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Post by quinn83 on Dec 4, 2014 19:11:44 GMT -5
I recently adopted Romeo from a lady who could no longer care for him. He is 10 months old. After I got him he was the sweeest thing to everyone then one day he just dived at my mother's face. I thought maybe hes having a bad day so i left him alone. The next day he did it again but not only to my mom this time. He did it to my brother. I have tried everything I can think of to try and fix this. Does anyone have any advice??
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 5, 2014 2:19:52 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! If you don't have them already, I would buy the "Guide to the Well-Behaved Parrot" and "Guide to the Quaker Parrot" by Mattie Sue Athan. Some quakers have a tendency toward being one-person birds, but most will learn to tolerate other family members. Have your mom and brother feed Romeo special treats through the cage bars. If he's out of his cage you can put him down on the floor and have them pick him up. This is called the "rescue scenario"...parrots don't like being down low to the ground, they feel vulnerable...so YOU put them on the floor (in a vulnerable place), and the less desired person gets to "rescue" the bird. Keep in mind that Romeo may nip once he's been rescued, but if you do this on a regular basis he should start to accept them. Make sure they give him a treat when he steps up for them without biting.  I hope this helps! |
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 5, 2014 2:20:22 GMT -5
How long have you had Romeo? |
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Post by biteybird on Dec 5, 2014 3:11:37 GMT -5
If Romeo is only 10 months old, he might just be going through some behavioural changes to do with maturing. This aggressiveness could be due to any number of reasons, but our quaker Bonnie became more aggressive at around this age. It could be just a phase, or related to a change of owner, or even if he is molting (some others have mentioned personality changes when this happens).
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Post by quinn83 on Dec 5, 2014 14:19:21 GMT -5
I've only had Romeo for alittle over a month. He is the second parrot I've had but he is so different than my contour was! Thank you for the book titles I've been trying to find a good one. Compared to my past experience Romeo acts so oddly that I'm just not sure what to do. He tries to eat my clothes. He tries to bury stuff in my hair. I nevrr let him perch on my head he gets on the back of my chair. I don't know how to get him to stop these behaviors. He did stop nipping at me after I helped him with the pin feathers as was suggested in another post. It was hilarious because he got so into it that he tip over sideways and he looked so surprised! I'm also thinking about having his wings trimmed does this really help? One more thing is how do I know if his beak and nails are overgrown? It looks a lot longer than the pictures of quakers I've seen and he keeping chewing his nails. Thank you so much for the advice! |
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 5, 2014 15:06:07 GMT -5
If you want you can post some pictures of his beak and nails. If his nails feel extra long/sharp you can take him to the vet and they will show you how to trim them if you don't already know how. It sounds like he may be testing his boundaries with your family, to see what you'll put up with. Parrots are like children...they like to test the rules, to see if you really mean it. LOL And YES, quakers are very different from other species. If he's "tasting" your clothes, you can make a birdie necklace with fun plastic beads strung on a cotton or hemp cord for him to play with while he's on you. I think it's adorable that he buries stuff in your hair, but if you don't like it you can discourage it. Since he's biting your mom and brother, I would not allow him to be higher than your chest, unless he's on your hand and you're snuggling him under your chin or something (most love that). Being on your shoulder or head is a privilege, not a right. He has to earn that privilege by being nice. Clipping the wings is a personal preference. Our birds aren't clipped most of the time, but whenever my cockatiel needs an attitude adjustment I clip him. It really does help, by making them more dependent on you. They sulk for awhile, but get over it fairly quickly. Good luck!! |
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Post by easttex on Dec 5, 2014 15:21:31 GMT -5
If you're seeing pin feathers then he is definitely molting, and that could be a lot of the testier behavior you're seeing. I'm not in favor of wing clipping unless it is a case of the bird's safety. Yes, you may see "improved" behavior after clipping, but think of it from the bird's perspective. Flight, and the ability to go high in particular, is safety to birds. When you deny him that ability, it's his fear and insecurity that make him rely on/bond with you. I think it's not the best basis for a long term relationship, if you have alternatives. Many perfectly reasonable people disagree with me on this and can point to the benefits of clipping, so you will have to decide.
Definitely read up on the Quaker. In general, try to remember to ignore the behavior you don't want, and reward what you do want. Easier said than done, but do try to not respond dramatically when he misbehaves. If you make lots of noise and jump around when he chews on your clothes, for example, this can be very reinforcing for him. You might think you're discouraging him, but he is just as likely to think you are asking for more. They can be that perverse!
I have to be honest, I have a hard time seeing his trying to bury things in your hair as misbehaving. It sounds kind of touching, depending on what it is he's trying to bury, of course. 
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Post by quinn83 on Dec 5, 2014 19:43:13 GMT -5
I really dont want to trim his wings so im glad to hear that not everyone does. Im going to try to put a picture up of his beak but not sure how. I personally don't mind him burying stuff in my hair because it is very cute and sweet but I wasn't sure if it could turn into something bad in the future. Also is he likely to do that to visitors? Today when he was nipping at my neck I calmly asked him to step up and when he did I put him on top of his cage and went back to my chair. He then calmly informed me "that was rude" and went into his cage to pout. |
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Post by biteybird on Dec 6, 2014 4:15:43 GMT -5
It sounds like he likes you! One month is not very long. Maybe Romeo has decided you are 'his' and is jealous of the others in the house. Don't despair, it's early days yet. When he's finished moulting you may see a change for the better, also if you reward the positive behaviour each and every time. From what people have said on this forum it seems that all Quakers have split personalities and somewhat weird behaviour. Ours happily seems to go into a trance and 'purrs' while I'm rubbing her throat, then changes in an instant to nipping, etc. 
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Post by easttex on Dec 6, 2014 5:15:34 GMT -5
Just guessing, but I wouldn't think Romeo would be that interested in the hair of others. It sounds like he is bonding with you. I know of other birds who like to burrow in hair, maybe because they like the texture, but burying items is a funny twist. What sorts of things is he tucking in there? |
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 6, 2014 5:21:51 GMT -5
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Post by quinn83 on Dec 6, 2014 12:44:25 GMT -5
Just guessing, but I wouldn't think Romeo would be that interested in the hair of others. It sounds like he is bonding with you. I know of other birds who like to burrow in hair, maybe because they like the texture, but burying items is a funny twist. What sorts of things is he tucking in there? He will take the odds and ends that he steals such as a piece of paper hes chewed up or a pen. But he mostly puts my ponytail holders amd hair clamps I leave laying out. Last night he started putting feathers |
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Post by easttex on Dec 6, 2014 14:20:25 GMT -5
Awww, he's helping. |
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 6, 2014 15:30:39 GMT -5
Oh my, that's absolutely adorable!! |
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Post by quinn83 on Dec 6, 2014 16:48:28 GMT -5
It sounds like he likes you! One month is not very long. Maybe Romeo has decided you are 'his' and is jealous of the others in the house. Don't despair, it's early days yet. When he's finished moulting you may see a change for the better, also if you reward the positive behaviour each and every time. From what people have said on this forum it seems that all Quakers have split personalities and somewhat weird behaviour. Ours happily seems to go into a trance and 'purrs' while I'm rubbing her throat, then changes in an instant to nipping, etc.
Yes I've noticed the same thing with Romeo. He will really be into the petting then he decides that hes done and he snaps. I have noticed that its like hes warning me because he wont actually bite me. He also growls at me when I sing him a song. I think thats where he got the "that was rude" comment because thats what I tell him when he growls at my singing. I have learned that he does not like music with words only light instrumental. Oh and one country song called sudays I think. He loves to do the whistling in it |
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