Pineapple Green Cheek Behavior Questions

[ChassyGirl]

So I got a Pineapple GCC about three weeks ago from a breeder. He was in a clutch of five and is about 12 weeks old now. He was very scared but friendly when we met him, stepped up and didn't mind being petted.

Now that he's been with us his personality has came out. I am pulling my hair out because of this bird.

He has random bouts of aggression -- he'll be on your lap or shoulder, preening at your hair or enjoying being petted, and he'll randomly start screaming and will bite your hand. He's screamed and bitten his own foot before on his perch, then screamed and fell off because of the bite. He is out of his cage for about 4 hours daily since we both work but he has a ton of toys in his cage and gets fresh fruit (he eats a pellet diet). He will not eat sunflower seeds..?

Another thing he does is mainly at night when we turn the lights out in the house to go to sleep. As soon as the lights start going off he starts to scream. And nothing will stop him. He screams for minutes straight. We've tried covering him before we turn the lights off, bringing him out of the cage while we turn the lights off, etc. We have to shake his cage to get him to stop and even then as soon as we start to walk away he starts screaming again.

He flew off his perch the other day and was walking around on the floor. Our dog was sleeping on the floor and the GCC walked over to her and started screaming and bit the crap out of her foot! She is normally terrified of him and that made it worse.

I owned a normal GCC years ago, and had given her to my sister in law because she bonded very closely to her. This is my first GCC since then and he's driving me nuts!! My first GCC was an angel and this one is the devil! Any advice or clarification of these behaviors is greatly appreciated~!

 

[DeusOmnia]

My Sun Conure (only had him for two days) just started the same thing.

He was cuddling on me, hiding under my robe on my chest and all of a sudden, without any sort of signs, he just started biting my neck, lip, finger. SUPER hard.

I tried to stay calm and not jerk away, but boy did that hurt!

Not sure if he was just bored or testing his limits. It was super random though!

 

[riddick07]

I know sometimes they will scream and bite themselves when they have parasites. Has he been checked out by a vet yet?

Do not shake the cage you are breaking any trust you built with this bird every time you do it. Have you tried giving him a night light? He might not like the dark. Also, I think a sign of mites is that they don't sleep well at night because the mites become more active at night. Hopefully, someone else has more suggestions or has seen this before. I would definitely get him checked out by a vet to make sure there is no health problems going on.

If he is biting when on the shoulder than he is no longer allowed on the shoulder until he behaves. Try being firm when he does this...our cockatoo learned that we would tell her no and gently push her off balance with an open hand. If she continued than she got put on a stand and wasn't allowed up on the shoulder when we picked her up. She learned fast and stopped within the week. I have found that my conures can be a bit more stubborn than the cockatoo though...

I don't feed sunflower seeds, unless there are just a little in a treat or such, since they aren't the healthiest thing you can give a parrot. Try cooked quinoa or sprouting seeds. Also, are you only feeding fresh fruit? They need more fresh veggies and greens than fruit.

 

[ChassyGirl]

I know sometimes they will scream and bite themselves when they have parasites. Has he been checked out by a vet yet?

Do not shake the cage you are breaking any trust you built with this bird every time you do it. Have you tried giving him a night light? He might not like the dark. Also, I think a sign of mites is that they don't sleep well at night because the mites become more active at night. Hopefully, someone else has more suggestions or has seen this before. I would definitely get him checked out by a vet to make sure there is no health problems going on.

If he is biting when on the shoulder than he is no longer allowed on the shoulder until he behaves. Try being firm when he does this...our cockatoo learned that we would tell her no and gently push her off balance with an open hand. If she continued than she got put on a stand and wasn't allowed up on the shoulder when we picked her up. She learned fast and stopped within the week. I have found that my conures can be a bit more stubborn than the cockatoo though...

I don't feed sunflower seeds, unless there are just a little in a treat or such, since they aren't the healthiest thing you can give a parrot. Try cooked quinoa or sprouting seeds. Also, are you only feeding fresh fruit? They need more fresh veggies and greens than fruit.

