Cinnamon Green Cheek Hates Cage & Toys

[1sttimeconureowner]

I brought home my 3 month old Cinnamon Green Cheek Conure today for the first time. I bought her a large cage with a variety of natural toys ideal for chewing, a hanging bed, a large bath etc.

She seems to hate the cage. When she's in it, she doesn't interact with any of the toys and instead just climbs up and down the front of the cage and chews the newspaper lining the bottom. She's only happy sitting on my shoulder or head.

Also, although she is hand raised and tame she won't step up onto a finger or any kind of perch, even with treats or other enticements.

Just wondering if this is normal or what I should do? I don't want to let her stay out of the cage with me lest she get even more opposed to being in it.

 

[weco]

While birds may come "hand raised and tame," those are really subjective terms and usually may not be what you think they mean.....

All these spiffy toys you have bought are probably lost on her because she has no concept what a toy is or is supposed to do.....chicks don't pop out of the egg ready to play with a human's idea of what they should be playing with.....

You've just brought your new feathered friend home to a place it doesn't know & there is nothing around it that is familiar, save you, only because it has seen you before, so if you were taken to a strange place & popped into a cage, might you just take some time to look around & evaluate your situation, or would you jump right into a swing set sitting in the middle of your new caged in area?

Be patient, it may take a number of days, a number of weeks or even months.....and the toys, you chose them, you may find that Pollyanna parrot has different tastes in play decor.....you'll just have to wait & see.....

 

[ACEPHONECHIC]

If you have only brought her home today it must be very strange for her. Remember she is only a very young bird in parrot terms.
Was she in a cage before with the breeders or was she in smaller container, if so the cage must feel like a big world to her.
Not all breeders train them to step up but if you persevere she will soon get the idea especially if it means time with you.
To be practical she cannot stay out of her cage all the time so try putting her in for short periods of time.
It may pay for you to remove some of the toys as this could also be frightening her often baby birds have not been used to the toys. Then you could introduce some of them outside the cage first so they are familiar before being forced on the bird.
Quiet reassuring speaking and give her time, as it is only day one.
Keep us informed
Do you have any other birds.

 

[FeatherLover]

Sounds normal to me. Our GCC didn't know how to step up even though she was tame & hand fed. To teach her I practiced on my fingers, like stairs. Every time she would attempt to step up, I say "up, up" & give praises. She was confused at first but finally understood so then she began to step up in other places. Ours also had no clue what toys are & is still trying to figure out what to do with them (its only been 2wks) lol. I have been showing them to her outside of the cage & praising her when she shows the slightest interest. Just give it time, good luck!

 

[1sttimeconureowner]

Thank you all for your responses.
So she (her name is Eevie) slept in her bed last night. She still doesn't use her toys but thanks for the advice, I will try to introduce them to her and see if she gets used to them. She was in a pet store, on a cage with lots of toys. However I never did see her interact with any of them.

I think my biggest issue with training her to step up will be that I have no treats for her. She hasn't eaten any of the fresh fruit or vegetables I have offered her. She only seems interested in one type of seed from her conure seed mix. But as it is only my second day with her I will just be patient.

 

[1sttimeconureowner]

Also, this is my first bird. As a previous dog and cat lady I am on a steep learning curve

 

[FeatherLover]

Dont worry about treats. I thought I would need them too but the breeder said she didn't use treats, that praise was enough. To my surprise it really is! It's all I've used & my gcc has responded wonderfully!