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Grip strength

Jawon

Sitting on the front steps
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Joined
3/30/14
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19
Hey Guys,
I recently got a beautiful 15 week, well now 16 week yellow sided Green cheek conure. He/she plays fine, eats seeds with a mixture of pellets. ( he/she is very good with pellets) and fresh veggies. what I noticed is his/her feet grip isn't strong most of the time. He/she will grip my finger but lightly and would fall of if I move fast .
Do you guys think its bc he/she is still a baby ?
Did anyone else have this experience?
( most of the time this little guy would eat, play a little and power nap several times a day)
Here's a picture of the cutie
 

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Jawon

Sitting on the front steps
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3/30/14
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Hey @webchirp do you have any info? Thanks so much!
I know you have a couple of these cuties!
 

Jawon

Sitting on the front steps
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3/30/14
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19
Forgot to mention, this past Sunday we went to get the nails trimmed at the store with the breeder where the baby came from. The nails were super sharp , it would leave little red marks on our hands. He/she also got one nail cut short to do the DNA sexing.
 

Shezbug

ASK ME FOR PICTURES OF MY MACAW!
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bump
 

elitys

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I think I had a similar experience with my GCC first bringing her home. Her nails were super long to the point of hurting me, and after I got her trimmed, she was super clumsy. I think they just need a chance to build up foot strength after relying on long nails to keep their grip. Especially young ones like yours. To help them build strength, try to keep a variety of natural perches in their cage with different widths and textures. You can also include ropes or boings at different angles as long as the bird doesn't chew on them too much.
 

Mizzely

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It does take time for them to get good grip strength, and if they just had a trim, their toes could be sore, or they are still getting used to moving/hanging on without the long talons
 

dollfish

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Zeynep Dollfish
My bird didn't have a grip as strong when she was young, maybe even up until she was 6-7 months of age. I think also not having the general body / wing strenght contributes to this. They use their wings a lot for balance and perching with confidence. I can now move around Astro on my hand very swiftly and she will just do some flaps to adjust herself. African Grays are said to be clumsy but I can definitely tell a difference in grip strenght now at 1 year old.
 
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