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Flight Suits |
Are Green
Cheeks Nippy? You have read our take on it, but we are bird people with
lots of experience. So, I decided to poll Green Cheek owners.
| Here is Tom from Texas! Tom's CAG
has quite the life riding shotgun with him in his semi truck!
Hello Beth, and the rest of you.....
In answer to your questions on the Yellow Sided Green Cheek
Conures we purchased from you about a year ago.
Both of these Green Cheeks are great. They are by no means
nippy toward most people. They have never "drawn blood" that I
am aware of. They crave personal attention and handling all of
the time just as the other four birds around the house. (2 Sun
Conures & 2 African Greys)
I have noticed that these two Green Cheeks are very perceptive
of people and their "fear" of them. It seems that if given the
chance they will
make a game of playing on that fear or excitement. If given
this chance, they may nip a bit, but more as a defense of being
brushed off
by the person that is scared of them. I've seen this happen
several times. Now, we just avoid the possibility of it and
have them in their cage if strange people to them are close by.
This same situation applies to the Sun Conures. The African
Greys are cool. They will simply avoid anyone they are not sure
about.
The only time any of these six birds might gently nip is when
they are wanting the attention another bird at the time is
getting. But even then, this never happens with the Green Cheek
Conures. They simply nip the bird getting the attention so it
will jump aside and they can get up front. All these birds have
to do to the African Greys now days is lunge toward them. The
Greys will give up with out a fight. Both Sun Conures however
are a bit more bull headed. If allowed, there may be a minor
bird fight to see who deserves the human attention. So, in
short, the only issue around here is too many birds and not
enough time to spoil all of them as they think they deserve.
I might add that there are times when these Green Cheeks, as
well as the rest of these birds just want to be left alone. I
guess just as we people do. When this is the case, sometimes a
warning nip may come into play. If this happens, I will leave
them alone, give another bird the attention and eventually the
one that wanted left alone will come on its own avail wanting to
make up. Kind of like having six little spoiled kids in the
house..... Never a dull moment.
I would and have highly recommend Beth and her family at
Pampered Peeps in any of the birds they raise. I've never seen
any bird as gentle and
well behaved as their birds are. As I am typing this, I have
Scooter, the African grey from Pampered Peeps on my
shoulder. This grey has
determined that I am its human no matter what. If Scooter had
her way, she would be with me 24/7 no matter what the situation.
The Green Cheeks from pampered peeps are great around most
people, but they have each other as well. Even though they
spend a large amount of time together in the same large cage,
they are always easy to handle. At this moment, both of them are
playing their hide and seek game with themselves in the
curtains. (Kind of comical to watch.)
I hope this helps in some of what you are looking for. As
always, you have my permission to use anything I send along on
your website. I
would appreciate you just using my first name only though. Hope
that is OK.
As Always
Tom    |
Here is Kylie from Flagstaff,
AZ:Did you
have experience with parrots prior to owning your Green
Cheek? I have previously owned cockatiels and
budgies, but not parrots.
How often do you get bitten
by your Green Cheek? Every day
Does your Green Cheek draw
blood? Very rarely
Do you know why your Green
Cheek bites? I often know the cause, but
sometimes she seems to bite for no reason, such as while
we are playing and having a good time.
Would you recommend a Green
Cheek to others? Yes, they are wonderful birds
and companions. Every animal has the potential to bite
and it doesn't mean they aren't worth it.
What do you do when your
Green Cheek bites? Say 'no' in a firm voice, put
her down and walk away.
|
| And Mitch from Kansas:
*Did you have experience with parrots
prior to owning your Green Cheek?*
No, not really. Only experienced a never bites 'loaner' Tiel
for 2 months.
*How often do you get bitten by your Green Cheek?*
I get a non-skin removal nip about once every 2 weeks.
*Does your Green Cheek draw blood?*
Rarely. Last time was maybe 3 months ago.
*Do you know why your Green Cheek
bites?*
After the fact it's pretty easy to figure out why:
1 attacking my finger instead of the toy.
2. food possessiveness when she was 4-5 months old.
*Would you recommend a Green Cheek to others?*
Whole heartedly! But you must be willing to pay attention
to and interact with your feathered friend for life. Greencheeksaren't
cats and can be very needy if they don't feel that they are
getting the attention they deserve. Libby is a Pamperedpeeps
Green Cheek, and with that good a start and she has become the
joy of my life.
