Dustbunny
New member
- Apr 7, 2014
- 190
- 0
- Parrots
- PB: Green Cheek Conure (hatched 2009);
Master Beaker: B&G macaw (hatched Aug. 2014)
Hello everyone! I would like to introduce myself and my beautiful PB, a 5-year-old green cheek conure. Also, I would like to thank everyone who contributes advice to this and other parrot forums. As you'll soon see, I've been relying heavily upon it the last few weeks! So again, thank you, thank you, thank you! (Sorry this will be long.)
A few weeks ago my husband and I saw 2 green cheek conures at a pet store. We were told they were under 6 months old, but not fully hand tamed yet. We stood and watched them for a bit and then left. At that time I was considering getting a parrot, but I hadn't decided on what kind exactly. This is the reason I was looking at the birds, to get a better idea of how some of the different species were in person. My plan at that time was to then either find a good breeder for a baby or a rescue organization if I chose an adult, depending on what species of bird I decided on.
So what happened? I don't know. I got home and kept thinking about those 2 GCCs. One of my biggest concerns about getting a parrot was that it be comfortable with my 3 cats and small dog. I want to maintain a happy home for all my fids (love this term). There were 2 cats that ran loose in the pet store, and the GCCs didn't visually react to them or any of the dogs we saw come in. That got my mind started. The seed was planted and before the end of the day we returned to the pet store and brought PB home.
Now I figured the pet store could be lying about the bird's age, but in a fit of useless optimism I assumed they wouldn't fudge the age more than a few months. Nope. Try 5 years (via leg band).
Long story short: It appears PB might have been slipped into a batch of juvenile birds by a disreputable supplier who has since fallen off the face of the planet, according to the pet store manager, who also apologized profusely and promised to be more cautious in the future. He seemed sincere. I want to believe him. Probably more useless optimism.
My husband and I decided we owed it to PB to give her the best and happiest home possible, even if she was not at all what we planned for. She is still with us and will remain so regardless of how successfully we can tame her. Fortunately, my husband works from home and I don't work (health reasons) and am also home throughout the day. Our fids get a lot of love and attention, and I have been within a couple feet of PB at all times from 7am to 8pm every single day, talking to her, and using frequent but short training sessions throughout the day to gain her trust and adjust her many, many undesirable behaviors.
To put this in perspective, thinking we were buying a juvenile who needed extra work taming and socializing, we instead brought home a 5-year-old, fully hormonal, untamed, wild child. PB is afraid of most fabrics, hands, and arms. I can say with some certainty she was on a seed-only diet, and never played with non-plastic bird toys in her life before the pet store. I doubt she had much interaction with humans outside of a cage as well - at least not positive interaction. However, watching her gradually discover how to chew through paper, untie a knot, eat a nut, fling kale...these have been amazing experiences. They have also been extremely difficult for someone with next to no experience with parrots. Thank goodness I have experience with other exotic animals with strong personalities AND thank goodness for the internet. Saved my bacon. LOL.
The first few days she mostly stayed in her cage, and gradually started playing outside of it. Even though I tried not to force her to do anything, there was bloodshed getting her settled in. She's a pitbull in feathered disguise. Then her new mobile play stand arrived. I kept her near me and before I had even finished putting it together she got so excited she tried to jump over to it (her wings are clipped atm). Suddenly we saw progress. She was sooo happy to have a huge, open play stand to run around on morning to night, and wasn't aggressively defending it like the cage, so we were able to get closer to her and make much more progress.
Next I worked with her on accepting fresh foods. At first she was resistant. I used a few tricks I read about here and in just a couple weeks she is eating dozens of new healthy foods! Now she'll happily try anything she sees me eating. In fact, she gets quite upset if I don't share something.
