'Neglected' GCC terrified of hands. Any advice?

Qan

New member
Jan 19, 2015
1
0
Hi! Just signed up here and I'm looking for a bit of help. :)
About five days ago, after about a year of thinking I took home a green cheek who was, according to the seller, hand raised.

A little background! The seller is a man I've known for a few years who runs a reptile shop, housing snakes, lizards, tegus and in the recent year, birds. He also keeps his three small pet dogs in the store as well.

It's obvious that grabbing him was common practice and as sweet as the man is, he's definitely not quite bird savvy. In an attempt to show the little one to me, the owner 'dropped' him/the little one flew from him and made swift contact with the ground until I just advised he put him away. (His wings are clipped much too short and I plan on letting them grow out before trimming them down to a length that won't have him dropping like a rock)

I ended up taking the little one home the next day. He's now in a large cage, although they'd offered me his bare finch cage which I promptly but politely refused, and I've left him alone for the past few. Aside from changing his water bowl twice a day due to his dipping habit.

He's quiet (for now) and sweet indeed. But, while he doesn't mind anyone putting their faces up to the cage he is absolutely terrified of hands, for good reason. He doesn't react with any aggression but shrinks and clambers away the second one heads for him.

Which brings me to the question. Does anyone have tips on helping him trust my hands? I'm not a fan of the 'towel' method and I won't be grabbing him. While I'd be happy to just let him be, but I'd like to be able to give him some time outside of the cage and some interaction aside from sweet talking. I also wouldn't mind if he'd just like to sit on my shoulder eventually, but who's going to scratch that good spot right between the wings? ;)

Not only that, but his nails are too long for my liking and I'd love to trim them up but of course with the hand fear.. :(
Any advice would be very appreciated! Thank you!
 

LaurenB

New member
Oct 28, 2014
191
0
Pennsylvania
Parrots
Green Cheek Conure - Tiki //
Sun Conure - Nacho //
Indian Ringnecks - Kermit and Beaker
Congratulations on your new baby! I'm glad you are giving him a loving home!

I'm going to give you advice based on how I tamed my parakeets...

I think it's important to let the bird first get used to your hands being in the cage... changing the food, water, etc. I would give him more than a few days to get used to his new routine and surroundings before attempting to touch him. Gradually, over time, try to move your hands closer. If the bird flies away, don't make any sudden movements like yanking your hand out of the cage, just calmly hold it in place. Get closer and closer each day. It wouldn't hurt to offer a yummy treat. My first parakeet, Pickles, had a respiratory infection when I first got her, so our first two weeks together involved me grabbing her, restraining her, and squirting nasty antibiotic into her mouth. Even with that traumatic experience, she still learned to trust me over time, became very tame, and we had a very long friendship together.

Good luck! Just remember to be patient!
 

Minimaker

New member
Jul 29, 2014
540
0
Illinois
Parrots
GW Macaw-Sailor, Goffins Cockatoo Mako, GC Conure-Tazzy, Turquoise Conure Yuki, Budgies-Percy, Annabeth, Elsa
I got my GCC very recently as well, and same situation as yours basically. I had trouble getting him to eat, and quickly realized that he was not used to a large cage because he was in a tiny cage like yours was. He was refusing to navigate the cage and wasn't getting to his food and water dish because of it. Before I realized what was wrong, I had to figure out a way to get him to eat and drink. Taking him out was the only option since he refused to eat/drink in the cage. But when I'd try, he'd nail my fingers and make them bleed. People will most likely tell you not to use gloves but it was either that or have bloody fingers every day. I realized that if I put my hand up and lay it still on his perch and used my other hand to slowly and gently "herd" him onto the still hand he'd step up on it to avoid the moving "wall" hand. Now I'm to the point where I don't have to use gloves as often unless he's really cranky (he's also cage aggressive, so getting him out is tricky). Probably what happened was bratty kids went into the pet store and tormented him inside his cage and now any hand reaching for his cage is a threat. So now I let my hand hang low-tuck all fingers in and present my long sleeved arm for him to step up on. He's not trying to bite that, and he could reach my hand if he wanted to and bite me. So there's progress. I constantly give him treats with my bare hand which is making him like my hand near him better now. And just today he was sitting on my shoulder preening my hair and got to close to my ear. I gently used my bare hand to ease him away from it and I didn't get bit. So we're slowly working on hands being ok with him.
 

mh434

New member
Oct 28, 2014
473
9
BC, Canada
Parrots
Yellow-naped Amazon "Sammy"
Love birds (4)
Green-cheeked Conure "Skittles" - now, sadly gone from my life
Blue-Crowned Conure "Tequila"
African Grey "Reno" - sadly, now gone from my life
I'd advocate using the 3 P's method...patience, perseverance, and...patience. Your new little one will look to you to be her flock mate, but needs to learn to trust you first.

Parrots, in my experience, have loooong memories, and it doesn't take many bad hand experiences to make them "gun shy".

Don't give up! Sit beside her, talk softly and gently to her - not just for a minute, but for extended periods of time - it works wonders (I work with wild animals all the time, and it even works on them when gaining their trust). The more she grows to like & trust your presence, the more she'll want increased, direct contact. I tend to avoid presenting my fingers at first (a tempting target to birds!), but rather my forearm. Wear a thick shirt or sweater - it makes biting through it less likely, and gives a more secure perch for the bird.

If you just present your forearm in a non-threatening manner, and leave it there, sooner or later she'll want to explore it. Keep up with the soft, soothing speech at the same time to reassure her, then let her back in her cage. Each time, she'll find your arm (then, your hand) less threatening. Offering her a special treat from your fingers (carefully!) through the bars may help too, as "the hand" can then be seen as something good, rather than always something to fear.

Just some ideas...
 
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