Cuddly Conure Adult VS Baby Esp GCC

[camelotshadow]

I am looking at getting a rehomed 1 1/2 YO GCC. He's cuddly & allows you to pick him up & hold him to your chest or face. He is content to sit for long periods with you.
Never has biten in 1 mo but won't step up from inside cage & is just not liking to perch on finger.
He's been recently clipped after being flighted & previous owner info is unknown.
He will perch on finger but clearly is uncomfortable.
Would the balance issue be due to the clipping? He balances fine on a perch when he is by himself.

(Bird was hatched from breeders birds & she took him back to resell after 1 1/2 years to try to get him a good home & owner needed cash fast.)

You have to remove him from cage y grabbing him & he's alright with this & doesn't bite.
Could he be taught to step up? Still its no big deal maybe its just not his thing. Other than that he's as snuggly as a stuffed toy.
Even squeaks like one/

My other choice is a 4 1/2 mo GCC Female. She also likes to play a bit then is OK with cuddling.
She perches on finger fine even upside down.

Clearly the older male is a very sweet calm bird & from what I've read would most likely continue to be his cuddly self outside of hormone time.

Baby female is nice now but no guarantee how she would be when she matures & may possibly loose the want to cuddle. Now when she gets out she likes to play about 15 minutes til she settles down & then can be cuddled.

I'm leaning for the older one as I feel I can be more assured of what I am getting in personality & behavior
& older one is harder to re home than a 4 1/2 mo old.

My question is how cuddly are peoples GCC's & be sure to list age of bird.
I'm curious how many cuddly let you hold them any way babies grew up to not wanting to interact in same way.

I've always wanted a cuddle bug & if he's this way with a woman he only knows for a few short weeks then I think he will be ok with me.

Any advice?

 

[Greycloud]

I do not own a GCC but use to breed them. I would go with the older bird. To be honest, being grabbed and taken out of the cage has taught him coming out is not pleasant. Once out he is fine. Why not work with him and reward him for coming out on his own, and he will. Stepping up is also easy to teach to a bird that loves to snuggle. Find a very favorite treat and praise for any positive behavior.

 

[Verivus]

I have a GCC I got as a 6-week-old baby, and he is now 2.5 years old. He is not cuddly at all and extremely independent. I love him anyway and he's great in other ways, but if I could go back I would have gone with an older adult instead whose personality was already more or less established.

 

[camelotshadow]

The baby seems like a great bird but is a baby & babies play & babies grow up.
No way of knowing if a baby bird will grow up to be a quiet apartment bird

1 1/2 yo male is very quiet. In fact he's everything you could want except he doesn't like stepping up. To be fair to the older bird he is in a strange house, cage etc & was clipped.
He was free flighted in a bird room & may have come out of the cage flying on his own.
She has lots of birds & can't spend alot of time with him but she has got him to perch on her finger. He's been though alot still he acts like a perfect gentleman.
Hard to believe he is a real bird. He mainly just likes to sit or lay on you. She can hold him in her hands every which way & he's fine with it.
No aggression. I've seen him through pics & videos & he's lovable like a toy.



The older guy seems exceptionally docile & not stepping up is really no big deal.
When he wants to come out & learns he likes it he might just decide hitching a ride on my finger is not bad.

Now she has to chase him around cage grab him he squeaks & take him out.
She lays him on her chest strokes him & he's his cuddly self.
His name is Precious

 

[Mizzely]

My 3 year old girl is not cuddly but she was as a baby. I'd go with the adult male. I also would simply open the cage door and let him come out. No need to grab him.

 

[camelotshadow]

Thanks everyone this is a big decision.

I am smitten by the adult male who is just a tad over 1 1/2 years old so you think he's mature & past puberty which is usually about 1 year old plus or minus 4 months.

If he's acting this cuddly in a strange house with a stranger then he's most likely a good choice?

 

[Verivus]

Well, he may have already hit puberty. I don't know. Maybe the foster knows? I would go with the older bird if I were you. I think there would be a lower chance of his personality changing versus a baby, especially if you're wanting a cuddly bird. I would never try to grab him though unless it was a dire emergency. As Mizzely said, just open the cage door and let him come out on his own.

 

[camelotshadow]

There's a 11 week baby Turquoise GCC newly listed in CL locally.
Ad Says super sweet loves to cuddle on your neck.


Love the turquoise & very tempting.

I missed a 3 yo Turquoise GCC last weekend. Bird was sold in a day.
No idea of its cuddling ability though it was very tame & didn't bite so nice bird.
He I was told could be loud at times....who knows what that means?

What really is cuddling with a bird? Is it just security? Is it affection? Warmth?
Precious just seems content to sit & hang out with you.

She was teaching him to perch & he flew on a Macaw's cage.
She grabbed him before any damage could be done but it scared the GCC. This guy isn't fearless
He was making crying squeaks & hiding his head in her hair around her neck as she stroked him trying to comfort them. It was too cute & I'm glad he didn't lose a foot or be injured.
I retrospect bad place to train in a noisy bird room but that's what was available I guess.

I guess I equate snuggly with affection so it makes the bird seem more endearing.
I guess I need a hug...

 

[webchirp]

I would go for the older bird and just be warned being nervous or new can place them on their best behavior as well rather than expecting even better behavior when they settle down. Cheekies are naughty and can get into trouble etc. I would think stepping up for a favorite treat would be the way to go and shouldn't take long.

