GCC Generalized Questions

[The_Big_Sleep]

Hello all! I'm new to this forum, and am a proud new(ish) parent of a baby Green Cheek (AKA Wilson, although "he" hasn't been DNA tested yet)

I'm 22 and worked in a pet store throughout high school so I'm somewhat familiar with birds and their needs, and have been studying up ever since I got Wilson. I like to think I've done a good job in the few months that I've had him but I have a few random questions for you all. First, though, just a bit of info about my little guy:

-Hatched 2/28/2012, sex unknown
-Zero issues with me being in & around his cage, and zero issues coming out of the cage
-He gets covered every night between 9-10pm, and gets uncovered every morning at ~8am
-Knows "Step Up" and listens to it 95% of the time (unless I've done something to irk him, every so often I inadvertently freak him out and he doesn't listen on the first Step Up attempt)
-Has adjusted to eating a variety of different foods, but has a dish of Zupreem pellets and a dish of Zupreem seed at all times (honestly not sure which exact type, it's from my local store and is sold out of a big barrel)
-Usually has a branch of millet going at any given time, although his interest in it is sporadic - sometimes it'll be destroyed in 30min and sometimes it'll last him a week


One of my big questions is dietary - I tend to feed him a different type of fresh food every night depending on what's been available. Thus far he's been introduced to blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, spinach, corn, peas, snap peas, carrots, lima beans, kidney beans, broccoli, cooked egg whites, green beans, green & red apples, mango, peach, nectarine & pear. There may be other types of food that I'm forgetting.

I've been wondering if I'm feeding him too much sugary fruit? It's only one "serving" per night, he gorges himself for about 20min and then I remove the leftovers from his cage. He also gets a smaller serving every morning at around 830 as breakfast/distraction while I leave the house. I've recently read that too much sugar from fruits can lead to health issues, should I scale back his fruit intake? He loves just about everything mentioned above and I try to feed him a mixture of fresh foods with at least one type of "green stuff" per serving, although sometimes it's just straight up fruit like blueberries or raspberries (his favorites so far).

Secondly, I spend at least 3-5 hours+ per day with him out & about and so far he seems to be very friendly & well adjusted. We've had very minimal nipping, and usually I can claim responsibility for it - I've either startled him or otherwise irked him into doing it. I've been trying for over two months to get him comfortable with laying on his back - with zero success. I'm not sure that I'm doing it right, no matter how gently and slowly I turn him over in my hands he always gets nippy & squawky. The same holds true whether he's in my hands or wrapped in a towel (which he doesn't seem to like). Am I doing something wrong? Or should I just have more patience and keep doing the same? Any help here would be appreciated.

Anyways that's all that comes to mind at the moment, cheers & thanks for reading!

 

[ann]

diet: i would feed him more veggies than fruit, and feed fruit 3-4 times a week.
on the back: just take it slow, and don't push him too hard. you can try getting a little foot toy or ball that he can grab onto. hold it and when he grabs it, lift it up and sorta flip it so he's on his back. you could also clicker train him, and position the target so that he has to go upside down to reach it, and work from there. i hope this helped and good luck

 

[DebsFlock]

I think it sounds as if you are doing a fabulous job with him!

 

[friedsoup]

Laying on their backs is a last defense stance so it's not natural he would do it right off he will have to be very comfortable with you so work on something else like covering his back with your hand and picking him up.

 

[Mudkips]

Yep some birds just don't like lying on their back, no matter how relaxed or happy they are. Other times it's just a trust thing, you need to be very predictable for Wilson while you attempt to get him comfortable on his back (moving slowly and purposefully etc). Keep trying!

When it comes to the diet I do something that is a bit odd:
I leave only pellets in the cage for Birdy, available to him all day whenever he wants. Whenever I go to get myself something to eat, Birdy gets to come over and share it with me.
Fruits, veg, pastas, noodles, rice, bread, eggs, juices, you name it. He gets a nibble of everything (being wary of the toxic list of course). He also gets to come out of the house with me for lunch sometimes!
It's easy to not feed him too much sugary fruit with this method because you'd be long sick of it yourself before he gets too much! It also helps to form a really good bond.
I'm not saying this is a better technique then yours, but it's an idea you can consider.

Oh and welcome to the forums!