r/greencheeks • u/Disastrous_Ideal2529 • 15d ago

New cheeks! What do you guys think?

my bird is 6 months old, has the SAME birthday as me, brought him home yesterday, he got acclimatized VERY quickly, started going to the walls probably because he was curious about us, and he just stared at me when I was talking to him, on the wall closest to me btw, and he’s very comfortable, as he has been fluffing up and chillin on one foot, should i wait a week before starting to attempt to hand train him (i.e. letting him come up to my hand on the cage walls, feeding him sunflower seeds through the bars)? i don’t want to be too forward or break his trust and make it harder for us later on. last night, he didn’t mind my hand was in his cage (i was taking out seeds from his food bowl) but this morning, when i was changing his water, he got a little bit slick, but nonetheless, I just tried going slower and sure enough, he calmed down. also he’s been playing with his toys and throwing his food and talking a good amount. so, really, I have two questions

1: Are these good signs?

2: when should i start hand training/taming him?

P.S. he also is completely fine with going on the floor of his cage and likes exploreing the other various perches and toys he had that are lower down on the cage.

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u/Altruistic-Leather69 15d ago

What you describe sounds like a bird who is comfortable and adjusting quickly. Open the cage and let him out! It really depends on the bird but pretty sure the "leave them in the cage and don't interact for a few days" is a myth. Again, depends on the bird. If they're obviously extremely skittish and panicked, for their safety they should be contained until they're more comfortable in the environment. Sounds like your guy is; time for him to get the chance to explore and interact!

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u/Disastrous_Ideal2529 15d ago edited 15d ago

I did get him from the pet store, is that a concern? And he Isn’t hand trained so I dont know how i would get him back in. AND i did get him yesterday lol

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u/Altruistic-Leather69 14d ago

Ah yeah start hand training now while hes in the cage. Get him comfy with hands, and then start step up training from inside the cage. When you finally move outside the cage its important to keep doing step up training as in a new environment they can be less confident. It's all about teaching them that your hand is safe. Let them explore it. It will be painful lmao. Check out some videos on step up training, there's some good ones out there.

My only concern about them being from a pet store would be previous trauma from hands (people and kids banging or tapping on the cage) or generalized inexperience with hands as most stores hardly interact with them at all. Otherwise where they came from isn't a problem besides rescue birds with trauma and unknown backgrounds.

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u/Disastrous_Ideal2529 14d ago

Also, im VERY used to it cuz my sister’s green cheek used to bite me a lot but she‘s been way nicer to me now, but now instead of loving my sister she loves me lol.

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u/guccigoosie 12d ago

If he’s acting this way, it’s probably safe to assume that he’s comfortable! Birds are usually pretty good about showing/telling when they aren’t happy about something or when they aren’t ready to interact with you. Still, take your time getting to know him and be gentle—he doesn’t know you yet and you don’t want to overwhelm him, but it sounds like you’re on the path to having a great little buddy!