Baby Piña!

Hi friends

My boyfriend and I adopted a 13 week old Pineapple GCC on Saturday and she is such a sweet girl. She's very well behaved - loves to eat her pellets, loves nutriberries, and is getting slowly accustomed to eating fruits and veggies. I'm wondering if I should book a checkup for her in the next week or so at an avian vet just to get them familiarized with her?

I've been following the advice I've found online about practicing target training and step-up training for short intervals each day and she's doing great. Target training is a breeze for her and she steps up like an expert. Occasionally she decides to run up my arm to my elbow (I keep my arm bent so she can't run to my shoulder), and I have a really difficult time getting her to come back to my hand (even with a treat). I don't like her in this spot because I'm afraid she's going to fall. Any tips for this?

Piña seems to want our attention all the time. While I've read a lot about GCC's being timid birds, she's not at all yet. She rarely bites and she loves cuddles, so when I go to her cage to let her out for training time, she sometimes will try to fly right out to me (which is terrifying for us both because she lands on the ground... unfortunately her wings were clipped quite short before we got her). My goal and what we're working toward is getting her to step up in order to come out of the cage.

I've been hiding nutriberries in some of her foraging toys to get her more interested in going back to her cage and playing on her own. I'm wondering if there are other types of treats that I can use to hide in her toys instead of just using nutriberries?

Thanks friends!

Welcome to you and Baby Piña! She seems exceptionally well socialized and acclimated to varied foods.

Having a well-check is advisable, though a bit more challenging during the scourge of Covid. Best to seek a certified avian vet vs "exotic" as the former has specialized training and equipment for birds. Some areas are more challenging and you'll have to find best qualified clinic.

The human shoulder is a favorite perch, though such privileges ought be earned. Use caution against the possibility of a damaging bite to neck and face areas. However, when she is fully trusted, it is a great place to hang out! Meanwhile, a stern "no" and removal from arm/elbow area is best to break the behavior until desired.

Treats in addition to Nutriberries can include small bits of almond, walnut, pine nuts, plain Cheerios in small quantities, pieces of whole grain bread, balls of room temperature cooked oatmeal, millet, etc.

I don't have conures, but our membership heavily favors the species. They'll be happy to answer specific questions of personality!

Congratulations on your GCC and welcome to the forum

Hello! I'm new to the forum as well. Seems that we are having the same experiences. My Booby likes to train but he runs up to my shoulder when we do step ups..lol

I would love to hear what type of toys that you have for your bird..i need to get mine some foraging toys. Does your pina like stairs?

Also would love to see a picture and her name

Welcome! Great progress for the both of you!

joliny718 said:

Hello! I'm new to the forum as well. Seems that we are having the same experiences. My Booby likes to train but he runs up to my shoulder when we do step ups..lol

I would love to hear what type of toys that you have for your bird..i need to get mine some foraging toys. Does your pina like stairs?

Click to expand...

Welcome to you as well! I've been trying to get her used to me putting my thumb over her feet after she steps up properly on my hand, but she doesn't like it, hah... She likes to stand on the curve of my hand between my thumb and fingers - I think I just need to get better at holding my hand super straight and flat. When she's a little over-excited and trying to get closer to me while she's out of the cage, she steps up like an expert (super fast from hand to hand without leading with her beak).

I bought a few planet pleasure toys and foraging toys. I also bought a collection of those children's plastic links and put them all over and she loves climbing around on them. They're safe as she won't get her foot stuck and she has no interest in chewing on them. I also have a cuttlebone for her and plenty of homemade perches!

She's not super into eating her vegetables :/ She is obsessed with mango, so I tried heating it up and smooshing it all over her her veggies and she just picked around them, lol. Gonna keep trying!

Sooo pretty! Fun cage!

Welcome and be welcomed! Re the veggies, try different presentations- diced big and small, shaved, smushed up, large chunks. Good transition veggies are sweet 'taters, carrots, corn (kernels or slices of the corn on the cob), HOT peppers all kinds.

lisazartsi said:

joliny718 said:

Hello! I'm new to the forum as well. Seems that we are having the same experiences. My Booby likes to train but he runs up to my shoulder when we do step ups..lol

I would love to hear what type of toys that you have for your bird..i need to get mine some foraging toys. Does your pina like stairs?

Click to expand...

Welcome to you as well! I've been trying to get her used to me putting my thumb over her feet after she steps up properly on my hand, but she doesn't like it, hah... She likes to stand on the curve of my hand between my thumb and fingers - I think I just need to get better at holding my hand super straight and flat. When she's a little over-excited and trying to get closer to me while she's out of the cage, she steps up like an expert (super fast from hand to hand without leading with her beak).

I bought a few planet pleasure toys and foraging toys. I also bought a collection of those children's plastic links and put them all over and she loves climbing around on them. They're safe as she won't get her foot stuck and she has no interest in chewing on them. I also have a cuttlebone for her and plenty of homemade perches!

She's not super into eating her vegetables :/ She is obsessed with mango, so I tried heating it up and smooshing it all over her her veggies and she just picked around them, lol. Gonna keep trying!

Click to expand...

What vegetables are you giving him/her?

It’s imperative you get him to feed off veggies, and certainly not just mangos for fruit.