HELP and advice needed and thank you in advance, firstly our boy green cheek who is very bitey and talks a lot lol. He’s not so bitey with male family members and occasionally he’ll let me set up his bath time at the sink supervise his play in his water bath with me securing his bowl under the tap - loves baths. But now just recently we were babysitting a friends green cheek no idea if it’s a boy or girl but my boy is abit more colourful and bigger (both birds are around 8 yrs of age) and initially my boy was somewhat unfriendly to the other one. After minding the second one we were asked (almost forcefully) if we’d have the other bird permanently as it was being picked by their other birds in their Avery. So this was nearly 3 months ago but over the last 3 weeks they’ve been snuggling and sleeping / resting side by side all the time and my boy has been rubbing his head up and down the other ones neck and chest. The other bird has apparently never laid any eggs so they’ve always considered him a boy. He or she has a beautiful nature, is very gentle yet playful with us humans especially girls, can get grumpy but doesn’t bite hard, just gentle nips now and again when he / she wants to go back to the cage. I wonder, the climate where we live is pretty tropical with fairly mildish winters. Any ideas or advice would be much appreciated with thanks.
Gemma Catherine - Hi sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I was on vacation and now we have this Caronavirus pandemic and I work in healthcare, so I have not been as focused on this channel as I would like to be. I am having trouble figuring out what your question is exactly. If you are worried about your birds mating, I guess it is a possibility, but they don’t sound like they are doing the sure signs of mating with regurgitation, aggressively protecting one another or a territory, climbing on top of each other etc. These would be sure signs to me that they were looking to mate and may break their bond with their people. Your bird rubbing his head on your other bird may just be a snuggly way of asking the other to preen his head. This is a friendly gesture between bird friends and is not considered sexual by birds. It might just be that you have the perfect situation where you have two males that like each other and can provide each other Birdie companionship while maintaining their relationship with the people in their lives. If this is the case, how lucky! What a gift! It often does not go this well. If you are concerned about your birds preference for men, know that this is typical for birds to prefer a gender. It may have to do with who their owner is or who hand raised them, who has scared them or any number of other mysterious reasons. Birds are very superstitious and it is hard to get these ideas out of their heads. If you want to be closer to your male bird, sounds like you are doing the right thing, providing him with the things that he loves like baths. You can also do a lot to build your trust and relationship with 15 minutes a day of training for his favorite treats. Look up target training for parrots on UA-cam. BirdTricks and Manda & Rio have good videos on how to do target training. It’s the best form of training there is and super easy and fun for your bird. My bird begs to do training every day 😋 he loves the challenge, treats and praise. If you are concerned about your males nippiness, remember that biting is a form of last resort communication when all other forms of communication have failed. Nipping can become a habit however if your bird feels chronically not listened to. Try to notice the situations he becomes bitey in. Notice what he is trying to say no to when he bites. Is he scared of something? Does he feel like he has to protect his favorite place or toy or person? Does he not want to go back in the cage? Did you move to quickly? Once you figure out what he is saying no to, decide on what is actually important. Does he need to step up right now? Or can he stay on his stand where he is happy? Allow him to decide what he gets to do whenever that is safe and workable for you. If there are things that you need him to do for his health and safety do your best to train your bird to do those things for rewards. My bird will do almost anything for a sunflower seed. I have used target training to get him to willingly fly to his cage and go inside, for example. These guys are so smart and definitely have an opinion about how they should be treated and how their lives should go. The good thing is that they forgive and forget with their favorite people and are easily bribed. 😉 Let me know if there is a question you were trying to ask that I did not answer. Also other folks should feel free to write their opinion of what is going on between these two birds, perhaps others have a different perspective. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. 💕🦜
Guide to Green Cheek Conures aw thank you, my boy green cheek is being over aggressive and they’re both preening each other which they didn’t do until very recently. Thank you for your video tips, i found more helpful than any other information advice I’ve found. Thank you 😍 btw I’m in healthcare too, interesting times ahead .....
LOL-the music. Excellent video. Informative and with good advice. It's sad how many ppl I have seen encouraging their birds with mating behavor mainly because they want to keep stroking their birds all over their bodies. And what is worse is when they are shown that this not the way to go keep doing it anyway. It's actually very selfish.
Thank you for the video. Great information the Mega puff & circles. I did not notice before. No wonder why she will not stop, and dislike my other bird.
Thank you for the guide!! We found that after adopting our GC, He (since learned is a she) was a 75mg chainsaw with feathers until we started doing some digging and found it was the pellets we were suggested to feed that we’re making our Sunny so miffed. After changing to more low sugar veggies and toasted in-shell help seeds, Sunny did a complete 180. Now sunny is happy to sit and chill with you on the couch for a little late night TV and clean your ears to preen your face of those pesky hairs.
@@carina9629 just about any large grocery store or health food store will sell it. Look where they sell chia and flax seeds. And no, I can’t think of any specific brands... I get CanMar
I have a g.c.c, his/her name is Pistachio and I love seeing other people enjoying these types of birds. I often think about my next girlfriend having to love birds and probably would be best to find a woman that has a bird. Seems unlikely that I'd find someone that has all the right qualities that make a person desirable enough to want to pursue a relationship with, and loves birds. But watching this video gives me hope there's someone even for me and Pistachio, thank you for your videos, they are a lot of fun to watch.
The most helpful bit of information I've found. My new 12 weeks old conure just started regurgitating and I want sure what it meant or what to do about it. Thank you for sharing
Wow! Thank you so much! I am glad it was helpful. That was my goal in making the video. One thing that I probably should have added is that young conures often do this as part of their “puberty” it may come with more grouchy, aggressive behavior related to increases hormones for a time called “bluffing.” If this happens just try to stay consistent, avoid Hormonal triggers and know that it will get better over time. 🙂
I rescued a conure from a greedy pet store. Thanks to your video I'm 99% sure Popo is a female. Due to her behavior when she is "turned on" I'm constantly looking for new ways to keep her busy 😆 Good to know about the cuddle thing thank you!
Thats a good estimated guess, I suggest watching a video of G.C.C mating and see and compare how your bird reacts, I thought my conure, when I first got her was a boy. But after visually watching my conure try to mate with me, I quickly saw the signs and ruled out she was a boy.
I guess I got super blessed with my guy..... he's very much in the midst of hormones as I write this and only thing he's ever been aggressive to is his toys (might change in the years?).... then again i never really let him "have" his way... He's smart and he knows i know he's smart. often seems like it comes down to who has more patience. Not really into a pet that I'm afraid of. We're always withing 10 feet of each other, but he spends 90% out of direct contact of me. could it be that mixed with the toys i have set up for him that he very obviously takes aggression out on are causing him to vent in healthier directions? or is it the fact that he's trying to mate with his toys, not me? I could see the problem if he was treating me like he is his furry ping pong ball right now sorry im dropping all the questions, but i cant stand avian forums ;-P and better safe than sorry (i'd rather find out what causes other people's bird to cause an often mention pain/drawing blood in these hormonal times lol)
Certainly interesting. Our pair have been doing the deed only a couple of weeks ago but since that passed the male has been louder despite no obvious threats around and is rather destructive at the moment.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures She laid about 3 fertile eggs. His behaviour started after this and was recommended to put a box in but with a few days of 40C coming it'll have to wait after that.
David Jaquest - Wow! 40C?! That’s 104F! Do you live in the Southern Hemisphere?! What country?! That’s cool to be talking to someone so far away. Are your birds exposed to the 40C? If so, It would probably be good get them the boxes as soon as you can so they can protect themselves from the heat and sun while sitting on the eggs. Let me know if you post any videos of the laying and hatching process. That would be neat to see. 😊🦜
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures South Australia. In summer it usually goes between mid to high 30C but will spike up to 40C to 43C occasionally and higher further inland. Their under shelter but their the only ones with breeding in mind as the breeding seasons for the others have passed already. I do have a nesting box ready to go but as for recording I generally do photos than video.
This video was great, thanks for the good info pretty much every “potential catalyst” you listed I’ve been unknowingly doing and unfortunately has my female ready to make babies at 8 months old 😐🤦🏼♀️. Completely off the wall question, but where did you get that micro soccer net? I’d love to get one of those for the little ones.
My green cheek started those head shaking and burping food or white stomach fluids on me, some weeks ago. We got him in 4 months, a year ago, as a baby. The first day, he did it all day, I was a bit worried, but remembered I saw it before in my budgy, I had as a child. Now he does that from time to time, but not obsessedly. He bites my nails from day one, but he never rubs on me like in this video. I hope he doesn't start with that, but he is behaving a bit strange towards a soft cocky magnet he stole from the refrigerator 🙃. Like sponge fabric. He bites, but doesn't eat them, spits the bites out. Don't know if he plays or have something going on with that thing. Can I let him keep it? Better if that than me 🙄. He s very tame towards us, but aggressive towards everyone else . Sad! No one dares to be around him, but us. He s just so amazing and funny! Thanks for the video!
