My bird stopped liking me !!! Help!!!

[mattpearce1999]

My bird used to like me but now hes turned to everyone else he's scared of me. I've tried treats and everything i know to attract a bird but he wont even eat it out of my hand! I have to drop it on his cage and back away for him to eat it... i don't know what to do.. I show him nothing but calm and loving emotions, body language talk to him very calmly and sweetly . he still hates me i am new to birds he's my first one so yea ...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! HELP ME!!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

Need a bit more background information about Bellow! How old is Bellow? How long have you had him? Did you do something to upset him?

 

[mattpearce1999]

Need a bit more background information about Bellow! How old is Bellow? How long have you had him? Did you do something to upset him?

Bellow is 14 Years old we've had him about 4 days and i have no idea what would upset him but like i said ive been sweet and kind to him... the first day we got him he was all over me but now he hates me.

 

[MikeyTN]

You just have to give him time since its only been 4 days. What have he been doing to you that you feel he hates you?

 

[legal_eagle]

He hasn't had time to acclimate to his new home yet. Maybe letting him adjust and mellow-out for a while would be helpful.

 

[Kalidasa]

Something's definately setting him off, he doesn't hate you. Did I you move the cage? Change something around? Kids in the house?

 

[mattpearce1999]

You just have to give him time since its only been 4 days. What have he been doing to you that you feel he hates you?

he's really warmed up to me since i've hand fed him seed and gave him that v8 drink thingy ...He loves to play in it !!! i just think he might be intimidated by my size though... thanks for your time Any suggestions ? this is my first bird so help would be appreciated ! hes a green cheek conure i dont know if you know much about them im sure you do though!!

in the picture he is liking my attention !

 

[mattpearce1999]

Something's definately setting him off, he doesn't hate you. Did I you move the cage? Change something around? Kids in the house?

i have moved his cage around the fist 2 days trying to find where he liked it the most and took old stuff out of his cage and put new stuff in there but thats about it. I heard birds are good for holding grudges......i just dont know what i did but on the bright side i hand fed him and he hoped on my hand and got on my shoulder since then hes been warming up to me.. any suggestions he's a Green Cheek Conure Thanks in advanced!

 

[mattpearce1999]

He hasn't had time to acclimate to his new home yet. Maybe letting him adjust and mellow-out for a while would be helpful.

Iv'e been doing that and sitting by his cage while its open (which is all of the time ) yea i will leave him alone

 

[Kalidasa]

Green cheeks are awesome. Don't guess about anything, aquire as much info as you can, look up everything about them and visit this forum often, there's lots of good info and tips on here. They need lots of attention and LOTS of toys. Hang in there, the up & down of it will level out with time. Try to avoid loud noises for now, talk softly, and stop moving the cage around...let him acclimate to his situation and things will go a lot more smoothly.
Good luck!

 

[Willc]

Matt,

I wanted to add to the great advice that is already posted here. First and foremost, birds do need time to adjust to a new area. I think that this can really apply to any animal! A cat in a new home would need time to learn it's way around the house and who the family is. Just keep giving it time.

I also wanted to share some information that applies to most parrots. You said in your first post that Bellow is your first bird. This is not an all inclusive list, but it should get bellow's and your relationship off to a good start. I would really suggest that you keep reading, here and other sources. You can always stand to learn new information, even more so when it effects the life of animals in your care.

Sleep:

Birds love sleep! They really do. You need to make sure that Bellow is getting 10-12 hours of sleep a day. You should also get a cage cover, if you do not have one yet. When it is "sleepy time" you should cover the cage. I like to cover three sides of the cage and leave the side against the wall open. You can use almost anything to cover the cage, as long as the material is safe. If in doubt, they do sell covers that are designed just for bird cages.

Make sure that if Bellow is in your room, you have the lights out and try to keep the noise to a minimal. I have two budgies right now and they stay in my room. When the sun goes down, I don't let anyone talk in my room.

Diet:

A healthy diet will really help keep your bird in tip top shape. You should aim for a mostly pellet diet with a small amount of seed every day. You can and should add a healthy serving of fresh veggies and fruits. Some suggestions to get you started are Kale, Broccoli, jalapenos, red bell peppers, apples, oranges and bananas.

