Is it all going too well or is he just a great bird?

[JonnyG]

I am a bit shocked by how well things are going with my new GCC. I have got hime direct from the breeders and he has been home about 4 weeks now and in this time he has settled in like he has been here forever!!

He much prefers to be out in the room, I often have people round and he is happy to see everyone, sit on anyones shoulder, play with them and just generally loves the attention from everyone. He has already got to a point wher he is comfortable with his harness, he hasn't had it on for more than a few mins as he sees it as a toy but he doesnt hesitate to let me put it over his head. He plays with anything and anyone, hes a bit of a rascle really, he is immitating whistles already, he knows not to bite hard, he happily sits on his stand or cage when people are busy and he has just generally fitted in perfectly...

Now Im new to GCC having had various other birds (loivebirds/budgies e.t.c.) and it would seem that hes going a bit faster than the others. Is it normal for young birds to be so comfortable so quickly?


heres a quick pic of him on his cage:

 

[Spiritbird]

Love his cage. What name did you choose? Conures are very social birds and love attention. If you are giving him those things he will be very happy. They are also very quick to learn. My Cricket said his first wors at 5 months of age and has not stopped.

 

[JonnyG]

Love his cage. What name did you choose? Conures are very social birds and love attention. If you are giving him those things he will be very happy. They are also very quick to learn. My Cricket said his first wors at 5 months of age and has not stopped.

His name is persie, names after Van Persie (Arsenal footballer). Yeah I really like his cage, it allows him to use his cage whilst hes out and hopefully it wont feel so cut off for him when shut. The only thing I dont like is when he paces up and down when he is in his cage, we have to put him away at meal times as he will just jump on your plate and try to join in!!

I am more surprised by the harness training and how well thats going. Im hoping he will be in it properly by summer, that way he can join us outside on his play perch during the sunny months...

 

[DaCoSim]

WOW!!! I am so glad things are going well!!! I am getting a GCC next month so that gives me lots of hope that he or she might fit right in. Mine is really young. She will be around 10 weeks or so when I bring her home. Great job! Your baby is gorgeous! How old is he?

 

[lexx510]

Green cheeks tend to present themselves as saints when they're brand new. It may take a few months for him to show his "true colors," lol. Our Guava was a total sweet heart for the first 6 months or so. Then, out of the blue, it was nip galore. It was a good learning experience. I've since learned how to read her body language to avoid bites 9/10 times. But be prepared, because they are usually nippy by nature. Other than that, they are such darlings, lol.

 

[JonnyG]

WOW!!! I am so glad things are going well!!! I am getting a GCC next month so that gives me lots of hope that he or she might fit right in. Mine is really young. She will be around 10 weeks or so when I bring her home. Great job! Your baby is gorgeous! How old is he?

I got mine at 8 weeks, he is now about 12 weeks old, he is a lovely bird, quiet at night, happy, willing to learn and just generally a great pet

Green cheeks tend to present themselves as saints when they're brand new. It may take a few months for him to show his "true colors," lol. Our Guava was a total sweet heart for the first 6 months or so. Then, out of the blue, it was nip galore. It was a good learning experience. I've since learned how to read her body language to avoid bites 9/10 times. But be prepared, because they are usually nippy by nature. Other than that, they are such darlings, lol.

Yeah im kinda expecting that, this is why I was thinking its going to well. I am trying to show him lots of authority. If he bites hard he gets a stern no and if he gets aggressive he goes back into his cage and gets ignored by everyone, im hoping this will help to condition him early on...

 

[lexx510]

WOW!!! I am so glad things are going well!!! I am getting a GCC next month so that gives me lots of hope that he or she might fit right in. Mine is really young. She will be around 10 weeks or so when I bring her home. Great job! Your baby is gorgeous! How old is he?

I got mine at 8 weeks, he is now about 12 weeks old, he is a lovely bird, quiet at night, happy, willing to learn and just generally a great pet

Green cheeks tend to present themselves as saints when they're brand new. It may take a few months for him to show his "true colors," lol. Our Guava was a total sweet heart for the first 6 months or so. Then, out of the blue, it was nip galore. It was a good learning experience. I've since learned how to read her body language to avoid bites 9/10 times. But be prepared, because they are usually nippy by nature. Other than that, they are such darlings, lol.

Yeah im kinda expecting that, this is why I was thinking its going to well. I am trying to show him lots of authority. If he bites hard he gets a stern no and if he gets aggressive he goes back into his cage and gets ignored by everyone, im hoping this will help to condition him early on...

Placing him on a timeout somewhere other than his cage might be a better option. The problem with putting him in his cage when he's misbehaving, is that he will learn to associate his cage with negative feelings. It becomes a place of punishment, yet he will also be expected to go back to his cage when being put to bed, or when nobody's home, etc. So you may be giving him a mixed message. As a result, he may be reluctant to go back into his cage altogether.

I experienced this with Guava and eventually she began biting me when it was time for me to put her back into her cage. So I had to retrain her to like her cage again, by reinforcing her every time she got close to her cage or entered it.