Thank you very much for the advice. I will follow it. Much appreciated. My concern is two-fold: (1) The bites hurt and (2) I don't want to make him feel frustrated. A frustrated bird is not a happy bird, and it's not a terribly auspicious way for us to begin our friendship. I'm trying to learn Conurese

He lowers his head when he is on my finger and seems to be in the "transfer me to shoulder" pose I have read about in my GCC care handbook. He seems keen to come out of his cage and spend time, and I avoid grabbing him as much as I can (I am mostly successful). I also don't invade his cage unless I put food in/take out dirty bowls, and then I do it slowly and watch his body language. Fortunately he steps up when he wants to come out. Doing my best to respect his needs. He is indeed a lovely fella. I've met quite a few GCCs in recent weeks, and I really like their manner.