new mummy of a cinnamon gcc

[lola31]

hello, i just brought my new cgcc "Pepper" home yesterday after a long wait. he (not sure exactly but I've decided its a boy) he's one of two that my local pet store had and i had spent a lot of time bonding with peppers sibling who I'd named "Ike" but i had to go on holiday and the store wouldn't hold him for me and when i got back he was gone so i decided to get pepper instead, he's not as docile as Ike seemed to be and is definitely quite nippy and becoming increasingly so, he loves attention and constantly wants to sit on my shoulder, I'm not quite sure what to do about the biting as I'm a complete newbie with birds.
I'm also unsure about adding fruits and vegetables to his diet as he's been in the pet store for quite a while now and I'm sure he's never had any fresh fruit or veg, i plan on giving him a healthy and varied diet but don't want to make him ill by giving him lots of fruit and veg all at once so should i introduce fruit and veg slowly??

naughty birdie sitting on my glasses

[xafsmom]

What an adorable baby!! Grats! You won't make him sick, if he's never had fruits and veggies, he'll probably just pick at them until he finds something he likes. He won't eat himself sick though, they just don't have that long of an attention span. It's more like "Ohhh grapes! Yumyumyu.....Oooh shiny thing!"

[teenab]

my green cheeks eat pretty much anything I will eat in front of them. They've both figured out the "pretend" bite though & so if I pretend bite something - they pretend bite it as well! I would suggest letting him eat dinner with you. Mine actually ateright off my plate until I started using a tea saucer to make their own plates! If it's good for you to eat - it's good for him (except chocolate & avocado - those are poison to birds). If it's not healthy for you - don't give it to him. Be careful with dairy products...I give mine small amounts of naturally sweetened yogurt as a treat every now & then - but just a small amount.

[Icednova625]

Go right ahead with the fruits and veggies even if he didn't get them its good for him. Don't be shocked if he is a little nippy, seems to be a green cheek thing. I know mine nip, but they don't chomp down and try to hurt me. I'm still working with cinnamon the cgc(original eh) which is still seperated from the rest of the flock(just got her june 4th). Haven't had much problem with her nipping at me.

Pepper is such a cutie!

[lola31]

thanks every one he is a cutie but the biting is getting worse, he is actually rooting around my hands to find the softest spot and then he just nibbles, it hurt pretty bad this morning and i'm worried about letting my little boy hold him.

pepper loves company and just sits at the front of the cage wanting attention and squawks if we leave the room, he doesn't play with any of the toys i have in there for him I've tried playing with them a bit but he is so disinterested. his favorite thing is either snuggling on my shoulder or when he's in his cage i put my hand in and he kinda settles into my cupped hand and gets all snuggly he'll actually go to sleep like that and he looks sooo sweet when he has his snuggle on lol but I'm worried I'm going to do the wrong thing and make him a beast of a bird I'm not sure how to train him he loves fruit i tried him with grapes and apple but he's not interested in them when he's out of his cage so I'm not sure what to use as a positive reward.

[birdlover912]

First off, congratulations on your baby Pepper! He is adorable!

Baby nipping/nibbling can turn into a serious problem so you need to nip it in the bud(no pun intended). If Pepper nibbles you when he is on your hand, make a little 'earthquake' happen my moving your hand downward in a smooth motion. This startles the bird out of biting. When Pepper lets go of your hand, praise him and give him a foot toy to chew on. Praise him when he chews on the toy. If Pepper is biting when you try to pick him up, gently push your hand/finger into his belly. Don't back away: he is testing you. He must obey you because you are the mummy. When he does step up act like he is the most amazing bird that ever lived and give him treats, scritches, etc. Always make it seem easier to obey than to disobey.

Some experts recommend waiting 3 months before letting a bird on your shoulder as it is a dominant position. You may notice less biting if you don't allow him there as he is higher than you are. In flocks of birds, the dominant bird perches above the others so by letting Pepper on your sholder you are letting him think he is the boss which could get dangerous!

