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Help please with my baby GCCs

Fulmer

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Lori
Hello I have two beautiful perfect green cheek babies. They are 5 weeks old and being parent and hand raised. The smaller one (2 days younger) is still a little skittish and kind of freezes when we hold her but is sweet and never bites. My bigger one (5 weeks today) loves being held runs towards our hands and screams when we put her back. The older girl has started getting super curious and climbs everywhere on us and the furniture. She is trying to fly from my knee to my lap. They are both wonderful❤ The older one has always used her mouth to taste and feel everything but now she has started to pinch our hands and fingers and will not let go. It doesn’t hurt but I don’t want her to bit for real when she is older and don’t know how to stop her. We don’t do anything now when she does it. Should we make a sound or do something to deter the behavior? Thank you ☺
 

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Shezbug

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Zara

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now she has started to pinch our hands and fingers and will not let go.
I do not have experience with conures, only lovebirds, who also go through this sort of phase.

Where is you hand when this is happening?
Sometimes when I have my hand on the (computer) mouse, my younger birds will do that. So when I see them stood watching my hand on the mouse, I take my hand off the mouse, or if I need to keep using it, I get the little one to step up and move him somewhere else - on a shoulder usually keeps them amused for a couple of minutes.

If your bird is sat on your hand gently nibbling, but then you feel a little pressure, quickly put the bird down on a table or whatever is right in from of you, calmly and without commotion. Little ones usually learn pretty quickly that when they apply pressure you are putting them down, which they don´t like, and stop doing it. If this carries on, then avoid letting them beak you altogether and start putting them down when they try nibbling.


I´ll tag some conure people :) @Mockinbirdiva @webchirp
 

Lady

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My baby started the biting as well. At first I ignored and redirected, but it wasn't helping. I started using Zara's set them down method plus turning my back. It has made a huge difference in just two days.
 

Fulmer

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Okay thank you that will probably help with my older baby but today I have a new issue. My younger baby who is still nervous when I pick her up out of the box bit the crap out of me. If she was older it would of broken skin and she didn’t want to let go. If I put her back when she does that she will be happy and bite me every time I try to hold her
 

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Lady

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Does she like treats like sunflower seeds? You could use them to get her to like hands and then teach step up from there.
 

Monica

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First and foremost - try to avoid the bites!

Your babies are essentially little feathered puppies right now! Give them toys to play with! Teach them how to forage! Start training new behaviors!

If you do get bit, pry their beaks off of you and set them down for a moment! It does not need to be long at all!



Older baby is more confident where-as younger one is more skittish. Try some hands off interaction with the younger one for now. Try not to scare the little one either. Forcing physical interaction could make the behavior worse, we want to associate good things with us.
 

Fulmer

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Does she like treats like sunflower seeds? You could use them to get her to like hands and then teach step up from there.
The are only 5 weeks old and parents are feeding them. Am I allowed to offer any treats?
 
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