Hello just want to comment That your bird might be using that magnet as a "love toy" is best to take it away to discourage that behavior ;) this video isn't wrong my green cheek Malakyte just started to regurgitate and I instantly put him down on his stand. He loves to cuddle on my shoulder and I was just curious if that is another mating display which alas I wasn't too discourage any forms since we do not know our bids sex, so there is potential for egg binding if female. Good luck and hope your bird is well ;)
OMG I just rescued one 5 weeks ago and he is doing all of these things with me. I thought he was just affectionate. Man I need to change up things fast!
Yeah, it’s probably just the new environment and bonding with you. My guy got super hormonal (which is when the clips are from) when we moved to my new house. This is also very common for conures who are coming into puberty 8 months to a year. A common mistake of new owners is touching the birds body. Petting a bird anywhere other than their head is like touching below the underwear line for people and experienced as overtly sexual by the bird. One or a combination of these things is most likely the origin of the hormonal behavior, though anything on the video is up for grabs.
Cin Falk - oh yes, that could explain it. Mine got more hormonal when we moved too. Could be a change in temp between the two houses or just the prospect of so many new nesting sites! Yippee! Or alternatively, he may just a little anxious about the new environment and grieving the loss of his old home. Not to worry, if the move is all it is then, he will be back to himself in no time. Glad he is likely not sick.
So comprehensive, excellent information. My little dude can also get triggered by beak scratches, i have to strictly limit those in mating season. I've just found you channel today. Subscribed, pressed the bell and feel a binge coming on. A conure binge, oh yeah,
judith weymark - thank you! Good call on the beak scratching. Mine also seems to be triggered as we go into the cold season by the heat being on all day. Must mimic the temp changes in spring. Thank you for the positive feedback. Please check out my other videos. I hope to add more soon. Bird video binges are the best. 😋
I tried to do the trick where my conure hangs upside down from my hand and I support his back. Oh, no! I triggered something and he started puffing up, biting my fingers (love bites) and rubbing his parts on my fingers!! I didn't know what I was doing at the time. How do I get him to stop?
This absolutely describes my Mochi the last few weeks... cuddling in my armpit, rubbing my neck, whispering in my ear 'Whaddayadoin?' like a pervert lol.
I have a question, I have two green cheeks and they are in love. I don’t know their genders because there aren’t any places that I can go to see what gender they are but me and my family have always joke around saying that they are married and soon they will have little babies. But recently they have been getting VERY VERY close together and they have been showing many of the signs in the video. I’ve seen them feed each other and regurgitate on one another several time these past 2-3 months. I’ve already read that green cheeks will “sword fight” with their beak and that’s a mating thing and they will preen each other afterwards and they do that ALL the time, (they are doing it right now lol). Are they going to have babies or do they just love each other. They are both young too. Ollie is 2 and Bee is either 10-11 months (they don’t know when she or he was hatched but they said somewhere round late June or early July).
I just got a baby green cheek conure 2 weeks ago and he was already hand tamed. When I turned on other conure birds on utube he/she started fanning out tail feathers and going around in a circle around me and biting my fingers. Did I cause hormones to be active from playing the other conures?
hello, i have a green cheek conure. he is 2 years old, and i used to tickle his tummy though the cage bars. i never did it outside the cage. i do not know if he tried to bite me when i was doing it because whenever i did it he tried to preen his beak down near to his tummy maybe to bite my finger? i do know that i did not do it lots. i think it was about a few times and that’s it. but i feel very guilty and worried that i did not respect my bird, so i don’t do it anymore. i tickled his tummy because i saw people online doing it though i did have my suspicions that maybe i should not. and i am scared if that triggered any hormonal behaviour? i told my mum to maybe look out for it. usually when i tickle him it it’s on his head and around his beak and stuff. i never touch his back because i know that it is the wrong place to do that. but i feel very bad for doing this and i want to do something to help :( i am quite sad because i never wanted to disrespect my bird also i don’t want it thinking i’m its mate!
My one Green Cheek Conure which is about 5 months old does this weird dance where he (or she we never got his gender tested) like spreads out his wings a bit, and bobs his head up and down slowly. His feathers also puff out a bit when he does it. What is it that he's doing? Like I can't find anything about it.
omg my conure does this hormonal thing i looked up on a few forums, it lays down and gets all cuddly and flaps its wings and makes a weird grunt noise. also idk if it’s a boy or a girl so i call it and it 💀 it regurgitated on my toe and my croc onec
With the female laying eggs thing, my Tia (which is my aunt) was worried about that when they were discussing about how and what kind they would get me my bird. And how they should avoid it at all cost, if I get a femal. And my bird has actally has done a few of these things before, so it's kinda awkward when I see it. I remember texting my Tia about it because i was worried he either trying to throw up some of the food or maybe hes choking, but she later responded saying that he was trying to romance me. I was legit 12 years old.
My little girl is almost 5 months old and she’s doing a lot of these things the last few days, especially the love bites which is so not like her. Looked like she was strutting today when my brother in law came in to play with her and she’s very cuddly.
keba1126 - What you describe may or may not be hormonal behavior. The mouthiness could just be baby behavior, testing her limits with biting, bluffing, or wanting to wrestle. Strutting is often a defensive or territorial thing when a new person is introduced into the room (even if the Conure has met the person many times before.) These behaviors can also increase when your bird is hormonal so it’s hard to say. Is your Conure regurgitating or rubbing her vent on things?Those are more conclusively sexual behaviors.
About 1 month ago I brought a breeding pair of green cheek conure but both are very aggressive and bites me a lot how should I stop it I mean how to tame them cuz they bite very hard
So my bird is JUST weened. Like been weened a week and a half. Im seeing some of these behaviors. Is it because they are a baby or is my bird getting triggerd already
By bird keeps laying eggs but every time she does, it drops to the bottom of the cage and breaks. What should I do to help maintain the health of the egg and allow my birds to nest there?
I have not done any breeding myself, but I would say, provide her with a nesting box in the cage with a bunch of chewable material like egg crate and toilet paper rolls. I am sure she would LOVE to have a nest to get all broody in. I think it needs to be wide enough for her tail to fit in comfortably. Also be sure you are supplementing her diet with extra calcium. If you do not she will take the calcium directly from her bones and be at serious risk for a fracture which can lead to infection and death. This happened to my beloved cockatiel, Jessie, when I was growing up. She may also create soft eggs that she cannot lay and will remain inside of her and cause serious infection which will lead to death unless surgically removed. Please consider how important it really is that your bird have babies. It is a risky thing for her especially if you are not well trained and experienced as an owner. Additionally, There are already more than enough Green Cheeks without homes (in the US anyway) that we really don’t need any more babies.
Thank you so much for this video! My 16 YRO GCC has been VERY grouchy lately, and I see how I may have been aggravating some of his mating behaviors. Today he didn't want to come out of his cage at all and alternately wants to cuddle/ bite a chunk out of me. I'm used to the grumpies - but yesterday he bit me hard without warning or provocation. Would giving him a nest box and leaving him in his cage till he feels like coming out be a good plan? I've had this bird for 16 years, but this behavior is the most intense Ive ever seen him. Thanks!