Thanks for the reply. No, he hasn't seen a vet yet. That will be the first thing on the list once the holidays have passed. And the aggression is on the shoulder, but it's also anywhere. He can be on his table top play area and if you offer him a treat he will scream and try to bite the treat, then realize it is delicious and then will take it. He does the same thing if you move toys around, tries to attack you. But he does it randomly. Sometimes he won't, sometimes he does, it's kind of unpredictable. I won't let him on my shoulder anymore though.

As for the diet he is on a pellet diet. He also gets peanuts and papaya treats, as well as clementines and strawberries though he doesn't seem to care for strawberries. He's gotten cooked chicken twice since he's been here, but no vegetables yet. I've been meaning to go get some stuff for him but it's been hectic at work and once I get home I like to stay home and relax.

 

[legal_eagle]

She sounds scared or over-stimulated to me. I would work on quieting down the environment and putting her back into her cage before she reaches the freak out point when she's being handled. Letting a young bird be around a sleeping dog sounds like a potential disaster waiting to happen.

 

[ChassyGirl]

She sounds scared or over-stimulated to me. I would work on quieting down the environment and putting her back into her cage before she reaches the freak out point when she's being handled. Letting a young bird be around a sleeping dog sounds like a potential disaster waiting to happen.

Our house is very quiet actually, the loudest thing in the house is the bird. Most of the time he is allowed to go wherever he wants, he is rarely placed anywhere. The occasion where he bit the dog, he flew down to see her. Wasn't too worried about the bird getting hurt, as I learned its the dog getting hurt I should worry about.

 

[Freespin]

One thing I got told with a bird, if they are on your arm or and hand go to bite you hard drop your arm (bite the branch you stand on the branch breaks) though I'm sure there will be aot of people who would disagree with this method.

 

[Echo]

One thing I got told with a bird, if they are on your arm or and hand go to bite you hard drop your arm (bite the branch you stand on the branch breaks) though I'm sure there will be aot of people who would disagree with this method.

You do that and you can kiss your bird's trust goodbye.

 

[Echo]

This baby is one of 5 in the clutch and it is a big adjustment for him to be without his siblings. Now of course, you do need to teach him the right way to behave as he is still a baby and needs to learn from his "flock" (you now).
Also if your breeder did abundance weaning, he should be used to a varied diet. And lots of soft food too such as a veggie mash, soft fruits etc.
conures are Dunkers especially with pellets that they prefer somewhat soft.

Babies start to wean on softer food and gradually get to harder food like millet (to work their beak) and seeds THEN hard pellets last . I do recommend soaking the pellets for a few months until you see that they can use their feet and dunk the pellets themselves and that you notice them successfully eating them.


A lot of time, the baby is not eating enough and the aggression is often linked to that. Start offering softer food. And Conures NEED SOME SEEDS IN THEIR DIET in some form or another (as is or sprouted or both which I prefer).
Ps: I'm not shouting in caps, just people tend to forget what food should a Conure's diet consist of to have a happy baby.

 

[kiwiS]

It sounds like your baby is just a little anxious and maybe frightened. Give him some time to build confidence in his surroundings and please don't shake his cage or drop him in any way.

Conures will always bite and scream though, just at different levels. If you find yourself getting angry, put him down or back in his cage and walk away to let yourself calm down.

I'd try not to compare him with your last conure..that is not fair to him or to yourself, and will only make the both of you frustrated.

