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Post by embracethefall on Jun 19, 2015 11:15:13 GMT -5
Ever since he learned to fly, Darwin has been Mister Independance, flying where he wants and ignoring me 99% of the time, lol. The last few days he's been very annoyed by my hands. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it "aggression" (maybe a little!) because he doesn't seem to be trying to injure me, but he definitely nips at me when I try to pick him up or stop him from whatever mischief he gets into. He seems to be a little better when were out of the room where his cage is, but he still seems hesitant to come to me. He was such a cuddler before he could fly, and I miss that.  Any advice? |
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Post by easttex on Jun 20, 2015 5:48:27 GMT -5
I hate to tell you this, but you'd be better off giving yourself that swift kick in the tailfeathers.  It sounds like like it's time to start training Darwin, so that he comes to see that good things happen when he comes to you. Have you started on the step up yet? |
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Post by embracethefall on Jun 20, 2015 13:08:30 GMT -5
He can already step up. I taught him that as soon as he could stand upright, hehe.
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Post by easttex on Jun 20, 2015 14:47:48 GMT -5
Then I would suggest starting on something else. Training with positive reinforcement makes you the focus as the dispenser of good things. One of the regular contributors here has had good results with target training. It doesn't really matter what you train.
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Post by embracethefall on Jun 20, 2015 17:42:09 GMT -5
Yep, I started target training a few days ago. He's picking it up very quickly! Seems he just had a few bad days. Must've just been in a bad mood.  He's been a little angel today. I wonder what he's plotting....... |
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Post by jefahfah on Jun 20, 2015 20:53:41 GMT -5
Clip those wings. As soon as he figures out that he has to depend on you for transportation he'll chill out.
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Post by aaron on Jun 20, 2015 20:57:34 GMT -5
I find moods with these guys fluctuate a lot. You will have several days of really good behavior and as soon as you relax into it a little bit and expect it to continue they will switch into independence mode and push all of the boundaries. Our QP, Cupcake, is flighted and for a long time she really barely listened to our directives. For the first year or so of her flying it was an exercise in chasing her all over the place all the time. One of the most useful things at first was that we learned we could put red objects in places we didn't want her to go and she would typically avoid them. It doesn't work as well as it used to, but it definitely stil works to some degree. At any rate, she did eventually start recognizing what places in the house were okay for her to go and where we did not want her, and for the most part, she is compliant at this point. Yes, there are some places that she takes a specific interest in and is intentionally defiant about, like our fish tanks. I have to have them all covered on top because she insists on landing on them and trying to chew on them, no matter what I do. But in most cases, she sticks to where she knows we are okay with her going. This was a pretty slow process, but it does happen eventually |
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Post by embracethefall on Jun 21, 2015 16:26:13 GMT -5
Yeah, I plan to leave Darwin flighted, absolutely. My house is really very bird safe. No ceiling fans, we hardly ever cook on the stove, and never when he's out and about, so his little explorations aren't likely to cause any issues. He's gotten a little better over the last few days. Now we're working on not chewing on toes. It seems he finds them irresistably interesting, lol. He likes to play on the floor, so he flies between his playtop gym and the floor, and has toys stashed in both spots to keep him busy. He ALMOST always sticks tothe room he's in and doesn't fly off unsupervised. I guess overall, without much training as of yet, he is growing into a great friend! |
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Post by aaron on Jun 21, 2015 22:02:34 GMT -5
Oh man, I don't let Cupcake anywhere near my toes. That is not a safe proposition  Sounds like things are going great! I am certainly a fan of leaving them flighted when the environment permits |
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Post by embracethefall on Jun 21, 2015 23:20:25 GMT -5
Oh yeah, lol. Darwin loves to bite toes, and he's not gentle. I think he sees them as weird looking, useless, stubby foot fingers, and considers their existence as an affront to him. Worse yet, he will chase any foot that tries to escape him and bite even harder as punishment, lol.
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Post by aaron on Jun 22, 2015 17:25:29 GMT -5
Haha, yes, this is one of the many reasons why Cupcake is never allowed to be on the floor, ever. Although she will still run down your leg if it is propped up and get those toes. Another reason is that I am still scarred from when I accidentally stepped on my parents' Cockatiel when I was 11... He was running around under the table and I did not see him. Luckily it was just at the base of his rump, so all his tail feathers fell out and he was otherwise fine, but I can still remember the distressed/pained sound he made... ugh |
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Post by cnyguy on Jun 22, 2015 19:57:29 GMT -5
Quaker parrots are known for being fascinated by feet; in her book Guide to the Quaker Parrot, Mattie Sue Athan mentions specifically how they often will chase feet (complete with illustration). If I'm barefoot, Ralph will make a move as if to attack my feet, but is just being playful, and seldom actually bites them. If I'm wearing shoes, he wants to untie them, but won't chase my feet or attack them.
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Any advice?
He's been a little angel today. I wonder what he's plotting.......