Fresh foods should be out for no more than an hour, so don't give to much at once. If Bellow is not already on a pellet diet, you need to slowly change him or her over. For most parrots, just putting pellets in there will not work. You need to mix and match with seeds. A good starting area is 50/50 diet of seeds and pellets as a base. You want to keep increasing your pellets until it is 80-90% pellets and the rest is seeds. The idea here would be to have pellets in the cage all day, changing them out for fresh ones each day. The seeds will usually be eaten fairly quick so should be gone with out needing to throw them away.

Water can grow bacteria very quickly! If Bellow has water "dishes", I am certain he or she will get them messy as well. If you are using water dishes you should change the water twice a day. Fresh water goes a long way! You should also use bottled spring water(Thanks for catching that Aliray). Tap water has tons of added chemicals, including chlorine. If you have a bottle with a drip proof end, you can get away with changing it once a day. Make sure that you clean the bottle and end good every day.

Water and food dishes should be wiped clean. I've already mentioned above about changing the water, but cleaning the dish is very important. When you change the water, make sure to give it a good cleaning with a rag. You should clean your food dishes every day as well.

Cage:

I am not sure what the spacing of your cage bars are. This is a very important thing, because it can have some bad effects. If the bars are to wide, your feathered friend can get his or head stuck. If the bars are to narrow, feathers and nails can get stuck. For a GCC I would not go above 5/8ths inch. Your mileage may very here depending on how big or small Bellow actually is.

You need to also make sure that there are plenty of toys and perches in the cage. A bored parrot is an unhappy parrot. For a single GCC you should have at a minimum three to four toys in the cage. Make sure to clean the cage bars, perches, and toys every week. You should spot clean any droppings every day. Make sure to change out the toys as they are chewed up. Conures in general LOVE to chew toys! When the toys get chewed up to bad, they could be dangerous. Parrots can also get bored of toys after having them for to long. If you notice that Bellow is no longer playing with a toy, you could try retiring it for a bit. I also suggest adding random foods that Bellow likes to toys on occasion. This will allow Bellow to forage here and there, increasing happiness.

If you have wooden dowels in your cage (You know, the long wooden perch that goes from one end to the other with the same perfect smoothness all around) you should take them out. These can damage birds over time, causing all sorts of problems. They also discourage exercise in the cage. You need to have a good mix of different size perches, spread around the cage. Make sure that most, if not all, perches do not go the entire way across the cage. This way, bellow has to move around the cage more then just going across the perch. You need to look into getting perches that have varying widths on the perch itself. Most pet stores that sell avian products should carry these. I would also suggest a rope perch. I've had many birds that fall in love with these!

Bedding is the last area I will talk about here. Be careful with the bedding you use. Some parrots will actually eat the pine or straw bedding, and this can be harmful. Most people use newspaper or printer paper. I really like the printer paper because it is clean white paper. This allows me to see the droppings and judge any changes in my birds.

Other non specific advice:

These will just be small quick points. These are things that I've seen posted about tons here or have heard of friends having problems with in the past.

You shouldn't give Bellow any more affection now then you can afford to give the rest of his or her life. This means up to 30 years, depending on age! You said in a post that you have the cage open and Bellow out most of the day. Be prepared for the day to come that you can't give this and Bellow gets very upset with you. This could even result in serious, life threatening problems such as plucking and mutilation. Please, be careful here!

You can expect at some point or another to have some loud screeching! Don't go running into the room right away. This is actually a call that parrots will do to find their lost flock members. First, I would say be glad that you are hearing this! That means that Bellow is a proud member of the family. Second, don't go running to it. When you do this, it reinforces the behavior. Stand outside of the room and wait a few minutes for the screeching to stop. Then, go into the room to show that you will come in for the more acceptable silence.

Parrots need lots of activity during the day! This stimulates their brain and relives boredom. In captivity, we can give our friends this through small training sessions. You can google search for all sorts of training ideas. Just make sure that training last no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.