Cin Falk - you are welcome. I am glad you found it helpful. Definitely do not leave your Conure alone with a breeder box If you think he is being hormonal. This will only increase his behavior and further alienate you. Remove all of the hormonal triggers you can and give him some time to come down (maybe a few weeks) continue to engage with him daily and remember never to demand anything from him, but rather ask and wait for a response. Change it from “Step up” to “Will you step up?” If the answer is “no” because your bird leans away, bites you or just stares at you. Do what you can to respect that. I often leave without my bird at that point and he flies after me so, the same thing is accomplished without a fight or a bite. If I need to accomplish something quickly without a fight then I use a seed for bribery. Sometimes you just need to up the anti for your bird to be interested in complying with your requests. Birds don’t seek your approval like dogs and are really only interested in following your requests when it is clear to them what is in it for them: Treats, time out of the cage, enjoying your company, snuggles, a bath, getting to sit in their favorite spot etc. These concepts are taught in Bird Tricks training videos which are also available on UA-cam. If these are new ideas to you, you should definitely check them out, it will change your relationship with your bird for the better. They also discuss proper nutrition and have their own seasonal feeding system. That said, I do also wonder if he is sick since this is not normal behavior for him. Do you see a vet regularly? If you do, I would give them a call and see if they think you should bring him in. If you don’t see a vet, then it’s probably time to make sure he’s healthy and doing okay. Its possible that it is just hormones, but it is also possible he is alternately cuddly, aggressive and wanting to stay in the cage because he doesn’t feel well. That’s kind of how I feel when I am sick. It’s possible for a slightly older guy like yours to be sick at his stage in life, especially if they have not had perfect nutrition, (not sure what you feed.) I know it can be hard to get them to eat all the nutrients they need and many people just give up and keep them on a seed based diet which is very unhealthy over the years. Birds who eat a seed diet end up with the same medical problems we would get if we ate McDonalds every day for our whole lives. Your guy is about 48 in bird years, so if you have struggled with proper nutrition, it may be catching up with him; Just as daily McDonalds would likely catch up with us by our late 40’s. Just kind of stabbing in the dark a bit, so apologies if I am way off. I was just thinking that since you have had your bird for so long some of this thinking may have come around since you got your bird. I know a lot has changed since i started keeping birds in the 90’s as a kid. Let us know what you think and how your bird is doing. Thank you for watching and commenting 💕🦜
Thank you so much for your in- depth reply! This was so helpful! It’s been many years since I read up on parrot behaviors, so this helps a lot! He is on a seed based diet, with fruits and veggie too. I hadn’t considered this might negatively effect him- I see I have my research work cut out for me! I can’t wait to check out your other videos☺️
Hi... I think my Green Cheek is displaying this behavior but started around March n it bit hard.. When ever he saw my hand.. It bit hard till it bleed... Help me!!!!
Thank you so much for this video! My Pippa is doing all of these things, my gut told me to check about mating...but I never connected the regurgitating, thank God humans don't do that😖. She's only 7 month's old is this normal?
Omg I played this video next to my birds and they went crazy! They were all fluffed up and dancing and hyped!!! Hahaha thank you for picking an awesome background that I can now use for my birds to dance to & enjoy! ;]
Ty for all the info. We were unsure if our Chewy - (green cheek conure, 8;months old) - was showing a nesting behavior or not. Chewy was, from time to time, regurgitating, extremely fluffing it's feathers. And rubbing on my hand. Thought chewy was to young for this behavior. Do both males, and female conures act the same way during breeding season? Trying to determine if chewy is actually a boy.
You are welcome! Marco is male so he is displaying male mating behavior. Females also display similar behavior, but usually instead of waggling their tail they lift their tail slightly and back into you. Not to get too graphic but, One can kind of imagine how if you combined the male and female behaviors it would result in mating. I understand that observing mating behaviors is not a fool proof method to determine the sex of your Conure, however.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures well after the description I feel like there is a good chance be is a she. I say that because she'll get real fluffy and love bites as well as the backing in with tale in the air. Oh boy!!!! Do you know if she continues with this behavior, will she pop out an infertile egg. Not that we encourage it
My orange-cap keeps putting his head down on the floor and swiping his beak on it, but I can't find a resource on whether this is mating behavior. Does anyone else have this happen?
Yes, Marco does this too. I think it’s more territorial than anything. “This soot is Mine” It can also be just to clean his beak after food or drink. I also see Marco do this in a transition period kind of like fluff, as if to wipe the stress away or something.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures thank you so much for replying!! That makes a lot of sense actually, I was starting to get worried that I was encouraging something bad :))
So i have a pair of conures, and i came home from work today to feed them like always and Buddy is acting crazy aggressive towards me, won't let me touch the other green cheek. He let me pick him up and put him on my shoulder witch was fine till i reached into the cage and he latched onto my ear
Shane Trogdon - sounds like likely hormonal behavior. To you know the sex of your conures? I would say Buddy is the male and the other is the female. He is trying to protect her and their “nest”, which is the cage.
My ggc has started doing all this behaviour and is getting extremely nippy. Its two months away from August so is it caused by one of the other things. I don't have any other birds but he does like his high sugar foods and his hideaway spots like his parrot tent.
Littlbigasha - Yeah, that will do it. You can try limiting the sweets and taking away the tent and see if the behavior improves. Also, I find that my guy doesn’t always follow the mating schedule either. I think they can get triggered by day or night heat increase as well. Just something I suspect. But don’t try to make your bird cold or anything. That could make your bird sick. Just try to keep a stable temperature in the house know that they may be triggered by that too. Also if your bird is less than a year then he/She may be just going through puberty and a bluffing stage where they can get more nippy. Just try to ride it out and maintain a positive trusting relationship with your bird. Seasons change and your bird will likely get better.
Jonadab Cruz - I think that is more likely a male. Male conures woo their mates by regurgitating food and feeding them like a chick. The Conure is male and displaying male sexual behavior.
Jonadab Cruz - mine bobs his head but does not produce food as well. However, there is a different kind of head bobbing that indicates intent to fly and/or begging. Does it look more like 1:05 on this video? ua-cam.com/video/ukQ22bAw0QU/v-deo.html
It would be helpful to not shake your hand around when trying to show an example of hormonal movements and actions. From whats listed here though i would say mine is definitely triggered. Thanks for the video
Turbo Punch - No. This an excited (sometimes aggressive) posturing. Marco does this every time I come home from work. It’s pretty funny. Watch your fingers when your bird does this posturing as they may bite.
Thank you SO much for this! You described my green cheeked perfectly!! I couldn't understand why one day he was nice, next day, Mr. Hyde! He's only three so is probably reaching sexual maturity. But how long does this 'behaviour' go on for? xx
Gamechanger when u realize your feathered friend isn't actually a moody dick.. just going through the ongoing hormonal changes that will continue at certain times of the year throughout their lifetime. That being said most pet birds are usually less than 5 generations removed from the wild. I think of my flock like a wolfpack. (WIld animals compete for dominance and constantly test their standing in the hierarchy) No matter how much they love you your bird will try to bully you to see if it works and they are strong enough to play alpha. when this type of aggression happens I make a cage with both hands and restrain my birds until they submit. You loose a lot of skin doing this but it doesn't harm them and shows them who's in charge.(Never show pain when your bird bites you). wincing and vocalizing pain has the effect of a squeaky toy for a parrot. They actually think its a game. After they submit to you restraining them place them on the floor away from what's going on. Birds that get bitey in wild flocks are pushed out and shunned by whoever's in charge of the pecking order. exclusion from the group is the worst thing imaginable for a conure. but I believe that showing them that you wont tolerate biting first is also imperative, I never harm or holler at them I just make a hollow with my hands to arrest their movement for a few seconds
Our gcc must be special he loves being out and on my shoulder. Dosen't bite loves cuddling. Loves being with me doing house work. He is like a dog. I don't understand this "my bird is bad so it must be hormones" talk. Is my bird special? He dose constantly hump this one rope ring toy thogh.
What about female mating behavior? Mine keeps backing her tail up on my boyfriend and my other poor little female conure and I need her to leave my other bird alone (my boyfriend can handle himself, but the poor other birdy needs me to intervene). I need advice!
Tori G - good point. This is a male in this video doing male mating behavior. My understanding is that a the behavior is slightly different for males and females as you described, but the hormonal triggers and how to manage them are the same no matter the gender
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures the breeder I got mine from said that females can even take on the role of the male and display male mating behavior! However, mine has just been backing her butt up against my other bird and making a strange noise.. I need to figure out how to curve this behavior. I found your video interesting in learning that these are the months in which they become hormonal, so it makes sense why she is acting this way! Hopefully she will calm down soon. My new baby is very shy, so I'm trying to get the little one to warm up to me, but having to constantly correct my older conure isn't making it any easier.
Tori G - It’s likely the addition of the new bird that has got her going. I have also noticed that my guy reacts to warm nights. in the summer when the nights are really hot or in the winter if I keep the heat on higher in the evenings he will have a hormonal reaction. Ignoring her when she does this is the best thing to do to manage it.
Larniie Playz - sorry to hear that. Definitely make sure you are not triggering your bird’s mating behavior with the things I reviewed in this video. If I had to guess, I would say your brother may be inadvertently petting your bird inappropriately. Touching a bird anywhere on its body besides its head is like touching a person beneath their underwear, so it’s impossible for them not to see it as a request to mate.
my conure likes my bf.. a lot. and me but he likes me more as a mom and my bf as his mate but today as I was trying to take vids of him on my hand, he did it. he finally did it guys. I was confused so I had to google what he was doing until I found this. he normally regurgitates with my bf tho
Connie teh birb - mating behavior! If your bird mostly rubs with its tail feathers down it is more likely male. If it rubs with tail feathers up backing up into things it is more likely a female.
