Taming Parent Raised GCC

Hello all, i was hoping you guys could give me some good advice. I just recently adopted a wild yellow sided green cheek conure. The bird farm that i got the bird from had him or her in a aviary. They told me that the bird was only 4 months old.

I have been trying to tame this bird for a week now and I have made some progress. I put the bird on a leash (Safe bird harness) during our training sessions so he does not fly away. I did clip his wings but he can still get enough air to fly away from me.

He has learned to step up but offering him my finger was a painful experience as he clapped down and ripped into my skin. When i put him down he will start to chew on whatever is near him, it seems to be the way he expresses his fear and anger for being forced to come out and hang out.

He does allow me to pet him on the head and scratch his neck once he settles down a little but I still fear offering him a finger to perch on after what happened a couple of times.

Anyone have a clue as to train this bird faster? I guess I thought taming would be easier but it appears to be a slow process.

Any feedback is appreciated.


Thank you

Hello and welcome. When it comes to training any parrot there is really no faster. Most of us will tell you it is going to take time and patience, especially with a parent raised bird that is used to flying in an aviary. First step is to take this bird to an avain vet for a baseline checkup. Then comes the step up. If you fear for another bite you can train to step up on a perch first or clicker training. The photo is adorable.

You might want to look into the many training books or DVD's on the market.

Just curious, is that harness just fastened around his neck or also around his wings?

Cute bird!! It took my own GCC almost 2 weeks to take food from my hand, let alone step up (we had to help her along on that one), but within a month she was a velcro-bird. Just take your time, earn her trust, and enjoy the little victories as they come.

Ladyeclectic said:

Just curious, is that harness just fastened around his neck or also around his wings?

Cute bird!! It took my own GCC almost 2 weeks to take food from my hand, let alone step up (we had to help her along on that one), but within a month she was a velcro-bird. Just take your time, earn her trust, and enjoy the little victories as they come.

Click to expand...

Ladyeclectic, Been reading some of your posts and it appears you have tamed a GGC. That is so awesome, you are my hero for sure. How did you do it? Did you force him to come out of his cage or did you let him come out on his own? Did he bite everything in site when you took him out?

The harness that i use is a full body harness, really safe. He no longer puts up a fight when i try to put it on him, it only takes seconds now.

Thanks for your feedback

Patience and understanding is the key.

My girl was from an aviary and not used to people at all. Less than a month down the line, she was my snuggle bug.

Please, don't force anything....to be blunt, it's a bit soon for a harness To properly harness a bird, it takes weeks, sometimes months for them to be happy with it. I have been training mine for a week with it and she's not even had it on yet, we're still in the draping process. Bear in mind, my bird will technically let me put it on her via force, but that just isn't how I would ever EVER do things with her.

Birds aren't like cats and dogs, you need to earn their trust otherwise they are just submitting and after a while, you will have a backlash where your bird develops a behavioural problem due to stress and upset. In that scenario, as the causer, I doubt you'd have much luck turning it around to be brutally honest.

Please, I beg you. Stop using the harness and go back to basics, it's not too late. Arm yourself with knowledge and begin working with your bird inside the cage while you stay out of it. Just sitting by the cage talking softly and offering treats through the bars. Don't try to touch him, let him come to you. If he will accept the occasional head scritch then it won't be weeks away but you need patience! Buy some good books. Parrots for dummies and The conure handbook by Anne C Watkins I can highly recommend.

Don't allow your bird to get more frightened of you. Treat him with respect, patience and love and I guarantee you will get the same back but honestly, you need to change your thinking and behaviours - not the birds.

I say that only with kindness and concern, genuinely. I just can't stress to you enough how much you are hurting your bird and he is trying his hardest to tell you this in the only way he knows how via very hard biting. You've answered your own question - he is scared and angry with you. Please, for both of you, rectify this from your end.

Very best of luck and we are all here to help you along the way if you need it.