Bonding with my new Green Cheek

Hello All!

I became the parent of a 6 month old Pineapple Green Cheek about three weeks ago, and I just wanted to check with other conure owners to get a few details about the early bonding stage.

My bird has large cage with lots of toys, and the cage is placed next to my couch. He seems to be very active, and loves playing in his cage, and he doesn't screech much or make much noise. I open the cage when I come home from work and sometimes he comes out, but sometimes he doesn't. I can feel some sense that he likes me and he's happy to have me around, but unfortunately I haven't been able to get very far in terms of acclimating him to handling. I've been trying to get him to eat food out of my hand, but when I place my hand in the cage he just either stands still or starts doing acrobatics around the cage. He doesn't seem to be scared, it just looks like he's being stubborn (of course he's still getting used to me, but I feel like I should be farther along by now). I feel like not being able to do this will make it very hard to teach him "step up."

When we spend time together he definitely seems happy, but he does not want physical interaction yet. He doesn't appear to have any health problems (aside from a small bare patch on the back of his neck, which seems to be improving).
I guess what I'm asking is, about how long did your bonding phase take, and do you have any advice on how to approach this?

Thanks

It sounds like you are on the right track....you’re letting him acclimate and moving at his pace . They are all different - so there is no “correct” place to be at this point in time. Some are more reserved and want to know you before they come to you, others are like “hi, here I am” and jump on your hand. Neither is a bad thing and you’ll develop a much better relationship by respecting what speed they want to move at. You can test boundaries to see if he’s ready for the next step, but be respectful if you see fear. Mine were all different - Baby was pretty quick to want interaction with me, Tango took a couple of months to want to come and see me (and another month to establish biting boundaries), Bindi loved me from day 1, Stanley took at least a month to stop aggressively going after me and another couple of months to stop biting but absolutely loves me now, and Screamer chooses to only interact with me if my husband is not available lol. So take heart....you’ll get there!

This is a good thread if you are looking for some ideas http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html.

Welcome to you and your pineapple GCC!

He is still young and three weeks is still considered the "honeymoon" phase. Jen's linked thread offers great advice. Depending on how much attention was received during the weaning phase, he may be slow to warm to his new home. Love, patience, and time on your side!