New momma to an aggressive GCC

[Dixonsmomma]

Hello All!
I'm a new mother to an almost 3 month old GCC named Dixon (named after Daryl from TWD...haha) He's been sexed so I know he's a male. I've had him for five days now... One moment everything is great, the next he's latching on to the skin of my finger. I've googled my heart out trying to find out what to do... I tried re-positioning my hand, the "earthquake" method, removing him and setting him down on top of his cage, etc... Yesterday we were having a great morning. I tried just saying "no biting" very calmly every time he would nip... and that was working great until he latched on and wouldn't let go! I really don't want to feel intimidated, but I'll admit, I am. As soon as he released he went right for my head and when I asked him to "step up" on to my finger, he bit me again and began carrying on. I need advice! What am I doing wrong?

 

[faeryphoebe1]

Learning to read his body language is a big step that will help you.

Remember too, how scared he must feel. You are a stranger and for a parrot, a prey animal at that, trust may take months.

Imagine being in a new home with new sounds, new smells and new people and not being entirely certain that these new people aren't going to eat him.

As a parrot, his only defense when he's really scared is his tiny, sharp beak. As giant humans, we can crush him in a minute with our bare hands. We ask a lot of our feathered friends in the trust department, lol.

Take a few steps back and just sit next to his cage. Let him get comfortable being near you.

Don't stare directly in his eyes, glance sideways.

Lower your head slightly when you approach him and when you do, approach him slowly.

Don't make sudden or large hand gestures. Never put your hands over his head, unless he allows you to (usually later in your relationship).

If he fluffs up, that usually means, "stop" or "back off".

Every birdie is different. I'm not sure how long you will need to do this for, but start slowly before you try the other things like, "step up". Let him come to you first.

There are some good, free videos on YouTube. Hopefully, someone will chime in with some links.

Cheekies are fantastic friends. With patience and nurturing, you'll have a great, little buddy who's fun and may even, eventually demand cuddles and kisses from you!

The patience, work and time you spend with your bird will be richly rewarded

 

[LeaKP]

Yes, my experience with GCCs has taught me to take their cues. Give him space, time when you're in view but not necessarily handling him. Talk to him, offer treats and then walk away. When mine got "cheeky" I'd say, no, you're being naughty, and walk away. I'd return later to see if his mood was improved. He will be great in time!

 

[JellyBean]

I would give him some space - it is only five days! Just leave his cage open.. walk by him, talk with him.. let him come to you! give him a treat (sunflower seeds work wonders!) When he steps up, praise him - give him a treat.. If he bites, say no firmly and walk away..
Be really patient.. they are quick to learn though!

 

[Flboy]

Study this !
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html

I say study, because for me, I had to read through it about four times before I realized it was talking to me personally and it changed around everything for my birds!

 

[lplummer52]

Let him come to you on his terms. He has to really want to come to you. Then when he does and he nips because he's nervous or something, grab hold of his beak gently and say. "Ah, ah, ah!" Works for me and my Sun. If he gets too nippy, then return him to his cage. When Screech hears, Ah, ah, ah!" He stops what he's doing right away. I think they use their beaks as testing tools....for testing to see if a perch is stable, etc. They just naturally use their beaks A LOT! Expect a little nipping, but not a full-on crunch down.

 

[Sucre]

I think at that age, they are just testing their boundaries. I hand raised our two younger ones, now 6 and 7 months old, and they still nip now and then, but it isn't serious - in other words they don't do it with the intentions of hurting you or out of fear.

All 3 of mine have totally different personalities. My Sun conure is my oldest - she is 1 year old. You'd have to really push her buttons to make her bite you, but she is more independent and elusive than my younger ones. Everything has to be her idea, or at least she has to think it is her idea. She doesn't like hands. She will climb all over your, crawl inside your shirt and eat Cheetos, get underneath your arm and turn over on her back and fall asleep...She will step up. You just don't pet her unless she has her face hidden in your shirt or clothing. I have no idea why she is like that. But she doesn't bite when you try to pet her, she just shrieks and lets you know to back off. My yellow side is my wild child. She is in your face non stop, and I can tell that out of the 3, she will be my talker. She tries so hard. She is the youngest of the 3 at 6 months. At the age of yours, I was hand feeding her, and she was nippy! I would put my finger on her beak and tell her NO in a firm tone. Now, she only uses her beak for climbing all over me, and might accidentally get a bit of skin now and then, but it's never intentional. Our black capped is the middle child, but the smallest. He does not have full strength in his legs as he should, so he's babied a lot by both myself and my husband. He is not nippy at all, and is super laid back and relaxed.

We just got the Sun a few months ago. She was very tame when we got her but we kept her caged the first few days just so she could get oriented to our routine and the other animals. The second we left the cage door open she came straight to me, grabbed a cheeto off my plate and scurried right down my shirt. But, she was older, and she had a good previous owner, also female.

