... how to deal with a greencheek conure.

The reputation generally preceeds the greencheek conure - though playful and cuddly, besides of course handsome/pretty, they come with an amazing ability to use their beaks which is often referred to as "being nippy".

Valo sure fulfills the reputation to its fullest - he's extremely cuddly, he loves to play, and the beak is always in action. Though most of his nips are really just that, there are some that are certainly beyond the definition of nips - I would call them "conure attacks".
His "favorite" victim is one of my best friends - it doesn't seem to matter what the guy tries, Valo never leaves a chance once he's within reach. Those attacks usually lead to small amounts of blood being lost by the victim, and a GCC proud to have succeeded in his mission. He's also extended his "repertoire" over time to include other people in his circle of victims, which creates a problem.

So, what to do? In my world, this means back to the books - I read a lot about dealing with aggression, and I tried a lot. And as of now, this is the strategy I decided on (which is heavily based on B. Heidenreich's "The parrot problem solver" and works really well for me so far) - please let me know if you have any suggestions what else I can include.

*) Valo is not a very subtle personality - he shows when he's about to "go for it"... watching the bird is the key to preventing the situation. Fluffy around the neck - I'm not putting a finger near my feathered love. I guess this really comes back to just having respect.

*) Cue a simple action, and once the bird shows signs of aggressions have him do it - in Valo's case this is "come here" which I use instead of "step up". It works well in case Valo decides to fly to his object of desire - he steps up without a problem when I tell him to.

*) Reinforce when he does something right - such as sitting quietly on a perch. All too often, I just acknowledge it but don't praise him for being calm (and that sure doesn't happen very often).

*) Don't attempt to make him do things, because that usually doesn't end peacefully. Valo has his own mind-set, and he's stubborn as can be. For the most part, I just let him do whatever he wants but I watch him closely. He's flighted, but he usually follows me around wherever I go.

*) Make sure he gets enough sleep. In my situation, I often come home after sun-set, but I limit the time he is actually up and make sure he sleeps in a little bit in the mornings. Not ideal, but currently I can't implement an alternative schedule.

*) Watch what Mr. Messy-Beak eats, and make sure he gets enough veggies. Limit the protein to avoid "grumpyness" due to new incoming feathers.

*) No force-cuddling... he comes by himself to get his head scritches and snuggles, and once he's got the hang of it, it takes a while until he gets enough.

*) Take him to outings whenever possible with new people in a new environment.

*) As for my friend - we're slowly working our ways up. He's getting treats from him, and by now he takes them without attacks. My friend talks to him from a good distance, and sometimes Valo will actually let him place his hand next to the cage without taking a piece of a finger out. It's slow, but it's progressing.

*) Overall, I guess he taught me well to just respect him as a bird with his own view on things and his own personality (who doesn't really like to be told what to do he might have picked that one up from me).

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Well even though he acts like an attack bird at times, you can't help but love the little fella. That face. I don't think for one moment he doesn't know exactly what he's doing.

I love little nippy Valo, he's definitly his own man! And I think he loves his mommie very very much!
xo

I think Valo is precious! I have had my GCC Jimmy for about 10 years now. He's a little sweetie although he will nip occasionally.

Bee, I feel your.....well, pain. Sometimes literally! The theory that dinosaurs and birds are closely related is well borne out in GCC's! I sometimes refer to Quito as my "little velociraptor". They can truly be little beasts at times. Ya gotta love their plucky personalities, and yes they are sweet as well. But they are also feisty, and those moods come and go so quickly! You're absolutely right, when the feathers fluff up, it doesn't mean "come give me a scritch"! I've been very fortunate (and lucky) in that Quito hasn't drawn blood on me...yet, but she sure has given me some hearty pinches. But then the next thing you know, she's cuddling in the crook of my arm, hanging by one foot from my sleeve, clucking away like a happy little chicken.

I truly love the little carnivore, and probably indulge her too much. She makes me laugh (inside, I try not to show it) when she's in one of her "snit" moods, and gives you that evil eyed "come on, make my day" look. It reminds me that these truly are wild creatures still, and they do not consider themselves as subservient to our will and wishes one bit, nor are they at all intimidated by our size!

now isn't that the truth