Young GCC Help Needed

[birblover22]

Hi everyone, I currently own a 7.5 month old green cheek conure. I just got him a few days ago but I have already noticed that he picked up some bad habits from his previous owner.

1) For example, he screeches almost on a consistent basis from around 7:30 am until the afternoon and when he does not get attention he screams even louder. This leads me to believe that the previous owners (who had children) may have encouraged this behavior by reacting in such a way that makes him want to scream to get people to come to him.

I live in an apartment so his screeching during the day is not what concerns me, it's mainly when he gets up very early to scream and do flock calls and if he is noisy during the evening I'm worried the neighbours will start to complain. However, I did run into one of my neighbours yesterday and she said she couldn't hear him except for when she was in the hallway.

I feel bad because it seems like the only way to quiet him down is to put a cover on his cage. I've been interacting with him for hours a day but it still seems like the cage cover is the only thing that can get him to lower his voice into soft little chirps. I don't want to always be putting a cover on his cage especially when it's not anytime close to his bedtime yet.

2) Another thing I'm concerned about is the portion sizes of food I have been feeding him. I feed him the daily recommended pellets portion that his bird food bag tells me to. I also add a tbsp of egg food. I've also been trying to get him to eat more fruits and veg, but so far he only seems to like grapes and tries to evade carrots. I've even attempted to chop them up into fine pieces but he doesn't seem to like that. He seems to only want nutriberries if he has to eat anything other than his pellet food. I've also noticed that he tends to eat for most of the day so if I still see a decent amount of food in his bowl from the previous day, I do not refill it unless I need to.

3) Lastly, he's a really sweet bird. Apparently he was handfed and is used to human contact. Even the first day I took him home he already seemed comfortable, and did not even try to bite or nip at me or my partner when he hopped on my arm and we started petting him. The problem I've noticed is that he is able to step up but he has a strong desire to run up my arm and towards my shoulder. I have tried to counteract his attempt by suddenly moving my arm and putting him back on his cage. I've began to teach him to step up and down with treats and with much progress but he still can't master the laddering method and still tries to fly to my shoulder when I take him out of his cage.

I'm somewhat of a novice bird owner. I grew up with my senegal parrot but that bird was more accustomed to my parents rather than me. I know I just got the green cheek conure but I would like to learn some effective training methods early on so I can ensure that he grows up with good behaviours. Thanks!

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum. If you just got your new bird a few days ago, he's still adjusting to your home. I would give him time to settle in and not worry too much about the screaming yet. Birds typically do scream in the morning. He could be flock calling too for the people he previously lived with or if he was with other birds. I wouldn't cover him when he screams. Do you leave a TV or music on for him? Silence during the day can be scary for him.

As for food, birds rarely over eat. So I would make sure he has access to food 24/7. It's normal for birds to eat throughout the day. As for whether to let him on your shoulder or not. That's up to you and your trust level with him. Some people let their birds on their shoulders and some do not.

 

[birblover22]

Hi sunnysmom! Thanks so much for your response!

I'm going to try leaving music for him, I've been with him a lot the last couple of days but today is going to be the first time I'll really be away from him for a few hours so hopefully the music will help.

As for food, should I keep filling the bowl normally if there's already quite a bit of food in it or should I just fill it with about half of the suggested serving size if that's the case?

 

[sunnysmom]

I've honestly never paid attention to serving size. I just keep the bowl filled (depending on how big of a dish you're using.) And just keep trying with different vegetables, etc. It often takes some time for birds to try new food.

 

[webchirp]

Welcome and give him a bit of time. Search for posts @Monica as she has posted a ton of training information. I only leave dry food for two days and then dump and replace unless they have gotten it wet. This helps keep their food clean from bacteria. Fill the bowl with half on a weekend when you are home and see how much he eats.

 

[birblover22]

What should I do if he also has a flying problem? He only likes staying on my hand or shoulder but if I try to set him down on my lap he'll fly away. Also he just flies around when we let him out and clings onto posters we have hung up on the wall. I'm thinking of getting his wings clipped soon but should I continue to let him fly around for now since he's still trying to get used to his surroundings?

 

[Monica]

1) For example, he screeches almost on a consistent basis from around 7:30 am until the afternoon and when he does not get attention he screams even louder. This leads me to believe that the previous owners (who had children) may have encouraged this behavior by reacting in such a way that makes him want to scream to get people to come to him.

What can he do instead of screaming? Can you teach him how to forage for food? Instead of eating for 5 minutes and being full, can he work for his food?

What else could he do? What about teaching him to play with toys? Enriching his life further?

