New Green Cheek -- Questions

[chris686]

Love my new bird. Yellow sided mutation with beautiful colors from a local bird shop that gets their GCC's from a local breeder. I actually see a bit of pineapple in there. Still waiting on the DNA sexing, but my gut says female even though I like the male name I picked out.

Anyway, I've had the bird three days, and it has definitely been a learning process. I own a couple zebra finches, but they're just content if I change their food, water, and bath tub every day This guy has been a handful. In fact, I inherited one zebra finch from my mother, bought it a mate, and then decided I wanted a more social bird.

She's just a great bird. She likes to snuggle up by my neck and has done an excellent job of learning not to bite. There were actually no aggressive bites at all, except when I pulled her out of the cage for the first time, which was my fault. This is my first parrot, but I've trained several dogs in the past (I'm quite good at it... Toot toot!), and read as much as I possibly could before I got the bird. I know I've made some mistakes so far, but I'm learning to read bird body language pretty quickly. The bird loves to come out of the cage, but I want it to come out more often than it wants to!

The bird is ten weeks old. She's still getting acclimated, and I'm sure she's nervous.

There were a few things I'd like to get opinions on:

#1. The bird still stinks of the bird store, and hasn't shown any interest in a bath. She doesn't seem interested in bathing in her bowl. I took her to the faucet, and she seemed like she might be interested, but she prefers to stay right up by my neck at all times when out of the cage. She didn't mind me dripping water from the faucet on her back or head. She hated the tupperware dish I filled with water. Did your conure bathe itself in its dish right off the bat? Any guesses on whether my bird would like the faucet or shower?

#2. I'm using the same feed the bird store was. She was hand fed and then moved to a mix of seeds, pellets, and dried fruit concocted by the owner of the store. She was given access to millet regularly as well. She loves the seeds, millet, and dried fruit, but doesn't touch the pellets. She didn't seem too interested in fresh fruit or veggies either, but I caught her sneaking an apple piece I stuck in her dish. So a two part question:
A. At what point, if ever, does the bird become comfortable trying new foods? I try to give her a manageable piece of apple, but she just touches it with her beak and turns away.
B. About how long before I start trying to move the bird over to pellets? I bought Zupreem fruit pellets after reading many great reviews online. I decided to pop it open and see if she would be interested, but she's not. They smell like Trix or Froot Loops

#3. Finally, a temperament question. The bird was out of the cage for quite a while today, up by my neck and wandering around on my shoulder. This was the longest time out since I got the bird. She was very affectionate, cuddly, and only had one non-aggressive biting incident when she was exploring my beard. After she napped on my shoulder for 30 minutes or so I stuck her back in the cage to get some food and water, and she didn't want to come out for the rest of the night -- she made that very clear.

Her behavior changed dramatically in the cage, running around, biting toys, eating constantly, and rubbing her beak on the perches. I definitely don't know bird temperament very well, but I would describe this as aggressive. When I reached in to change her water, she lunged at my hand with an intent to bite. How should I address this behavior? Should I address it at all? Should I just attribute it to a young bird in a new environment?
This one is really the biggest concern for me, as I just don't know enough about bird psychology to determine what is going on here and how to deal with it. I do NOT want the bird to feel like I'm an intruder and that it must protect its cage.


Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to be as descriptive as possible. It seems like I had a couple more questions, but I've just forgotten them. Thanks!

 

[IloveConures]

It will take the bird a few days to get used to the bath. I tried bathing Mango right after we got him but now he just bathes on his own in his water dish. He also never likes going straight to new food. When you want to change to pellets start mixing them in with the seed mix until fully acclimated. I also thimk the aggressive behavior is just a new bird in a new environment. Just give her a while to acclimate, and by what you are saying it sounds like you are doing a good job.

 

[weco]

Welcome to the forums Chris...and...apparently welcome to the end of you guys honeymoon.....

Normally when a companion parrot moves to a new flock/environment, it exhibits a laid-back attitude until it is comfortable, then it begins acting like a pre-schooler challenging authority & having temper tantrums.....sounds like yours is a classic case.....

Read up on touch training & clicker training & see what will be best for you & your green cheek.....

Being flock animals, many companion parrots won't try new foods without first seeing their flock mates enjoying this new fare.....with larger seeds, sunflower seeds. etc., you might want to remove the hulls first, but most of our feathered friends like drama, so a lot of happy ohhhs & ahhhs while making a big scene of eating all those foods you want your GCC to eat.....

 

[MissTaz]

My advice for the bath is get a shower perch and take her in the shower with you. My gcc won't take baths so he goes in the shower with me every morning and I put him on his shower purch and then have him step up and I kind of let water gently splash off my other hand while holding him till he's a little wet, I don't stick him into the stream of water after he's wet I set him oh his perch where he will preen himself while I finish my shower.

