A_Big_Birdy
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 11/5/18
- Messages
- 3
Hi there everyone! -
I'm new to Avian Avenue and I have a new green cheek conure that I've had for just a few weeks (my first bird, too!). I didn't ask his exact age but it sounded like he is only several months old, less than a year at least. When I got him he would eagerly step up either onto my finger or a handheld perch I would hold up. I stopped offering my finger cause he kept nipping at it / biting it, but he was great about stepping on the handheld perch when I held it in front of him.
All of a sudden though, he has no interest in ever stepping up on the perch and letting me take him around. His wings are clipped (the people I bought him from did that on their own before I met him). I want him to enjoy his time out of his cage, but he just perches on the open top. Only rarely will he ever hop off onto my bed (which is next to his cage) and nearby surfaces. I wanted to continue to encourage him to explore my house but now that he won't step up onto the handheld perch and I can't hold him without getting nipped at, I feel I don't have many options. How can I get him to enjoy himself more and hopefully start stepping onto the handheld perch again? Even when I try to lure him using treats, he won’t go onto the perch. I've been trying to make it super steady, because I think that's at least part of why he now rejects it, it might have been unsteady in the past, but it doesn't seem to be enough.
I'm new to Avian Avenue and I have a new green cheek conure that I've had for just a few weeks (my first bird, too!). I didn't ask his exact age but it sounded like he is only several months old, less than a year at least. When I got him he would eagerly step up either onto my finger or a handheld perch I would hold up. I stopped offering my finger cause he kept nipping at it / biting it, but he was great about stepping on the handheld perch when I held it in front of him.
All of a sudden though, he has no interest in ever stepping up on the perch and letting me take him around. His wings are clipped (the people I bought him from did that on their own before I met him). I want him to enjoy his time out of his cage, but he just perches on the open top. Only rarely will he ever hop off onto my bed (which is next to his cage) and nearby surfaces. I wanted to continue to encourage him to explore my house but now that he won't step up onto the handheld perch and I can't hold him without getting nipped at, I feel I don't have many options. How can I get him to enjoy himself more and hopefully start stepping onto the handheld perch again? Even when I try to lure him using treats, he won’t go onto the perch. I've been trying to make it super steady, because I think that's at least part of why he now rejects it, it might have been unsteady in the past, but it doesn't seem to be enough.