Last week, I commented in the open thread about a cheeky little Green-cheeked Parakeet for sale at my work. I’ve nick named him George because of his incessant curiosity (if you don’t who Curious George is that means you are really young and must get off my lawn immediately). Before jumping in to his latest progress, I’ll provide a bit of background:Green-cheeked Parakeets (or Conures) are commonly known as companion birds. They live just as long as a larger parrot (up to 25 years), but are smaller in size and much, MUCH less noisy. As a result of their quiet nature and soft voices, they cannot learn many words, but it is possible. Often described as the “little bird with big personality,” Green-Cheeked Parakeets are playful, intelligent, curious, and incredibly affectionate.
Now, back to George: George has resided at my work for roughly 3-4 months, so his approximate age is about 6 months. This means he’s still very childlike in his behaviour. However, as a result of being on display for so long, he’s become wary of people. All birds typically do not like loud, startling noises, nor do they like people poking into their cage to pet them (unless the bird is well socialized). When I first met George, I felt terribly because he’d been there for so long and even worse because of his unease with people. I made it my mission, from that day, to socialize him and get him into a good home.
At first, progress was very slow. I’d come early to work just to visit him. I’d talk slowly and calmly. I never put my fingers in his cage. And, if he looked scared or uncomfortable, I would stop whatever I was doing and sit with him in silence. Eventually, he started warming to me. The first evidence of that was when he jumped to the front of his cage at the sight of me. Next, I began to hold my finger up near him, but not in the cage – at first, he would back up, but after a bit of time he no longer was startled. Following that, I started to hand feed him grapes through the bars, which he happily took – I thought this would create a positive association with my hands. Gradually, I put my fingers near to him and, out of the blue, one day he finally made contact with me. Birds use their beak and tongue to explore new things, and that’s what George did with my finger tip – he gently nudged it, then he’d open his beak, nibble softly, and use his tongue to feel the texture of my skin. I kept at this routine for a couple weeks, some days were better than others, but I could tell he was gradually beginning to trust me.
Also at this time, George would incessantly watch me. Wether I was talking to a customer, walking by his cage, or while I cleaned and fed the other birds. Even when I was at the far end of his corridor feeding the small animals, I could see him pressed up against his bars straining to see me, most of the time while hanging upside down. It was adorable, and I knew it was a sign that he wanted to come out but was still a bit fearful.
This brings us to this week, where both George and I made huge leaps in training…
At the beginning of last week, I started propping George’s cage door open while I worked with the other birds and animals in his wing. At first, he’d only stick his head out to watch me; next he began sitting atop of the opening (still watching me), and, shortly after that, he began to venture outside of his cage. He begun climbing down to the budgies below to play all while slowly edging towards me. During this time, I acknowledged and praised him, but never approached him. If I needed a supply near him, I made sure to move slowly and low to the ground (standing over a bird is an act of dominance like in most animals, so I figured avoiding that stance would build trust with him).
Yesterday, I followed the same routine. George came right out of his cage without hesitation. He slipped down his bars to the budgies’s cage and then to the floor where he waddled towards me. Once he was in arm’s length, I calmly held out my finger and asked him to “step up” (this is a basic training command for birds in which you ask them to step on or off your hand/arm). 
He cocked his head to the side and looked at me for a moment…. but then he finally did it! He stepped on to my finger, walked over to my forearm and stayed there. SUCCESS!
I WAS ECSTATIC! More importantly, I could tell he was happy with himself – his feathers were ruffled with excitement and he quietly squawked. From this position, I fed him a grape, walked around a bit then put him back on the outside of his cage. I thought starting small with short positive experiences was the best approach. If something were to startle him while on my arm, I feared it would set him back. We continued to play this game a couple times until I was finished my work with the other animals.
That night, I arrived at work early so I could visit George before instructing a puppy class. My coworker Nick was working and he couldn’t believe that I got George to step up onto my hand. He owns a large grey parrot, is knowledgable about birds and has spent the most time with George, but hasn’t had much success.
After my class, both the Pet Care manager and Nick wanted to see George’s progress, so we all went to his cage. I propped open George’s door and he came ambling out without hesitation while my coworkers watched in amazement. I thought I should give George a few minutes to calm down before approaching him, but I was wrong! As soon as I walked away towards the guinea pigs, he made a sudden leap towards me, but ended up flapping to the ground. Nick, who was nearest to him, tried to scoop him up with both hands (a technique/hold that is safe for birds, rest assure), but George kept squirming away to get over to me. When I saw this, I immediately asked Nick to stop and freeze. George, once again, waddled towards me while I slowly extended my finger and asked him to, “step up”….. AND HE DID! Both of my coworkers were floored – for the 3-4 months George’s been at the store no one had been able to hold or train him.
George’s development makes me incredibly happy both because I’m learning so much about birds (I’ve never owned or studied birds) and because he’s becoming more sociable. The only downside to this is that the more I train him, the more likely he will be adopted/sold (which, I realize, is a totally selfish sentiment). If only I could afford him.
My next goal is to get George used to petting and cuddling. Normally, conures are notoriously cuddly and love affection. As of right now, I can only stroke his beak.
If you or a family member has ever owned birds, please leave some advice in the comment section!
Thank you