 

[Kalidasa]

My conure won't try anything unless she sees me put it in my mouth, and she know if I'm faking. sounds like yours loves her cage and toys, which is good. Toys are generally played with very aggresslvely to the point of looking like they're attacking the toys, but it's just how they play. Expect your phone, keyboard, remotes, keys, and so many other things "attacked". It's play. Do you have any plastic balls with bells in them? Often sold as cat toys, conures go nuts over them and will play all over your floor or bed. You can use the ball to get them to go where you want as well, and it's good exercise as well. Conures are tons of fun in little bodies.

 

[Akraya]

It'll take her a while to get used to her new surroundings, they're all cuddly at the start but do be prepared for that to change, she will push boundaries in a couple of weeks once the shock of the move is over.

1. It's early days with the bathing, Misha suprised me by bathing in his water dish one day after having him a couple of weeks. You can always try spraying her lightly with a spray bottle if she doesn't show any interest.

2. I always eat new foods (or pretend to) in front of my birds, they learn what's safe and what's not by watching other members of their flock, that's now you, you show it's safe and they'll believe you (most of the time).
Give her a week or two to settle in before changing the food, when you do make sure you monitor her weight just so she doesn't starve by not eating, usually young birds will switch pretty easily. Dried fruit and millet isn't too great for them, only for treats/moderation.

3. Her cage will be her territory and at times she will defend it aggressively, but judging from the napping she was probably just tired and cranky! Maybe she spooked herself when she woke up.
To minimise the territorial side, change the layout of the cage every week or two.

Also start step-up training now so hands become less of a threat. New birds will often let you handle them in ways that scare them but not show it because they're nervous in their new environment, train train train!

 

[cmwild31]

I have a 3yr old yellow sided conure and just bought a 10 week old, he did start washing himself in the bowl as soon as i put in fresh water, but he also loves coming into the shower with me. I splash the shower water off my hand in his direction (so as its not too hot or too heavy a shower for him) he then sits on top of the shower until i finish my shower. My 3 yr old does this too.

I've always fed on a seed mix, fruit, veg so as for the pellets i couldn't advise.. (difficult getting pellets here in Ireland)

both mine run around the cage, biting toys rubbing beak on perch, eating a lot, but i dont find it aggressive. the only time my 3 yr old will attempt to bite me is if i put my fingers in the bars of the cage for whatever reason, if he tries to bite my partner when he takes him out, we just put our finger on the beak and say a firm no. it seems to work

 

[patch]

You could try a spray bottle, like one from the dollar store. My bird dislikes sinks and showers but loves being misted.

 

[Wdlodge]

First, congrats on your new baby!

Try different things when it comes to bathing. I encourage mine to take a bath by misting her first then place a water dish on top of her cage. Haven't tried taking her in her in the shower yet.

Feeding, I recommend 3 bowls in the cage. 1 just for pellets only ( I feed Harrison's) 1 for water, and 1 for everything else from veggies, fruit, grains, etc. I only feed seed as a treat/and training. Mine likes safflower seeds only. But... in the beginning I might mix some seed (enough for one meal) in the 3rd bowl along with some veggies/fruit/grains/etc and add some pellets too. I never, nor do I recommend mixing seeds or anything in the pellet only bowl.

Birds generally fill their crops 2x a day, am and pm. So in the 3rd bowl that's the meals I offer. Never put more that one feeding of seed at each feeding. Gradually putting less and less, encouraging your bird to seek out other food when the seed is gone.

 

[chris686]

Thanks for all the responses. I really like the idea of a third bowl. I've also read the bird may be more receptive to new food first thing in the morning, so I guess we'll find out tomorrow. I've been curious to try the Zupreem myself. Smells nice and fruity.

As for the baths, the morning after I posted this I was washing my hands at the sink with the bird, and she dove right in. I think she enjoyed me sprinkling water on her, and decided she wanted to get closer. She had two more baths today -- this bird loves water! She was rubbing all over the branches in her cage trying to dry herself, so. I'm going to introduce her to a towel tomorrow.

The little tantrums seem to be a nightly occurrence just before bed. I think you hit the nail on the head Kali. She goes nuts, then starts grinding her beak and goes to sleep. I'll just leave it alone.

Everything seems to be going well so far! Not a single bite today, and the potty training is starting to work, but that's not to say I didnt get pooped on several times. I'm also beginning to understand the difference between a friendly beak "kiss" and an "I don't want to," which has helped avoid incidences. Body language is a tougher one since it feels like I'm getting mixed signals sometimes, but there's a pretty clear correlation between the birds vocalizations and body language.

I really need some perches outside the cage if anyone has any suggestions. I'd prefer to build myself. Something to set on the floor that's five feet tall or so.

I'm honestly looking forward to the non-cuddly phase. It's really sweet, but its a bit much sometimes.

 

[Wdlodge]

Thanks for all the responses. I really like the idea of a third bowl. I've also read the bird may be more receptive to new food first thing in the morning, so I guess we'll find out tomorrow. I've been curious to try the Zupreem myself. Smells nice and fruity.

As for the baths, the morning after I posted this I was washing my hands at the sink with the bird, and she dove right in. I think she enjoyed me sprinkling water on her, and decided she wanted to get closer. She had two more baths today -- this bird loves water! She was rubbing all over the branches in her cage trying to dry herself, so. I'm going to introduce her to a towel tomorrow.

