New GCC owner in desperate need of some help!

[KREX]

We have had Tucker for almost a month now. He is a 2 year old GCC who and this is his third home. I've wanted a conure for the last three years and have done plenty of research, but nothing could have prepared me for Tucker...

When we first went to visit him he was scared, but reluctantly stepped up near the end of the visit. After getting him home he was most likely in shock and was fairly submissive. We set his cage up the exact same way it was before and let him be. The next day he was super happy and interested in everything. He spent the day nestled behind my ear. After spending the day with me he HATED my boyfriend. He would bite, wouldn't step up, but when he walked out of the room he would look like he was about to take off in his direction. We assumed he wanted his attention, but was nervous about him for some reason. So I came up with a plan. Because he can be picky and temperamental we decided to ask him if he wanted to come up first. So we ask him if he wants up and pat our shoulder. If he does he bobs his head and if not we leave him alone. This worked! If my boyfriend asked him what he wanted Tucker stopped biting and would now spend time with him. However... Now that he likes to spend time with him he HATES me. And it isn't the same when he was biting my boyfriend. He lunges. He bites and instead of letting go he bites harder and harder. He's like a pitbull for petes sake!! Now I'm terrified of him... He'll be a happy bird and the second I walk into the room now he puffs up and does what we call his war dance. I don't know how to deal with him right now and any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. He won't even take treats from me right now. He takes them and throws them. If I try to use a perch to pick him up he steps up and instantly runs to my hand to bite me. HELP!!! I want my cuddly bird back!

 

[legal_eagle]

I don't think that's a war dance, but instead a sign of stimulation and interest at seeing you. It's not helpful to you when to characterize your bird's acts, which are more instinctual, with human emotions like hate. Whatever he's doing isn't a show of "hate." I suspect that he's intimidated because it sounds like both of you are coming at him a lot with huge expectations and structure, trying to make him act a certain way, such as "come to both of us equally when we want you to." If you backed off a bit, let him come to whomever he wants, and had him spend more time just sitting on his cage or a separate area for him, such as a stand, you might find that he calms down and that your physical interactions are more relaxed. The cuddling is fun, but it's only a small part of having a GCC, and it's not even a requirement, so enjoy it when you can and don't try to force it.

 

[sofiaee]

Yeah I agree with the above, Mia does a crazy dance when she meets new people or I take her to a new room. Even just getting excited/over stimulated about baths or music. If it's the same as what Mia does you should be careful because they can be especially unpredictable when they're overstimulated. Just take things slow, as in don't be too pushy but also sometimes moving more slowly can help the bird figure out what you are going to do/if it's threatening or not, it allows them to assess the situation.

When I want to offer my birds pets I make a pinching motion with my hand and let them come to me, this helps a lot because sometimes they just aren't in the mood. However when they are they run over and snuggle

 

[FA22raptero]

If it helps, my GCC was a total sass. What she enjoyed and responded to was confidence... not confidence like forcing her to do anything, but coming into the room with the intention of picking her up, saying hello, and then putting her down. Also, some birds just take time to adjust. You showed that she could trust you, but your boyfriend also needs to show the same, and that can take some time. She might be a very one person bird, and become really attached to one of you. With work she will probably go to both of you, but will always prefer one or the other.

I remember when I first got Kiwi she would come to me, but then wouldn't go to my girlfriend. With some work and time, she would go to my girlfriend, but if I left the room, she would attack her. Eventually, and with work, kiwi wouldn't mind her handling her and even sneaking a kiss, but would always prefer me. It takes work and patience. Bites hurt but rejection hurts more

 

[FA22raptero]

Re-reading the last bit of your paragraph again, the best suggestion I have is to come to the cage, not feeling intimidated, gently stick out your hand. When she bites, quickly and gently get her to step up, and then make her step up 8-10 times, repeating "step-up, step-up, step-up" and then set her back down. It seems scary, and she will probably bite, but a firm push into her breast will force her to step onto your finger, and then if you do it right, she won't really have time to force you to bite. The goal here, however, is not to force her into letting you hold her, but to show her that you are equals, but that she can't hurt you and get away with it. Use positive reinforcement ALWAYS. Always. Always. Don't scorn her for biting, but do step ups and reward with a treat after. And when she does start trusting you again, always praise and reward with treats. All it takes is for you to scream at a bird or freak out at it one time and it could take a LOOOOONG time to earn that trust back again, if you ever do. But don't worry stay calm and step up.