Toys were rough. She didn't seem to know how to play with anything. I started putting a piece of millet spray in small, rolled up pieces of paper. It took 2 days of my "helping" her rip the paper open and showing her the millet before she ever tried it on her own. Then I just slowly increased the challenge with each subsequent toy, building up to dangling paper ghosts with millet-filled heads, adding stuffing with less seeds, then hiding the ghosts in other objects, etc. She is now beginning to experiment with chewing up vine toys, untying knots, and occasionally chewing on a popsicle stick or piece of thin cardboard. I love seeing her try new things and get excited about them!
PB is a very smart cookie. She's learning not to scream and to instead use her "inside voice". This is actually one of the easier things to teach her. When she starts screaming for no reason that I can tell I just ignore her. If she doesn't stop in a second or two I turn my face away and she now immediately stops. Then she'll talk to me in a MUCH quieter voice so I'll turn around and respond to her. I'm certain she knows now and some days doesn't scream at all. When she does it's never for more than a couple seconds and I suspect she's just testing me to see if she'll ever get away with it. LOL
I have been talking to PB as much as my own voice will allow and she will now makes kissy sounds and say "pretty bird" with regularity. We think she said "I love you" a couple times and is definitely trying to mumble a longer phrase. I think it's "My name is PB. Pretty bird or pitbull? Wanna find out?" (Hehe. I say this a lot.) I swear today I heard, "Mumble, mumble, pretty bird or pitbull, mumble, mumble, mumble." I don't know, but even her mumbling is adorable. Especially when she's angry and telling me off for something in her little R2D2 voice. Interestingly, until the last few days PB would only communicate with us using "bird" sounds. Now she rarely makes these sounds. Instead she is a busy little beaver trying out her new "people" speech. Even now I can hear her in the next room, mumbling "pretty bird" and making kisses in her sleep. LOL
PB is definitely more friendly to me than to my husband or 17-year-old son, but they're working towards earning her trust as well. I think she sees me as a potential mate. I've caught her trying to regurgitate for me a couple times, but she stops when I ignore it. I've been careful not to encourage any sexual ideas, but I do wonder if her interest in me has helped a lot in training her and gaining her trust. (I should mention I don't actually know if PB is a girl or boy as I haven't had her DNA tested, but many of her behaviors are more in line with a hormonal female.)
She bites me frequently and can draw blood, but I definitely see progress there. Her hard bites are less often, but she is still a nippy, bitey little broomstick-flying witch when she decides to be. (I say that with the utmost affection and respect.) She seems moderately more tolerant of head scritches recently and will usually let me kiss her on the head, as she doesn't find my face scary like hands. Today she even hopped onto my shoulder without me even trying (not that it ever works). I was just standing next to her taking care of groceries. In fact, that might be why she hopped on to me: I wasn't paying her enough attention. She is becoming quite the attention piggy. I take full blame for that.
I've managed to train PB to step up on a perch after leaving it hanging on her playstand for a few days first so she wasn't scared of it. We've begun clicker training, but it's too soon to say anything except she really likes the treat part of training. Apple or sunflower seeds are powerful motivators for her.
I know this is a looong post. I debated whether or not to make it, but decided it needed to be done. If now or in the future someone else is in my shoes, maybe they can take comfort in at least knowing they're not alone and there is hope. While PB has made a tremendous amount of progress in such a short time, it has been an emotional roller coaster for me. I've probably cried at least once every day since getting her. I cried for her past life and prayed I could give her the good home she needed. I cried for me and the companion bird I figured I wouldn't have now. On top of that I cried out of emotional exhaution and frustration. As soon as I learn how to address one problem with her, I realize there is another, and then another. I've done little except work with her and research how to handle her many issues since getting her.
Despite all of the tears, I also suspect PB entered my life for a reason. She needs a forever home. With all the challenges she's thrown at me already, I suspect she wouldn't be tolerated in many homes for long. So I will help PB and she is helping me. Fore one thing, she's helping me to receive a no-holds-bar crash course on parrots. I can't say at this point whether I'll manage to tame her enough to be considered a companion bird, but I have seen enough progress that I am confident I can train her enough to be an amusing and much loved member of our family. This feathered little fiend has hooked my heart more deeply than she manages to hook my flesh in her beak each day.
