New Green Cheek refuses to use perches

[Biomajir]

I just got a new 3 month old green cheek conure today. He is in a large cage with two plastic perches near his food and 4 other natural wood perches throughout the cage. He has used the plastic perches to get to his food and water and is eating and drinking ok. He even came out of the cage briefly and fell asleep on his back in my hand. However, he refuses to sit on his perches. He has spent the entire time on the cage floor. Even now, his cage is covered up and he is sleeping in the corner on the cage floor. Is this normal? Does anyone have any suggestions?

[iluvmysweetp]

My old tiel Milo used to d this for the first week and he got used to it when we would placehim on the peches and put his food and water near perches or in areas only acessable thru perches.GOOD LUCK!

[DarwinTheSun]

I think he is just getting settled in. It will take a few days (or even a few weeks) for him to become completely comfortable with his new surroundings. Remember, everything is going to be new to him at your house.

I am a tad concerned about the two plastic perches...does he have lots of other types of perches in there too? Like rope or natural wood?

[Courtzrocks]

Originally Posted by Biomajir

4 other natural wood perches throughout the cage.

Good to know. Probably just settling in...my green cheek only stayed on the rope perch for the first week until she felt comfortable. Do you know if he was given perches to stand on previously? Maybe if he has never had perches he wont know what to make of them at first. I still think he is just getting settled in. Try putting treats near the perches.

[DarwinTheSun]

OK, Sorry! Just making sure (and I should have specified not dowel perches too I suppose...) But it sounds good.

[Courtzrocks]

Lol, i had to re-read it to see if it was mentioned dont worry.

[Biomajir]

I just put the plastic perches near the food and water dishes because they like to wipe their beaks alot after eating and the wood gets so dirty so quickly. He seems to be ok with the plastic ones but do you think I should replace them?

[DarwinTheSun]

Sorry Biomajir, this was my fault. I asked about the perches to make sure there were different kinds of perches in the cage (and I missed in your original post that you had several types). It is really important to have perches that are not just straight (they need bend and have natural shape). Perches that are just straight (like dowel wood or plastic perches) can lead to foot problems later, because they are unnatural to stand on. But having a few plastic perches in the cage is fine :) And I know what you mean about the beak wiping! That is why my bird has manzanita wood perches by his food dishes (it is easy to wipe clean too). Anyway, sorry for the confusion!

[Zoe's Mom]

Perhaps he isnt getting good footing on the plastic perches. They may be slippery .

[jenseits]

I agree he might just be settling in if he's new. For what it's worth, my guy really likes heavily textured perches like sisal and bottle brush. He also loves his rope perches. It's important to have a variety of perches, including some that aren't too hard and/or too smooth (they are harder to grip and not as comfortable).