i have owned my green cheek for about 4-5 years now. but recently i have seen a severe change in his behavior. he's always been very kind and polite to me, but has been screaming and biting lately... i think it might be that i'm not home as much as i used to be. and my parents have to deal with his misbehavior.
is there anything anyone would recommend to teach him that this behavior is wrong, or to keep him happy while i'm away? when i go up to his cage to take him out, he becomes very defensive and aggressive is there any way of showing him i want to be kind to him and mean him no harm? please help!
i've discovered that he mostly bites if i stick my hand in his cage to try to bring him out... and i've also discovered that he seems to appreciate it more when i simply let him climb onto the roof of the cage, then i give him the command to step onto my finger, and he does it just as sweetly as ever!
i guess i was just kind of freaking out... sometimes i forget how smart birds can be, and that they're different from other animals in that, if given the freedom of making a decision, they will highly appreciate being able to make a decision for themselves! george simply didn't want me pulling him out of his cage when he wasn't ready, and was telling me so the only way he knew how...
birds really are amazing! i love my george!
as for the problem of me being away a lot... i've been considering buying him a bigger, nicer cage. ^-^
By nature green cheeks are very territorial of their living space. I never recommend putting your hand in the cage unless the bird is somewhere else. Also the more time away from the bird you are the worse this problem becomes. If you get a bigger cage make sure to rotate perches and toys on a weekly basis, this will help with territorial issues. All in all I'm glad you were able to figure things out quickly before it became a major issue.
I disagree that Green Cheeks are "territorial by nature." They have great dispositions for the most part, but they can become snippy, just as all birds do, once they reach sexual maturity. Also if you have not been spending as much time with your Greenie he may be upset with you. With birds you can always ADD time, but you can never take it away. I do agree that rotating the toys on a weekly to bi-weekly basis will help his behavior. Also, how many toys do you have in his cage? The more the merrier!
i've been trying to spend as much time with him as i can lately... and last month i did get him a bigger cage... he seems very happy about that! he's not nearly as upset as he used to be when i leave...
i am still working on getting new toys... its hard to find any he'll actually play with (i need to find more bells! he loves bells!) and i'm only a poor college student.
the cage was about $130 at tomlinsons (i dunno if they're only in texas or not... but they're a chain of pet supply stores with lots of bird things!
You have one lucky green cheek, great cage! There are cheap toys such as unused toothbrushs from the dollar store, plastic bottle tops, popsical sticks in a container, just get creative!
By territorial i mean over there perceived nest or home or person, or flock. Not that they have bad personalities. There territorial nature comes from the fact that in the wild nest competition is fierce due to lack of suitable nests, and although they form flocks they will readily attack outsiders who invade their personal space. It is these qualities that translate into captivity making them for some people a challenge, while others find their feisty nature endearing.
i bought him some toys today... i'll take picture of his renovated cage eventually... he's got lots of bells now!! lol (i got my paycheck the other day... FINALLY some money!!)
he loves bottles caps... i sometimes leave a few in the bottom of his cage. and straws too! if your not careful, he'll steal the straw right out of your drink!
im very new to the site and cant figure out where to post a new question so im going to reply and hope someone answers, i need help with my conure please. She is approx 2 years old, i found her by accident. She had a beautiful nature for those 1 and a half years but has become violent and bites. I recently went overseas for a month and made the mistake of spoiling her before i left, when i returned home i got a job and only get to be with her in the morning and evenings. How do i get her under control? I cant even let her sit on my shoulder as she attacks my face. How can i get her to be her old, nice, sweet self again?
green cheek conure behavior? PLEASE HELP!
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