*What do you do when your Green Cheek bites?*
If it is minor I immediately set her down and move away from
her. I will stand with my back to her. She always comes right
back to me, and I set her down, and move away again. Usually
after 2 or 3 attempts to return she will stop, and start to
preen and 'pip' quietly. After no more than 2 minutes I call
her back to me and give her lots of love. If she really hurts me
I am always so surprised that I yell 'Oww!'
very loudly :( I then do the same as for a minor bite. |
Here is Deb in Michigan:
Our family
had no prior experience with owning birds prior to
getting our Green Cheek. I'll admit that during the
first few months of getting her I thought I had made a
mistake getting one because she was very nippy. Things
definitely got better as time went on. I think my
biggest mistake was not respecting the bird or
understanding her body language. She hardly ever bites
me now and when she does I KNOW it's coming. Those are
times when she is in danger and I have to grab her
unexpectedly. Even then, she doesn't draw blood. I
don't think she wants to bite me.
On another
note, I do have a six year old daughter that loves to
play with the bird. She gets bitten whenever she takes
the bird out of her cage or tries to put her back
in. She bites hard and draws blood. She is fine
handling her any other time. This was a pattern that
had been established without my knowledge. Now that I
am aware of the situation I am working with my daughter
to break this pattern. I have noticed that my daughter
hesitates and tends to pull away when the bird tries to
step-up and the bird does not feel safe and bites to
hold on. I don't think this problem is unique to Green
Cheeks as any bird would do the same thing.
Our Green
Cheek is almost a year old and she is a very sweet and
playful bird. My advice for inexperienced bird owners
is to take things slow and pay attention to the bird's
body language. When you have a large parrot I think you
naturally give them some respect because their beaks are
so intimidating, but because Green Cheeks are small I
don't think they get the respect they deserve and get a
bad rap.
Would you recommend a Green
Cheek to others? Yes
What do you do when your
Green Cheek bites? Use your
technique...holding her in hand on her back and saying
"no biting."
|
| Here is Shellie in Peoria:
Hi Beth!
Kaida is funny. She can be completely sweet and mellow enjoying
my petting her on her head etc. one second and then the next
turn & try to bite me. I know her body language now though so I
can avoid it most of the time.
Other times she tries to bite are: when I put her back in her
cage (she avoids "step down", hangs on and refuses to go into
her cage), when I'm wearing something different like a hat
etc., or when she gets over-excited by a favorite toy. She also
went through a phase last fall for a month or so when she was "bitey"
but then around Christmas was back to her old self. She's also
really testy when she has a lot of pin feathers and she won't
let me help her with that at all!
On the other hand she continues to get sweeter and sweeter in
other ways. Burrowing into my shirt, giving kisses etc., and she
loves to just hang out with me - she would live on my shoulder
if she could...but she is a high spirited little bird! I do
think the more I am able to avoid the bites etc. the less she
wants to bite if that makes sense...maybe because it's not
successful. So it seems to me that it will continue to get less
and less. I think a lot of it is not Kaida's fault but due to my
learning curve. I had never had a bird that bit and they move
so fast! So it's taken me time to really learn how to deal with
this behavior.
Thanks Beth!
Shellie (& Kaida!)
|
This is from Karen in Northern
AZ. She is the talented, young artist who painted the
Cinnamon and
Yellow Sided Green cheeks. (her
art is on their pages)
Did you have experience with
parrots prior to owning your Green Cheek? minimal, a
cockatiel and 2 parakeets.
How often do you get bitten
by your Green Cheek?
i have only been bitten about 5
times in the last year.
Does your Green Cheek draw blood?
she has a bite, and that hurts, but doesn't draw blood.
then she has a nip, like a pinch. the nip is more
common.
Do you know why your Green
Cheek bites? she usually bites
when she is very excited. she nips if she has been in
her cage all day or wants something you have.
Would you recommend a Green
Cheek to others? yes. they are a
good size and have tons of personality and spunk.
What do you do when your
Green Cheek bites? i lay her on
her back and stroke her beak while telling her "no bite"
until she calms down.
