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My GCC will no longer "step up"?

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.
 

faislaq

I have macaws and don't post enough pictures
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:bump7:
 

annoellyn

Walking the driveway
Joined
10/4/18
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246
How do you interact with him without him stepping up? I think this is a big factor. When I first got my gcc he wouldn't step up so I talked to him, played music, gave him lots of hand held treats. Get him engaged with you while he's not stepping up and he'll be wanting to hang out with you more. He'll want to follow you when you leave your room. Stepping up allows him to do that. Keep trying to get him to step up but just make sure you keep interacting with him a lot in general.
 

ReNap

Strolling the yard
Joined
6/29/18
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115
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Chelsey
Does he avoid you in general, or just your hands? If you approach him without trying to touch him does he get away from you or just when you offer a finger or hand to him? Does he seem to want you attention aside from touching?
 

A_Big_Birdy

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
11/5/18
Messages
3
@annoellyn that's a good idea. I will try to increase my time with him and see if that works. Our activities have been so limited since he doesn't want to step up anymore. Usually our time together is me conditioning him to his 'flight suit' I want him to eventually wear by letting him touch it while I hand feed him treats. And I'll pet him and we watch Netflix together until I get tired of his pooping and ask him to go back to his room. I'm hoping to spend much more time together if I can finally get him to wear the flight suit (it has a diaper in it) but I'm not sure if we'll ever get there because I'm afraid of him biting me while I try to put the suit on. He has indicated that doesn't like when I do that lol.

@ReNap He is fortunately great about letting me pet him now. He barely ever refuses a pet when I offer it now. He seems to generally like it when I'm near him and will often but not always move closer to me, but he definitely doesn't seem obsessed with me like some birds (I've heard) can get. I don't think he'd care to follow me out of the room although he seems to squawk a bit when I leave the house.
 

faislaq

I have macaws and don't post enough pictures
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Could he sit on a towel instead of wearing a flight suit during movie time?
 
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