Everything will be fine! Just take your time, and give him time to adjust. He's just a little guy, he'll figure it all out. (And I love the name - huge TWD fan! Huge Daryl fan, for sure!)

 

[wrench13]

But Daryl is the one they are gonna kill off next season....put money on it.

 

[Dixonsmomma]

Let him come to you on his terms. He has to really want to come to you. Then when he does and he nips because he's nervous or something, grab hold of his beak gently and say. "Ah, ah, ah!" Works for me and my Sun. If he gets too nippy, then return him to his cage. When Screech hears, Ah, ah, ah!" He stops what he's doing right away. I think they use their beaks as testing tools....for testing to see if a perch is stable, etc. They just naturally use their beaks A LOT! Expect a little nipping, but not a full-on crunch down.

Yesterday we had progress, 45 mins where he allowed me to massage his beak and under/around his eyes.. it was the sweetest thing! however... the second it was done he latched on to my knuckle leaving a huge black and blue mark on it. Two steps forward, two back.... Another bird owner told me she simply thinks he just dislikes me... that birds get like that. I'm majorly bummed.

 

[Dixonsmomma]

Everything will be fine! Just take your time, and give him time to adjust. He's just a little guy, he'll figure it all out. (And I love the name - huge TWD fan! Huge Daryl fan, for sure!)

I'm starting to think Negan would've been a better choice in a name. With Lucille the beak.. hahah

 

[Sucre]

But Daryl is the one they are gonna kill off next season....put money on it.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I'm betting on Abraham.

 

[Dixonsmomma]

I think Abraham as well. Unfortunately. I was originally thinking Aaron, but the more I research, the more I'm swayed.

So today I had some progress with Dixon... He took a bite at my thumb so I grabbed his beak and began massaging it and he became puddy in my hands... we continued this for a good 20 minutes. I praised him, telling him he was a "good birdy boy" for not biting and how much I loved him. But again, as soon as it was over, he took the biggest chunk of skin out of my pointer finger. :,( I just don't know what to do. I called the breeder... she said he seems territorial and that I should remove him from the house, just to shake things up for him. That didn't work either... he's still aggressive no matter where we are. Do I just leave him in his cage like other suggest? And hope that in a couple days he realizes that I did that because of his biting? I don't want to anger him more. I'm such an amateur.

 

[Dixonsmomma]

So... His breeder stopped by today and she got to see him in full force. She was blown away! She couldn't believe how dominant he was since he left her care. She clipped his wings back more and just like that... HE'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BIRD!!!! He's been nuzzling my chest and lovable ever since she left. He has tried to bite a couple times however... no chunks have been taken out! I place my finger on the top of his beak and tell him no and that's it! Problem solved!!! **SIGH**

Thank you EVERYONE for your help! I appreciate it! I was literally ready to lose my mind... hahah

 

[JerseyWendy]

You are all wrong! It's gonna be GLENN!

Wanna start taking bets? :54: (LOVED how TWD was thrown in here)

 

[SharonAPRN]

Hi there, following because I'm the new owner of a ~4month green cheek as well and having almost exactly the same issues. One minute leaning into me asking for pets and the next biting me. He/she is actually stepping up really well but wants to climb all over me and then bite my ears and little skin tags I have on my neck. Sigh.

 

[LoveMyConlan]

Mine was like this when I first brought her home at 4 months old. She was a nasty little thing. Unsocialized. What helped us was clicker/trick training and time outs.

I found a treat she loved above all others and used that to teach her things. It helped our bond because I wasn't forcing her to be social and she got food. Within a week of training she learned spin, wave, and shake. Now she knows more!

Time outs were a HUGE help. A few people here mentioned them. The way that worked best for us was going into a CLOSED/LOCKED room with ONLY the two of us, and when she would bite I'd set her on the floor (or on a stand sitting just above floor height, and walk away (careful that I could still see her). She HATES the floor. With good reason, she's clipped so she can't take off to higher places. So is wait a few moments, it was heartbreaking watching her be upset, but then I would walk over and ask for a step up. She got a treat when she did so without biting, if she bit I walked away and she stayed on the floor. BE CAREFUL THE ROOM IS LOCKED WITH JUST YOU!!!! This way no one steps on him! After a while he'll learn if he bites, he goes on the floor to a scary place, but if he's good he gets treats and to stay where he is.

If he's biting NEVER let him on your shoulder until he's gotten over it. I only have 3 Conures that have that PRIVILEGE, 2 others are not so lucky. I don't trust them enough. Even with their small size they can cause damage.

But check out trick videos online and put his mind to work! It's a great bonding strategy and helps him get to utilize that Green Cheek smart on a good way . Good luck!!