Thank you for
the time you give to us :) I know how valuable time is!
hope all is well with you all. Booka is doing fine, she
has discovered just how fun (and messy) shredder toys
are. :)
-Karen
|
| From Andra in Phoenix:
Hi Beth,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I have been
thinking about this quite a bit over the last several days and
hope my answers will help. You are welcome to use it on your
site if you feel it will help.
I have owned several parrots in the past including a scarlet
macaw, an African grey, a love bird and several cockatiels
before we purchased our GC. I don't feel our GC is any more
"nippy" than most birds. Almost all birds have a favorite person
they prefer to spend time with, and they will let you know under
no uncertain terms who it is, and whether they will "put up
with" the other person at any given time. It is no different
with the GC's. Our GC is extremely cuddly when he chooses to be,
but will nip at you when you reach for him if he wants to be
left alone.
There are things that you can do to minimize (or stop) the nippy
behavior. I think it's important to watch your bird's body
language and behavior as you approach him. He will give subtle
cues that let you know how he is feeling. When our GC wants to
be with us he paces back and forth, bobs his head and will do
the occasional twirl - which just cracks us up. If he wants to
be left alone, he will stay back and sit in a fluffed up
position, not making any effort to move toward us. At night they
may want to be left alone to sleep and will nip when you try to
give loves. They will love you, but most often it is on their
terms.
You need to be careful in your approach, something that can be
difficult for young children to understand (but they can be
taught!) Birds worry about being preyed upon, and appreciate it
when you approach then slowly, and definitively. Firmly placing
your finger under their breast and saying "Up" can be more
reassuring than starting by reaching over their head to give a
scratch. Do that after they have had a chance to step up and
feel comfortable with you. Give them a little bit of time, and
you will have your GC snuggling under your neck or preening your
hair. A good preen is the best compliment they can give . . .
you are definitely one of the flock at that point :o)
Andra |
| And this is from Jennifer, who
does not own one of our babies, but is very attached to her
Rocky. He is mature and not a baby. Did you have
experience with parrots prior to owning your Green Cheek?
Not really.
How often do you get bitten by your Green Cheek?
Rarely, if ever anymore. As a youngster,
he went through a biting phase at about 8 mos., but I worked
with him and he rarely bites now. He is such a sweet
affectionate bird and very smart, but they are like children in
some ways. He needed to learn it was not acceptable. I am sure
the flock would not accept it either.
Does your Green Cheek draw blood? When he
did bite, yes.
Do you know why your Green Cheek bites?
Yes. I had a toy that he wanted, or he was mad as I was on the
cell phone and ignoring him while on my shoulder. He loves
shiny objects and I think he is territorial about them. He used
to bite me if I was holding a pair of keys or fingernail
clippers. Now he just attacks the objects.
Would you recommend a Green Cheek to others?
Yes, but only if they have time. These are flock animals and
therefore need a lot of social interaction. My rocky is the
best thing I ever spent money on. He issweet, affectionate, and
very attached to me.
What do you do when your Green Cheek bites?
I used to let him flutter to the ground or counter, turn off the
light and walk away for a minute or usually less. He is so
scared of being alone out of the cage that he quickly learned
not to bite.
Do I have your permission to put your answer on our website?
Yes.
|
Maranda was a sweet mother-to-be
who took home a Cinnamon Green Cheek in 2006. Here is how her
Green cheek is doing:
Hello Beth here are my responses to your
questionaire:
1. Did you
have experience with parrots prior to owning
your Green Cheek?
Yes. I have had a green-cheek conure and a peach-faced
lovebird before my cinnamon green-cheek.
2. How often do you
get bitten by your Green Cheek?
Not very often, and it is only nips when she is naughty
and being put back in her cage. Or when she is getting
groomed by us she sometimes nips back.
3. Does your Green
Cheek draw blood?
She has never drawn blood.
4. Do you know why your Green Cheek bites?
I think it is out of annoyance when we are preening her,
or it might hurt when twisting the pin feather casing
off. And also she bites at our roomate but I think that
she is establishing dominance
5. Would you
recommend a Green Cheek to others?
Yes, green-cheeks are amazing birds. They are so fun,
and loving, and the perfect size when just starting out
with birds.
6. What do you do
when your Green Cheek bites?
I firmly say no and put her back in her cage or on her
playstand.
7. Do I have your
permission to put your answer on our website?
Yes, go right ahead.
Maranda G.
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