2) Another thing I'm concerned about is the portion sizes of food I have been feeding him. I feed him the daily recommended pellets portion that his bird food bag tells me to. I also add a tbsp of egg food. I've also been trying to get him to eat more fruits and veg, but so far he only seems to like grapes and tries to evade carrots. I've even attempted to chop them up into fine pieces but he doesn't seem to like that. He seems to only want nutriberries if he has to eat anything other than his pellet food. I've also noticed that he tends to eat for most of the day so if I still see a decent amount of food in his bowl from the previous day, I do not refill it unless I need to.

I prefer to feed my birds just slightly over what they would normally eat, and depending on the food, that's usually around 10-15% of their body weight... not counting fresh foods that they also get. If they eat all the dry food I give them, then I feed them more. If there is a lot left, they get less. If there's only a little, then it's about right. Just what I've normally done.

If it helps....
Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
Bird Safe Fresh Foods & Toxic Food Lists & More | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

3) Lastly, he's a really sweet bird. Apparently he was handfed and is used to human contact. Even the first day I took him home he already seemed comfortable, and did not even try to bite or nip at me or my partner when he hopped on my arm and we started petting him. The problem I've noticed is that he is able to step up but he has a strong desire to run up my arm and towards my shoulder. I have tried to counteract his attempt by suddenly moving my arm and putting him back on his cage. I've began to teach him to step up and down with treats and with much progress but he still can't master the laddering method and still tries to fly to my shoulder when I take him out of his cage.

Don't ladder him. You've got part of the training right - using treats. However, you could improve in some areas. Laddering I do not recommend - at least not in the general sense of what is recommended when people say to ladder them. Step up training should be like this. Using communication in a means the bird can understand to achieve a desired goal.

Use those treats to teach him to step up from your shoulder, too!

What should I do if he also has a flying problem? He only likes staying on my hand or shoulder but if I try to set him down on my lap he'll fly away. Also he just flies around when we let him out and clings onto posters we have hung up on the wall. I'm thinking of getting his wings clipped soon but should I continue to let him fly around for now since he's still trying to get used to his surroundings?

He sounds like he's scared and insecure. Height equals safety. It may even help to provide a place in his cage where he can "hide". Not a happy hut, but like a barrier. You can use toys, grass mats or something else to see if that helps. See if maybe there is an issue where his cage is at.


Also wouldn't recommend clipping him. This could result in his behavior getting worse if he is in fact afraid. Any time he's feeling insecure, he should have the opportunity to go back to his cage. Allowing him flight and learning to use his wings could potentially give him the confidence he needs.



Mizzely has also provided some great resources! I would recommend reading her two pages.

How Small Changes Can Have Big Impacts – Parrot 1-2-3
How I Dealt With a Screaming Bird – Parrot 1-2-3

 

[Mizzely]

Monica posted my go tos

As for food it kinda depends on the bird. I have a quaker who is super picky and if he has too much food he won't eat any But he is definitely weird with food.

My green cheek I usually gave her 2 tbsp of pelleted food and it was gone everyday. That was in addition to about 2 tbsp of fresh food and maybe 1/4 tsp of seed as a treat. You sort of figure out your own normal!

 

[Lodah]

Welcome to the forum

As you may have perceived already, it is a natural factor for parrots to voice an opinion and Pilo is no exception, albeit his noise is now mainly yakking his head off in the hope that anyone will repeat his sentences! So while screaming is now rare for him, it has been converted to small talk and attention gaining actions that we actually were hoping for! His cage is filled to the brim with activities and that alone is usually enough to keep his attention towards non screaming! He does love attention and we usually give him as much as he desires so we rarely have problems with him! But that doesn't mean that we don't leave him alone for periods of time (radio or tv on) either! It is a balancing regime that I'm sure you will settle into sooner rather than later!

As for food... Pilo has two feeders that we fill with all sorts of foods daily and he spends a LOT of time foraging for his favorite bits, so that alone is enough to keep him entertained for hours a day!

He rarely destroys toys... but he does have lots that he could destroy if he felt inclined to do... He loves bells,ropes and hidey holes so he can play peek aboo!

No one said it was going to be easy at all... but the rewards are precious and he certainly gives us lots to laugh about!

 

[birblover22]

Thanks so much everyone! I got the birdies some things I could use to make foraging toys with, and I ended up taking Milo to the vet today and they also recommended not to clip his wings. They told me he appears to be healthy and I got a DNA test done for him to find out his gender but the results won’t be out until next week, so just stay tuned for the gender reveal ...most likely will be changing Milo’s name if he ends up being a she

 

[birblover22]

I just got Milo's DNA results back...it's a boy!!!