Echo has great tips on feeding your new baby - maybe an easier to munch on diet with more variety will help him feel comfortable and at home. Also, talk and sing to him and just make him your best friend - eventually the screaming will go down in volume, and the bites will turn into kisses ^.^

 

[Winston1Smith2]

I have had a GCC for about three or four years. When I first got Cracker I had a similar problem to your own. He could at one moment be very friendly towards me and at the next moment bite the crap out of me. At times he bit me so hard he drew blood. I employed to effective strategies to counteract this behavior. The first one has already been mentioned, do not allow your bird on your shoulder. The second strategy will probably raise a few eyebrows on this forum. When your parrot bites you and you pull away your hand, which is a natural reaction, you are giving your parrot what it wants. In other words you are encouraging this behavior through positive reineforcement. You are rewarding him for bad behavior. In the future when he bites you, and I know this can be very hard, instead of pulling away from the bite, as gently as possible push into the bite. Also, when I first got Cracker I had trouble getting him back in his cage. To show his displeasure at being placed back in his cage he would give me a very hard bite. In a case such as this it is important not give in to the wishes of your parrot. It more important than ever to follow through on putting your parrot back in his cage. The key thing is not to inadvertently reward your parrot for behavior you are trying to discourage.
I would also like to add some words of encouragement. I did have a tough and sometimes very painful two month period of adjustment with Cracker. It has now been over two years since I have been bitten by Cracker, and he is one of the best friends I have. He no longer steps up because he will come to me when I call him. He loves it when I scritch the top of his head and directly below his eyes. He is perfectly content to quietly sit on my shoulder(since he has stopped biting me I now allow him on my shoulder) while I watch a movie or surf the net. I think he can say his name, but my friends disagree with me on that point. It is certain, however, that he is no great talker. That is probably my fault, however, because I have not made any effort to teach how to speak. Do not give up on your new pet! Your perserverance will be amply rewarded in the future with a friend for life.

 

[ChassyGirl]

I have had a GCC for about three or four years. When I first got Cracker I had a similar problem to your own. He could at one moment be very friendly towards me and at the next moment bite the crap out of me. At times he bit me so hard he drew blood. I employed to effective strategies to counteract this behavior. The first one has already been mentioned, do not allow your bird on your shoulder. The second strategy will probably raise a few eyebrows on this forum. When your parrot bites you and you pull away your hand, which is a natural reaction, you are giving your parrot what it wants. In other words you are encouraging this behavior through positive reineforcement. You are rewarding him for bad behavior. In the future when he bites you, and I know this can be very hard, instead of pulling away from the bite, as gently as possible push into the bite. Also, when I first got Cracker I had trouble getting him back in his cage. To show his displeasure at being placed back in his cage he would give me a very hard bite. In a case such as this it is important not give in to the wishes of your parrot. It more important than ever to follow through on putting your parrot back in his cage. The key thing is not to inadvertently reward your parrot for behavior you are trying to discourage.
I would also like to add some words of encouragement. I did have a tough and sometimes very painful two month period of adjustment with Cracker. It has now been over two years since I have been bitten by Cracker, and he is one of the best friends I have. He no longer steps up because he will come to me when I call him. He loves it when I scritch the top of his head and directly below his eyes. He is perfectly content to quietly sit on my shoulder(since he has stopped biting me I now allow him on my shoulder) while I watch a movie or surf the net. I think he can say his name, but my friends disagree with me on that point. It is certain, however, that he is no great talker. That is probably my fault, however, because I have not made any effort to teach how to speak. Do not give up on your new pet! Your perserverance will be amply rewarded in the future with a friend for life.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I was getting very hopeless and you've given me tools to work with! He shreds through his pellet food so I don't think there's an issue with that. They get soggy really quick when I wet them and he didn't seem to have a problem with them but I will be adding seed here and there. Seeds besides sunflower seeds. He gets millet spray but ill add others into his food.

Ill try the technique where you push at him when he tries to bite, I think it might do the trick.

And I understand about comparing him to my last GCC. It IS frustrating because she was so easy and he's such a butt!!

 

[riddick07]

I hope he comes around soon! I know I went through a period with my one girl where I threatened to toss her out the window daily...she knew a bluff when she heard it and always ignored the threat... She follows me around now! Time is often the factor to winning these guys over.