There is a great book I found at my library that is very helpful. It is called: Parrot Training: A Guide to Taming and Gentling Your Avian Companion by Bonnie Munro Doane. I look back to it all the time if I have training or behavior problems with any of my birds.

As for the fruits and veggies, try food chopped, cut in strips, whole, steamed, etc. Have him watch you eat some or treat food like a foot toy. My budgie Daphne didn't eat any veggies for the first 6 months of offering her some everyday. You just gotta keep trying to find out what Pepper likes. He will eventually try them!

You mentioned that Pepper doesn't play with his toys. Like a child, Pepper needs to learn to entertain himself quietly. Sometimes if you 'play' with the toys and he sees you playing, that will encourage him to play. Hide bits of food around his cage or in/on his toys to spike intrest.

[Hypnotoad72]

Originally Posted by lola31

thanks every one he is a cutie but the biting is getting worse, he is actually rooting around my hands to find the softest spot and then he just nibbles, it hurt pretty bad this morning and i'm worried about letting my little boy hold him.

pepper loves company and just sits at the front of the cage wanting attention and squawks if we leave the room, he doesn't play with any of the toys i have in there for him I've tried playing with them a bit but he is so disinterested. his favorite thing is either snuggling on my shoulder or when he's in his cage i put my hand in and he kinda settles into my cupped hand and gets all snuggly he'll actually go to sleep like that and he looks sooo sweet when he has his snuggle on lol but I'm worried I'm going to do the wrong thing and make him a beast of a bird I'm not sure how to train him he loves fruit i tried him with grapes and apple but he's not interested in them when he's out of his cage so I'm not sure what to use as a positive reward.

Congrats!! Cinnamon are terrific... (I've one named Rusty)

Cinnamons are more nippy than regular green cheeks, and they will be stronger with their beaks. Even after using time outs, Rus still doesn't fully "get it", but he has improved. He'll even be on my shoulder for several minutes before he decides to go after the ear again.

Time outs, and patience, are ideal. And do NOT use violence, such as hitting him. If he beaks too hard, move your finger or eat towards him fast -- this will jar and distract him.

Also, as your baby is young (under 7 months), he is in his 'beaking' phase. I did not read on this until it was long after too late -- when he beaks (using his tongue and beak to nibble at anything), do NOT let him feel your fingers out. He will quickly use them as chew toys and get angry when you take your bloodied fingers away. C-GCCs tend to be full of energy.

Since then, I have used his energy and acrobatics to do tricks. After 3 days (10 minutes sessions each day), he will do somersaults on the playgym perch for treats.

I will also put him on the ground, run a distance away, and say "Come here!". He follows. And while he doesn't understand the words "step up!" and "Step off!", he knows the hand signals to do so and usually complies.

What others have said about fruits and vegetables are correct. But feed them small pieces, slowly, over several days -- both mine were not fed these, and as such think they are scary orange, white, and green things. They will learn to enjoy them, but it will take time.

And, lastly, do persist. It'll help mold your parrot into a good friend with occasional rebellious moments. He'll never become a monster. :)

[lola31]

oooh i'm so in love, i would never hit him, he's just so sweet when in snuggle mode he gets all puffy and lays his little head back to get scritched he seems to love being cupped in my hands or pressed up against my body, I'm wondering if his claws are a tad long though as he seems to have trouble holding on to my shoulder and his perches, I've ordered a pedi-perch for him so I'm hoping this will help him out i'll try to get some more pics of his feet and maybe someone could advise me.
i also ordered one of those little cosy huts do conures really use these?
i also notice that he is much less nippy when the kids are in bed so maybe he just feels uncomfortable being handled around them for now while he settles in.

[huntress]

I think its a she! Cute new baby.....

[lola31]

Originally Posted by huntress

I think its a she! Cute new baby.....

could well be, i have no idea for sure but at least i chose a unisex name lol is there a way you can sex them without getting dna testing done?