Diane Aiken - no this is a male. Females huddle down, lightly flap their wings and lift their tails I believe. Especially if you pet them in their back.
USPS Post Office, FBI "Most Wanted" sign: 'WANTED BY FBI'; "Sam Green Cheeks", "For Index Finger and Thumb Hijacking" (and for scaring the living wits out of my German Shepherd).
how is this any different from a dog that grabs your leg when in heat ? it’s just a normal thing your bird is going thru, besides the bird doesn’t really know what it is doing with you, the bird is only responding to its nature. I don’t see anything wrong by letting my bird take my hand and rub it just so the urge passes. I don’t encourage it, but i don’t react in disgust. I don’t feel the bird is doing anything wrong. It’s a bird and i’m a human. To think we should stop this is actually taking this thing a little bit too far than what it actually really is.
Eva Heaven - I agree that the bird is not bad for acting on its natural instincts. Personally, my birds sexual behavior doesn’t bother me or gross me out. It is quite a conundrum to have a solitary animal who has all of its natural urges to bond, be close and be intimate and to condemn it to a lifetime of celibacy. I do think about this ethical issue and have yet to personally come to any conclusions that I am satisfied with. I want to be clear that my recommendations do not come from a prude or conservative stance on sex and sexual behavior in birds humans or otherwise. No sexual shame intended. The information I provide in the video is what I have read from the current experts in the avian field. I think the main concern about allowing sexual behavior is that it can increase hormone levels in your bird, which can cause them to act aggressive, territorial or jealous toward you or others around you and make the bird difficult to care for. So many people break their commitment to their bird because the bird becomes aggressive toward them or their family members. Sometimes this is because of hormonal behavior, which could have been prevented by less stimulating interactions with the owners. Another concern is that it can create an expectation of true Birdie intimacy that you can’t really provide. The bird can find this frustrating or even upsetting, which can damage your relationship with your bird. And finally, if your bird is female, then it can stimulate egg production which can put her at risk for osteoporosis and becoming egg bound, which is life threatening. Keep in mind this is what the experts are saying right now, but expert advice changes over time too. When I got my first bird it was strongly advised to clip their wings and feed them a seed diet. Now many the experts say to leave your bird flighted and feed a pellet diet. 🤷♀️ So you never know, perhaps the recommendations of how to handle sexual behavior will also change in the future too. If your bird is not female, aggressive, territorial or jealous and your relationship remains positive, then perhaps this is not an issue in your case. If your relationship with your bird changes for the worse down the line then you can reconsider these recommendations and how you would like to proceed from that point. Trust your mind here; it’s most important to think about your bird and what is best for him, you and your future together. As long as you have his best interest in mind and keep educating yourself, then you are and he in good shape and he is lucky to have you. Thanks for your thoughtful comment and thanks for watching! Please feel free to respond with any other thoughts.
Well now I know why the green cheek at my work was acting like that only towards me.... sorry girly. I must refuse your offer lol. I only give her head scratchies tho and let her groom my hair so idk why she keeps going only to me
mikael lundgren - Birds have preferences in friends and partners just like people. Sometimes we can’t account for taste between humans either. 😋 You like who you like, ya know. Sounds like you have won her trust and affection, which is a good thing. If she is young and going through her first hormonal cycle her feelings of affection for could easily get confused with sexual feelings for her. Don’t worry about it too much. Continue to be kind to her and just ignore her and put her down when she displays sexual behavior toward you. This too shall pass. Good luck and thanks for watching
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures thanks! I wish I could buy her but I won't make the mistake of buying an animal from a pet chain ever again. I had my last conure die on me because he was so malnourished from the seeds they gave him. His beak was overgrown and his wings were clipped. He wouldnt eat at all and wouldnt poop. A couple days after I got him I was going to take him to the vet one morning and woke up to find him dead.... there were so many factors I just wish I could've gotten a vet visit sooner. I'm trying to adopt a green cheek near me in miami but I cant seem to find any adoption areas for anything other than cats or dogs.
mikael lundgren - wow that is a heartbreaking story. Wish you had gotten him in time to turn his condition around. Poor guy. It is also heartbreaking to leave the conures in the box stores to be abused as yours was and likely bought by someone who has not done their research. It is not the birds fault that they were hatched into their situation. Sometimes I wish I could save them all. 😢 I had a hard time finding a true bird sanctuary in my area too. This isn’t as good, but there are plenty of birds looking for homes on Craigslist unfortunately. Owners end up having to pass them along due to an unforeseen change in their lives. Many want money for the birds, but some Judy to make sure their bird goes to a good home and doesn’t get flipped. You would be participating in the purchase and sale of a bird but you would not be supporting a box store. I got mine from an older lady who felt she couldn’t continue to give hime the care he needed off of Craigslist. He is healthy and happy if a bit neurotic (possibly due to his history) but he’s a good little friend. Looking at your name. Are you from Sweden originally? 🇸🇪
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures this is actually my boyfriends account. He is swedish yes. I, on the other hand, am italian and english. But going back to the craigslist idea, I've thought about it before and have always been frightened of being in a hostile situation (I'm a 5'1 girl who just moved to miami about a year ago so I dont have many friends to come with me) and I'm mostly afraid of getting a bird that I cannot help again. I know that comes with owning any animal but that conure was the only animal to have died on me not from old age. I have 2 rabbits, a ball python, a crested gecko, I've had a cat, dogs, and I've taken care of animals from emus to horses. I want to do all I can for an animal but with a site like craigslist, I'm afraid I wouldnt be getting all the useful information.
We do not get love bites we get “let me tear off a chunk of your skin” bites
Rebecca Elliott - Ha! Yes, I get those too, but for other more grumpy reasons. 😋
Rebecca Elliott SAME!! Lol!!
HELP and advice needed and thank you in advance, firstly our boy green cheek who is very bitey and talks a lot lol. He’s not so bitey with male family members and occasionally he’ll let me set up his bath time at the sink supervise his play in his water bath with me securing his bowl under the tap - loves baths. But now just recently we were babysitting a friends green cheek no idea if it’s a boy or girl but my boy is abit more colourful and bigger (both birds are around 8 yrs of age) and initially my boy was somewhat unfriendly to the other one. After minding the second one we were asked (almost forcefully) if we’d have the other bird permanently as it was being picked by their other birds in their Avery. So this was nearly 3 months ago but over the last 3 weeks they’ve been snuggling and sleeping / resting side by side all the time and my boy has been rubbing his head up and down the other ones neck and chest. The other bird has apparently never laid any eggs so they’ve always considered him a boy. He or she has a beautiful nature, is very gentle yet playful with us humans especially girls, can get grumpy but doesn’t bite hard, just gentle nips now and again when he / she wants to go back to the cage. I wonder, the climate where we live is pretty tropical with fairly mildish winters. Any ideas or advice would be much appreciated with thanks.
Gemma Catherine - Hi sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I was on vacation and now we have this Caronavirus pandemic and I work in healthcare, so I have not been as focused on this channel as I would like to be.
I am having trouble figuring out what your question is exactly.
If you are worried about your birds mating, I guess it is a possibility, but they don’t sound like they are doing the sure signs of mating with regurgitation, aggressively protecting one another or a territory, climbing on top of each other etc. These would be sure signs to me that they were looking to mate and may break their bond with their people. Your bird rubbing his head on your other bird may just be a snuggly way of asking the other to preen his head. This is a friendly gesture between bird friends and is not considered sexual by birds. It might just be that you have the perfect situation where you have two males that like each other and can provide each other Birdie companionship while maintaining their relationship with the people in their lives. If this is the case, how lucky! What a gift! It often does not go this well.
If you are concerned about your birds preference for men, know that this is typical for birds to prefer a gender. It may have to do with who their owner is or who hand raised them, who has scared them or any number of other mysterious reasons. Birds are very superstitious and it is hard to get these ideas out of their heads.
If you want to be closer to your male bird, sounds like you are doing the right thing, providing him with the things that he loves like baths. You can also do a lot to build your trust and relationship with 15 minutes a day of training for his favorite treats. Look up target training for parrots on UA-cam. BirdTricks and Manda & Rio have good videos on how to do target training. It’s the best form of training there is and super easy and fun for your bird. My bird begs to do training every day 😋 he loves the challenge, treats and praise.
If you are concerned about your males nippiness, remember that biting is a form of last resort communication when all other forms of communication have failed. Nipping can become a habit however if your bird feels chronically not listened to. Try to notice the situations he becomes bitey in. Notice what he is trying to say no to when he bites. Is he scared of something? Does he feel like he has to protect his favorite place or toy or person? Does he not want to go back in the cage? Did you move to quickly?