Here is a pic of PB:
A few weeks ago my husband and I saw 2 green cheek conures at a pet store. We were told they were under 6 months old, but not fully hand tamed yet. We stood and watched them for a bit and then left. At that time I was considering getting a parrot, but I hadn't decided on what kind exactly. This is the reason I was looking at the birds, to get a better idea of how some of the different species were in person. My plan at that time was to then either find a good breeder for a baby or a rescue organization if I chose an adult, depending on what species of bird I decided on.
So what happened? I don't know. I got home and kept thinking about those 2 GCCs. One of my biggest concerns about getting a parrot was that it be comfortable with my 3 cats and small dog. I want to maintain a happy home for all my fids (love this term). There were 2 cats that ran loose in the pet store, and the GCCs didn't visually react to them or any of the dogs we saw come in. That got my mind started. The seed was planted and before the end of the day we returned to the pet store and brought PB home.
Now I figured the pet store could be lying about the bird's age, but in a fit of useless optimism I assumed they wouldn't fudge the age more than a few months. Nope. Try 5 years (via leg band).
Long story short: It appears PB might have been slipped into a batch of juvenile birds by a disreputable supplier who has since fallen off the face of the planet, according to the pet store manager, who also apologized profusely and promised to be more cautious in the future. He seemed sincere. I want to believe him. Probably more useless optimism. My husband and I decided we owed it to PB to give her the best and happiest home possible, even if she was not at all what we planned for. She is still with us and will remain so regardless of how successfully we can tame her. Fortunately, my husband works from home and I don't work (health reasons) and am also home throughout the day. Our fids get a lot of love and attention, and I have been within a couple feet of PB at all times from 7am to 8pm every single day, talking to her, and using frequent but short training sessions throughout the day to gain her trust and adjust her many, many undesirable behaviors.
To put this in perspective, thinking we were buying a juvenile who needed extra work taming and socializing, we instead brought home a 5-year-old, fully hormonal, untamed, wild child. PB is afraid of most fabrics, hands, and arms. I can say with some certainty she was on a seed-only diet, and never played with non-plastic bird toys in her life before the pet store. I doubt she had much interaction with humans outside of a cage as well - at least not positive interaction. However, watching her gradually discover how to chew through paper, untie a knot, eat a nut, fling kale...these have been amazing experiences. They have also been extremely difficult for someone with next to no experience with parrots. Thank goodness I have experience with other exotic animals with strong personalities AND thank goodness for the internet. Saved my bacon. LOL.
The first few days she mostly stayed in her cage, and gradually started playing outside of it. Even though I tried not to force her to do anything, there was bloodshed getting her settled in. She's a pitbull in feathered disguise. Then her new mobile play stand arrived. I kept her near me and before I had even finished putting it together she got so excited she tried to jump over to it (her wings are clipped atm). Suddenly we saw progress. She was sooo happy to have a huge, open play stand to run around on morning to night, and wasn't aggressively defending it like the cage, so we were able to get closer to her and make much more progress.
Next I worked with her on accepting fresh foods. At first she was resistant. I used a few tricks I read about here and in just a couple weeks she is eating dozens of new healthy foods! Now she'll happily try anything she sees me eating. In fact, she gets quite upset if I don't share something.
Toys were rough. She didn't seem to know how to play with anything. I started putting a piece of millet spray in small, rolled up pieces of paper. It took 2 days of my "helping" her rip the paper open and showing her the millet before she ever tried it on her own. Then I just slowly increased the challenge with each subsequent toy, building up to dangling paper ghosts with millet-filled heads, adding stuffing with less seeds, then hiding the ghosts in other objects, etc. She is now beginning to experiment with chewing up vine toys, untying knots, and occasionally chewing on a popsicle stick or piece of thin cardboard. I love seeing her try new things and get excited about them!
