Scared baby!

[AmandaPandah]

We were very excited about getting a green cheek due to their personalities. They are so fun, entertaining and cuddly! When we made the decision for a green cheek it was because we went to a bird store and looked at all the different species we had been researching. Immediately fell in love with the green cheeks. All of the babies would follow us and wanted to be picked up, even by the kids. They laid on their backs for us and wanted to play the whole time! We decided to go with a breeder, thinking that was better than a bird store (and 3x cheaper!). After waiting for what felt like forever, we brought our baby home yesterday.. and she is absolutely terrified! We aren't sure what to do to help her adjust to our home and us! She won't take treats or food from us. We have already been talking softly to her and trying to reassure her that way. You can tell she gets stressed if we try to give her scritches and she just runs if we try to get her to step up so for the most part, we've just been leaving her in the cage and talking to her. I have never met a baby who was fearful.. ideas?

 

[AmandaPandah]

Wanted to add that she feels safe in her cage. She is relaxed and perfectly happy being in there. We can walk right up to the cage and talk to her, she is still relaxed. She just doesn't want to come out or be with us.

 

[TacoNTiki]

Give her some time to get comfortable, after all she just got taken away from her comfortable home, mom and dad, and siblings and everything she's familiar with and plucked into strange people and surroundings. She'll come around soon enough.

Congrats on your little baby. We are a new conure family too. Our baby, Tiki came home two months ago and s/he is a joy! Can't say enough good things about owning a gcc.

 

[jiannotto9492]

It can take birds a while to get acclimated with a new home. Leave her in the cage with it open for her to come out on her own terms. The best thing you can do is give her some space and let her get use to the change.

 

[AmandaPandah]

She's already started to get better. I've been leaving the door open when it's okay for her to come out. She has come out a few times to say hi and hang out with me. As soon as she is on my hand it seems she just wants to bite (softly) my fingers and try to fly to my shoulder (something we are not allowing, she's already bit my husbands ear, hard, last night).

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

This is actually totally normal. While it's not a 'universal' response by a bird, it is common enough, especially among younger birds who haven't traveled around much.

The best thing you can do is give her time. To make things easier, place her cage in a part of the room where she can see the whole room/all walls - preferably a corner. I'd also keep it quiet and calm in the room she is in. Like, no loud noises or fast movements. If she gets startled often by those, it can actually do more harm.

Good luck!

Have you thought of a name yet? I had such a hard time finding a name for Skittles. While that is common a name, I wanted something 'unique' but Skittles just fits him - his coloring and his personality. The runner up name was 'Mango'. If I had to name him something else, I'd have named him Loki, cause he IS a major trickster.

 

[Kyoto]

She's already started to get better. I've been leaving the door open when it's okay for her to come out. She has come out a few times to say hi and hang out with me. As soon as she is on my hand it seems she just wants to bite (softly) my fingers and try to fly to my shoulder (something we are not allowing, she's already bit my husbands ear, hard, last night).

This is a very typical GCC thing They are the most loving, adorable, and nippy birds you can get it seems.

I've had Kyo for about 3 1/2 months now. We have our good times and our hard times, but for the most part bringing her home was SUCH a good decision for me. Even though she is nippy, she makes up for it in her cuddly, most adorable little moods. She is always active and playful, and happiest when she has her freedom out of the cage.

If my life was ideal with her, she would be in our living room and free to roam when we are home. Unfortunately my husband has two cats and one of them is afraid of her and the other wants to kill her incessantly, so we can only let her downstairs when they are locked away, or safely in her new downstairs cage up and away from the kitties. Dougal still goes after her, but I am always 3 feet away to shoo him when she is downstairs with us in her cage.

Most of her time she is in her nice big flight cage in my office upstairs, singing and playing away with her toys. And this is where I spend most of my time when I'm home, because I want to give her as much time as possible. Make sure you socialize her with your whole family lots and lots. Kyo does not like my fiancé at all, and it's been a struggle to get her to come around. Seems to be another common GCC thing. Hubby spends time with her (safely in her cage for his sake) feeding her treats and giving her scratches to gradually earn her trust. She is nice to him through the cage bars even though she goes after him out of her cage.

They are in some ways simple. More time out socializing with people = happier bird. However, they will also test your boundaries and see what you will tolerate from them. They are big birds in little bodies.

Enjoy your new baby! I am sure she will come around and you will love having her in your life.