New to this site w/questions

[jrodrigues777]

Hello -

This is the first time that I am posting a thread and am hoping for some good advice.

Two days ago I purchased my first green-cheek conure, he's 4 months old and doing well thus far.

1st question - He has a habit for nipping my ears, the pet store said to correct this you hold him and say No in a stern voice, if it continues to put him in timeout. This method seems to have little to no effect. Any suggestions?

2nd question - when I purchased him, there was another bird in the cage that he seemed to get along with, while out of the cage prior to buying him I notice he kept calling for the other bird and the bird responded. I also noticed them side by side when we came back to complete the purchase. I am unsure of the sex of both birds but they seem to get along so my question is that knowing this did we make a mistake by splitting them up? Should we go back and buy the other bird? What is the likelihood of acceptance in the future if I wanted to get another bird of the same breed but different color?

3rd question - The pet store told me to feed him fresh fruit and veggies daily. I've tried raisins, apples, pears, and corn and he refused all. The pet store said they feed him this before so am I doing something wrong which is why he don’t want it now?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Addicted to Tequila]

Oh boy...

WELCOME!

I will fill in any holes that might be left... but need to go pick up my kid.

Half of us on this board own a GCC... so you will get more advice than you may want! LOL

[xafsmom]

Hello and welcome to the BB!

1st question - He has a habit for nipping my ears, the pet store said to correct this you hold him and say No in a stern voice, if it continues to put him in timeout. This method seems to have little to no effect. Any suggestions?

GCC's can be nippy. Persistence is the key to working past the nippiness. If he's nipping your ear, he's on your shoulder. Nip that in the bud now (no pun intended). Shoulder perching is a priviledge for good birds, not for nippy ones. Try working with the stern look and the "No." on your hand. Eventually, he'll stop being nippy if you work with him enough and you can attempt the shoulder perching again.

2nd question - when I purchased him, there was another bird in the cage that he seemed to get along with, while out of the cage prior to buying him I notice he kept calling for the other bird and the bird responded. I also noticed them side by side when we came back to complete the purchase. I am unsure of the sex of both birds but they seem to get along so my question is that knowing this did we make a mistake by splitting them up? Should we go back and buy the other bird? What is the likelihood of acceptance in the future if I wanted to get another bird of the same breed but different color?

You didn't make a mistake in separating them. He'll do just fine in a few days. You don't need to go back and buy the other one. The acceptance in the future will be pretty good. GCC's usually get along fine with other GCC's. However, all birds are individual and some may dislike competition. On the majority though, you should be able to have both amicable in the future.

3rd question - The pet store told me to feed him fresh fruit and veggies daily. I've tried raisins, apples, pears, and corn and he refused all. The pet store said they feed him this before so am I doing something wrong which is why he don’t want it now?

Persistence is the key. Keep giving him the good stuff. Eventually, he'll give it a taste. If after 2 weeks he hasn't touched it, then remove his regular food for a few hours and only give him the veggies, ect. He won't starve. Once he realises he likes the stuff, he'll eat more of it and you can give his regular food back.

Thanks in advance for all your help.[/QUOTE]

[birdlover912]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new green cheek conure!

There isn't anything I can add to your questions, xafsmom answered them well! :)

[jrodrigues777]

Thanks so much everyone. I appreciate the feedback.