The little tantrums seem to be a nightly occurrence just before bed. I think you hit the nail on the head Kali. She goes nuts, then starts grinding her beak and goes to sleep. I'll just leave it alone.

Everything seems to be going well so far! Not a single bite today, and the potty training is starting to work, but that's not to say I didnt get pooped on several times. I'm also beginning to understand the difference between a friendly beak "kiss" and an "I don't want to," which has helped avoid incidences. Body language is a tougher one since it feels like I'm getting mixed signals sometimes, but there's a pretty clear correlation between the birds vocalizations and body language.

I really need some perches outside the cage if anyone has any suggestions. I'd prefer to build myself. Something to set on the floor that's five feet tall or so.

I'm honestly looking forward to the non-cuddly phase. It's really sweet, but its a bit much sometimes.

Regarding cuddly... I have both extremes... My parrotlet wants to be with me ALL THE TIME, my Sennie is content being by herself, so much I have to demand cuddle time with her. I have had my Sennie for almost 3 weeks, but I never had to demand attention from my P'let, ever. Playstands are great. It encourages your bird to be content outside of its cage. A small t stand is good too for training or you can use the back of a chair. Glad it's working out for you. Here is a really great article on feeding the companion parrot. It's a bit long but worth the time reading it.

Feeding the Companion Parrot by Pamela Clark

Enjoy!

 

[chris686]

Good news! My bird ate some apples, cucumber, and banana this morning! She didn't seem to care much for the banana, but definitely enjoyed the apple and cucumber. The banana was a bit over ripe, so I'll likely try again with a fresh one. Eating it myself and acting like it was the best thing I ever had definitely had her interested. I really had to fake it with the Zupreem pellets. They smell nice, but they're definitely not tasty. Hopefully she didn't see my face when I chewed it up. She took one of the pellets, mouthed it a bit, and dropped it.

After work, I tried again and the same thing. She ate some, but when I walked in from work I interrupted her eating the seed/fruit/pellet mix, so she may have already filled up on seeds. I cut it in to much smaller pieces, which she seemed to enjoy, and I snuck some of the Zupreem pellets in there. She ate a few! I was excited. I'm going to start integrating them into the mix the store used and phase that out.

I've had a little success with potty training, but that one has been difficult. The good? She seemed to poke her butt out enough to where it didn't hit my shirt this evening. Around five poops this evening, and 2 over the cage.

She's in her cage right now, about to go to bed I think, and she's quiet as can be. No tantrum tonight. I had been keeping the blinds open for her to look out the window, which she seems to love, but I only gave her around an hour of window time today and she has behaved much better. I'll definitely be keeping the window time limited.


---
Scratch that. Had a snack before bed and is on the rampage. Those poor toys

 

[Sand]

where did u get ur info on poop training? i'd like to read it.

 

[chris686]

where did u get ur info on poop training? i'd like to read it.

Sure thing. I'll look it up --

Potty-training Your Bird

I followed this article pretty closely. It definitely takes a lot of patience, but my bird has picked it up really quickly.

Yesterday I let her sit with me while I built her a new play gym, and she would go on command. I'm using the phrase, "go potty." I really wish I had picked something else, but she's almost fully trained so I'll stick with it.

Just be consistent, teach everyone in the house the key phrase, and pay attention to how often the bird goes. Mine goes about very five minutes, so I'll tell her to step up, go potty, praise her, then let her back on her perch (me).

When we started, I praised her and said "go potty, good bird" even when she pooped on me. This happened a few times, so she started associating the action with the phrase. Then I did my best to judge when she would go next and when she went in the place I wanted her to, I acted like it was just the greatest thing ever.

I'm definitely making progress, since her massive morning movement was released before she came out of the cage this morning.

As for everything else, she had her first shower today. I stood outside the tub with the shower on. She was nervous, so I just cupped some water and sprinkled it on her. After a few minutes, i set her on the perch in the bathroom. After a little longer, she wanted in the shower with me. She didn't stay in long since I could tell she was a little apprehensive, but she got under the shower head briefly. She's also eating pellets willingly in greater quantities, but she sifts to find the seeds first.

 

[Sand]

Chris thx so much for the info!
now that you've thought about it, what would u have preferred to say instead of "go potty" and where does she go? does she go every 5 minutes cuz she's young, or do all conures go every five minutes or so?

 

[chris686]

Chris thx so much for the info!
now that you've thought about it, what would u have preferred to say instead of "go potty" and where does she go? does she go every 5 minutes cuz she's young, or do all conures go every five minutes or so?

Well, you can say whatever phrase you want. I just thought something more humorous like "bombs away."

As for your other question, I've read they can hold it up to ten or fifteen minutes. I don't know if this gets better as they age or not, or if it's just the bird. Im thinking a little of both.

 

[Kalidasa]

I say POOP! Hopefully she picks it up soon, so I at least know it happened!

 

[Sand]

Kris and Kalidassa, where do they go, when u say poop? a cup their cage, paper, what do u recommend?