GCC Dislikes Me Suddenly?

[Tsundoku]

Hello! Ive been browsing this forum recently and decided to join!
I have a beautiful 1 year old pineapple gc conure named Abu, who i love dearly. Recently, for the past few months, Abu has been scared of my hand. Im not sure why, i didnt grab him or anything like that, he just wont step up anymore! He enjoys being out and playing but he doesnt seem to ever want to step up off the cage with me. He will step up when hes on the floor, not on or in his cage. He will still take treats from my hand, though, he just back away when i offer my finger to step up. :/ Could it be he’s just being rebellious? Or should i sort of start from scratch to get him aquainted with me again? Any help and advice is appreciated!

 

[noodles123]

It is possibly due to the transition from a baby to a more adult bird, but whatever the case, I would work on making sure he trusts you etc. My bird has done stuff like this before, and she is 10 (past puberty)! That having been said, you really haven't had your bird for that long, and it was only recently a baby...babies are nice compared to older birds. Think about a 1 year old child who trusts everyone...then compare that to a child of 3-4 who suddenly becomes "shy" and obsessed with "mommy"/scared of strangers etc.

Trust is like a bank...and you want to make sure that you are making more deposits than withdrawals...and a minor thing to you could be a bid deal (withdrawal) to your bird. So yes, work on keeping/building trust always (even if you think you already built it).

If your bird likes getting out of the cage, it might be more willing to step up when it first gets up in the morning, or after you have been at work...Try it once. If it doesn't seem like it is going to happen, move on....don't sit there and push it this early on (some people may disagree with me on this, but with a younger and newish bird, I wouldn't push unwanted interaction because that will likely just result in extra practice biting etc).

Have you considered allowing the bird to show interest in you?---It may be more inclined to step up if all of its attention needs aren't being met on its cage.....I am not telling you to ignore it, but it could be that it is getting enough attention from your attempts to get it to step up...

The floor is scary, so you are a safe-place in comparison, but clearly the bird's cage is a bit of a security blanket (that is normal and part of a process for many birds). Why step up when stepping up seems risky and life is good on the cage?

My bird did this when I first got her...Before she was sure she liked me, she would demand my attention but refuse to step up...Once she started stepping up, she did it consistently for about a month, but then regressed a bit after we returned from a trip together (during which, she was content and MORE than willing to step up). She bounced back after about a week, but it was weird to feel like we had gone backwards (despite the fact that she LOVED the trip as a whole). Again, mine was older than yours (post puberty) so it seemed quite odd to me, but it isn't that weird based on what I have heard/read. Young birds are just like kids---growing, changing personalities, testing limits, odd fears, hormones...etc etc

Whatever the case, I would do quiet/safe activities near the cage, and keep it cordial, but maybe don't spend AS MUCH time trying to convince it to step-up etc....it is possible that it will get bored and decide that it wants to be a part of things away from the cage (if you put a mini-cap on some of the attention it is getting right now)...Again..don't stop interacting, but consider playing hard-to-get JUST A LITTLE BIT....and see what happens---don't ignore, but don't smother either.

That having been said, you never know what can upset birds. You may have caused upset inadvertently with a new piece of furniture or a routine change---hard to say.

Have you gotten your bird checked at the vet (CAV) just to make sure everything is okay medically?
Also, I would advise that you examine diet, sleep and lighting. My bird is a mess if she doesn't get a solid 12 hours of sleep (Umbrella Cockatoo)...and by solid, I mean dark and quiet. She will not really sleep if others are talking etc (even though she will sit quietly under her cage cover and listen).

 

[Tsundoku]

Ah, thank you, noodles! I recently have been opening his cage up and giving him a treat, just being around him ect. I sometimes do leave the cage to do a quick activity, im in sight, and it seems like he’s interested in flying over to me, so i offer my finger and he usually just backs off or gently nibbles. I’ll definetly work on the trust thing, i dont want him thinking im bad news. :03:

 

[noodles123]

Just don't get discouraged---bird-time is slower than snail time...
It could be very hot-and-cold for a long time (and then there are the joys of yearly during breeding season lol!)