Parrots do NOT like to show that they are sick. This is VERY important to understand. As a member of the flock, a sick bird is seen as danger. They can slow down the flock and even get others sick. Parrots will do everything in their power to pretend that they are not sick. You need to understand this and pay attention to all of the small details. Some signs that you should look for are nasal drainage, strange or overly watery droppings, unusual behavior, lack of interest in toys and not eating. There are many more signs to look for, but this should get you started. If you suspect that something is wrong, a vet check should be done. A little money spent for the welfare of your bird is much better then Bellow's death.


I apologize for the super long list of information. I wanted to present you with things that I felt was very important for a first time ever "parront". Your post show that you are extremely interested, and I hope that you can find some good information here. Like I said at the start of this, I encourage you to keep reading. There is an almost limitless supply of information available out there. I wish you and Bellow the best of luck.

 

[mattpearce1999]

Matt,

I wanted to add to the great advice that is already posted here. First and foremost, birds do need time to adjust to a new area. I think that this can really apply to any animal! A cat in a new home would need time to learn it's way around the house and who the family is. Just keep giving it time.

I also wanted to share some information that applies to most parrots. You said in your first post that Bellow is your first bird. This is not an all inclusive list, but it should get bellow's and your relationship off to a good start. I would really suggest that you keep reading, here and other sources. You can always stand to learn new information, even more so when it effects the life of animals in your care.

Sleep:

Birds love sleep! They really do. You need to make sure that Bellow is getting 10-12 hours of sleep a day. You should also get a cage cover, if you do not have one yet. When it is "sleepy time" you should cover the cage. I like to cover three sides of the cage and leave the side against the wall open. You can use almost anything to cover the cage, as long as the material is safe. If in doubt, they do sell covers that are designed just for bird cages.

Make sure that if Bellow is in your room, you have the lights out and try to keep the noise to a minimal. I have two budgies right now and they stay in my room. When the sun goes down, I don't let anyone talk in my room.

Diet:

A healthy diet will really help keep your bird in tip top shape. You should aim for a mostly pellet diet with a small amount of seed every day. You can and should add a healthy serving of fresh veggies and fruits. Some suggestions to get you started are Kale, Broccoli, jalapenos, red bell peppers, apples, oranges and bananas.

Fresh foods should be out for no more than an hour, so don't give to much at once. If Bellow is not already on a pellet diet, you need to slowly change him or her over. For most parrots, just putting pellets in there will not work. You need to mix and match with seeds. A good starting area is 50/50 diet of seeds and pellets as a base. You want to keep increasing your pellets until it is 80-90% pellets and the rest is seeds. The idea here would be to have pellets in the cage all day, changing them out for fresh ones each day. The seeds will usually be eaten fairly quick so should be gone with out needing to throw them away.

Water can grow bacteria very quickly! If Bellow has water "dishes", I am certain he or she will get them messy as well. If you are using water dishes you should change the water twice a day. Fresh water goes a long way! You should also use distilled water. Tap water has tons of added chemicals, including chlorine. If you have a bottle with a drip proof end, you can get away with changing it once a day. Make sure that you clean the bottle and end good every day.

Water and food dishes should be wiped clean. I've already mentioned above about changing the water, but cleaning the dish is very important. When you change the water, make sure to give it a good cleaning with a rag. You should clean your food dishes every day as well.

Cage:

I am not sure what the spacing of your cage bars are. This is a very important thing, because it can have some bad effects. If the bars are to wide, your feathered friend can get his or head stuck. If the bars are to narrow, feathers and nails can get stuck. For a GCC I would not go above 5/8ths inch. Your mileage may very here depending on how big or small Bellow actually is.

You need to also make sure that there are plenty of toys and perches in the cage. A bored parrot is an unhappy parrot. For a single GCC you should have at a minimum three to four toys in the cage. Make sure to clean the cage bars, perches, and toys every week. You should spot clean any droppings every day. Make sure to change out the toys as they are chewed up. Conures in general LOVE to chew toys! When the toys get chewed up to bad, they could be dangerous. Parrots can also get bored of toys after having them for to long. If you notice that Bellow is no longer playing with a toy, you could try retiring it for a bit. I also suggest adding random foods that Bellow likes to toys on occasion. This will allow Bellow to forage here and there, increasing happiness.

