Need help!

losGCC

New member
Oct 19, 2019
3
0
Parrots
new GCC owner
So im new to this Green cheek conure life! I used to own a cockatiel and I got her from my local bird store. Sadly she passed and recently I got this baby pineapple green cheek conure. Hes a super curious, only 3 months old and he hates hands. Everyday I try to spend an hour minimum next to his cage and now hes comfortable with sticking to my chest or chilling on my shoulder. He hates hands and I really dont know what I could do for him to be able to try step up training. Any suggestions? Would love any help possible!:gcc:
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Hello and welcome! You have made progress already and that's great. :)

It seems it's just real easy for birrds to become spooked if hands. Hands seem like predators to birds. Sometimes they struggle to understand that hands are part of us. Especially if someone grabbed them a lot. It even happened to me and my green cheeck conure after we had a loving relationship for five years. I had to earn back her trust by feeding a lot of treats by hand, paying attention to her body language and mood. By moving calmly and with lots of praise.

Safflower seeds make a great treat. If your bird will take treats by hand that's a great start. If not you use a small treat dish and you out one treat in the dish and give space to the bird , when it takes the treat say the same phrase everytime like good birdie. And work up to taking them by hand.

For step up training you can use a hand held perch and let the bird step up far from the hand at the end if the stick. Give praise and treat. Over time , and the amount of time depends on how it's going. You give a little less room at the end if the perch to step up, and you praise and give a treat. Every day the bird does this easily and calmly you give less room at the end if the perch and your hand us getting closer to the bird. Until finally there is just a tiny amount if space between where your bird steps up and your hand. Then you let them step into your hand. They may out there beak in your hand first to test that you are stable, that's ok. It can take days or weeks, rarely months. You can practice this several times a day, as long as your bird is positive about the experience and doesn't get bored or frustrated.

We have tips on bonding, under general parrot I formation forum at the top highlight in blue, read those. I don't like ckicker trainings though many people do. I just say good birdie instead of clicking.

I'm attaching this link to some good info , I like this article a lot.
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
Not sure if it will help at all, but my budgies seemed to find a starting point on trusting me (and by extension my hands) by doing all food prep for them in sight of them while they were paying attention. Beau in particular now gets excited when he hears the pellets rattle against the tub I keep them in, and will jump onto the front of the cage to supervise with a very critical eye to make sure dad doesn't screw up his breakfast. It may take a while but eventually they begin to associate hands with food and eventually that will lead to them figuring out that hands can also lead to fun interactions with you and lead to scritches and other adventures.
 

Flboy

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2014
12,598
4,101
Greater Orlando area, Florida
Parrots
JoJo, 'Special' GCC, Bongo, Cinnamon GCC(wife's)
Time and more time! My JoJo hated hands, and for good reasons! He had to dodge every child that walked into the rescue! He was kept in an open pen and tormented by anyone who walked by!
 

Jen5200

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2017
1,874
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Washington State
Parrots
Baby - Sun Conure;
Tango - GCC;
Bindi - Sun Conure;
Stanley - Pineapple GCC;
Screamer “Scree� - Cockatiel;
Tee - Pineapple GCC; Jimmy - Cockatiel
I added Mr Tee to my flock a month or two ago and he’s got a hand fear as well. We’re just taking it slow. He doesn’t do step up, and I think he likely won’t until he gets over the fear of hands. I tried using perches but he seems to hate anything that moves. I’ve been working on putting my hands in his cage in unthreatening (no where near him) places. He has started to come to my hand and lean into it - although he still won’t step onto it. He has discovered that fingers will scratch his head so he leans on my hand (inside the cage) and I contort my fingers to scratch his head in a non-threatening manner while he leans on it. I think the key is patience and finding ways to associate hands with things that appeal to him. Food, treats, scratches....I still haven’t found a treat that he finds irresistible so food lure hasn’t been working for me yet. If he comes out on his own, he seems to be happy to step onto shoulders or arms.....it’s just hands that are the issue. My advice is just to continue what you are doing, and take your time. Let him see hands near things that he likes and in non-threatening ways :).
 
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losGCC

New member
Oct 19, 2019
3
0
Parrots
new GCC owner
  • Thread Starter
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He is the sweetest boy, he’s trying to figure me out just like I’m trying to figure him out :) thank you guys for the help!!
 

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