of everyone in my family.
How do I change it?

First off stop pushing for it to happen quickly. It's not going to happen in a couple of days. Have you read this Tips on bonding and building trust ?

Birds natural instinct is to fear an animal with forward facing eyes. Almost all predators have forward facing eyes. So to your bird a large predator is trying to catch it and potentially eat it. It is afraid of you and forcing it out of the cage is not helping to build trust.

You need to build up trust slowly or you risk putting any chance of trust further from your reach. The post I linked says it better than I can so I won't try to explain it.

My GCC was hand raised and used to being handled by different people when I got him. It still took me over a week before he would trust me enough to stop biting and step up.

Oh and I should mention that GCC are nippy birds. They are very quick to bite to get your attention or to tell you they are not happy with what you are doing. They may not bite to the point of drawing blood but an irritated conure can and will give a nasty bite.

Talven said:

First off stop pushing for it to happen quickly. It's not going to happen in a couple of days. Have you read this Tips on bonding and building trust ?

Birds natural instinct is to fear an animal with forward facing eyes. Almost all predators have forward facing eyes. So to your bird a large predator is trying to catch it and potentially eat it. It is afraid of you and forcing it out of the cage is not helping to build trust.

You need to build up trust slowly or you risk putting any chance of trust further from your reach. The post I linked says it better than I can so I won't try to explain it.

My GCC was hand raised and used to being handled by different people when I got him. It still took me over a week before he would trust me enough to stop biting and step up.

Oh and I should mention that GCC are nippy birds. They are very quick to bite to get your attention or to tell you they are not happy with what you are doing. They may not bite to the point of drawing blood but an irritated conure can and will give a nasty bite.

Click to expand...

Thanks for this.
But, it's been a day and my GCC could recognise me and allow me to touch it without flinching when it was outside it's cage.
Inside it's cage it can't recognise me or my hands, which make it afraid when I'm trying to touch it or bring it out.

STOP IT!

That's what I am saying, on behalf of your bird. What on earth makes you think the bird has any obligation to sit on you or allow you to fondle it? That is a privilege you earn from gaining the bird's trust and affection (and maybe a little operant conditioning). The bird is communicating with its beak -- especially important to take note of, since this species is not very vocal.

The behavior of your previous bird(s) has zero impact on this bird. Analogy: if your previous girlfriend/boyfriend/whatever happened to be a nymphomaniac, would that give you the right to assume that your current partner is equally receptive to your advances? Your bird is #metoo-ing you with its behavior. To quote Steve Harvey: "Slow your roll, playa."

Let the bird acclimate to its new surroundings (including you), minimize external stressors, interact with it in the manner it seems to prefer, and then consider some more structured training methods if needed.

Jazzop said:

STOP IT!

That's what I am saying, on behalf of your bird. What on earth makes you think the bird has any obligation to sit on you or allow you to fondle it? That is a privilege you earn from gaining the bird's trust and affection (and maybe a little operant conditioning). The bird is communicating with its beak -- especially important to take note of, since this species is not very vocal.

The behavior of your previous bird(s) has zero impact on this bird. Analogy: if your previous girlfriend/boyfriend/whatever happened to be a nymphomaniac, would that give you the right to assume that your current partner is equally receptive to your advances? Your bird is #metoo-ing you with its behavior. To quote Steve Harvey: "Slow your roll, playa."

Let the bird acclimate to its new surroundings (including you), minimize external stressors, interact with it in the manner it seems to prefer, and then consider some more structured training methods if needed.

Click to expand...

I don't think it is obligated.
I usually just let it sit either in it's cage or on a stand where there's food and water.
Sometimes I would just pet it but other than that I don't go around playing with it like a paper plane that flies around.


So relax.

EDIT: I asked the boss of the bird shop.
He suggested I hand-feed my conure for 1 week only instead of giving it food without supervision.
Is this a good idea?

My parrot seems to be showing something I have questions regarding.
It's usually placed in a well-lit area (even at night it has light from my house bulb). However, whenever it's bed time for us. We turn off the light and we constantly hear the sound of the parrot in the cage walking around the screaming. Is this normal?

I'm asking because my ringneck didn't have this problem.

Okay, I am thinking that Calorious is a younger person, but I could be wrong. I would say that we should not be yelling at him/her or about the bird. Because this person is trying to enjoy the pet in the way it is used to from the ring neck. Yes, maybe the bird isn’t ready. But let’s not punish someone who obviously wants to do the right thing and cares about the bird.

I don’t see the bird biting in the video. I see what we call beaking, checking the feel of things with it’s beak and tongue. The bird is not inflating it’s head feathers and it’s definitely not attacking. Those of us with GCC know darn well that when they want to bite they will clamp down immediately. I am sure all of us with other GCC know the step up starts usually with them using their beaks until they are comfortable that we are not going to hurt them or drop them.

I am wondering if the bird is weaned. It looks like and based upon the age it should be. My opinion is it would be a mistake to try to hand feed this bird based upon age and also whether or not Calorious has experience.

I also think Calorious should read some background information on conures. The screaming (flock call) at night (sunset) is normal. Same thing should happen at sunrise to a degree too.

Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up. Take your time. Let the bird take its time. And things will be the best they can be. Will it be the same as your ring neck was? Maybe not. But it will still become your friend if you go slow and let it adjust to you too. We have three green cheeks, and each is different. River loves to play and roll around, be scratched and falls asleep on his side when on my shirt or lap. He loves his beak and under beak rubbed. Summer, she prefers to just be perched and have her head rubbed when she’s sleepy. Rainbow is newest to family, and right now he just wants to be held.

So just go into this with no set expectations and let the bird show you what it likes and don’t. I personally feel based upon your video that it is starting to calm down and just don’t force the issue. Open cage. Let it come out itself. Then you go see if it wants to come to you. Let it be on the bird’s terms. Just keep trying and the bond will slowly form.

Don’t let anyone discourage you. And let’s all try to help our fellow new owner in the best way possible for her/him and the bird.

My 2 cents for what little it is worth.


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And one thing I noticed in the video. Why does the bird seem to have a “chain” on its leg? It seems to be much more than a band, and that is potentially not safe.


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I just rewatched the video you posted. Before I comment on the behaviour of the GCC I want to make a comment about your stroking the bird. It is in your best interest to only scratch top of the head and back of neck. Stroking your bird like that WILL lead to problems at maturity. Stroking your bird down the back like that after maturity would most likely be taken as a sexual advance and lead to hormonal issues and most likely to being bitten even worse than you are now.

I would say that your bird feels most secure in its cage at the moment. As it is still learning to trust you. The biting is your bird investigating your hand and seeing what it is and is it safe. Rather than trying to get your bird to step up give it a chance to investigate. Just leave your hand in the cage nearby and let the bird make the choice.

When it steps up give it a small piece of its favourite food as a reward. I don't think it will take too long but from what I saw in the video you are pushing a little hard. I guess I would say to think of it like bringing home a 3 year old child that has never met you before. You wouldn't expect them to let you pick them up and give them cuddles straight away. You would take the time to build a relationship first.

I apologise if I sounded like I was being to critical, that wasn't my intent. I tend to be very short in my replies so I can seem a bit abrupt.

I strongly recommend that you get rid of the chain from the leg. The risk of serious leg damage if it gets caught on anything would have me going to a vet to have it removed. A GCC leg is so thin it wouldn't take much to do a lot of damage.