Once you figure out what he is saying no to, decide on what is actually important. Does he need to step up right now? Or can he stay on his stand where he is happy? Allow him to decide what he gets to do whenever that is safe and workable for you.
If there are things that you need him to do for his health and safety do your best to train your bird to do those things for rewards. My bird will do almost anything for a sunflower seed. I have used target training to get him to willingly fly to his cage and go inside, for example. These guys are so smart and definitely have an opinion about how they should be treated and how their lives should go. The good thing is that they forgive and forget with their favorite people and are easily bribed. 😉 Let me know if there is a question you were trying to ask that I did not answer. Also other folks should feel free to write their opinion of what is going on between these two birds, perhaps others have a different perspective. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. 💕🦜
Guide to Green Cheek Conures aw thank you, my boy green cheek is being over aggressive and they’re both preening each other which they didn’t do until very recently. Thank you for your video tips, i found more helpful than any other information advice I’ve found. Thank you 😍 btw I’m in healthcare too, interesting times ahead .....
I thought my GCC was angry at me until I saw him regurgitate. This video saved me!
Eyla Scope - oh that’s hilarious! Glad you found it! Check out the other videos on my channel about green Cheek behavior. Thanks for watching!
Guide to Green Cheek Conures I sure will, thanks!
I thought mine was having seizures 😬
*MEGA PUFF*
Me too lmao!
I was NOT ready for that intro music, lmao. 😂
Chopperman - HA! 😉 And to think Genuwine doesn’t want to share UA-cam profits with me....I wonder why....😋
music had me dying XD
LOL-the music. Excellent video. Informative and with good advice. It's sad how many ppl I have seen encouraging their birds with mating behavor mainly because they want to keep stroking their birds all over their bodies. And what is worse is when they are shown that this not the way to go keep doing it anyway. It's actually very selfish.
I can never look at my bird the same way
😂 You have taken the greeeeen pill.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures I'm weak
I feel so violated, I thought hops were loving
My green cheek conure is kinda hormonal he’s only 5 months old and is in love with my friends bird
Thank you for the video. Great information the Mega puff & circles. I did not notice before. No wonder why she will not stop, and dislike my other bird.
Thank you for the guide!! We found that after adopting our GC, He (since learned is a she) was a 75mg chainsaw with feathers until we started doing some digging and found it was the pellets we were suggested to feed that we’re making our Sunny so miffed. After changing to more low sugar veggies and toasted in-shell help seeds, Sunny did a complete 180. Now sunny is happy to sit and chill with you on the couch for a little late night TV and clean your ears to preen your face of those pesky hairs.
Where did you get the toasted in-shell hemp seeds? Was there a specific brand?
@@carina9629 just about any large grocery store or health food store will sell it. Look where they sell chia and flax seeds. And no, I can’t think of any specific brands... I get CanMar
100% my conure; thank you for the info!
f43t34wgtw3yw5hg45h - Ha awesome! They can be so similar sometimes. Thanks for watching! Check out my other videos to view more clones of your birds 😋
I have a g.c.c, his/her name is Pistachio and I love seeing other people enjoying these types of birds. I often think about my next girlfriend having to love birds and probably would be best to find a woman that has a bird. Seems unlikely that I'd find someone that has all the right qualities that make a person desirable enough to want to pursue a relationship with, and loves birds. But watching this video gives me hope there's someone even for me and Pistachio, thank you for your videos, they are a lot of fun to watch.
Nice video. I have an awesome gcc and now I know it's normal behavior and what I should do. Thank you
The most helpful bit of information I've found. My new 12 weeks old conure just started regurgitating and I want sure what it meant or what to do about it. Thank you for sharing
Wow! Thank you so much!
I am glad it was helpful. That was my goal in making the video. One thing that I probably should have added is that young conures often do this as part of their “puberty” it may come with more grouchy, aggressive behavior related to increases hormones for a time called “bluffing.” If this happens just try to stay consistent, avoid Hormonal triggers and know that it will get better over time. 🙂
Thank you so much for this video!!! It was super helpful
OMG! This video made me laugh so hard. Learning has never been so much fun. Thanks 😀.......sub
This was SO WELL DONE!
Fun and informative!
Love the jams!
Thx!
Yeah...I think my GC is “in heat(?) all this behavior you brought to my attention🤔😳
Diane Aiken - thank you! I’m glad I could both amuse and help. 😊
LOL I am dead! This music = perfect! My 17 month old yellow sided GCC began with the regurgitation yesterday. Ohhhh the joy.
" I love you too but just not like that" I said this to my GC earlier today lol.. great video thanks for the tips!
This music is everything.
I rescued a conure from a greedy pet store. Thanks to your video I'm 99% sure Popo is a female. Due to her behavior when she is "turned on" I'm constantly looking for new ways to keep her busy 😆 Good to know about the cuddle thing thank you!
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures Not exactly no. She likes to push her tail end up against things. So that's why I guessed she was a girl.
Thats a good estimated guess, I suggest watching a video of G.C.C mating and see and compare how your bird reacts, I thought my conure, when I first got her was a boy. But after visually watching my conure try to mate with me, I quickly saw the signs and ruled out she was a boy.
@@shellylee2443 the greencheek that lives with me is a male. He does exactly what you describe. Only DNA testing will confirm gender.
@@wowdude999 see above
Awesome video! Thank you!!!
Thank you for the instruction🥰🕊
Speaking truth - You are welcome! Good luck with your little feather baby. 🦜💕
the music is awesome
I guess I got super blessed with my guy..... he's very much in the midst of hormones as I write this and only thing he's ever been aggressive to is his toys (might change in the years?).... then again i never really let him "have" his way... He's smart and he knows i know he's smart. often seems like it comes down to who has more patience. Not really into a pet that I'm afraid of.
We're always withing 10 feet of each other, but he spends 90% out of direct contact of me. could it be that mixed with the toys i have set up for him that he very obviously takes aggression out on are causing him to vent in healthier directions? or is it the fact that he's trying to mate with his toys, not me?
I could see the problem if he was treating me like he is his furry ping pong ball right now
sorry im dropping all the questions, but i cant stand avian forums ;-P and better safe than sorry (i'd rather find out what causes other people's bird to cause an often mention pain/drawing blood in these hormonal times lol)
Thanks for this. New sub!
Certainly interesting. Our pair have been doing the deed only a couple of weeks ago but since that passed the male has been louder despite no obvious threats around and is rather destructive at the moment.
David Jaquest - Hmmm yeah, wonder if there will be some eggs soon...
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures She laid about 3 fertile eggs. His behaviour started after this and was recommended to put a box in but with a few days of 40C coming it'll have to wait after that.
David Jaquest - Wow! 40C?! That’s 104F! Do you live in the Southern Hemisphere?! What country?! That’s cool to be talking to someone so far away. Are your birds exposed to the 40C? If so, It would probably be good get them the boxes as soon as you can so they can protect themselves from the heat and sun while sitting on the eggs.
Let me know if you post any videos of the laying and hatching process. That would be neat to see. 😊🦜
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures South Australia. In summer it usually goes between mid to high 30C but will spike up to 40C to 43C occasionally and higher further inland. Their under shelter but their the only ones with breeding in mind as the breeding seasons for the others have passed already. I do have a nesting box ready to go but as for recording I generally do photos than video.
You’re the best
This video was great, thanks for the good info pretty much every “potential catalyst” you listed I’ve been unknowingly doing and unfortunately has my female ready to make babies at 8 months old 😐🤦🏼♀️. Completely off the wall question, but where did you get that micro soccer net? I’d love to get one of those for the little ones.
Thanks for info. My conure has been doing this for a week and I didn’t know what he was doing ? I’ve only had him a year and this is new .
Very helpful video :)
My green cheek started those head shaking and burping food or white stomach fluids on me, some weeks ago. We got him in 4 months, a year ago, as a baby. The first day, he did it all day, I was a bit worried, but remembered I saw it before in my budgy, I had as a child.
Now he does that from time to time, but not obsessedly. He bites my nails from day one, but he never rubs on me like in this video. I hope he doesn't start with that, but he is behaving a bit strange towards a soft cocky magnet he stole from the refrigerator 🙃. Like sponge fabric. He bites, but doesn't eat them, spits the bites out. Don't know if he plays or have something going on with that thing. Can I let him keep it? Better if that than me 🙄.
He s very tame towards us, but aggressive towards everyone else
. Sad! No one dares to be around him, but us. He s just so amazing and funny! Thanks for the video!