 

[Calace]

Ollie has been going through this same thing. We've had him for almost 4 weeks now (seems like he's been here longer!) and he started out sweet and innocent and has turned into a little unpredictable biter! Having said that, I realised yesterday that he was mainly aggressive around his cage. When i cleaned it out yesterday I moved everything around and put in different toys etc. I also payed him a lot more attention yesterday. He has been much better last night and today. So I'm thinking that it had a lot to do with him becoming territorial!
Anyway, I was expecting this period of testing/adjustment because the fine people of this forum warned me it would happen! LOL
I guess just don't give up and know that it's normal and will get better!

 

[Echo]

Knowing your bird's body language is important as well so you can avoid getting bit altogether. I personally never "push back" a bite however there is a HOLD that I have used that did work.
Check out this breeder's website for some ways to deal with GCC's (she explains the "HOLD" method) as well as what to expect when you get a baby home. The importance of daily training is key as well.

 

[ChassyGirl]

Knowing your bird's body language is important as well so you can avoid getting bit altogether. I personally never "push back" a bite however there is a HOLD that I have used that did work.
Check out this breeder's website for some ways to deal with GCC's (she explains the "HOLD" method) as well as what to expect when you get a baby home. The importance of daily training is key as well.

You didn't include the website!! Lol

 

[Echo]

Oops here it is:

what do i do if my bird is biting; cage bound parrot; help with biting bird; mean agressive conyer; conure won't get off the cage

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

So I got a Pineapple GCC about three weeks ago from a breeder. He was in a clutch of five and is about 12 weeks old now. He was very scared but friendly when we met him, stepped up and didn't mind being petted.

Now that he's been with us his personality has came out. I am pulling my hair out because of this bird.

He has random bouts of aggression -- he'll be on your lap or shoulder, preening at your hair or enjoying being petted, and he'll randomly start screaming and will bite your hand. He's screamed and bitten his own foot before on his perch, then screamed and fell off because of the bite. He is out of his cage for about 4 hours daily since we both work but he has a ton of toys in his cage and gets fresh fruit (he eats a pellet diet). He will not eat sunflower seeds..?

Another thing he does is mainly at night when we turn the lights out in the house to go to sleep. As soon as the lights start going off he starts to scream. And nothing will stop him. He screams for minutes straight. We've tried covering him before we turn the lights off, bringing him out of the cage while we turn the lights off, etc. We have to shake his cage to get him to stop and even then as soon as we start to walk away he starts screaming again.

He flew off his perch the other day and was walking around on the floor. Our dog was sleeping on the floor and the GCC walked over to her and started screaming and bit the crap out of her foot! She is normally terrified of him and that made it worse.

I owned a normal GCC years ago, and had given her to my sister in law because she bonded very closely to her. This is my first GCC since then and he's driving me nuts!! My first GCC was an angel and this one is the devil! Any advice or clarification of these behaviors is greatly appreciated~!

Unlike dogs, parrots don't always want to be pet. You need to respect their personal space like people at times. My bird, for example, doesn't want to be pet when he's eating, or in certain spots on his body, like under his wings, or breast area. Some birds see touching there as a sexual sign too. That being said, he should not bite hard, and I would follow the advice of some on here about that. My bird just gently presses his beak on my finger when he doesn't want to be pet, and that's okay. A beak should be used like a third hand, not a dangerous weapon!

As for the screaming at night, do you think a night light might help? He may just be scared of the dark.

 

[SoCalWendy]

He needs to be checked out. My bird never bites herself. She will scream like a banshee for no apparent reason I can see but she's never bitten herself. So make an appointment and please update us.

 

[ChassyGirl]

As for the screaming at night, do you think a night light might help? He may just be scared of the dark.

We actually have a fish tank in the front room and it stays lit all night; he doesn't like the lights going out at night or coming on in the morning.

I know a previous poster said shaking the cahlge was bad, but he didn't scream that bad last night and not at all this morning. I don't know if the cage shaking worked or if he just realized nothing happens but sleep at night? Idk.

I will get him to a vet after christmas; he was a gift to us so we have to find an exotics vet now and anticipate any costs!