timid shy kinda boring pineapple gcc

[BreannPearlLang]

I "rescued" a gcc from a petshop recently.. i've had her for almost two months.. shes very shy, timid, and doesnt do much. She never bites, shes never destructive, shes very interested in my finches, and she loves to watch youtube videos of other conures.. I'm thinking about getting another gcc to help her open up. i've heard that it cant be done very easily.. but i think its what she really needs. she needs a healthier-minded well treated conure to teach her how to act. am i wrong for wanting another so soon? I felt so lucky when I got my conure, but now that I've met a few conures at petco, i realize that mine has some problems. i saved her from an overcrowded tiny pet shop where she was never handled and i'm still fixing her nutritional problems.. should I wait and work with her more, or get another? my conure is hard to get out of her cage, refuses to perch correctly and just clenches on, doesnt do any tricks or normal things like hang upside down or play, and i cant get her comfortably on her back in my palm.. i understand that she was mistreated and neglected for her whole life, and i understand that it takes a while..but i really feel like getting a conure to show her normal behavior would really help her.

 

[Rio Mom]

I would wait and work with this bird first. If you have a second, i t may be even more difficult because they may be more interested in each other than you.

 

[bumblebec]

Getting another conure may not really help her open up, it may do just the opposite. She may be more inclined to spend time with the other bird and see no reason to open up to you at all now that she has a real bird as a friend. I wouldn't suggest getting another bird just yet.

How long have you had her? It can take months, sometimes years, for birds who have become un-tame to trust humans again. How have you been working with her? I would suggest doing some touch training with her, find out what her favourite treat is and make her work for it. For example, if she is hard to get out of the cage or doesn't perch very well, start offering her treats outside of the cage. Place her bowl or some treats on the door while it's open, then progress to above or on the side of the cage. Once she comes out on her own, you can work on getting her to step up onto a stick or perch.

 

[thermodynamic]

I "rescued" a gcc from a petshop recently.. i've had her for almost two months.. shes very shy, timid, and doesnt do much. She never bites, shes never destructive, shes very interested in my finches, and she loves to watch youtube videos of other conures.. I'm thinking about getting another gcc to help her open up. i've heard that it cant be done very easily.. but i think its what she really needs. she needs a healthier-minded well treated conure to teach her how to act. am i wrong for wanting another so soon? I felt so lucky when I got my conure, but now that I've met a few conures at petco, i realize that mine has some problems. i saved her from an overcrowded tiny pet shop where she was never handled and i'm still fixing her nutritional problems.. should I wait and work with her more, or get another? my conure is hard to get out of her cage, refuses to perch correctly and just clenches on, doesnt do any tricks or normal things like hang upside down or play, and i cant get her comfortably on her back in my palm.. i understand that she was mistreated and neglected for her whole life, and i understand that it takes a while..but i really feel like getting a conure to show her normal behavior would really help her.

Rosie is my pineapple, which I rescued from a pet shop as well.

I agree with others - get yours as human-tame to you as possible first, and that will not be easy. Even after 2 years, my Rosie will accept some treats from my hand, adores me in her own ways, and will reluctantly perch onto my finger for a number of seconds or a couple minutes before she is so overloaded with anxiety that she flies away... she will always be terrified of human hands and if people get too close. Some abuse definitely has permanent effects.

When I got Rosie, I also had Rusty and Scooter already and for a couple of years, and I thought the same thing as you: She would see them and open up completely. Due to the abuse she endured, that fear instinct is overriding her ability to reason. It will take your bird a long while to deprogram itself, and it won't be completely undone.

As a person abused during childhood myself, it's interesting to note how some psychological patterns can be replicated amongst differing species. I know her boundaries and respect them, and she did open up and do somersaults to make me laugh (which would prompt her to do more). She even makes kissing noises and says "I love you"... at least when she feels comfortable, which means she won't do it when perched on my finger. But that fear of hands is, effectively, permanent and there is nothing anyone could do. 2 years and it really is amazing she trusts me as much as she does.

But DO keep at it. Your bird will open up as well.

And, in time, adding another GCC won't do harm if you keep time to spend with the bird. Just keep any newcomer in another area to bond with you first. All of mine have bonded to me, and in most cases the bond wasn't upended by introducing another bird if introduced right, but with other birds in the area it's best to keep their exposure limited (and keep the new bird quarantined, and get testing done from a vet to make sure it has nothing communicable to other birds). But take this last paragraph with a grain of salt; Rusty and Scooter were cagemates at a petstore and I got them at the same time... so keeping a human/bird balance wasn't as hard as it otherwise might be...