Hello just want to comment That your bird might be using that magnet as a "love toy" is best to take it away to discourage that behavior ;) this video isn't wrong my green cheek Malakyte just started to regurgitate and I instantly put him down on his stand. He loves to cuddle on my shoulder and I was just curious if that is another mating display which alas I wasn't too discourage any forms since we do not know our bids sex, so there is potential for egg binding if female. Good luck and hope your bird is well ;)
My birds bite my nails too since day one
hmm my female does that so i got her a male they are year old and its funny to watch them try to mate but they keep trying maybe they will have babies
OMG I just rescued one 5 weeks ago and he is doing all of these things with me. I thought he was just affectionate. Man I need to change up things fast!
Yeah, it’s probably just the new environment and bonding with you. My guy got super hormonal (which is when the clips are from) when we moved to my new house.
This is also very common for conures who are coming into puberty 8 months to a year.
A common mistake of new owners is touching the birds body. Petting a bird anywhere other than their head is like touching below the underwear line for people and experienced as overtly sexual by the bird.
One or a combination of these things is most likely the origin of the hormonal behavior, though anything on the video is up for grabs.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures Thank you
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures Ah! We just moved too! this could explain the hormonal nightmare!
Cin Falk - oh yes, that could explain it. Mine got more hormonal when we moved too. Could be a change in temp between the two houses or just the prospect of so many new nesting sites! Yippee! Or alternatively, he may just a little anxious about the new environment and grieving the loss of his old home. Not to worry, if the move is all it is then, he will be back to himself in no time. Glad he is likely not sick.
I tried doing these my techniques, but my Conure still regurgitates and throws food everywhere.
Our green cheek really likes my lil bro and will do the love bites but the love bites are a bit hard. He also hates chases blue water bottle
So comprehensive, excellent information. My little dude can also get triggered by beak scratches, i have to strictly limit those in mating season. I've just found you channel today. Subscribed, pressed the bell and feel a binge coming on. A conure binge, oh yeah,
judith weymark - thank you! Good call on the beak scratching. Mine also seems to be triggered as we go into the cold season by the heat being on all day. Must mimic the temp changes in spring.
Thank you for the positive feedback. Please check out my other videos. I hope to add more soon. Bird video binges are the best. 😋
I'm in Australia, so very mild weather here. My two birds saam to get hormonal in spring and autumn.
I tried to do the trick where my conure hangs upside down from my hand and I support his back. Oh, no! I triggered something and he started puffing up, biting my fingers (love bites) and rubbing his parts on my fingers!! I didn't know what I was doing at the time. How do I get him to stop?
This absolutely describes my Mochi the last few weeks... cuddling in my armpit, rubbing my neck, whispering in my ear 'Whaddayadoin?' like a pervert lol.
I have a question, I have two green cheeks and they are in love. I don’t know their genders because there aren’t any places that I can go to see what gender they are but me and my family have always joke around saying that they are married and soon they will have little babies. But recently they have been getting VERY VERY close together and they have been showing many of the signs in the video. I’ve seen them feed each other and regurgitate on one another several time these past 2-3 months. I’ve already read that green cheeks will “sword fight” with their beak and that’s a mating thing and they will preen each other afterwards and they do that ALL the time, (they are doing it right now lol). Are they going to have babies or do they just love each other. They are both young too. Ollie is 2 and Bee is either 10-11 months (they don’t know when she or he was hatched but they said somewhere round late June or early July).
Nice video
But GCC matting season in Egypt start from JAN to MAY
I just got a baby green cheek conure 2 weeks ago and he was already hand tamed. When I turned on other conure birds on utube he/she started fanning out tail feathers and going around in a circle around me and biting my fingers. Did I cause hormones to be active from playing the other conures?
hello, i have a green cheek conure. he is 2 years old, and i used to tickle his tummy though the cage bars. i never did it outside the cage. i do not know if he tried to bite me when i was doing it because whenever i did it he tried to preen his beak down near to his tummy maybe to bite my finger? i do know that i did not do it lots. i think it was about a few times and that’s it. but i feel very guilty and worried that i did not respect my bird, so i don’t do it anymore. i tickled his tummy because i saw people online doing it though i did have my suspicions that maybe i should not. and i am scared if that triggered any hormonal behaviour? i told my mum to maybe look out for it. usually when i tickle him it it’s on his head and around his beak and stuff. i never touch his back because i know that it is the wrong place to do that. but i feel very bad for doing this and i want to do something to help :( i am quite sad because i never wanted to disrespect my bird also i don’t want it thinking i’m its mate!
I am wondering do females do this regurgitation/mating behavior or is it males only?
My one Green Cheek Conure which is about 5 months old does this weird dance where he (or she we never got his gender tested) like spreads out his wings a bit, and bobs his head up and down slowly. His feathers also puff out a bit when he does it. What is it that he's doing? Like I can't find anything about it.
iiEerieWølff He sounds like he wants to take off?
omg my conure does this hormonal thing i looked up on a few forums, it lays down and gets all cuddly and flaps its wings and makes a weird grunt noise. also idk if it’s a boy or a girl so i call it and it 💀 it regurgitated on my toe and my croc onec
With the female laying eggs thing, my Tia (which is my aunt) was worried about that when they were discussing about how and what kind they would get me my bird. And how they should avoid it at all cost, if I get a femal.
And my bird has actally has done a few of these things before, so it's kinda awkward when I see it. I remember texting my Tia about it because i was worried he either trying to throw up some of the food or maybe hes choking, but she later responded saying that he was trying to romance me. I was legit 12 years old.
My little girl is almost 5 months old and she’s doing a lot of these things the last few days, especially the love bites which is so not like her. Looked like she was strutting today when my brother in law came in to play with her and she’s very cuddly.
keba1126 - What you describe may or may not be hormonal behavior. The mouthiness could just be baby behavior, testing her limits with biting, bluffing, or wanting to wrestle. Strutting is often a defensive or territorial thing when a new person is introduced into the room (even if the Conure has met the person many times before.) These behaviors can also increase when your bird is hormonal so it’s hard to say. Is your Conure regurgitating or rubbing her vent on things?Those are more conclusively sexual behaviors.
That scares me sometimes cause she choked on a seed before and spit up the whole seed
About 1 month ago I brought a breeding pair of green cheek conure but both are very aggressive and bites me a lot how should I stop it I mean how to tame them cuz they bite very hard
Do both male and female does the same behaviour and actions? Because I haven't identified my conure's sex
Ours is a painted conure. He has a red head, but looks just like your conure. I do have many questions regarding care...and what not.
So my bird is JUST weened. Like been weened a week and a half. Im seeing some of these behaviors. Is it because they are a baby or is my bird getting triggerd already
I tried petting my bireds in the rain and she did weird noises and kinda ticked idk what dose it means
Thanks
By bird keeps laying eggs but every time she does, it drops to the bottom of the cage and breaks. What should I do to help maintain the health of the egg and allow my birds to nest there?
I have not done any breeding myself, but I would say, provide her with a nesting box in the cage with a bunch of chewable material like egg crate and toilet paper rolls. I am sure she would LOVE to have a nest to get all broody in. I think it needs to be wide enough for her tail to fit in comfortably. Also be sure you are supplementing her diet with extra calcium. If you do not she will take the calcium directly from her bones and be at serious risk for a fracture which can lead to infection and death. This happened to my beloved cockatiel, Jessie, when I was growing up. She may also create soft eggs that she cannot lay and will remain inside of her and cause serious infection which will lead to death unless surgically removed.
Please consider how important it really is that your bird have babies. It is a risky thing for her especially if you are not well trained and experienced as an owner. Additionally, There are already more than enough Green Cheeks without homes (in the US anyway) that we really don’t need any more babies.
Thank you so much for this video! My 16 YRO GCC has been VERY grouchy lately, and I see how I may have been aggravating some of his mating behaviors. Today he didn't want to come out of his cage at all and alternately wants to cuddle/ bite a chunk out of me. I'm used to the grumpies - but yesterday he bit me hard without warning or provocation. Would giving him a nest box and leaving him in his cage till he feels like coming out be a good plan? I've had this bird for 16 years, but this behavior is the most intense Ive ever seen him. Thanks!
Cin Falk - you are welcome. I am glad you found it helpful. Definitely do not leave your Conure alone with a breeder box If you think he is being hormonal. This will only increase his behavior and further alienate you. Remove all of the hormonal triggers you can and give him some time to come down (maybe a few weeks) continue to engage with him daily and remember never to demand anything from him, but rather ask and wait for a response. Change it from “Step up” to “Will you step up?” If the answer is “no” because your bird leans away, bites you or just stares at you. Do what you can to respect that. I often leave without my bird at that point and he flies after me so, the same thing is accomplished without a fight or a bite. If I need to accomplish something quickly without a fight then I use a seed for bribery. Sometimes you just need to up the anti for your bird to be interested in complying with your requests. Birds don’t seek your approval like dogs and are really only interested in following your requests when it is clear to them what is in it for them: Treats, time out of the cage, enjoying your company, snuggles, a bath, getting to sit in their favorite spot etc. These concepts are taught in Bird Tricks training videos which are also available on UA-cam. If these are new ideas to you, you should definitely check them out, it will change your relationship with your bird for the better. They also discuss proper nutrition and have their own seasonal feeding system.
