I need help with my new gcc!!!!

[hamzaalajlouni]

so i got 2 green cheek conures a couple of days ago, and they're scared to death from me, if i just look at them they get into their nest box, and when i get close to the cage they start going crazy flying everywhere, the guy that i got them from said that they used to be tamed but after they laid their eggs they started to get aggressive, even though they're not aggressive, they're just scared, can someone please help me, ive searched the whole internet and couldn't find a solution, how can i show them that im not a danger to them,and get them to step up on my finger???

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

Im no expert but I'll give your thread a boost. My guess is that the knowledgeable folks here will advise you to relax, just let them settle, set a positive casual atmosphere and wait for the good advice you'll get here. You came to the right place.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Absolutely agreed. A bonded pair will probably remain primarioly devoted to each other, but they'll learn to relax and interact with you in time. A few days is a nanosecond for a frightened, disoriented pair. I think that you might want to start learning about managing mating behavior... nurtrition, light managememt... I'd certainly recommend that you not allow them to produce chicks at this stage: that's a very complicated process. Please use the SEARCH tab to learn about diet, management... all the stuff you'll want to know But for now...
YES... relax. Let them relax! Move slowly, speak softly, just let them see you are at peace and they can be, too.
I'm glad you're reaching out.

 

[EllenD]

I think she nailed it!!! They are a bonded breeding pair of birds, and if they haven't been handled or had much human interaction recently then they've just been with each other, trusted only each other, and only interested in mating and raising their babies. In my experience as a breeder it is very difficult to bond with a bonded, mating, breeding pair of birds, or to have them be good pets, especially if you aren't their original owner and had them before they started breeding. It can be done, but it's very difficult.

Are you planning on breeding them? Something to think about is removing the nest box and stoping them from mating, either by putting them on a solar schedule, getting them hormone control, and putting them in separate cages. Either way, you've only had them for 2 weeks, that isn't nearly long enough to earn the trust of a bird that hasn't been hand tame in years, let alone two of them that are a bonded breeding pair...Whether you keep them as a breeding pair or you stop the breeding and try to get them to become only pets, it's going to take a long time and a lot of work to earn their trust and get them hand tamed again. It's a matter of working with them every day, little by little, usually for months if not years. You have to start small, just by putting a chair next to their cage as close as you can get where they don't go crazy. Once you find that distance put the chair there, and every day spend time in the chair talking to them softly, reading to them, and slowly move the chair closer and closer. Eventually you next try to open the cage and just let your hand inside the door, day after day, eventually moving it closer and trying to get them to eat some millet from it, then step up, etc. It's all about giving them time and committing to working with them...and deciding if you really want them to continue to breed and be responsible for baby birds...

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[NFFH]

Because they are a bonded mated pair you're going to have to go at this very slow.

Before even walking up to the cage announce your presence that way they get to know your voice.

After they slowly get used to your voice start just hanging by the cage. Offer small yummy treats like grapes and apple. Leave the treat and walk away. They will slowly learn that you are the giver of great things.
After that put the treat dish right by the door to the cage. Leave the treat shut the door and stay and chat with them.

This won't be a fast process but worth it in the long run


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[snowflake311]

Take out the nest box and never put it back in. leave the breeding to the pros. There are too many unwanted Green cheeks out there looking for homes no need to add more.

If you want a pair that might be ok with humans it will take time. Keeping a breeding box in the cage will make it very very hard. Let them settle in ignore them work around them don't make eye contact. after a week I would start working of finding what food they like My little conure loves Safflower seeds. Find a food they go nuts for and use that to tame them.

Why did you get the birds? Have you had birds before?

 

[NFFH]

Take out the nest box and never put it back in. leave the breeding to the pros. There are too many unwanted Green cheeks out there looking for homes no need to add more.

If you want a pair that might be ok with humans it will take time. Keeping a breeding box in the cage will make it very very hard. Let them settle in ignore them work around them don't make eye contact. after a week I would start working of finding what food they like My little conure loves Safflower seeds. Find a food they go nuts for and use that to tame them.

Why did you get the birds? Have you had birds before?

Everyone starts somewhere at some point. If she/he chooses to breed it's just that. A choice.
Questions no matter how experienced are a good thing.
For all we know she/he could have been breeding smaller caged birds for years, but this is the first foray into conures.


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[hamzaalajlouni]

Take out the nest box and never put it back in. leave the breeding to the pros. There are too many unwanted Green cheeks out there looking for homes no need to add more.

If you want a pair that might be ok with humans it will take time. Keeping a breeding box in the cage will make it very very hard. Let them settle in ignore them work around them don't make eye contact. after a week I would start working of finding what food they like My little conure loves Safflower seeds. Find a food they go nuts for and use that to tame them.

Why did you get the birds? Have you had birds before?

ive been breeding cockatiels for a long time and i just wanted to know if my gcc's behavior was normal because i havent seen that before, we have 2 gcc breeders in my country and we sure dont have "unwanted green cheeks"

i got the birds because ive always wanted them but i couldn't afford them because of how expensive they were and now i can, and i love smart birds that you can train easily, ive successfully trained many cockatiels but it takes so much time and patience. i got my first bird when i was 11 and been a bird lover since then

 

[EllenD]

It's good you have experience, and I'm glad you finally got the birds you wanted. A lot of people think breeding and hand-raising baby birds is easy, and then they get into big trouble and come onto the forum with emergencies that they know nothing about and are not prepared for at all. That's why the poster above said what he said. It's good that you can handle the babies if they come, but the question remains whether or not you want to breed them.

Yes, your birds behavior is normal for a bonded breeding pair, but the fact remains that if you intend on continuing to breed them and have babies, they will probably never be tame pet birds. I know I've heard of people accomplishing this before with a bonded breeding pair that they actually hand-raised themselves from eggs. They became a bonded breeding pair but remained tame with their original owner. That's the only time I've really heard of a breeding pair that were good pets. It's just not something that typically works out. So if you want to breed them then that's fine, you're capable and knowledgeable, unlike a lot of people that come on here and that have allowed their birds to lay a clutch and are panicking. But remember that if you keep breeding them they will most likely stay pretty much the way they are now. If you would rather have them as tame pets than breed them, then you need to remove the nest box, get them into separate cages, and get them on a solar schedule. Then you can start working with them each, slowly and at their pace. It can take many months if not years, but it can be done and is done all the time with retired breeders.

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