If you have wooden dowels in your cage (You know, the long wooden perch that goes from one end to the other with the same perfect smoothness all around) you should take them out. These can damage birds over time, causing all sorts of problems. They also discourage exercise in the cage. You need to have a good mix of different size perches, spread around the cage. Make sure that most, if not all, perches do not go the entire way across the cage. This way, bellow has to move around the cage more then just going across the perch. You need to look into getting perches that have varying widths on the perch itself. Most pet stores that sell avian products should carry these. I would also suggest a rope perch. I've had many birds that fall in love with these!

Bedding is the last area I will talk about here. Be careful with the bedding you use. Some parrots will actually eat the pine or straw bedding, and this can be harmful. Most people use newspaper or printer paper. I really like the printer paper because it is clean white paper. This allows me to see the droppings and judge any changes in my birds.

Other non specific advice:

These will just be small quick points. These are things that I've seen posted about tons here or have heard of friends having problems with in the past.

You shouldn't give Bellow any more affection now then you can afford to give the rest of his or her life. This means up to 30 years, depending on age! You said in a post that you have the cage open and Bellow out most of the day. Be prepared for the day to come that you can't give this and Bellow gets very upset with you. This could even result in serious, life threatening problems such as plucking and mutilation. Please, be careful here!

You can expect at some point or another to have some loud screeching! Don't go running into the room right away. This is actually a call that parrots will do to find their lost flock members. First, I would say be glad that you are hearing this! That means that Bellow is a proud member of the family. Second, don't go running to it. When you do this, it reinforces the behavior. Stand outside of the room and wait a few minutes for the screeching to stop. Then, go into the room to show that you will come in for the more acceptable silence.

Parrots need lots of activity during the day! This stimulates their brain and relives boredom. In captivity, we can give our friends this through small training sessions. You can google search for all sorts of training ideas. Just make sure that training last no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.

Parrots do NOT like to show that they are sick. This is VERY important to understand. As a member of the flock, a sick bird is seen as danger. They can slow down the flock and even get others sick. Parrots will do everything in their power to pretend that they are not sick. You need to understand this and pay attention to all of the small details. Some signs that you should look for are nasal drainage, strange or overly watery droppings, unusual behavior, lack of interest in toys and not eating. There are many more signs to look for, but this should get you started. If you suspect that something is wrong, a vet check should be done. A little money spent for the welfare of your bird is much better then Bellow's death.


I apologize for the super long list of information. I wanted to present you with things that I felt was very important for a first time ever "parront". Your post show that you are extremely interested, and I hope that you can find some good information here. Like I said at the start of this, I encourage you to keep reading. There is an almost limitless supply of information available out there. I wish you and Bellow the best of luck.

You have no idea how much i appreciate you taking the time to write this. i read all of it and found it to be very useful i was wondering if this is enough toys. toys goes as follows: 2 Destructible toys 1 with bell (something for him to chew on, 1 swivel mirror, a ladder, 2 chew perches, 1 lava rock 1 citrus flavored cuttlebone, 1 cozy hut (He is obsessed with this thing) and i cover him up at night. he loves to eat bannanas i have him on a cockatiel seed based diet (thats all he'll eat) should i try pellet and if so what kind? i got him a lime seed bar today and millet i give him chili peppers for parrot's occasionally and papaya bits he's not much for the chili peppers but loves the papaya bits i give him fresh water like 5 times daily and dont let it get dirty. he loves to bath in the sink and i will try training Thanks a bunch!!
matthew

 

[mattpearce1999]

Green cheeks are awesome. Don't guess about anything, aquire as much info as you can, look up everything about them and visit this forum often, there's lots of good info and tips on here. They need lots of attention and LOTS of toys. Hang in there, the up & down of it will level out with time. Try to avoid loud noises for now, talk softly, and stop moving the cage around...let him acclimate to his situation and things will go a lot more smoothly.
Good luck!

Thank you. I've had him in the same spot for awhile and plan on keeping him there Thanks!
matthew.

 

[mattpearce1999]

Green cheeks are awesome. Don't guess about anything, aquire as much info as you can, look up everything about them and visit this forum often, there's lots of good info and tips on here. They need lots of attention and LOTS of toys. Hang in there, the up & down of it will level out with time. Try to avoid loud noises for now, talk softly, and stop moving the cage around...let him acclimate to his situation and things will go a lot more smoothly.
Good luck!