That said, I do also wonder if he is sick since this is not normal behavior for him. Do you see a vet regularly? If you do, I would give them a call and see if they think you should bring him in. If you don’t see a vet, then it’s probably time to make sure he’s healthy and doing okay. Its possible that it is just hormones, but it is also possible he is alternately cuddly, aggressive and wanting to stay in the cage because he doesn’t feel well. That’s kind of how I feel when I am sick. It’s possible for a slightly older guy like yours to be sick at his stage in life, especially if they have not had perfect nutrition, (not sure what you feed.) I know it can be hard to get them to eat all the nutrients they need and many people just give up and keep them on a seed based diet which is very unhealthy over the years. Birds who eat a seed diet end up with the same medical problems we would get if we ate McDonalds every day for our whole lives. Your guy is about 48 in bird years, so if you have struggled with proper nutrition, it may be catching up with him; Just as daily McDonalds would likely catch up with us by our late 40’s.
Just kind of stabbing in the dark a bit, so apologies if I am way off. I was just thinking that since you have had your bird for so long some of this thinking may have come around since you got your bird. I know a lot has changed since i started keeping birds in the 90’s as a kid. Let us know what you think and how your bird is doing. Thank you for watching and commenting 💕🦜
Thank you so much for your in- depth reply! This was so helpful! It’s been many years since I read up on parrot behaviors, so this helps a lot! He is on a seed based diet, with fruits and veggie too. I hadn’t considered this might negatively effect him- I see I have my research work cut out for me! I can’t wait to check out your other videos☺️
Now is the tail thing and the puffy done by both sex or just one?
Hi... I think my Green Cheek is displaying this behavior but started around March n it bit hard.. When ever he saw my hand.. It bit hard till it bleed... Help me!!!!
Thank you so much for this video! My Pippa is doing all of these things, my gut told me to check about mating...but I never connected the regurgitating, thank God humans don't do that😖. She's only 7 month's old is this normal?
My conure freaked out to that sound at the beginning XD lol
Omg I played this video next to my birds and they went crazy! They were all fluffed up and dancing and hyped!!! Hahaha thank you for picking an awesome background that I can now use for my birds to dance to & enjoy! ;]
do the males and females display same mating behaviors?
Ty for all the info. We were unsure if our Chewy - (green cheek conure, 8;months old) - was showing a nesting behavior or not. Chewy was, from time to time, regurgitating, extremely fluffing it's feathers. And rubbing on my hand.
Thought chewy was to young for this behavior.
Do both males, and female conures act the same way during breeding season? Trying to determine if chewy is actually a boy.
You are welcome! Marco is male so he is displaying male mating behavior. Females also display similar behavior, but usually instead of waggling their tail they lift their tail slightly and back into you. Not to get too graphic but, One can kind of imagine how if you combined the male and female behaviors it would result in mating. I understand that observing mating behaviors is not a fool proof method to determine the sex of your Conure, however.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures well after the description I feel like there is a good chance be is a she. I say that because she'll get real fluffy and love bites as well as the backing in with tale in the air. Oh boy!!!! Do you know if she continues with this behavior, will she pop out an infertile egg. Not that we encourage it
My orange-cap keeps putting his head down on the floor and swiping his beak on it, but I can't find a resource on whether this is mating behavior. Does anyone else have this happen?
Yes, Marco does this too. I think it’s more territorial than anything. “This soot is Mine” It can also be just to clean his beak after food or drink. I also see Marco do this in a transition period kind of like fluff, as if to wipe the stress away or something.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures thank you so much for replying!! That makes a lot of sense actually, I was starting to get worried that I was encouraging something bad :))
So i have a pair of conures, and i came home from work today to feed them like always and Buddy is acting crazy aggressive towards me, won't let me touch the other green cheek. He let me pick him up and put him on my shoulder witch was fine till i reached into the cage and he latched onto my ear
Shane Trogdon - sounds like likely hormonal behavior. To you know the sex of your conures? I would say Buddy is the male and the other is the female. He is trying to protect her and their “nest”, which is the cage.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures thanks, im gonna get them a box and leave them be unless in cleaning the cage or feeding them
My ggc has started doing all this behaviour and is getting extremely nippy. Its two months away from August so is it caused by one of the other things. I don't have any other birds but he does like his high sugar foods and his hideaway spots like his parrot tent.
Littlbigasha - Yeah, that will do it. You can try limiting the sweets and taking away the tent and see if the behavior improves. Also, I find that my guy doesn’t always follow the mating schedule either. I think they can get triggered by day or night heat increase as well. Just something I suspect. But don’t try to make your bird cold or anything. That could make your bird sick. Just try to keep a stable temperature in the house know that they may be triggered by that too. Also if your bird is less than a year then he/She may be just going through puberty and a bluffing stage where they can get more nippy. Just try to ride it out and maintain a positive trusting relationship with your bird. Seasons change and your bird will likely get better.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures thank you for the info i will keep it all in Mind 😊
Can you tell if male or female if your green cheek conure bounces head allot? Like all the time
Jonadab Cruz - I think that is more likely a male. Male conures woo their mates by regurgitating food and feeding them like a chick.
The Conure is male and displaying male sexual behavior.
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures but my conure only Bob's his head and he doesnt regurgitate food
Jonadab Cruz - mine bobs his head but does not produce food as well. However, there is a different kind of head bobbing that indicates intent to fly and/or begging. Does it look more like 1:05 on this video?
ua-cam.com/video/ukQ22bAw0QU/v-deo.html
I have a HUGE question, my budgie is mounting my conure. Does that mean my conures a female orrrr?
Not 100% sure, but I would say it doesn’t mean your Conure is. A female. More likely it just means that your budgie is a male 😋
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures ohhh okay, makes sense... thank you for the info!
It would be helpful to not shake your hand around when trying to show an example of hormonal movements and actions. From whats listed here though i would say mine is definitely triggered. Thanks for the video
My conure puffed up then started marching on her perch back and forth, is that considered as a mating/hormonal behavior?
Turbo Punch - No. This an excited (sometimes aggressive) posturing. Marco does this every time I come home from work. It’s pretty funny. Watch your fingers when your bird does this posturing as they may bite.
Guide to Green Cheek Conures alright thanks!
HELP and advice needed. Please see my comment below in response to the second / top comment. Thanking you in advance.
Gemma Catherine - yes! Sorry it took me so long! I responded to your original post! Let me know if I answered your question. ☺️
Thank you SO much for this! You described my green cheeked perfectly!! I couldn't understand why one day he was nice, next day, Mr. Hyde! He's only three so is probably reaching sexual maturity. But how long does this 'behaviour' go on for? xx
Gamechanger when u realize your feathered friend isn't actually a moody dick.. just going through the ongoing hormonal changes that will continue at certain times of the year throughout their lifetime. That being said most pet birds are usually less than 5 generations removed from the wild. I think of my flock like a wolfpack. (WIld animals compete for dominance and constantly test their standing in the hierarchy) No matter how much they love you your bird will try to bully you to see if it works and they are strong enough to play alpha. when this type of aggression happens I make a cage with both hands and restrain my birds until they submit. You loose a lot of skin doing this but it doesn't harm them and shows them who's in charge.(Never show pain when your bird bites you). wincing and vocalizing pain has the effect of a squeaky toy for a parrot. They actually think its a game. After they submit to you restraining them place them on the floor away from what's going on. Birds that get bitey in wild flocks are pushed out and shunned by whoever's in charge of the pecking order. exclusion from the group is the worst thing imaginable for a conure. but I believe that showing them that you wont tolerate biting first is also imperative, I never harm or holler at them I just make a hollow with my hands to arrest their movement for a few seconds
Oooo what’s the name of that soccer toy?
Sandra Morrow Thank you ❤️
Our gcc must be special he loves being out and on my shoulder. Dosen't bite loves cuddling. Loves being with me doing house work. He is like a dog. I don't understand this "my bird is bad so it must be hormones" talk. Is my bird special? He dose constantly hump this one rope ring toy thogh.
What about female mating behavior? Mine keeps backing her tail up on my boyfriend and my other poor little female conure and I need her to leave my other bird alone (my boyfriend can handle himself, but the poor other birdy needs me to intervene). I need advice!