PB is a very smart cookie. She's learning not to scream and to instead use her "inside voice". This is actually one of the easier things to teach her. When she starts screaming for no reason that I can tell I just ignore her. If she doesn't stop in a second or two I turn my face away and she now immediately stops. Then she'll talk to me in a MUCH quieter voice so I'll turn around and respond to her. I'm certain she knows now and some days doesn't scream at all. When she does it's never for more than a couple seconds and I suspect she's just testing me to see if she'll ever get away with it. LOL
I have been talking to PB as much as my own voice will allow and she will now makes kissy sounds and say "pretty bird" with regularity. We think she said "I love you" a couple times and is definitely trying to mumble a longer phrase. I think it's "My name is PB. Pretty bird or pitbull? Wanna find out?" (Hehe. I say this a lot.) I swear today I heard, "Mumble, mumble, pretty bird or pitbull, mumble, mumble, mumble." I don't know, but even her mumbling is adorable. Especially when she's angry and telling me off for something in her little R2D2 voice.
Interestingly, until the last few days PB would only communicate with us using "bird" sounds. Now she rarely makes these sounds. Instead she is a busy little beaver trying out her new "people" speech. Even now I can hear her in the next room, mumbling "pretty bird" and making kisses in her sleep. LOLPB is definitely more friendly to me than to my husband or 17-year-old son, but they're working towards earning her trust as well. I think she sees me as a potential mate. I've caught her trying to regurgitate for me a couple times, but she stops when I ignore it. I've been careful not to encourage any sexual ideas, but I do wonder if her interest in me has helped a lot in training her and gaining her trust. (I should mention I don't actually know if PB is a girl or boy as I haven't had her DNA tested, but many of her behaviors are more in line with a hormonal female.)
She bites me frequently and can draw blood, but I definitely see progress there. Her hard bites are less often, but she is still a nippy, bitey little broomstick-flying witch when she decides to be. (I say that with the utmost affection and respect.
) She seems moderately more tolerant of head scritches recently and will usually let me kiss her on the head, as she doesn't find my face scary like hands. Today she even hopped onto my shoulder without me even trying (not that it ever works). I was just standing next to her taking care of groceries. In fact, that might be why she hopped on to me: I wasn't paying her enough attention. She is becoming quite the attention piggy. I take full blame for that. I've managed to train PB to step up on a perch after leaving it hanging on her playstand for a few days first so she wasn't scared of it. We've begun clicker training, but it's too soon to say anything except she really likes the treat part of training. Apple or sunflower seeds are powerful motivators for her.
I know this is a looong post. I debated whether or not to make it, but decided it needed to be done. If now or in the future someone else is in my shoes, maybe they can take comfort in at least knowing they're not alone and there is hope. While PB has made a tremendous amount of progress in such a short time, it has been an emotional roller coaster for me. I've probably cried at least once every day since getting her. I cried for her past life and prayed I could give her the good home she needed. I cried for me and the companion bird I figured I wouldn't have now. On top of that I cried out of emotional exhaution and frustration. As soon as I learn how to address one problem with her, I realize there is another, and then another. I've done little except work with her and research how to handle her many issues since getting her.
Despite all of the tears, I also suspect PB entered my life for a reason. She needs a forever home. With all the challenges she's thrown at me already, I suspect she wouldn't be tolerated in many homes for long. So I will help PB and she is helping me. Fore one thing, she's helping me to receive a no-holds-bar crash course on parrots. I can't say at this point whether I'll manage to tame her enough to be considered a companion bird, but I have seen enough progress that I am confident I can train her enough to be an amusing and much loved member of our family. This feathered little fiend has hooked my heart more deeply than she manages to hook my flesh in her beak each day.
Here is a pic of PB:
