Newbie

[Toni]

hello i got my very first parrot last week and he is a green cheek conure and his name is loki. there is just one small problem i have with him i like to let him out as much as possible so i try letting him out while i get ready for work in the morning but he makes it his mission to not let me get ready he is extremely needy i try putting him on top of his cage and he makes his way to find me then i try putting him on my shoulder and he runs around my neck and keeps trying to hop into my hand he has almost fallen into my bowl of cereal because he wont let me eat lol so the only thing i can come up with is to put him back into his cage because i need to get ready any ideas on how i can either keep him on his cage or just be happy on my shoulder?

 

[Amps]

Hey, and welcome to the forums. I usually let my cockatiel fly around the room in the morning or do something else to let her get rid of all that extra energy. Though if it's wings are clipped, I have no idea.

 

[Winston1Smith2]

I have had a GCC for about one year to a year and half. I had a similar problem with Cracker. It was always a battle to get him back in his cage so I could go to work. The way I solved that problem was that I let him see me fill up his feeder with fresh food. He always went into his cage with no problem after that. Also, after he went into his cage I rewarded him with his favorite treat, some raisins. As to other negative behaviors you want to stop, I have found the best way to "punish" Cracker is to ignore him. Whenever he misbehaves I just walk away from him and ignore him for five or ten minutes. You might also want to consider banning Loki from your shoulder at least until he behaves in a manner more acceptable to you. When I first got Cracker he did have a bad biting problem. I think not letting him on my shoulder was a major factor in helping me solve that problem. I now allow Cracker on my shoulder, but only when I place him there. He is still not allowed to go on my shoulder without my permission.

 

[Hochimama]

Welcome to Parrot Forum ~~ ^^

 

[suebee]

hello an welcome, sounds like you have a determined bird so good luck with that, as said above, with time an patiance

 

[Toni]

thanks! Loki did have a biting problem but i did what you did and i ignored him and it took one day of letting him out and putting him back in but he got it and he hasnt bitten me since but mine doesnt seem to be interested in food or treats :S

 

[John]

It sounds like your bird just loves you too much.

I have a 4 year old Green Cheek Conure. Thankfully, I've never had much trouble getting him in his cage (and he is flighted). He does sometimes crawl around the back of my neck and back, when I try to get him off my shoulder, though. When he does this, I either try to get him to step up on a perch, or get someone else to take him off.

The advice that Winston1Smith gave was all very good. Try using treats to get him back in the cage and ignore rather than react to any unwanted behavior. Parrots tend to view any noise you make as a "reward" so it tends reinforce the bad behavior if you yell at them.

Do you have a table top playstand you can put him on while you eat your breakfast? If so, you might want to try putting him on it and giving him a special treat, only when he is on it. Does he have plenty of room and toys in his cage?

 

[Toni]

i have a removable play top on his cage i could try maybe moving it to the table but ive tried putting him up there with a bunch of small toys and he immediatly trys to fly to me and his wings are clipped so he doesnt make it far and soemtimes before i can even walk away he flys and lands on top of my head lol then i have to fight him to get out of my hair do you know what green cheeks like best for treats and toys??

 

[John]

Mine likes sunflower seeds (not too many) and nuts (peanuts, macadamia nuts) as treats. He will do pretty much anything for those.

For toys, he loves ones he can chew, swings and ones with bells.

What are you feeding Loki for his standard diet?

 

[Toni]

its called kaytee exact but he is getting what the breeder gave me so im switching him slowly but he wont play with any toys i got a whole bunch including a swing balls with bells inside and a foraging toy plus toilet paper rolls and lots of other stuff people told me they like.......maybe he just needs some time to adjust to his cage im not to sure only had him a week

 

[John]

Those toys sound good. As you said, he probably just needs to settle in and figure out what the toys are for.

I just got a baby Red Bellied Parrot this week and while he seems happy, he seems to be having a little trouble figuring out how to climb around his cage and getting from perch to perch and toy to toy. Is your GCC moving around the cage, OK?

Do you feed him any fresh fruits or veggies? My GCC gets some banana, apple, chopped baby carrots, or other fruits or vegatables every day, along with the pellets (Zupreem) and a small amount of seeds. He seems happier since he started getting the fresh produce.

 

[Toni]

ohh man does mine move around the cage like crazy hes a mad man but thats all he does he wont eat treats he wont eat veggies or fruit but he eats his regular food.