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[GCally]

Hi everybody! I have only had budgies and a cockatiel before, as was not planning on getting a Green Cheek Conure! We went to the local show here yesterday, and one guy had 3 happy looking babies. 2 had been weaned for 2 weeks. I held one and it went to sleep while I scratched its head. I was planning on getting a cockatiel this week, but I had never seen a Green Cheek before in person. He looked so much more intelligent than a cockatiel. He is pretty tame, but is VERY nippy. He likes to come out of his cage and sit on me, but he will just bite my hand like crazy chewing on it. What am i supposed to do while he is biting me? Say no loudly? Say nothing? I've been doing some touch clicker training today, and I cannot believe how fast he is learning it!

 

[GCally]

Also, he is VERY clingy. If I put him in his cage. He just runs back and forth and climbs all over trying to get out. What do I do about this?

 

[kitt]

Hi and welcome to the forum..................
I have never owned a green cheek but people sure do seem to love those little critters.
I don't think you want to be over holding him....this could lead to some behavior problems....of course that is just my opinion...I know when I got my caique they warned of spoiling them to much as babies because it could lead to problems like screaming...
Post some pictures when you can...I would love to see this little cutie......

 

[suebee]

hey an welcome, when you put him in his cage are you still in his view?? if not, move cage to a location where he can still see you, it may lessen his anxiety a little,

give him something else to chew on, like a toy etc, encourage him to chew on that! if he starts to chew on your fingers just say in a low quiet tone *no bite and stick to same tone for tellin off, his just exploring you, but need to know know that chewing ppl/skin is a no-no

for now he is young and a baby, so certain behaviours canbe forgiven, but not encouraged,

an like kitt says pics please

 

[GCally]

He is where he can see me at all times. And if I put him in his cage and go sit down he goes nuts running back and forth trying to get out. I guess the thing is to ignore that and not encourage him? He is very young so I don't want to ruin his behavior by doing something wrong.

Here's some pictures! I named him Gizmo. I guess all GCCs make a soft quack quack sound? lol. Thats the best I can think to describe it.

 

[wibitywab]

Hi, welcome to the forums! I have had a green cheek, and yes they are very nippy. but once he is about one years old, he won't bite as much, and it won't hurt you when he bites! And they are clingy, so if you don't have to put him in his cage, put him on top of the cage!

 

[GCally]

He throws a little fit if he can see me and he's in his cage. Right now he's okay cause he is eating. But he was flipping upside down over and over by hanging onto the side of his cage and running back and forth. I figure I should ignore that behavior so he will see no benefit from it. He is actually getting better about the biting. If he bites me hard I say NO and he goes back in his cage. He is stepping up great too, which he didn't know anything about 2 days ago.

 

[MikeyTN]

Cockatiels are very intelligent birds just like all birds, except a few that hatched on the wrong side of the shell.....lol..... GCC are wonderful little birds to own but im a Cockatiel person.

 

[GreenCheek]

Yeah, I think all GCs make that little quacking noise. Cody does it all the time! It's definitely really cute! And as far as the biting goes, this is what I did with Cody... Not everyone agrees with this method, but I used the 'earthquake method'. Whenever he would bite me (he, like most green cheeks, was a VERY nippy baby), I would just wobble my hand to make him feel slightly unstable. This would make him release, and after only a few days, he got the picture and stopped nipping completely. Didn't hurt our relationship one bit, and it was effective. But for some reason, many people don't like this (and it's not shaking the poor bird, it's just a 'wobble' to make them feel off balance).

Other then that, you could try putting him down and turning your back on him whenever he bites. This may work to, but might take a little more time. And as for the screaming, I had trouble with Cody and this as well. First moving his cage helped a little bit, but I also made it 'special' for him to go back to his cage. Cody LOVES his seed, but doesn't get a whole lot of it, so I only give him seed when he goes back to his cage. He is almost always eager to go back into his cage now, because he knows his favorite snack is waiting for him. You could try that and see how it works. And it doesn't have to be seed, just anything he likes. Just make sure it's ONLY given when he goes back in his cage, so it keeps it's specific value. Also, teaching him how to use foraging toys can also make his in-cage time more exciting. Finally, and most importantly, never respond to his screaming. It will be near impossible to stop it if you do. But, I'm sure you knew that.

He is incredibly adorable btw! What a face!