Thank you. I've had him in the same spot for awhile and plan on keeping him there Thanks!
matthew.

 

[Willc]

Matt,

That should be fine for toys. You want to eventually get a play stand or play gym. These are great activity centers for parrots. The things you listed all sound fine, but I am concerned about the lava rock. I have heard of and seen some perches made of lava rock. They are listed as being a way to condition beaks. I'm also well aware of lava rocks that you put in reptile cages.

What is the lava rock you have, exactly? I have heard of many birds dieing because of ingesting bits of lava rock. I am not sure exactly what the perches are, or if they are even made with actual lava rock. I would be cautious with whatever it is you have. I like to be safe, rather than sorry. I always make sure to check any material I allow my babies to come in contact with.

Also, I forgot to mention. You need to be careful with Teflon. This stuff can be very lethal to birds. If the Teflon gets over heated, it can kill birds in a matter of seconds. Teflon is often used for cooking, such as non stick stuff. You should also avoid using ANYTHING that is a scented spray, such as febreeze or other air products. The same goes for burning incense, lightning candles, and so on. Something to keep in mind with all of this is the way a central air unit works. The air from one room will quickly be sent to every room in the house. While it may not be enough for you to notice the smell in one room, parrots will surely feel the effects. Just because Bellow is in the room doesn't mean that you can burn Teflon in the kitchen.

You also need to be careful if you ever decide to clip Bellow's wings. This is a touchy subject as many people are very opinionated here. I don't want to get into the discussion of what is right or wrong. I do want to say if you decide that is what you want, please make sure you know what you are doing. If you clip the wrong feathers, you could really hurt Bellow. I would strongly recommend if this is what you do, that you take him or her to someone that knows what they are doing.

I hope that this helps! Again, I wish the best of luck to Bellow and you.

 

[aliray]

I personally would not use distilled water for a bird. They do need the minerals found naturally in water. If you prefer bottled water that's fine but just not distlled which has been turned into steam then condensed with no minerals left in it. other than that you have been given a lot of good advice.

 

[Willc]

I personally would not use distilled water for a bird. They do need the minerals found naturally in water. If you prefer bottled water that's fine but just not distlled which has been turned into steam then condensed with no minerals left in it. other than that you have been given a lot of good advice.

Aliray,

You are SO right! I wrote that pretty late last night. I was in the midst of falling asleep. I can't believe I put distilled. I am not sure what I was thinking. I use bottled spring water. While living in Florida, I use to always use Zephyrhills spring water. It is also the same water I enjoy drinking!

You want to avoid mineral enhanced waters. Often times bottled water will use water that is bottled at it's source and then the same process is applied as distilled water. Minerals are then added back to it. The problem with this is that to much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

Bottled spring water is great because they use methods to remove the bacteria while keeping all of the minerals it contains.

Again, thank you Aliray for catching that! I will edit my other post and remove it. I honestly can't think of why I put that in there.

 

[MikeyTN]

Otherwise you can use britta water filter instead of bottled water, practically the same thing. I personally think willc is over caution. I agree with most but not all as I've been doing this for a very long time.

 

[Willc]

MikeyTN,

I wish that our birds came with a book and guidelines on what is required. The fact is, they do not . I think that there will always be differences in opinions on what is right or wrong. I to think I am overly cautious. I actually stated that a few times above. I am just trying to provide some ground information. In the end, Matt or anyone reading it, will do what he or she wants. I just provided some information that I feel is important. This is from my experiences growing up with birds, snakes, lizards, turtles, tarantulas, fish, cats, dogs, and nearly any thing else you can have as a pet. I will always err on the side of caution. This is just the way I am. Like I said, I just hope some of this can be of use to Matt or anyone else that may or may not know some of these things.

 

[MikeyTN]

Willc,

I actually had all the ones you've listed for pets except snake and tarantula. I'm not a snake fan. I have other spiders as pets before too such as black widow. I've had all different insects for pets, geese, duck, chickens, rabbits, bat, etc etc. I am cautious too but some things aren't as bad cause the stuffs i disagree with are stuffs I know are not that bad but being portray by others being bad. I'm speaking from experience, not from reading online or books.