Hello!!

[Stahlz]

Hello Community! My name is Nick and my family and I brought two young Green Cheek Conure (GCC) parrots home Sunday evening. I will post a picture or two later.
I have a few concerns though. I'm not sure if I had my expectations too high, or if this is normal behavior for GCC's, but I'd like some input to determine what is normal and what's not.
Both of my birds came from the same hatch. The person I got them from did not handle them as much as they should have it appears. My two parrots were born in July so they are only two months old. One looks much younger than the other and acts younger too. When I first brought them home I placed them in the same cage, they get a long perfectly and it was cute watching them snuggle together and play together. But, I began reading posts online about them bonding together and not to humans which at that point I read that they wouldn't really bond to humans since they had a companion of the same species. So I went and bought a second cage and separated them so they would bond with me. I have been working on gaining their trust with keeping them in their cages and talking to them while holding a treat through the bars. I have owned another bird several years ago but did not experience this with that bird due to it already being tamed. I want so bad for these two birds to bond with me and allow me to hold them and hang on my shoulder and to see their true personalities. I do not want to make them afraid of myself or anyone in the family so I have refrained anyone of us from reaching for them in their cage. I did allow them to get out of their cage and they both can fly, but they kept flying into the walls so I have since caged them due to that. I do have a vet appointment this Friday to have them checked out and ensure that everything is good with them. Can I please get some insight on this behavior and if I am on the right track or if something I mentioned above sounds off please? Also, since I separated them yesterday, one of them have paced back and forth at the bottom of its cage from time to time, is this normal as well? I can tell a difference from the time I brought them home until now that they are getting more comfortable with their new environment but I hope they come around soon so I can enjoy their company outside of their cage.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome, Nick! Glad you found the best parrot site I've ever known.
Lots of Green Cheek owners and afficionados here, as well as parrot lovers and experts in general. I have experience only with having a single conure, so I'll be interested to see what advice you receive.
Again, welcome!

 

[Scott]

Hello Nick, and welcome to the forums! I am not very familiar with conure behavior so cannot offer much advice, but many members have extensive experience. Some parrots can bond together and still be wonderful companions while others are more problematic. I'm glad you observed the potential danger of flying into walls. An avian vet check is always helpful!

 

[wrench13]

Hi Nick, welcome and be welcomed. I too am a single bird owner, so I can't comment on the multiple parrots questions Why did you get 2? Can you comment on that?

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[Stahlz]

Thank you all for the reply! To answer your Wrench13, After I contacted the breeder about making the 1.5 hour trip to pick up one of my Conures, he mentioned that he had a total of 5 that were from the same hatch. I thought that getting two would be better than one, lol..... But after doing further research after I brought them home, maybe that wasn't such a good idea? I will not treat either one of them differently because of my decision, BUT I am looking for advice on how to tame two and with the ultimate goal of them bonding to myself and my family. They are currently on the same cage chit chatting. I got home and spoke with them and worked on getting them familiar with me and then opened the cages and one went over to the other and they have been 'hanging out' for the last 30 minutes.

 

[Scott]

Nick, are both birds easy to handle? Do you trust them on your shoulder?

If so, you might try interacting with them together, possibly place one on each shoulder while in the house, and hand-feeding them treats together. This has frequently worked well with cockatoos, but GCCs are quite different. Perhaps some conure owners can poke holes in my theory!

 

[Stahlz]

Nick, are both birds easy to handle? Do you trust them on your shoulder?

If so, you might try interacting with them together, possibly place one on each shoulder while in the house, and hand-feeding them treats together. This has frequently worked well with cockatoos, but GCCs are quite different. Perhaps some conure owners can poke holes in my theory!

I trust them on my shoulder but they will not stay on my shoulder. I tried this technique last night but they both flew off and onto one cage. I have tried various treats with them and they seem almost totally uninterested in me when they are together. When they are individually in each cage they will interact with me better and will at least show more interest in me. I interact with them in 15-20 minute intervals while they are in their cage. Maybe I need to spend more time per interval with them? I will just keep being persistent with them on their terms.