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Post by rickygonzalez on Mar 12, 2015 2:06:10 GMT -5
Hello, so Sonic has been biting my shirts while on my shoulder really hard. Sometimes, he misses the shirt and gets me. I don't force him to do anything. I let him up there on my terms though. It's like he doesn't like the folds in my shirt or something. Also, he bites his underside of his wing aggressively not preening like. I have no clue whats up with him. He is very active, eats like a horse, wants to be with me/on me all the time. Maybe hormones? Any guesses will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
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Post by easttex on Mar 12, 2015 3:51:37 GMT -5
Peppy does the same thing to my clothes. It seems like he starts out preening me and then starts on the folds of my shirt and gets more enthusiastic as he goes along. He frequently picks up a pinch of my skin in the process. I haven't been handling him for long, and I don't know exactly what to make of this, either. I hope someone else will be able to shed some light on it.  |
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Post by biteybird on Mar 12, 2015 5:20:11 GMT -5
Bonnie does this too. Be aware though, their toenails are really sharp. If I can't actually see Bonnie's beak/body properly I can sometimes mistake the feel of her toenails for nipping/biting, as it feels the same...well, in our case, anyway! |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Mar 12, 2015 9:52:44 GMT -5
First mistake - "I let him up there on my terms" - if he is biting, it is HIS terms, not yours. I do let Shah on my shoulder but he is not there for long as he likes screaming in my ear as well as "tasting" my clothes - he can get carried away with this. He only gets put there if he is having a head scratch or I am transporting him from room to room. Otherwise, I have learned to do everything one handed. As to biting under his wing, can you check if there is anything wrong (like mites) and give him a bath with some aloe vera in it to help soothe the skin? You need to keep an eye on this and it might be a wise idea to let the vet check it out. Do you have a playstand you can pop him so he is not on you all the time? It is very difficult when they are hormonal as they can be extremely demanding but hang in there - it does get better.
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Post by easttex on Mar 12, 2015 13:16:56 GMT -5
I've experimented with Peppy the last couple of evenings, trying to see how good or bad he will be on my shoulder and around my face. My theory is if you want to get trust, it's best to show a little. Then I go from there. He's actually been quite good. Last night I got my hair and ear groomed, and got my first quaker kiss. (My grey kisses me all the time but she likes to slip me the tongue so I have to make sure she gets my chin or cheek. ) But when he's on my shirt, I will get pinched. I'm mostly puzzled. It doesn't seem aggressive, or to mean "quit that!", so I don't know how to interpret it, exactly. |
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Post by rickygonzalez on Mar 12, 2015 13:57:09 GMT -5
its funny, he is very gentle.but when he gets on my shirt he goes crazy. if I move my hand when he's biting my shirt he will mock bite at my hand. I wonder if he's not getting enough exercise. I let him out of his cage as much as I can. he is clipped right now, I am hoping that when he can fly again this will slow down a little bit. do they molt in the spring, or is it an individual bird by bird kind of a thing. budgies don't do this go figure Quakers. what do you guys think?
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Post by aaron on Mar 12, 2015 14:30:51 GMT -5
Cupcake goes through phases when it comes to destroying clothing. It does seem to be a bit worse when she is hormonal. She will go weeks without making a hole and then she will destroy three shirts in one day. Have had basically no success trying to control it. When she gets in that mode, you just have to remove her from your shoulder.
Luckily, she does not seem to grab skin through the shirt. That hasn't happened yet at least.
Cupcake used to do an agressive leg/foot biting thing a couple years ago. She seems to have stopped. Unfortunately I can't say I did or didn't do anything to make that happen. But it definitely didn't look like something she should be doing.
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Post by Jan and Shah on Mar 12, 2015 15:20:26 GMT -5
I suggest you all get some "bird" clothes - things you can wear when the bird is on your shoulder and it doesnt matter if they bite it, poop on it or whatever else they want to do. I have a summer and winter collection of parrot clothes - they have a variety of holes in them which is quite fashionable these days judging from the clothes being made on Project Runway |
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Post by easttex on Mar 12, 2015 16:50:56 GMT -5
I have a full complement of bird clothes, but the funny thing is, Peppy has yet to actually put a hole in anything. It looks like he does, and it sounds like he does, but somehow he doesn't. A mystery. |
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Post by cnyguy on Mar 12, 2015 20:06:43 GMT -5
Parrots (especially QPs, it seems) do like to chew on fabric. I think they enjoy the textures. Ralph does that with my parrot shirts and will sometimes nip my arm or shoulder in his enthusiasm. He seldom chews holes in anything, unless there's already a small hole present-- then he'll work on making the hole bigger. He's good at that. |
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Post by biteybird on Mar 13, 2015 0:27:53 GMT -5
He seldom chews holes in anything, unless there's already a small hole present-- then he'll work on making the hole bigger. He's good at that. ...and I'm sure his etiquette whilst doing so is impeccable.
My shirts have escaped having holes chewed in them for a couple of weeks. But it's mainly due to my complacency - I'm behind in my ironing, so consequently have about 15 clean shirts lying on the floor in the spare room (my "floor-drobe" as I call it). That means they haven't been exposed to Her Destructiveness...yet.
Re the biting: Bonnie does go crazy-ish when she sees silver cutlery or shiny glass items. If my fingers are near them she will lunge for them and my hand. I don't know what it is about those things that sets her off. 
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Post by easttex on Mar 13, 2015 5:59:09 GMT -5
I've had both extremes - from completely uninterested to nearly obsessed with altering my clothing, but never before this chewing without destroying. I will chalk it up to the Quaker Difference. And I think I will fashion some kind of rigid smock to wear that will at least make it harder for Peppy to gather my skin. (Perhaps one of those lead aprons you wear when you have your teeth x-rayed.  ) |
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Post by aaron on Mar 13, 2015 9:29:10 GMT -5
Cupcake definitely does the chewing without destroying thing... sometimes for weeks at a time! But we can't trust her to do it consistently.
I do have an assortment of shirts and t-shirts that are designated as wear-at-home shirts that Cupcake has already damaged. And I also wear hoodies around the house a lot because her beak doesn't really damage those easily. Unless she finds a hole that's already there.
A lot of the time she is good and doesn't mess with clothes. She clearly seems to know that we aren't fond of it. But sometimes she just can't help herself.
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Post by rickygonzalez on Mar 13, 2015 9:48:34 GMT -5
I personally wear an old towel over my shirt. I was more concerned about him getting aggressive with me. That is something I have very little tolerance for. If I accidentally do something wrong with him and get nipped that's life but for him to bite just for his entertainment is not a habit I want him to get into. There will be a lot of time out in his cage if it continues. Btw, he dose get nippy with my hand too.
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Post by cnyguy on Mar 13, 2015 20:34:29 GMT -5
He seldom chews holes in anything, unless there's already a small hole present-- then he'll work on making the hole bigger. He's good at that. ...and I'm sure his etiquette whilst doing so is impeccable.
Well, he doesn't go quite as far as asking my permission to enlarge the holes in my shirts.  |
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