Kari (female-@6yr) - was never snuggly but likes to hang out and dance and play
Zephyr (male-3.5yr) - had since 8 months...was super cuddly and playful and is now rarely playful and very independent. He is usually on the go roaming around the room playing or foraging
Giggie (female-unknown) - super snuggly outside of the birdroom
Carlton (male -@6yr) - other birds only, no need for humans
Rocco (male-10yr) - likes to cuddle but carefully or you will get bitten
Jewel (female-3.5yr) - loves to snuggle - super sweet
Zia (female-unknown) - snuggle, velcro, attached - you name it. My most clingon bird in the room
Hachi (unknown-unknown) - likes scritches but has arthritis so you have to be super careful with her
My last foster Bebe was very young and loves to cuddle, snuggle, play but his new mom says he is hitting his nippy phase which I was starting to see. I think he is going to be similar to Zephyr but perhaps less independent since he won't have a roomful of girls.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Even though I love babies and all of my conures have been @ 3 mos. old when I got them, if I were you I would go with the known adult. Mine were sweet babies and although still sweet and wanting to be petted and held they were also nippy and would bite quite hard. I'm not saying that this might not happen with the cuddly, affectionate adult but you have a better idea of what you are getting. That being said, birds will sometimes act differently when they are moved to a new environment and surrounded by new people so be aware of that.

 

[lwis]

Go with the adult is my recommendation also. Butbe aware that no matter what age a bird is, there is always a chance (in fact, Iwould count on it) that he or she may change...and change back, or change again. Just like humans, birds' moods and temperaments are not static.
Darwin, our 3 1/2 yr old GCC was six mos when we got him and he didn't like to cuddle much, but would step up fine. In several months he became super cuddly (like he would try to melt into your hand). Right now, he doesn't like to come out of his cage much and only steps up sometimes, he will get sassy and bite when he feels like it or he might be afraid of our hands, and in the mornings and bed times he likes head scratches, but on his terms. 6 months ago, he was our cuddly guy, and 6months before that, he was cage bound. I have no doubt that in a few months Darwin will again be back to his confident cuddly self, but I am just trying to say that interactions could change a lot, and do not expect one trait (eg- ciluddliness) to remain the same.
Dexter, our 2 1/2 yr old rose crown conure was 5 months when he came home, and he did not like to be touched or step up. Now he is our social butterfly, and loves to be on us. He also loves to lay on his back in our hands and he looooves to be towled and given scratches (weird guy. Lol).
Good luck with whoever you choose though. Just make sure you have realistic expectations.


Oh, and just for a little disclaimer on Darwin- he has had pretty rough molts and they seem to particularly affect him psychologically and will be quite fussy and temperamental/ fearful for several months. Going through a bad complete molt right now. Poor guy.

 

[camelotshadow]

I would go for the older bird and just be warned being nervous or new can place them on their best behavior as well rather than expecting even better behavior when they settle down. Cheekies are naughty and can get into trouble etc. I would think stepping up for a favorite treat would be the way to go and shouldn't take long.

The foster was told he was very tame so I am hoping that is his usual behavior & lives up to his name Precious.
He has been consistently content to be held for a month now. Guess that's short in bird time.
Know no guarantees so thanks for reminding me.
Its hard buying a bird from a foster but she has tried to handle the bird numerous occassions & take videos to show me how he reacts to her.
Mostly content to hang out. Do you think he's scared or nervous?
I guess I would be in a strange home & cage. Bet by now he's bored.

Now I'm scared as this is a big decision.

 

[parrotmamma]

By any chance is the conure you are referring to at Deborahs "the bird lady " in texas
I only ask cause this sounds just like a conure I was looking at.... it's a crimson bellied conure , very snuggly but does not step up ? He sounded very sweet and looked so adorable.
I ended up choosing a white eared conure that is almost weaned.
Should be able to pick it up in a week or two. So excited : )

 

[camelotshadow]

Welcome to the forum Mandy. Congrats on your new conure.

 

[parrotmamma]

Thanks , I can't wait to get him/ her.....it's a little bittersweet ......My little cinnamon gcc passed away last spring and I feel like I can finally move forward . I have really missed her, conures are such little clowns . Not so serious like my TAG...lol

 

[camelotshadow]

Thanks , I can't wait to get him/ her.....it's a little bittersweet ......My little cinnamon gcc passed away last spring and I feel like I can finally move forward . I have really missed her, conures are such little clowns . Not so serious like my TAG...lol

Sorry, about the passing of your cinnamon but hopefully soon you will have the pitter patter of lil conure feet running around & hopefully things go well with the intro to your TAG.

 

[camelotshadow]

Last night had a storm on Halloween. Knocked out my power entire night.
When I awoke & tried to turn on my computer it won't work from power surge so I am on a laptop.
All my work is on that computer. Such a horrible thing is I was to decide about getting this conure now I don't know if that's a bad omen or good sign from above that its the right bird?
I'm thinking about poop now & $.
I can barely afford this bird now I have too fix a computer. I almost want to cry this is breaking my heart.
What do I do?

 

[parrotmamma]

Awe, sorry about your computer.....that kind of thing seems to happen at the worst times ...maybe it won't cost to much to to fix ?

 

[camelotshadow]

Awe, sorry about your computer.....that kind of thing seems to happen at the worst times ...maybe it won't cost to much to to fix ?

Yes, bad time during one of the big decisions of my life about this bird & no lights ,computer or telephone for 9 hours. I'm afraid I may have missed an important deadline.
Now I'm afraid its a warning that the bird will not be good for me. All this esp on Halloween.
Storming sheets of rain. Garage doors locked shut. No way in or out for no electric to open the gates.
Not fun. No treat for sure was had here!

 

[Skipper]

Rather than grabbing him to get him out of the cage (sounds like a good way to get bitten), try using a small wooden stick.

Gilliagan will step up on a finger in the cage fine, except for the first 5 minutes after getting our of bed. Then he is puffed up and ready to fight!

But he will un-fluff and step right up on the stick when presented. I just keep my fingers clear for a while unitl he calms down.