Tori G - good point. This is a male in this video doing male mating behavior. My understanding is that a the behavior is slightly different for males and females as you described, but the hormonal triggers and how to manage them are the same no matter the gender
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures the breeder I got mine from said that females can even take on the role of the male and display male mating behavior! However, mine has just been backing her butt up against my other bird and making a strange noise.. I need to figure out how to curve this behavior. I found your video interesting in learning that these are the months in which they become hormonal, so it makes sense why she is acting this way! Hopefully she will calm down soon. My new baby is very shy, so I'm trying to get the little one to warm up to me, but having to constantly correct my older conure isn't making it any easier.
Tori G - It’s likely the addition of the new bird that has got her going. I have also noticed that my guy reacts to warm nights. in the summer when the nights are really hot or in the winter if I keep the heat on higher in the evenings he will have a hormonal reaction. Ignoring her when she does this is the best thing to do to manage it.
My conure displays mating behaviour to my brother please send help
Larniie Playz - sorry to hear that. Definitely make sure you are not triggering your bird’s mating behavior with the things I reviewed in this video.
If I had to guess, I would say your brother may be inadvertently petting your bird inappropriately. Touching a bird anywhere on its body besides its head is like touching a person beneath their underwear, so it’s impossible for them not to see it as a request to mate.
This is what my pineapple green cheek has been doing
my conure likes my bf.. a lot. and me but he likes me more as a mom and my bf as his mate but today as I was trying to take vids of him on my hand, he did it. he finally did it guys. I was confused so I had to google what he was doing until I found this. he normally regurgitates with my bf tho
what if your bird rubs their ass on everything wot does that mean
Connie teh birb - mating behavior! If your bird mostly rubs with its tail feathers down it is more likely male. If it rubs with tail feathers up backing up into things it is more likely a female.
This would be the female, correct?
Diane Aiken - no this is a male. Females huddle down, lightly flap their wings and lift their tails I believe. Especially if you pet them in their back.
OH SHIT HOW DO I STOP THOS BEHAVIOR
too bad the text is so big over the image of the photos
Whe dont know if our bird is female or male but whe call it a boy im going to be fucked up when hes a female bc whe called him picasso
Im- okay 😀
nice vid
but GCC mating starts in april-august
My green Cheek was born in February. So nope.
So much aww
EM P - Hee hee!
Jesus, that scare chord at the beginning...
Is this for male and female?
Sandra Morrow thank you, Do you know if it is possible for a female to do the puffing?
yes, absolutely
Yeah the intro sounds familiar...
Thank you so much all of your examples were spot on! And now to tame my horny conure Moses lol
Is your conure male?
YES! these are male behaviors.
USPS Post Office, FBI "Most Wanted" sign: 'WANTED BY FBI'; "Sam Green Cheeks", "For Index Finger and Thumb Hijacking" (and for scaring the living wits out of my German Shepherd).
Thank you for the information but That music was terrible.
Oh my god so my green cheek is attracted to my gray african
how is this any different from a dog that grabs your leg when in heat ? it’s just a normal thing your bird is going thru, besides the bird doesn’t really know what it is doing with you, the bird is only responding to its nature. I don’t see anything wrong by letting my bird take my hand and rub it just so the urge passes. I don’t encourage it, but i don’t react in disgust. I don’t feel the bird is doing anything wrong. It’s a bird and i’m a human. To think we should stop this is actually taking this thing a little bit too far than what it actually really is.
Eva Heaven - I agree that the bird is not bad for acting on its natural instincts. Personally, my birds sexual behavior doesn’t bother me or gross me out. It is quite a conundrum to have a solitary animal who has all of its natural urges to bond, be close and be intimate and to condemn it to a lifetime of celibacy. I do think about this ethical issue and have yet to personally come to any conclusions that I am satisfied with.
I want to be clear that my recommendations do not come from a prude or conservative stance on sex and sexual behavior in birds humans or otherwise. No sexual shame intended. The information I provide in the video is what I have read from the current experts in the avian field.
I think the main concern about allowing sexual behavior is that it can increase hormone levels in your bird, which can cause them to act aggressive, territorial or jealous toward you or others around you and make the bird difficult to care for. So many people break their commitment to their bird because the bird becomes aggressive toward them or their family members. Sometimes this is because of hormonal behavior, which could have been prevented by less stimulating interactions with the owners.
Another concern is that it can create an expectation of true Birdie intimacy that you can’t really provide. The bird can find this frustrating or even upsetting, which can damage your relationship with your bird. And finally, if your bird is female, then it can stimulate egg production which can put her at risk for osteoporosis and becoming egg bound, which is life threatening.
Keep in mind this is what the experts are saying right now, but expert advice changes over time too. When I got my first bird it was strongly advised to clip their wings and feed them a seed diet. Now many the experts say to leave your bird flighted and feed a pellet diet. 🤷♀️ So you never know, perhaps the recommendations of how to handle sexual behavior will also change in the future too.
If your bird is not female, aggressive, territorial or jealous and your relationship remains positive, then perhaps this is not an issue in your case. If your relationship with your bird changes for the worse down the line then you can reconsider these recommendations and how you would like to proceed from that point.
Trust your mind here; it’s most important to think about your bird and what is best for him, you and your future together. As long as you have his best interest in mind and keep educating yourself, then you are and he in good shape and he is lucky to have you.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment and thanks for watching!
Please feel free to respond with any other thoughts.
Great information, I appreciate all of what you said, and will apply accordingly to his behaviour. Thanks for this video!
OHH I KNOW WHY MY BIRD HAS BEEN TAKING OUT THE PAPER TO POOP BECAUSE HE WANTED TO MAKE A NEST
0:35 is that a male or female?
Male
SO MY BIRD HAS BEEN TRYING TO WOO ME?!
Victoria Ward
Pretty much every behavior male birds do that people find “cute” are varying stages of mating behavior.
August to October?
Funny. It's March and mine have laid eggs. Why would the breed in fall. Your wrong.
Well now I know why the green cheek at my work was acting like that only towards me.... sorry girly. I must refuse your offer lol. I only give her head scratchies tho and let her groom my hair so idk why she keeps going only to me
mikael lundgren - Birds have preferences in friends and partners just like people. Sometimes we can’t account for taste between humans either. 😋 You like who you like, ya know. Sounds like you have won her trust and affection, which is a good thing. If she is young and going through her first hormonal cycle her feelings of affection for could easily get confused with sexual feelings for her. Don’t worry about it too much. Continue to be kind to her and just ignore her and put her down when she displays sexual behavior toward you. This too shall pass.
Good luck and thanks for watching
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures thanks! I wish I could buy her but I won't make the mistake of buying an animal from a pet chain ever again. I had my last conure die on me because he was so malnourished from the seeds they gave him. His beak was overgrown and his wings were clipped. He wouldnt eat at all and wouldnt poop. A couple days after I got him I was going to take him to the vet one morning and woke up to find him dead.... there were so many factors I just wish I could've gotten a vet visit sooner. I'm trying to adopt a green cheek near me in miami but I cant seem to find any adoption areas for anything other than cats or dogs.
mikael lundgren - wow that is a heartbreaking story. Wish you had gotten him in time to turn his condition around. Poor guy. It is also heartbreaking to leave the conures in the box stores to be abused as yours was and likely bought by someone who has not done their research. It is not the birds fault that they were hatched into their situation. Sometimes I wish I could save them all. 😢
I had a hard time finding a true bird sanctuary in my area too. This isn’t as good, but there are plenty of birds looking for homes on Craigslist unfortunately. Owners end up having to pass them along due to an unforeseen change in their lives. Many want money for the birds, but some Judy to make sure their bird goes to a good home and doesn’t get flipped. You would be participating in the purchase and sale of a bird but you would not be supporting a box store. I got mine from an older lady who felt she couldn’t continue to give hime the care he needed off of Craigslist. He is healthy and happy if a bit neurotic (possibly due to his history) but he’s a good little friend.
Looking at your name. Are you from Sweden originally? 🇸🇪
@@GuidetoGreenCheekConures this is actually my boyfriends account. He is swedish yes. I, on the other hand, am italian and english. But going back to the craigslist idea, I've thought about it before and have always been frightened of being in a hostile situation (I'm a 5'1 girl who just moved to miami about a year ago so I dont have many friends to come with me) and I'm mostly afraid of getting a bird that I cannot help again. I know that comes with owning any animal but that conure was the only animal to have died on me not from old age. I have 2 rabbits, a ball python, a crested gecko, I've had a cat, dogs, and I've taken care of animals from emus to horses. I want to do all I can for an animal but with a site like craigslist, I'm afraid I wouldnt be getting all the useful information.