About a week ago I got a young 4 month old green cheeked conure. He's really sweet and usually pretty gentle, but also extremely shy. We left him alone the first couple days we got him and didn't touch him or anything. After two days, he started getting incredibly bored so I let him out on top of his cage to mess around with a few hand-toys, and he seemed happy enough til some more people came in to see him. He got startled and flew off his cage, so I put him back in.

Then the next day, I let him on top of his cage and didn't try to mess with him at all, accept for moving around his toys a bit to get him interested in them, talking to him, and giving him some food from my hand. When it was time to go back into I tried to get him to step-up, but he kept running away from me. Finally he flew to the ground, and got onto my hand.

Today, he went up onto his cage happily, and I hand fed him and talked to him a bit, but he wouldn't let me get near him if I didn't have food. Finally it was time to put him back into his cage, and my mom wanted to do it so I tried to let her. He flew down to the floor again, and tried to run away from my mom. I got him to step up onto my hand, and put him back in his cage. Later, my mom thought he should take a bath, but he wasn't coming out. She tried to get him out by force, and was like grabbing at him and stuff. I'm sure it scared the crap outta him, as he bit her hard enough to make her hand bleed a little, which he hadn't done at all before.

So basically, whenever we try to touch him or even put our hand into his cage, he runs away from us and climbs all over the cage to get away. I'm wondering how I can get him to stop being so afraid of us and be friendly towards us? He's pretty nice and playful to me when no one else is around, but he won't let me touch him at all. When I've got food him my hand he'll come towards me in the cage, but when I don't he's real scared. Any tips? He's a really sweet and gentle bird, just kinda shy and afraid. Should I just leave him be for a while and not try to handle him? I talk to him all the time, and he'll come over to the edge of his cage by me and sit there watching and listening.

First off, congrats on your new Green Cheek!!! I have one and they are oodles of fun

Given the fact that you've only had him for a week, I think this guy needs to settle in a bit more. Some birds just take time. Keep in mind, his entire world has just been changed and that can be a scary thing for a little bird.

I would keep doing what you're doing. Talk to him, feed him food from your hand, don't push him if he won't come out of his cage. Let him learn that you, and his new house, are safe.

You have to earn his trust, right now, and by grabbing him and forcing him out of his cage, that is going to do the opposite.

Just go slow and give him some more time. If he flies down to the ground, and then steps up for you, see if he'll step up again. Or, you can try to hold him close to your chest and pet his head. See how he reacts to that. But above all, don't push him too hard right now.

Good luck and I hope you share some photos of him

I agree. It does take time. It seems you're doing an awesome job though, so keep on! You just have to go at their pace.

And while I know she's young and easier for her to trust, I've had Missy for 3 months now, and she still doesn't want to come out of the cage. I have to put my hand behind her, not touching her, for her to come out and step up. She's had a shower once, but we haven't pushed it. She's been doing a good enough job in her water bowl. She is up to giving kisses for treats, but that's about it. She's content to briefly be on my shoulder, but only enroute to a cage. Our 'play time' doesn't last too long. She doesn't have patience for it. But I know it will come.

My other rescue, Shiloh, I've had for 2 years now, and it's been at times a hard row to hoe. I wasn't able to get him out of the cage at all when I first got him. But as I'm typing this, he's on my shoulder and I'm sitting on the couch ( haha! they said pionus were perch potatoes. he's a couch potatoe instead! ).

Just hang in there! Myself and many others on here are proof patience pays. The day will come, I'm sure!

I didnt read the other posts so I am sorry if you have this info already. We got our sun conure when she was 4 months old and was not hand tamed. I got good advice to start off by letting her get used to the house and come out of scared to death mode. Next we started getting her out by holding a perch and covering our hand with a hand towel. We did that for a while until she seemed ready to move on. We moved our hands closer and closer to the end of the perch while getting her out and eventually she would step onto our covered hand. Next we started working on getting her to be ok with our hand less and less covered by the towel. Eventually she understood that our hands were not weapons. Each time we would say step up and give lots of praise. Now, this happened over about 2 months until she was totally comfortable. Good luck

Oh and as far as the bathing thing...that is probably way too forward right now. She/he will do that in time. It isn't necessary to push it at the moment. Usually my conure will jump right in her water bowl the second I add fresh water:)