They seem to like each other

[TacoNTiki]

So far our 'tiel (almost 2 years old) and baby GCC (7 weeks) are getting along. They forage for crumbs under our coffee table together, LOL! Our tiel has even lightly beaked our conure's beak (bird kisses???). Occasionally they chase each other away, or more like GCC chases tiel away. I am hoping that they continue to be friends and won't change when Tiki(GCC) gets older.

Tiki has been such a sweetie! My family is so in love with him and so far he has been easy going. I am preparing myself for the nippy stage, which I heard will come. I hope it is not too bad and not too much blood shed, hahaha. I want Tiki to be with our family forever and won't give up on him even if he turns evil and I really hope that he stays friendly. We have been researching how to curb biting and making sure we don't pull our fingers away, but rather gently pushing into his beak and saying a firm 'no'. Also, we have been 'handling' him lots to get him used to our contact. But, any other tips would be welcomed and stories about how your conure is as an adult and what to expect when the nippy stage comes in (or when it typically starts) would be appreciated.

 

[PickleMeDickles]

Congrats on your new baby! I LOVE my GC (Pickles). She/He is about a year. How great that the two are getting along! I would keep them in separate cages but let them have together time as much as possible. Also, keep their cages as close together as possible.

Kind of funny story. When we went to the breeder, he plopped Pickles on my lap (she was still a baby mind you) and the darn thing laid into my finger. My husband was sitting next to me and I promptly said "I do not want this thing, you take it" (this is the first animal I have EVER come across that I didn't want). So my husband took it and I paid no more mind to the situation.

Meanwhile, the breeder plopped 2 Suns in my lap. Of course they were not screaming at the top of their lungs and they did not bite. In fact, they both played with me for awhile and then crawled into my hoodie and went to sleep.

I turned to my hubby, and said "I'm in love" and he said "so am I", so we ended up with 3 birds. I was convinced the GC was returned or rejected by everyone because it was so evil.

Nine months later and I am IN LOVE with Pickles, the GC. Don't get me wrong, I love all my babies the same, but Pickles is the "easiest" to love, if that makes sense. She stayed evil (or what I call crabby) for about 2 months. I slowly tried to make friends, giving her treats often, giving her lots of outside time near me and slowly handling her more and more. Now she is the most social of them all with strangers. She will go to anybody.

The nippiness was irritating, but so are the terrible twos (with real humans). The good thing with GC is they can't bite all that hard. Pickles hardest clamp down hurt but did not draw blood. She now constantly preens me and I even trust her with my ears!

When she got nippy I would firmly tell her "too hard" and make her stop what she was doing (we used all sorts of methods to get her to stop - blowing, earthquake, water bottle, gently grasping the beak until she releases). Actually, they all seemed to work in the long run. I can't wait for puberty.

She is still evil when it comes to every other "animal" in this house. My Suns get along with everybody. Pickles attacks without hesitation. The dogs, no problem. Bring em on. Kind of scary, we have to be so careful. She also hates the Suns and we have had them together everyday. They stay on the same table every day all day and she will not even look at the Suns, and if one wanders into her space it gets ugly and we have to intervene immediately.

So, to sum up this novel, I would say my advice is time, time, time. Give your baby as much of your time as possible. I have found portable playpens (the java tree things) a blessing (of course I have to have 2 because of Pickles). Seriously, lost of time. Also, "eating" together. I really think that is a strong bonding action that is pretty easy to do.
Oh, and one last thing. As your bird allows it, get it used to being touched everywhere, the toes, wings, under the wings. It builds trust and sets up for easier handling later on.

Best of luck on your new baby! Share a picture soon.

-Jen